Ignore my mess🫣
I’ve had no time to really make my van more comfortable, Ive been working 2 jobs PLUS 7 college classes
But today I finally had a moment to put up window covers and lights! I’m really don’t do much in here but sleep, but now I can see and do things in the night!

Hi all, 19F here. Been living in my car for nearly a month now. I work 6 days a week mornings to 4, but afterwards, if I'm not hanging out with my girlfriend, all I do with my free time is doomscroll. It's really awful, and I don't know how to start new hobbies. I used to draw, but I can't get myself to do that. I also dropped out of school for film to live in my car (had to escape my abusive household), and I used to watch tons of movies, but I can't even bring myself to watch a movie as of late. My first few weeks I worked out every night before my showers, but I gave up on that too. Maybe I'm just falling into a depression, but making something of myself feels difficult. All I do is make money and doomscroll, while occasionally hanging out with my girlfriend. It's days without her I feel the most hopeless, which I know isn't very good for me. Thank you in advance for any help <3

Just got my social security so off to my favorite motel. This past month was a bad one because of a unexpected large bill. Good food and do anything I want

in my 40 something years, I probably spent over 200 nights in a car or vehicle . that doesn't count 3 day music festys either

in this day and age, are you worried a cop might knock on the window and mistakently shoot you while you half-asleep reach for something like your phone? like they think your reaching for a weapon.

I have no tint. Rear window was broken after a break in. Covered it with black tape. I have multiple dings and dents. Most noticeable dent happened while I was parked.

I have black window covers. But windows must be down sometimes to avoid death/heatstroke.

Cannot prioritize paying for a tint, window repair, or body damage. All things that ultimately make or break “stealth”

You can be as quiet and clean as you want. If your vehicle is unsightly, you won’t be stealthy

Howdy do da, as I previously mentioned in another post, my significant other & I plan on saving every penny with our upcoming paychecks and buying a used, but still decent, van off Facebook marketplace.

Once acquired we plan to do “van life” and do a mix of traveling & staying in new cities for a few weeks to month at a time. Before we leave our hometown we are gonna do a couple smaller projects on it; building a bed platform, some storage areas, as well as makeshift countertop we can use to prepare food and other various activities. I’d love to see any photos of people’s builds or recommendations on necessities & brands that are reliable.

Also had another question: we plan on leaving by the end of November or early December (we both absolutely hate the cold & don’t want to stay another winter up north 😅). I planned on heading down to the Florida area to visit my brother & do some sight seeing, but I heard the Florida is pretty strict when it comes to car/van living and I don’t wanna take my chances for too long down there.

We are definitely open to heading west, and I heard that out west has the most public/free land to stay on without having to worry. We are both very adventurous & want to go explore, so I was wondering if anyone had recommendations on states or places to visit this winter so that we can avoid this northern cold! TIA

+ 2 people....and hopefully +1 cat??

My husband (22) and I (23) were evicted from our apartment around a week and a half ago due to nonpayment (my husband lost his job). After about 4 or 5 nights of sleeping in a hotel we were able to buy this van for $1k from family.

Last night was my 3rd or 4th night sleeping in the van. We finally got an air mattress in the back last night, so it no longer hurts to sleep. We can even cook if we build a small fire, last night we had soup and grilled corn.

The issue is that we currently don't have space for our cat, who is staying with my in-laws and seems miserable to be away from us and in a house with other cats. I'm wondering if anybody has any ideas on how to make enough space for a cat? If I stack our clothes and cooking totes on one another I could fit his litter box, but I'm not sure about his food and water. We also keep the van doors cracked when parked, so we'd probably have to have him in a harness and tether him to some part of the van?

This is the space directly behind our heads that I was thinking could move stuff around for a litter box. And also the space at our feet.

I can post better photos of the setup when my husband is awake.

When I had first gotten out of jail I was in a shelter, I got a job walking an hour and a half one way then the same back for 18/hr. I did that for a few months and got a 2015 Subaru forester, once I got the forester I immediately moved out of the shelter into the car then got a better job. Then after a few months of barely surviving I got into the union and make over 55$/hr now. Im still living in my car but everything has become possible. I'm in school full time online while working 6 days a week making a little less than 3000/wk, about 2k after taxes. It's been crazy learning how to survive living in the car. Ive gotten better and better at it but I think my car living is coming to an end this winter. I want a home gym and a place to study easier instead of going to the library. Im ready for the next step. If I can do it, anyone can. It was a sob story for people who didn't know me well but to me it was my journey toward being a man and the journey though eventful and painful, I've enjoyed every moment. Focus on work, and school. Praise be.​

Winter is coming, what are your most important items to have/ changes you make from summer living?

Living in my car was not a choice. I was thrown into it. I lost everything after fleeing domestic violence.

I don’t have a sweet build or even a big vehicle to live in. And yet- I don’t exactly feel homeless.

There’s a huge homeless population in my city. I’ve always been acutely aware of and sympathetic towards homelessness. But now I notice it more than ever before.

I’m extremely conscious of the privilege I possess compared to what those on the streets have. Sleeping in a car is worlds away from sleeping on the sidewalk (even if society will likely stigmatize us the same).

My sense of gratitude has been dialed way up. The simple things in life bring me joy and perspective now.

For those who didn’t necessarily choose this lifestyle, do you think of yourself as homeless?

i'll be moving into my car soon and really trying to savor my last few days with a roof over my head and easier access to food. i was like REALLY homeless years ago living in a tent with just a suitcase of clothes and i "pulled myself up from my boot straps" over the last few years just to lose it all again.

i've been meditating to understand this fear, and it is less towards the reality of living in my car but more towards the feeling of not being able to find the resources to maintain this for as long as i need to in order to survive. looking at the state of the country and all the hate makes me fearful that it may never be safe to exist as a black, queer, neurodivergent human in this world. i'm doing everything i can, yet, knowing that there is so little within my control shakes me to my core.

i've been lurking here and am grateful for the insights/advice that has allowed me to prepare to the best of my ability, but, honestly, i'm still scared. yet, i refuse to stop trying.

Title.

Always planned to kill myself. Had a due date but somehow managed to get better and stick it out past the planned date. So now I am paying off the consequences of spending without a thought because I never thought I’d live long enough to have to deal with the financial repercussions. 28 rn but never thought I’d see 22.

I can move out my rented place anytime. Been buying tech that can be mobile for the past years. 2 120w speakers, oneplus pad 3 13 inch tablet, snapdragon elite Samsung s25ultra for Samsung dex. The main phone is a oneplus 13R with a 6k watt battery. Honestly ready to live a comfy time in my 4 runner.

Unlimited data & hotspot with US mobile.

I’m curious to where is the most and least hospitable cities/counties for car camping. I previously had the pleasure of camping on public land outside of Santa Fe, which was really relaxing and without worries. Currently, I’m on the east coast where the police in my city can actually charge you with a misdemeanor for sleeping in your car. It’s safe to say I won’t be sticking around here very long.

Please be kind. I’m weighing my options here.

I’m living in my car as a result of fleeing domestic violence. There’s a service for victims of DV in my city that temporarily fosters your pets for you while you get on your feet. I’m in Georgia and it was still quite hot when I ended up homeless. I didn’t want my dog to bake to death in my car during my work shifts so I surrendered him over to them day one.

I have about a month left before their policy’s time limit is up and I have to either retrieve him or they adopt him out to someone at their discretion. For various reasons, I will most likely still be car dwelling well into next year.

Through the end of the year, I’ll be working a serving job. The shifts are 4-6 hours. In January, I’ll be taking a job that’ll give me the option to work in their office whenever I want or work from “home”. I plan to be in the office a lot but I don’t see why I can’t go out to my car periodically.

My dog is small and low maintenance. If he’s with me, he just wants to chill in my lap. Before we were homeless, I’d leave him on a pillow or wrapped up in a blanket and he’d still be in the same spot when I got back. He doesn’t need much besides a blankie and some cuddles.

He DOES have a very anxious style attachment to me. I rescued him from a shelter with no info on his background but I think he already has abandonment trauma from where ever he came from before me. The idea of abandoning him forever and subjecting him to that emotional shock is devastating to me. The only tears I have cried since the day I became homeless were for my dog. And I’m scared of him going into the hands of a stranger with no way for me to know if he’s okay.

What I’m getting at is this- since he is the kind of dog who is content to chill and sleep a lot anyway, would it be completely unreasonable for him to car dwell with me for a few months? I can check on him every few hours. We can still go on walks. Winters aren’t too bad down here. To combat the cold, I was thinking he’d be okay if he had a good sweater, an insulated dog bed (the kind for burrowing, which he likes anyway) and an electric heating pad.

He doesn’t bark and I’m planning on blacking out my windows anyway so concerned citizens don’t see him and call the cops for neglect.

I am not dead set on fighting to keep him if it’s a terrible idea. Obviously this is a lot for me to process. I want what’s best for him in the end but the idea of not knowing what’ll happen to him in the custody of a stranger is also going to haunt me forever.

Howdy, I’ve been living in my car for about a month now with my girlfriend & our cat. We have an 09’ ford Taurus for now, we are both in the process of getting jobs so we can save for our first van, however I was wondering where y’all are sleeping when it comes to the suburbs.

For context I live in Toledo, so it’s either a rest stop about 20 minutes outside of the city or some spots like Walmart, Meijer, stuff like that. We’ve had a lot of success in actually parking in apartment complex parking lots, for instance we park in the back corner of where we used to live and haven’t had any knocks or anything of the sort!

I was wondering if anyone else had tried spots like that; assuming you pull in after dark & are gone before sunrise, I think it would be safer than parking on a street or somewhere else in the open. Any advice or knowledge anyone has to kick, I’m open to hearing and would love to hear about peoples experiences.

I went camping today, cooked a steak and some s'mores. $40 a night is alright for a reservation. I marinated my steak in Montreal steak liquid seasoning, cooked it over hickory charcoal for 6 minutes per side and it came out delicious and done just the way I like it. First time camping in 4 years. I have been living in my car for years and finally went camping

Been living in my car since June 3rd. I have a little money saved up finally and decided to get a motel for a couple days. I was supposed to be out today @11 am but I ended up paying another day. I don’t have a car setup. I slept the whole summer in the Texas heat with my Windows just cracked halfway. No screen-door or anything. Those bugs had their way with me at times. The thought of having to go back to sleep in my car isn’t something i’m looking forward to. AT ALL. But paying rent isn’t something I want right now either. I moved out my families house at 18. I’ll be turning 28 this Halloween. It feels like nothings changed. I’m still running around most times stressing about money. Money still stresses me out. I’m depressed and just kinda want to scream. I know my problems aren’t special. I know there are kids who haven’t eaten in weeks. I know this, yet I still feel so stuck and lost. My relationship with my family sucks. And a woman that did love doesn’t anymore and i dont know how to deal with it. I feel super depressed. I cant stop overeating. I just feel like I’ve wired my brain to think and move in a way that just feels impossible to come back from

This probably wasn’t the place to do this but idk what else to do

So my wife and I are divorcing. I am gonna buy an 06 or 08 highlander and sleep in it til I get an apartment. Any good spots where I won't get the knock?

I have til the 31st to prepare, I need a list of absolute necessities. I don’t have much in funds so pls keep it short and cheap. I have a 4 runner and I’m in Tampa Florida so I’ll need more hot temp suggestions since the lows are high 60’s rn with highs in the 80’s.

Thanks for your time

Hi

I am thinking of sharing some of my musings, thoughts, observations insights etc regarding human issues i have personally gone through, reflected, processed. in my years of living in a vehicle.

I find while we are more or less mostly addressing simple everyday challenges like parking, food, weather, finances etc we do tend to neglect the more serious psychological states of mind. This practice is in general considered normal but it seems we have lost sight of the fact that at the end of the day or in silent moments we have to return to ourselves.

Yes we can, as we have, keep distracting ourselves by the many distractions available to us but unresolved psychological backgrounds are always there, if we observe.

If anyone has any topic suggestions, requests, or wants to ask questions along the lines of what i am saying then please feel free to suggest. If i have any input or feedback i will be happy to share and if its something i don't know then will say it upfront.

So the topic i will briefly address in this post is loneliness.

As can be seen from the frequent posts loneliness is something many are dealing with. Perhaps the younger demographics is having more problems coping with it. The thing about loneliness is to first understand that its a human condition common to entire humanity. It is not a question of whether you are housed or in a car, loneliness affects all, young and old, rich or poor, guy or girl, you name it. So it is important to understand you are not affected by it just because you are in an alternative lifestyle.

As i may have said before, the causes for loneliness is complicated and many societal factors are at play. How we understand relationships and where we are at in relation to it also matters very much. If relationships are mostly transactional for us then we will always feel the aches of loneliness because there is no substance to our relationships. They are superficial and transactional. So attempts should be made, as far as possible, to be more genuine in our interactions. At the end of the day one feels satisfied and builds from that satisfaction.

Hope this helps someone.

My next adventure is taking me to northern Maine in the dead of winter. I’m a native of the upper Great Plains, so have a tad bit of experience with cold snowy weather- just not living in a car during it.

What I have:
Layers- base layer ( thermaskins), fleece sweats, can add a middle layer of thermal shirts and leggings if needed; wool socks, winter coat, knit gloves to go under mittens; a heated mattress pad ( and the power to run it), wool and fleece blankets used on a Hele box with a 3 inch mattress with storage under the bed, so insulated from below; winter boots, a 400 watt electric mini heater to be used sparingly to take the morning/ evening chill off, and a hooded blanket to wrap up in if needed. Window covers for insulation, rain guards.

I’m wondering if adding a 12 v blanket or large heating pad is worth it or needed? Insulated coveralls/ ski pants? Or any other ideas- PLEASE no “ get a good sleeping bag” suggestions. I have one. I hate them. Too confining and I get no sleep. “ Drive south” is also not an option, my contract is in Maine.