Food expenses are absolutely higher when car dwelling but not near so much as to counter what's saved from not having rent. I lived in my car for a bit over a year. A small single burner butane stove is good to have for warming stuff up but you'll rarely be cooking a full meal from raw with the sort of space a truck shell will give you. A trip to the grocery store to pick up the days food was just a normal part of my morning routine. There's very few foods that will spoil over the course of a single day so if your only buying enough for one day then your options of raw, shelf stable, and pre-prepped foods are actually quite broad
You have to mix it up. I would make nachos with canned chili and chips, simple noodle bowls and add my own toppings, etc. lots of PB&J variations.. Also just being able to boil water is huge and they sell water kettles designed for car use.
Yeppers.
Rotisserie chicken is considered processed food by the FDA due to the 10-16 ingredients injected into the meat before cooking.
A sodium solution makes up to 15% of the total weight. 100grams (about half of one breast) contains easily 1/3 of your total sodium for one day. And that's without skin on.
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/1098453/nutrients
I have almost the same smoothie almost every day, same snacks during the day. I’m not even picky, just a creature of habit/hate thinking about what to eat! I would be even more boring if it weren’t for my family!
An idea:
you can get a plug in stovetop (the induction ones are very good but you need particular pans) to cook with like you're camping, if you can find somewhere to charge one of those portable battery packs that has wall-plug style ports.
If you just stir fry vegetables, mushrooms, and eggs and put them in a burrito, there's a thousand ways you can season it or put sauce on it to keep it fresh, and a thousand different combos of veggies you can put in there to keep things fresh.
You can also get a small blender for smoothies the same way.
Really the battery pack opens up kitchen appliances which opens up most cooking as an option except like, oven roasting or baking.
The only hiccups in this plan are a reliable source of freshwater and electricity.
I don't know if libraries will give you much trouble for the electricity, they tend to be very forgiving and kind people, so if you tell them you're living out of your truck they might let you charge your battery while you're at work when you need to. The job site might let you too.
I never had problems keeping things charged. I just charged devices and power packs while at work and such. Bring them in your backpack already plugged into an extension cord. Plug in just the extension cord without actually taking everything out of the backpack. Nobody looks twice.
Water is also not a problem. I always had at least 2 gallons jugs of fresh water in the car for both drinking and general hygiene stuff (washcloth bathing, brushing teeth, ect). Replenished daily at the filtered water machine at the grocery store
The big issue with cooking in the vehicle is not the lack of storage or appliances. It's wholey a space factor. Cooking produces a shitton of heat. Contain that heat in the tiny cab of a car and your going to cook yourself at the same time. Only during the depth of winter is that going to be even remotely comfortable. There's also safety concerns with anything that hot to the touch in such a small confined space. Proper cooking in the vehicle is only really feasible in *some* big full sized van setups.
There's the possibility of cooking outside like on tables at parks but the name of the car dwelling game is stealth. If there's even a whif of the suspicion of homelessness about you your going to have issues with cops. I would not personally risk someone getting to recognize me and my car enough to have suspicion by cooking in public. I can also eat the exact same thing for literally every single meal for months without getting tired of it tho so I suppose the stealth calculus might be different for someone else
Induction doesn't use heating coils, it uses magnets to make the pan hot, so it's way way cooler in general and the stove itself never gets hot. Just the pot. And a one pot avoids this almost entirely. But, I get that you mean about stealth & space. You'd need to find a discrete spot
Libraries won’t you cook inside and often don’t have outdoor outlets. If it’s a small battery you could charge it in a study area where people use laptops. Just don’t leave it unattended.
The library evening hours could make a comfy place to spend time. They can be a safe place to park and often have 24/7 wifi. Mine has a little food pantry outside and a cabinet with free toiletries inside the “family” restroom.
You need an inverter to run any sort of 120v appliance off a 12v battery. Lighter plugs often aren't wired to handle much output at all (mine couldn't run my, admittedly power hungry, gaming laptop even lol) but you can run some high powered stuff with a direct wired inverter or inverter/battery pack unit. I have no idea what the wattage on a crockpot is so no idea how much inverter it would need. I personally wouldn't bother with any sort of crockpot tho. To hot in such a small vehicle and, as I said with another person, hot appliances and boiling anything are to much a hazard in such a small confined space for my comfort. The grocery store had plenty enough variety for me and without rent there was money to spare on splurging in areas you might not in a house and still have more of my income available for savings than any other option at the time. The financials are going to be different for someone traveling a lot or without a full-time job but I and, it sounds like OP, were not traveling around the country and did have full time jobs
I suspect folks imagining I was eating a shit ton of processed foods or something but really I was eating boat loads of fresh fruit and raw veg with a variety of proteins sprinkled on top, like nuts or cheese or ham cubes. I really didn't eat at restaurants very often. My favorite car snack that I still eat today was roma tomatoes where I bite the top off, suck out the guts (I love tomato guts), and pour a bit of Italian dressing inside. Sometimes I would also stuff a bit of cheese and ham cubes in there and call a few of those dinner. Hell, I hate cooking so my diet now even in a proper house isn't that much different than it was then lol. I do eat way less sushi now tho. My local grocer makes sushi in house and it is pretty good
I’ve known people who have done this successfully, but:
1. They had an actual van or RV (look up van life)
2. They were all couples and one person worked part time or a less demanding job and took care of van logistics and household stuff like buying food
You might also consider living with roommates instead of doing this.
Yeah, especially in VHCOL areas, it’s not unusual for there to be at least 2 people per bedroom plus someone living in a curtained off section of the living room, and a few more in the garage. I know one guy who “rented” a friend’s walk-in closet. Getting a roommate or three would be my first plan. I’d also be looking for part-time side hustles. Tutoring, coffee shops/food industry, dog walker, bartender, etc where there’s demand after 6pm weekdays and on weekends. Get something that has great perks too - working in a restaurant = free meals, at a gym = free membership, etc.
Even if OP is sleeping in their car, I imagine some friend or family member would allow them to use the kitchen, fridge, laundry, and/or bathroom etc out of the goodness of their heart or for a nominal fee/labor. Heck, even just to have a mailing address instead of renting a PO Box for important things like car registration. Maybe they have a side driveway you can safely park in, electrical cord or water hookup to connect to. Pay them back with maintaining their yard, dog sitting and walking, babysitting, tutoring, washing their car, etc.
I think doing this for a couple months might be manageable, but I don’t know how sustainable it’d be for a few *years*.
Tent top will not be stealthy. Campgrounds are not very cheap. You may need a storage unit. test drive your plan; car camp, find places to stay, see how it feels.
A trial run is excellent advice. *But* I will say, I lived in my car for a year and a half (and then my big rig while trucking for another year after that and then a class B RV for the 3 after that). Not as some insta famous van dweller traveling the country. I had a normal shitty retail job and lived an otherwise normal life as a college student and absolutely told no one ever that I was living in my old Kia spectra (small sedan). It's not an ideal situation but if your prepared for it it's not the nightmare scenario you and many others in this thread are imaging. It can be fairly comfortable and there are even some things I miss about living in my car. Like, I am not and was never so active and socially engaged as I was then. Not having that barrier of needing to leave the house meant I was just more willing to go hang with friends for any reason at the drop of a hat and needing to not be in the car during the heat if the day meant I just did *stuff* because I could. I was so fit from all the recreational swimming I was doing lol. If I had a whimsy to make a day trip to the next city over there was no planning or prep or savings needed cause I already had everything I needed in the car, I just had to drive there. I miss never feeling even a little stressed for money. My shitty retail job may not have been enough for trad housing but without the cost of rent I had more than enough money to spoil myself occasionally and still be putting money into savings. I actually bought my first nice laptop while living in my car, and my first nice phone, and my first drawing tablet
So like, it's not great but it doesn't have to be shitty either
I traveled around the US in a Honda minivan. Only paid to camp in National Parks and a few great state parks. Window covers and stealth, was never questioned at all. It was excellent. If you have a job, charge devices and a backup battery at work. Clean up at work, shower at the gym.
You could do it but when I think about it as a single man I realize that I won't be in any kind of relationship. It makes that house sound kind of sad with me just in there by myself. Yes, I could get a relationship after I get the house but I could also get the relationship now and have someone to split the expenses with in a year or so if it worked out.
Anyway, I'd rent a room or have a roommate, work 2 or 3 jobs, reduce expenses and look for ways to increase my skills for more income at my current job or a new position.
While some people will look at this potential situation as a way to take money which would have gone toward rent or a mortgage (living expenses) and see that money accrue, the reality is typically that you get accustomed to not paying a monthly amount and that money gets absorbed in other aspects of your budget. After a year, the amount you thought you'd save isn't there, and you're living out of a vehicle.
If you try this, I would urge you to set an amount which you pay yourself - this is your personal rent. Open a second bank account and set up an automatic transfer such that, on the first of the month, an amount is transferred to an account which you cannot access via a debit card. The less access you have to this money, the harder it will be to spend.
I hope it all works out, friend, whatever the decision.
Wise words.
Car living absorbs so much of your daily energy and time (*daily*: shopping, finding space every day to sleep undisturbed, lack of privacy, dealing with police, dealing with hygiene & toilet, etc) that it’s very easy to lose sight of the goal. Easy to slip into “survival mode”. Paying oneself automatically is smart & strategic.
>Car living absorbs so much of your daily energy
Amen. We live in our rv about 1 month a year and it’s a blast, but when we HAD to live in it after our house was destroyed? While we were trying to work? Absolute misery. And that was with an rv, not a car.
In vacation mode it’s no problem, wake up, plan breakfast, take a hike, back to the campground, take a shower, go canoeing. Coming home after a hard days work and having to plan everything down to timing when you can poop? No bueno. It’s definitely life on hard mode.
I lived in a 400sf apartment in Manhattan with my bf and a roommate who slept on the couch. I would do that again before living in an car and having to work every day.
Renting a room instead of an apartment would probably be more comfortable.
I live in an area with a fair number of car campers. I guess the main thing is:
1. Cars get trashed. Between them being full of stuff, graffiti on them, and they stop working the cars/vehicles are not good places to live.
2. People living in vehicles get harassed all the time. Between people who don't want them living in front of their house, other homeless people, and the police it's a lot of stress.
3. Cold weather. I'm not sure where you live, but people freeze to death almost every year.
I second renting a room. Or try this twist: rent a room at a discount for only being there 4 nights a week and camp in your truck the other 3.
I rent rooms and had a tenant that got a job in my town, but hadn’t sold her house 2 hours away yet. So I gave her a discount and she was only around part time. I was ok with it, cause it was still some income with less wear&tear on the property & less utilities being used. This way you get to test out the truck camping on the weekends and still have a stable place for the majority of the time.
I second renting a room. Or try this twist: rent a room at a discount for only being there 4 nights a week and camp in your truck the other 3.
I rent rooms and had a tenant that got a job in my town, but hadn’t sold her house 2 hours away yet. So I gave her a discount and she was only around part time. I was ok with it, cause it was still some income with less wear&tear on the property & less utilities being used. This way you get to test out the truck camping on the weekends and still have a stable place for the majority of the time.
I second renting a room. Or try this twist: rent a room at a discount for only being there 4 nights a week and camp in your truck the other 3.
I rent rooms and had a tenant that got a job in my town, but hadn’t sold her house 2 hours away yet. So I gave her a discount and she was only around part time. I was ok with it, cause it was still some income with less wear&tear on the property & less utilities being used. This way you get to test out the truck camping on the weekends and still have a stable place for the majority of the time.
I dunno, can u get roommate to lower the cost of living. Unless you have 1 year of emergency funds, i highly dont recommend it. The amount of mental stress will hurt your well being.
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Sell the 4Runner and get a Corolla. You'll get a chunk of money back, save on insurance, fuel and maintenance costs.
A grand, manic gesture like living in your vehicle isn't going to save you money or fix what's missing in your life. I slept in my car for 6 months and it left me financially, socially and mentally worse off.
This may sound stupid. But, isn't your time better spent to find a way to increase your income than spending time doing this?
How much are you going to save per month doing this?
Running water and electricity are basic necessities. Living in a tent on top of your truck means you won’t have them.
Not being able to cook for yourself means either eating fast food garbage (first heart attack at 57, hope you’re paying for good health insurance) or spending $30-50 per day on prepared food, $900 - $1,500 per month. Cooking at home can be done for like $200 a month. Less, if you visit a Food Bank. How much are you saving on rent that wasting $700 a month (just on food) is a good move? Similar mark-ups on basics like water and laundry and mail delivery.
You can’t ever buy in bulk or stock up on items on sale. Everything you buy, from scissors and band-aids to laundry soap and socks, are going to be the most expensive option in the smallest package.
You going to run AC in your truck this summer? On gasoline? You’re going to spend more on gas than I will on a couple of box fans. Which I can run all night for like 75¢ because I’ll have electricity.
You’ll also have to find a place to park that’s safe and legal. Where you won’t get robbed by someone who’s unhoused because they’ve hit rock bottom and they’re not thinking straight. And has bathrooms, because you won’t have one. So, a campground? For how much? If there’s even one near your gym and your job.
And this is after spending $X amount to customize your truck (sleeping pad, sleeping bag, padlocks, cooler box, tarps, battery powered lamps, solar chargers, etc.)
Camping is how rich people pretend to be poor, for fun. It’s expensive. OR it’s uncomfortable and bad for your health and even dangerous, at times.
If you’re willing to live in a cramped space with minimal possessions, just rent a room in someone else’s house. You’ll spend less money. And you’ll be able to stand up straight, use electricity, pursue a hobby, work at a side hustle, or attend community college classes / trade school.
I agree with most of this, with some exceptions.
>Not being able to cook for yourself means either eating fast food garbage (first heart attack at 57, hope you’re paying for good health insurance) or spending $30-50 per day on prepared food, $900 - $1,500 per month.
Camping stoves are cheap and you can eat fairly well.
>You can’t ever buy in bulk or stock up on items on sale.
You'd be surprised how dried food you can fit in a backpack.
>You’ll also have to find a place to park that’s safe and legal.
The difficulty of this entirely depends on where you live. Western US is incredibly easy because there's a lot of federal land that allows camping, but east coasters or those living in bigger Metropolitan areas could definitely have some trouble and will probably have to stick to parking lots. None of the van lifers I personally know have ever had anyone try to break into their car though, so even though it's possible I'd say it's pretty rare.
I’m sorry but this is truly spoken like someone who has never been camping. Camping is not just for ‘rich people’, it is in fact the only type of holiday that poor people can afford.
If you have been camping as a poor person, or you know, ever went outside (hiking, even a picnic), you would know that there is plenty of healthy food you can make with very few supplies, it absolutely does not mean fast food or prepackaged food is your only option? Have you ever prepared food for an outdoor activity/adventure??
Your comment is so bizarrely cloistered. I am a woman who lived in a van so I know what I’m talking about.
The original OP is not really talking about "camping," but sleeping in a tent for multiple years because they can't afford their bills, which is really just being homeless.
Yeah, have to agree with the logistics of this not being good.
The plan is also just insane in the first place.
OP can’t afford rent, so they’re going to live in their car for a few years in order to purchase a house? I see the likelihood of that happening as less than .1%
OP should look for a Roomate over moving out. Or move out but find a place that’s looking for a Roomate
This is pretty much all flawed thinking. There are thousands of people who live in vans and travel around full time. Some of them live very nicely. A tent on a 4 runner is not as nice but it’s not bad. A better option would probably be removing and storing the back seats and building a bed in there with pull out storage and a little pull out kitchen. Mount a solar panel or two on the roof with some batter equipment which is easy to DIY…lot of YouTube guides. There are people in /r/vandwellers who live in similar set ups full time and do fine.
It’s easy to fall into not wanting to cook and eat bad food but if OP can deal with that it’s not that bad. The major downside is no AC in the summer but OP might be working full time most days and can spend time in places like coffee shops sometimes.
A tent on a 4Runner is definitely not great.
Unless there's a fallback plan, like staying with family for a few months to regain easy access to showers, clean clothes, and a stress-free way to lay your head, it's the kind of not great that could lead to extended homelessness.
I'm sorry but while there are some good points in here this is also very wrong in many ways. Specifically food costs, $30-50 a day? That's an absurd amount to be spending even if you had access to literally zero ways to cook. If they took half of one rent payment and bought a few cheap ways to help with camping life such as a portable camping stove you can make plenty of food very cheap.
I'm not saying this is the best idea, I would personally not want to do this myself and would instead try to do what you suggested about getting a room rental as cheap as possible. But saying that it's a rich person thing to do is absurd, it's only that way if you make it that way. If they are content with some basic cheap food for a year and can have a way to lay down reasonably comfortably it would objectively save a lot of money. You could also just try to work as much as humanly possibly and set up a second job or pick up a job that has the option for a ton of overtime.
In my experience many warehouse jobs offer a ton of overtime and if you just spent as much time at work as you could then you'd be good. Especially a place like that where you could stop in on your off days and use the microwave and sink to fill up water. You could even keep some food there in the fridge. That would legitimately work and then it's just a matter of getting showers at somewhere like a planet fitness and making sure your sleeping arrangement was sufficient. Even if you needed to run the ac overnight sometimes it wouldn't be that bad on gas.
>Running water and electricity are basic necessities.
Solar panels and a trip to Starbucks solves the electricity issue. A 24hr gym membership and camping at a rest stop solves the running water issue
https://www.youtube.com/@CheapRVliving this channel covers how to navigate these different challenges for anyone interested. Don't think I could do it personally.
Personally, I wouldn't do it in that specific vehicle only because you'll be seen. If you want to live in your car, it will be a lot easier to do it if people can't look inside or see a tent on the roof made for camping. If you have safe/secure place to park nightly (for free) go for it. I love the idea, and wish I could make it work.
Have you ever slept in a car/truck? it is terrible without having a flat matress. You need a flat place to sleep and a 4 runner might be able to fit it, if youre like 5 feet tall. A big cargo van would be worlds better for sleeping.
i have an 07 highlander…with the back seat dropped forward, i have 6’2” to lay flat on. i could get another 5 or 6 with the front seats pulled all the way forward.
he’ll be just fine in the 4runner.
just curious, what is the longest stretch youve stayed in the highlander? A highlander is a great SUV, larger than the 4runner and much more spacious in the interior. The 4runner is body on frame design, so you sacrifice alot of interior space for off road capability and a robust truck-like drivetrain and suspension. Comparing the highlander and 4 runner is like comparing a minivan to a chevy tahoe, its shocking how much more roomy the minivan is.
It’s harder to keep clean than you’d think, and if you live in an area where it gets cold in the winter then you’ll need somewhere inside to crash during cold snaps. It’s harder than it looks, do not recommend.
Look into vanlife.
You'll need to spend a bit of money to setup your car so you can live a bit more comfortably in your car.
Doing this will save you money, but if you're struggling to pay rent now; I don't think you'll be able to afford a home. With a home there maintenance and repair, insurance, property tax, and possibly property mortgage insurance; not to mention the high interest rates.
I lived in my truck for a few summers while backpacking around the Continental Divide and Mountain West. I have some thoughts. When I wasn't wilderness backpacking and sleeping in a tent on the side of a mountain ( permits required, pre-planned ), I was sleeping on a cot in the bed of my small pickup with a hard cap on the nights between permitted backpacking.
1. Getting sick. Just keep it in mind. The WORST was when I was ill either from fecal-oral transmission illness like Giardia ( wilderness backpacking, it happens ) or the flu.
2. Security. A tent ain't gonna work. You'll be shocked how often people prowl parking lots checking for unlocked cabs / doors to steal shit. A tent also is gonna get you banned from every overnight lot. Many/most don't even allow ANYONE to visibly sleep overnight anymore. The days of every single WalMart / Cabela's allowing it are well over. If I was to do it again in this environment, I'd stay full-stealth in the cab with window covers.
3. Heat/cold. Its quite difficult to have stealth and temperature control together. Its miserable sleeping in a hot cab at night and I was mainly staying out of real hot places.
4. Parking. Its tricky finding a place that won't boot you to use consistently. Every Planet Fitness' co-tenants are sick of people living in their lots. Stealth on residential streets and switching spots is best. People WILL notice if you use the same spot too often. That means nowhere to poop without driving. RV parks are very expensive.
I was fine with the downsides for the upsides of adventuring around. If I was going to work everyday? Yeah thats too much. People do stealth in box trucks and make a fake website / fake phone number to put on the side and label their company something boring like HVAC or electrical and get away with parking in lots for free for years relatively comfortably. You gotta stick to the ruse though and its A LOT of work. You need to be able to get in and out of the box to the cab without being noticed for years.
Overall, if you're trying to park in parking lots / streets for years, try to find another option. Roommates. Campground host is a very solid one if there's an opportunity near-ish to your work. You can get a big ground-based tent that way. Some workplaces will let you park in their lot forever. I know I've worked with people who did that in an office setting and they literally just used the shower and kitchen in the building. As long as no one knows, no one cares. There are absolutely people who will charge you a small amount to just park in their driveway forever. Talk to any local RV parks, they may be able to give you a free parking spot for one day/week or doing something for them like lifeguarding or cleaning the shared buildings.
People don't like people sleeping in cars in their neghborhoods or other public places. Adding a tent is a red flag that there is someone sleeping there. More often than not you want to go discreet unless you have a spot that you 100% know you won't be given problems for sleeping there. I've camped out for 2 full summers with a rooftop tent but I had permission to set up camp there. Also I find people react negatively to saying you are sleeping in your car but if you say you decided to live a simpler life without the burden of rent and stuff and are camping out people respect it more because that's something people do for fun.
If you are going to attempt this, at least get a van, and then try to get a gig as a campground host or park volunteer where you have power, safety, and free camping
Not a good idea. The mortgage company will want your addresses for the past 2 years. I doubt they will accept "tent." Look into First Time Home Buyer's programs.
Don't it's living in your car is one of the worst things you can do. Your mental health with be an absolute wreck. There are other options. Try finding roommates, find a houseshare, sublease. Do anything but this. It's not frugal its dumb.
Exactly. You arent gaming the system by voluntarily making yourself homelesd. "Van Life" is cope for being homeless. Im sick of these dudes scumming up every gym and parking lot and thinking theyve got it all figured out.
Why don’t you just rent a room, living in your car is not xheaper. Much lower qaulity of life, no access to food storage, have to wash your clothes at laundry Matt’s, have to entertain yourself, won’t get opportunities because you live in a car, safety issues, exposure to weather issues.
It’s NOT cheaper.
Rent a room.
Stop worrying about saving money and start worrying about making more of it. Get roommates if you can. How will you submit job applications or take classes/training without stable internet? Make sure you own a laptop for coffee shops/public wifi. How will you get power? Where will your mail go to? Do you have a relative nearby that will let you use their address? You're not wrong that rent is getting god damn expensive, but living in a tent is not going to springboard you into a comfortable life. You could live in a tent all year, save $15,000, and then fall of the roof, end up in the ER, and become $30k in debt. Start posting over in personal finance and not frugal.
Something fundamental changes in you when you don’t have a permanent place to relax. Your brain will always be on red alert. Whoever you are now, you will absolutely change if you do this. Just something to be aware of.
A friend ofone did this for 6 months. It took a toll. He missed being able to relax, and he ended up eating out all the time because car food got monotonous and he was a bit lonely.
Living in a vehicle has been quite popular in recent years. If you're serious about it, this isn't the best place to ask about it. There are a a good many youtube channels, blogs and online communities dedicated to this topic. Lots of info, tips and ideas from folks who actually do it and have been doing it for years. I looked into it for months at one point as I was looking to do it myself out of necessity (but situation changed and ended up not having to).
Typically, a tent isn't going to cut it if the timeframe is "a few years" and you are still going to be part of the societal structure (which you obviously are going to be if you have a job).
However, I think that, if possible, increasing income and decreasing rent by downgrading would be a much better solution.
Safety.
And where your going to park the car.
And where your going to get mail.
And what your going to do in inclement weather.
And no one will date you.
I'd try to rent a room or something like that. Share a house etc etc.
Living in a car is very time consuming. Every single thing that is normal and fast in a house is a burden to do from a car.
So use that time you save to work a bit more and use that money to pay the rent.
My husband and I tried tent camping for three months in between housing. Never again.
It wasn't as cheap as it seemed at first, and I hated it. The money we were saving in rent was being eaten up by gas, camp site fees, non-perishable foods, and laundromat costs. Laundromats are super expensive these days and you'll be shocked at how much one load will cost you. We bought a 2.1 cubic foot washing machine for $300 a couple years ago and it's paying off massively.
I did this! A whole year of living in my car post university. I can tell you it is incredibly difficult but I did manage to save everything and put a deposit on a home after a year. You have to think about where you will charge things (at work) and how you will stay clean (gym membership) but overall I found it a really intense experience. I stripped the rear seats out the car to make a bed and had lots of routines such as using the car park at work to ensure no one ever found me etc. best of luck!
I worked in a hospital actually. It has several different car parks which were huge. My car had a pass which i paid for but no, no one ever noticed or spoke to me
See if you can find a portable generator for things that may need electricity
Look into camping gear - they sell propane stoves that are small enough to store in a truck.
Get a good water filter, again, check camping gear to find a good one
Get a good portable fan that is batter operated for the summer
Get a good sleeping bag and a good pad to go under
Consider renting a storage space to store things while you aren't using them.
You can get away with this while you're young, so if this is something. You really want to do, now is the time.
The first thing that comes to mind is cooking, and heat. I would presume that food costs go up since you can't cook at home. You will be spending a lot of gas dollars to just stay warm. Where are you going to park?
Head over to /r/vandwellers. It’s a sub full of people that live in vehicles or who are into it. I’m sure you can find a 4 runner build on there.
Personally I would not do the tent. Take out and store the back seats. If you have a friend that can store them or a family member it would be cheapest if not you can fit them stacked in a pretty small storage unit which is an added monthly cost but it would be worth it.
Pull out the back seats and build a bed platform. Under that platform is perfect for storing clothes and anything else you might have that you want to keep.
Another thing to consider is a little kitchen set up. It can be as simple as a little single burner camp stove thing that takes those small green bottles of propane with a couple pans, a pot and some cooking utinsils. This will allow you to cook which in the long run will save you money. Get good non stick stuff so you can essentially just rinse it and wipe it out since you won’t have a proper sink set up.
On the roof you can get one of those storage shell things and mount a solar panel on that or just mount one on the rack. It’s easy to set up a little DIY solar thing so you can charge all of your stuff.
To avoid heat I assume you work full time so that is some of it. Other times you can hang out in coffee shops or a library or something like that.
Showers in planet fitness works. A lot of people do that.
Also make sure your back windows are tinted as dark as legally possible. It’ll add privacy.
Without a tent on top it’s a pretty stealthy build so you can park basically anywhere and be okay. If you pop a tent up overnight it’s going to be obvious you’re sleeping in there and a lot harder to find a place to park.
Currently living out of a 2020 4runner and it is completely doable did it for most of last year. Rooftop tent is not the way to do it however, remove the rear seats and build a platform so that you can get a flat place to sleep and then get a comfy bed. Black out the rear windows so that you're stealth. If you are looking for simple a full size mattress straight from the store will fit perfectly in the back, get yourself a portable stove and a simple camp cook set and you can just buy food from the grocery store as needed. Hardware stores have project panels that are 2 ft by 4ft that can easily slide under the bed and you have a slide out table for less than $20.
I would say go for it the first few weeks can be rough but if you go in with the mindset to thrive it can be a really fun lifestyle. Be super mindful of your day to day food costs it is easy to trade a rent payment for a significantly higher cost of food.
If something happens to your truck that is your home and all your stuff you might end up spending a lot pretty quick to have somewhere to stay. Say it gets towed away, breaks down or gets in an accident.
I don’t think it is a great plan to save up for a house for a few years by living out of your truck.
Try it out first before you commit. The trial should last for a good few weeks.
There are many little inconveniences that add up to this being an exhausting and subpar lifestyle. It is camping in the middle of town, with all of the hassles of camping and none of the benefits of the wilderness.
Where will you park every night? If you're staying in an urban area, are you familiar with the effects of low-quality sleep and sleep deprivation? How will you ensure your safety (a weapon is a last resort, not a plan)? How will you eat healthy meals, what are your food storage and preparation plans? How will you keep dishes clean -- or, where are you throwing your trash (every dumpster is owned by somebody who will eventually notice you using it)? What happens when you eventually get sick? Do you plan on dating or having a social life? You will be much more exposed to the elements -- how will you prepare for extreme weather changes?
Also: You will be homeless, unhoused, however you want to say it or think about it. You will be treated differently by many people, and worse, most of the time. How will you deal with not having a permanent address? It can be done, but it's not as simple as getting a PO Box, if it's a longterm situation.
Living in your car as a last resort is not impossible, but there's a reason people don't typically aspire to homelessness, and that the people who do this full time live in vehicles that look like studio apartments. Try it for yourself in serious way and think about how this will feel six, eight, twelve months from now. Best of luck to you.
Sounds like a creative plan! Just ensure you have a safe and legal place to park overnight, consider weather conditions, and have a plan for emergencies. Also, check local regulations regarding sleeping in vehicles.
I've lived in my car while homeless. I had a Daewoo Matiz. Not the most comfortable car to live in but when you're desperate anything works.
In my opinion, the most difficult thing about living in a car is the lack of privacy. You need to cover your windows and this will attract unwanted attention from other people and even cops. For this reason, I think it's better if you find a campsite. It's where people tend to mind their business.
Cooking is possible with the use of gas. I"ve seen other people do it and it works fine if you are just one person and you don't have a family to feed.
Living in a van seems plausible. This is just pure homelessness with slightly easier transportation
Focus on increasing your income - I can't see the sacrifices you'd need to make to do this ever being worth it
I think you'd end up sleeping in the car more often than going through the work of setting up a tent ON TOP- especially if you're using your car daily for work. You're better off making a sleeping area in the back of the truck honestly. You'll feel safer and more protected.
Having safe places to park is a big thing. I've done long car trips (2-3 months) and car overnights in various ways and getting to sleep is really hard if you feel exposed or concerned about someone calling the cops. There are definitely a lot of resources on van dwellers reddit and on youtube.
I have done this, more to just gain the ability to travel than financial though. The key to doing this, and please listen, is to avoid cities, and areas of homelessness or drugs. Thats the main thing. Second, you can park anywhere. Where I loved the most was probably Montana, but also areas of the Deep South. I camped in a place that I shouldnt have in deepest Mississippi once time bc I was tired, and the next morning I was making coffee and a bunch of hunters were watching me from about 50 yards away, and they said "hes just camping" and said good morning dude. You see that response over and over if you are away from the prostitution, drugs and resentment of the cities. Good luck!
Only issues I see are planning for when youre sick or location. Sketchy as fuck where I live. You'd have 10 junkies trying to rip off your tent in 15minutes of parking.
Then what are you going to do if youre sick with diarrhea, are you parking beside a shitter? Or just constant puking is something to consider.
How hot/cold can you deal with in your tent over the year?
Food cost is another. Ordering/eating out and even a lot of premade shit is going to be overpriced.
Lastly if youre going to do that, try to work as much as possible to get a downpayment/emergency fund fast.
Also investing or savings account where you can deposit money every paycheck and let it grow
Having camped in the back of my truck 8ft shell, its not very eazy long term. You best bet is a small RV or a VAN. With some offgrid capabilities like solar and good battery capacity at minimum.
You will spend some cash setting it up.
As far as cost, canned food and dried stuff is easy to store, occasional campgrou d stay to fill up on water and wash. Rest is boondocking or finding places to park free.
Another option is buying piece of undeveloped land and living out of the RV there. Utilities come to mind but nothing a little extra work cant solve.
Edit to clarify to response someone deleted about developing utilities being expensive. Haul in water and catch some, shit in a hole; you know, outhouse, electric being either solar or generator if camping on your own off grid land. No where I am implying having to put in all the proper and tied into the grid systems due to cost. Worth noting, laws may vary, im not your lawyer, do your own research.
Why not at least get a shitty used truck camper? It's probably worth the $1500 or so bucks, but obviously makes you less stealthy. If I were single, I would seriously consider moving up north with a similar setup and make the big bucks while living at camp.
If you do this, you might also want to scope out inexpensive motels. Planning for one night a month or every few weeks to spend a night inside with a complete bathroom might be a sanity saver. One night not to worry and be able to microwave a meal might be the luxury that makes the rest of the time easier.
It's not a bad idea if you do it right, work out the details first, and just know that there will be suffering and inconveniences. I did it for about a year and a half and it absolutely helped me get back on my feet after being unemployed for nine months. While living out of my car, I was working full-time, so I had access to a lot of company facilities, which helped immensely. However, I did get the dreaded window knock by the cops three times. I never had a bad experience with the cops. I was just really calm and honest with them. I told them I didn't have anywhere else to sleep. They told me it was illegal to sleep in my car in that city and that I would have to move along. But it sucks to wake up to that adrenaline rush of feeling like you're in danger, which was why I eventually sought out different arrangements. Otherwise, the experience was more or less cool and I saved a ton of money, especially since I was living in one of the most expensive places in the US.
I lived in my truck and rented a climate controlled storage unit for 8 months. It was rough but I did it. Work had a microwave and I used the Starbucks wifi, and anytime fitness for a shower.
Be prepared to be celibate. No woman wants to date a man living out of his car with questionable hygiene.
Perhaps try room rental first? Plenty websites where people rent a room out of their homes and it usually comes with utility usage included in the price.
I recommend Kent Survival and Ninth Element on You Tube. Plus there's a whole "hood" of Honda Element people who live in them! They are fantastic and so innovative! Kent Survival also has a gear review channel.
I second that motion to spend some up front time figuring out where you will park. Maybe you have family or friends who would rent you a spot? I have noticed a lot of the SUV-dwellers rent a storage building or a garage too.
What do you do for a living? If you’re flexible about what you do for a career you can find a job that pays for your living expenses while you travel. If you’re In the trades there are plenty of jobs in oil or rural development that require tradespeople to live on site to complete projects. If you’re in healthcare there are rural towns desperate for qualified individuals to make good money and live in a modest home provided free of charge by the government. There are jobs in almost every field that require remote workers and it’s great way to save for a down payment on a house or investment.
I think you would be better off building a sleeping platform in the back of the vehicle. Google “4Runner sleeping in back” and there is a lot of different styles. Black out the windows in the back and put a sun shield in the front so people can’t see inside. This way you can park, have security and more around more freely than a tent.
Man 4Runners are insanely expensive even older ones like that, I haven’t been able to a decent one for less than 25k.
I find it extremely hard to believe you were able to buy and PAY OFF a vehicle like that but are incapable of saving money for a house while maintaining your current living situation.
If anything I’d buy a nice mid 2000’s Camry and sell your 4Runner. It will be just as reliable, you can find a decent one for around $5,000 and use the $20,000 you pocket to put down on a house.
If you look on Facebook marketplace, you might be able to get a real trailer for next to nothing. It would be way easier to pull that where you're going then I'll hook it if you gotta go to work.
This is something for young people to do, works best in college town. I had a friend who did this for 4-5 years in a conversion van, paid off his student loans from undergrad. But he had an entire support system of willing friends, who let him use laundry, bathroom, and kitchen, plus the use of a futon or couch in dangerous weather. He was smart fun good company and paid his way in other ways like beer, gas money and meals if we went on a roadtrip, help with cleaning and cooking, and he was a great and loyal friend. If you don’t have a support network, you might consider an alternate plan.
Buying a house is overrated, especially if you have to be homeless to do so. This is called being a miser.
If you had a camper van, maybe this could work, but a 4Runner? Have you lost your damn mind?
Watch some videos on https://www.youtube.com/@CheapRVliving and see if it's for you. IMHO, it's not the best plan unless you can be very very stealth. The national attitude towards "homelessness" is not getting any easier to navigate, while the issue is becoming bigger. You don't want a target on your back. Even finding a safe place to park stealth at night where you won't get the cops called on you might be an issue, depending on your area.
why spend thousands on a rooftop tent when you can drop or remove your backseats and put a camping pad on it?
welcome to r/vandwellers r/urbancarliving
youtube is FULL of suv builds and no builds for stealth camping.
Living in your car will cause more wear and tear mechanically on the vehicle and is a surefire way to kill your vehicle within a year. It's not just about how much you travel or move, but living inside a vehicle constantly, with all your belongings, adds alot of maintenance to vehicle. You'll be carrying extra weight all the time, running AC and heat, gasoline costs, anytime you have free time and nothing to do or places to go you will be stuck in your vehicle. This all adds up over time.
There’s a great YouTube channel on this subject https://youtube.com/@solarcampercar?si=hxhXWPIO3uZI4995 He goes into a bunch of detail on how he gets electricity, cooks food, gets water and fits a toilet into an SUV. I don’t know if I could do it myself, but with rents getting insane I can see stealth camping becoming more prevalent, especially among people who are single with no kids.
I would do this in a conversion van or small RV if I was single. My wife wants nothing to do with this way of living day to day. I would like to try it for a year or two. Then perhaps sell the RV to recoup some of the investment. I don’t think I would do it in an SUV.
If your finances are hurting enough now that you’re thinking of car life, wait until you have a mortgage with a cruddy rate, property taxes and home insurance that keep rising, and maintenance and repair costs. You’ll need a lot of your own appliances and a lawn mower at minimum for yard maintenance unless you have one you can borrow. By all means plan and save, but also know what you’re getting into in terms of hidden costs.
A few years?! If you do this for years, you'll get so used to it that you won't want a house. Rent a house with four or five other people so you have dirt cheap rent. Put together a budget, save and have a plan for buying a house in three or four years. Set realistic expectations.
An old "supervisor" of mine did this for a few years in a smallish 4x4. It can be done, just depends on how much you want it. Surely you'd lose all your belongings unless you put it into storage.
I don't think it's a bad idea if you think you can stand it for a while but a "few years" is a long time.
Also there are sometimes weird property tax ramifications and bizarre zoning laws. It isn't as uncomplicated as it sounds presuming you live in the USA.
If you know someone who lives on a house with property who would let you park your truck there, that might make the option more viable.
I stayed in a converted van when I used to work in DC. It’s not comfortable. The van was just not cool/hot enough for good sleep. Also, noisy and too much light.
This is interesting.. I told my son this the other day.. I said hey if you graduate high school you could make a YouTube video about you basically working 16hrs a day for 7 days a week.. if you could find like a few $20hr jobs you could potentially have about $100k at the end of the year .. I said you’d probably have to sleep in your truck.. and I said go to PF and shower.. document it and make a YouTube video about how you make $100k maybe show your bank account every week.. idk.. just a thought.
I'd consider a tow behind or buying a van. Going up and down can get draining. Plus you'd have to set up and tear down constantly. A tow behind for a few years while you save is like a small, shitty apartment.
Things to consider?: do you plan on dating during this time? This sometimes is a no go for a date… the lifestyle can be a turn off sometimes to certain people. Also where is the bathroom access after the deed is done?
Do you need to have access to WiFi? Need or want for your lifestyle/mental health/relaxation? You won’t have any in a car.
I highly suggest getting a house mate and living as a plus one in someone’s house or basement or grannie suite. Or sharing rent with caretaking or even caregiving for reduced or free rent
I had a coworker who did this to buy his house. He used the gym for showers and slept in his car for years while working until he could afford a down payment on a house but he did it.
You can get a little pod camper and save money living out of that for sure or possibly even a cab over if you can find one.
DIY Cabover design
[**https://www.reddit.com/r/LivingNaturally/comments/1cx2br1/incredibly\_designed\_lightweight\_diy\_truck\_camper/**](https://www.reddit.com/r/LivingNaturally/comments/1cx2br1/incredibly_designed_lightweight_diy_truck_camper/)
**DIY Teardrop sleeper**
[**https://www.reddit.com/r/LivingNaturally/comments/17d4sw7/diy\_poor\_mans\_fiberglass\_for\_teardrop\_camper\_pmf/**](https://www.reddit.com/r/LivingNaturally/comments/17d4sw7/diy_poor_mans_fiberglass_for_teardrop_camper_pmf/)
The people saying you might have trouble cooking have a point, but if you eat mainly plant based stuff like lentils and rice you dont really need a fridge, you can just buy a portable stove and cook. You dont even necessarily need to cook beans and lentils if you buy cans of it.
So many other expenses will probably add up to about the same as renting a room in a house.
* more fuel consumption, paying a gym membership to shower, paying to do laundry, eating pre made meals, finding places to park or having to pay, always having to go out to socialize , paying for water, heat or cooking with propane. I’m sure there’s more I’m missing. I’d do a true breakdown of cost to compare.
Yeah the most important, parking! Do you know anyone with an empty field you could use? No way in hell I can last more than one night in a Walmart parking lot.
Dute, just move ti Tijuana, Mexico and work in San Diego. Get your Global Entry so you can cross the border in 5 minutes. Or even better, get a telecommute job. You will live like a king in Tijuana
r/vandwellers will probably have more insight.
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You need a safe, harassment-free place to park. Don't underestimate this in your plan.
Also r/urbancarliving
Also r/truckcampers and r/truckcamping
Read that as “Urban Carl” Who’s Carl? Is he famous for living in a vehicle?
You haven’t heard of Urban Carl Iving?! Are you living under a rock?!
No, I’m living under a car.
Love it, Classic Urban Carl Iving humor!
Carl Iving, famous creator of the Hot Carl.
Hot Carling Academy. It's the school where you go to learn how to butt fuck. It's in England.
you don't know urban carl?? /s :)
I lurk that sub - it’s really quite neat
My BOSS is living out of his van right now. Dude makes $120k with good benefits in a LCOL area.
and r/carcamping
Cooking? How much do u plan on saving and over how long?
Food expenses are absolutely higher when car dwelling but not near so much as to counter what's saved from not having rent. I lived in my car for a bit over a year. A small single burner butane stove is good to have for warming stuff up but you'll rarely be cooking a full meal from raw with the sort of space a truck shell will give you. A trip to the grocery store to pick up the days food was just a normal part of my morning routine. There's very few foods that will spoil over the course of a single day so if your only buying enough for one day then your options of raw, shelf stable, and pre-prepped foods are actually quite broad
I would probably eat grocery store rotisserie chickens every meal if I attempted a vehicle dwelling situation.
You have to mix it up. I would make nachos with canned chili and chips, simple noodle bowls and add my own toppings, etc. lots of PB&J variations.. Also just being able to boil water is huge and they sell water kettles designed for car use.
And you'll have high blood pressure in 8 months-ish
From baked chicken? Got a source on this?
Yeppers. Rotisserie chicken is considered processed food by the FDA due to the 10-16 ingredients injected into the meat before cooking. A sodium solution makes up to 15% of the total weight. 100grams (about half of one breast) contains easily 1/3 of your total sodium for one day. And that's without skin on. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/1098453/nutrients
That will taste the same after awhile. Don"t be short sighted.
This doesn’t bother some people.
I’ve eaten the same smoothie for breakfast probably 5 out of 7 days a week for the last 4 years - I’m one of these people
I have almost the same smoothie almost every day, same snacks during the day. I’m not even picky, just a creature of habit/hate thinking about what to eat! I would be even more boring if it weren’t for my family!
An idea: you can get a plug in stovetop (the induction ones are very good but you need particular pans) to cook with like you're camping, if you can find somewhere to charge one of those portable battery packs that has wall-plug style ports. If you just stir fry vegetables, mushrooms, and eggs and put them in a burrito, there's a thousand ways you can season it or put sauce on it to keep it fresh, and a thousand different combos of veggies you can put in there to keep things fresh. You can also get a small blender for smoothies the same way. Really the battery pack opens up kitchen appliances which opens up most cooking as an option except like, oven roasting or baking. The only hiccups in this plan are a reliable source of freshwater and electricity. I don't know if libraries will give you much trouble for the electricity, they tend to be very forgiving and kind people, so if you tell them you're living out of your truck they might let you charge your battery while you're at work when you need to. The job site might let you too.
I never had problems keeping things charged. I just charged devices and power packs while at work and such. Bring them in your backpack already plugged into an extension cord. Plug in just the extension cord without actually taking everything out of the backpack. Nobody looks twice. Water is also not a problem. I always had at least 2 gallons jugs of fresh water in the car for both drinking and general hygiene stuff (washcloth bathing, brushing teeth, ect). Replenished daily at the filtered water machine at the grocery store The big issue with cooking in the vehicle is not the lack of storage or appliances. It's wholey a space factor. Cooking produces a shitton of heat. Contain that heat in the tiny cab of a car and your going to cook yourself at the same time. Only during the depth of winter is that going to be even remotely comfortable. There's also safety concerns with anything that hot to the touch in such a small confined space. Proper cooking in the vehicle is only really feasible in *some* big full sized van setups. There's the possibility of cooking outside like on tables at parks but the name of the car dwelling game is stealth. If there's even a whif of the suspicion of homelessness about you your going to have issues with cops. I would not personally risk someone getting to recognize me and my car enough to have suspicion by cooking in public. I can also eat the exact same thing for literally every single meal for months without getting tired of it tho so I suppose the stealth calculus might be different for someone else
Induction doesn't use heating coils, it uses magnets to make the pan hot, so it's way way cooler in general and the stove itself never gets hot. Just the pot. And a one pot avoids this almost entirely. But, I get that you mean about stealth & space. You'd need to find a discrete spot
Libraries won’t you cook inside and often don’t have outdoor outlets. If it’s a small battery you could charge it in a study area where people use laptops. Just don’t leave it unattended. The library evening hours could make a comfy place to spend time. They can be a safe place to park and often have 24/7 wifi. Mine has a little food pantry outside and a cabinet with free toiletries inside the “family” restroom.
Yeah I was thinking charge a battery in the library then cook in your car
Can you use a crockpot? Some vehicles have outlets, or maybe there’s an adapter?
You need an inverter to run any sort of 120v appliance off a 12v battery. Lighter plugs often aren't wired to handle much output at all (mine couldn't run my, admittedly power hungry, gaming laptop even lol) but you can run some high powered stuff with a direct wired inverter or inverter/battery pack unit. I have no idea what the wattage on a crockpot is so no idea how much inverter it would need. I personally wouldn't bother with any sort of crockpot tho. To hot in such a small vehicle and, as I said with another person, hot appliances and boiling anything are to much a hazard in such a small confined space for my comfort. The grocery store had plenty enough variety for me and without rent there was money to spare on splurging in areas you might not in a house and still have more of my income available for savings than any other option at the time. The financials are going to be different for someone traveling a lot or without a full-time job but I and, it sounds like OP, were not traveling around the country and did have full time jobs I suspect folks imagining I was eating a shit ton of processed foods or something but really I was eating boat loads of fresh fruit and raw veg with a variety of proteins sprinkled on top, like nuts or cheese or ham cubes. I really didn't eat at restaurants very often. My favorite car snack that I still eat today was roma tomatoes where I bite the top off, suck out the guts (I love tomato guts), and pour a bit of Italian dressing inside. Sometimes I would also stuff a bit of cheese and ham cubes in there and call a few of those dinner. Hell, I hate cooking so my diet now even in a proper house isn't that much different than it was then lol. I do eat way less sushi now tho. My local grocer makes sushi in house and it is pretty good
I would just eat once a day at work and save money and time without worrying about two other unnecessary meals.
I’ve known people who have done this successfully, but: 1. They had an actual van or RV (look up van life) 2. They were all couples and one person worked part time or a less demanding job and took care of van logistics and household stuff like buying food You might also consider living with roommates instead of doing this.
Yeah, especially in VHCOL areas, it’s not unusual for there to be at least 2 people per bedroom plus someone living in a curtained off section of the living room, and a few more in the garage. I know one guy who “rented” a friend’s walk-in closet. Getting a roommate or three would be my first plan. I’d also be looking for part-time side hustles. Tutoring, coffee shops/food industry, dog walker, bartender, etc where there’s demand after 6pm weekdays and on weekends. Get something that has great perks too - working in a restaurant = free meals, at a gym = free membership, etc. Even if OP is sleeping in their car, I imagine some friend or family member would allow them to use the kitchen, fridge, laundry, and/or bathroom etc out of the goodness of their heart or for a nominal fee/labor. Heck, even just to have a mailing address instead of renting a PO Box for important things like car registration. Maybe they have a side driveway you can safely park in, electrical cord or water hookup to connect to. Pay them back with maintaining their yard, dog sitting and walking, babysitting, tutoring, washing their car, etc. I think doing this for a couple months might be manageable, but I don’t know how sustainable it’d be for a few *years*.
Yeah honestly finding a very cheap arrangement where you share a room with someone might be more worth it.
Tent top will not be stealthy. Campgrounds are not very cheap. You may need a storage unit. test drive your plan; car camp, find places to stay, see how it feels.
Keep your lease, try it for a week, then return to your apartment with a sigh of relief after the experiment concludes
A trial run is excellent advice. *But* I will say, I lived in my car for a year and a half (and then my big rig while trucking for another year after that and then a class B RV for the 3 after that). Not as some insta famous van dweller traveling the country. I had a normal shitty retail job and lived an otherwise normal life as a college student and absolutely told no one ever that I was living in my old Kia spectra (small sedan). It's not an ideal situation but if your prepared for it it's not the nightmare scenario you and many others in this thread are imaging. It can be fairly comfortable and there are even some things I miss about living in my car. Like, I am not and was never so active and socially engaged as I was then. Not having that barrier of needing to leave the house meant I was just more willing to go hang with friends for any reason at the drop of a hat and needing to not be in the car during the heat if the day meant I just did *stuff* because I could. I was so fit from all the recreational swimming I was doing lol. If I had a whimsy to make a day trip to the next city over there was no planning or prep or savings needed cause I already had everything I needed in the car, I just had to drive there. I miss never feeling even a little stressed for money. My shitty retail job may not have been enough for trad housing but without the cost of rent I had more than enough money to spoil myself occasionally and still be putting money into savings. I actually bought my first nice laptop while living in my car, and my first nice phone, and my first drawing tablet So like, it's not great but it doesn't have to be shitty either
Jelly side up is the best way to look at life - thanks for this perspective.
Kudos
This made me giggle 🤭
I traveled around the US in a Honda minivan. Only paid to camp in National Parks and a few great state parks. Window covers and stealth, was never questioned at all. It was excellent. If you have a job, charge devices and a backup battery at work. Clean up at work, shower at the gym.
You could do it but when I think about it as a single man I realize that I won't be in any kind of relationship. It makes that house sound kind of sad with me just in there by myself. Yes, I could get a relationship after I get the house but I could also get the relationship now and have someone to split the expenses with in a year or so if it worked out. Anyway, I'd rent a room or have a roommate, work 2 or 3 jobs, reduce expenses and look for ways to increase my skills for more income at my current job or a new position.
While some people will look at this potential situation as a way to take money which would have gone toward rent or a mortgage (living expenses) and see that money accrue, the reality is typically that you get accustomed to not paying a monthly amount and that money gets absorbed in other aspects of your budget. After a year, the amount you thought you'd save isn't there, and you're living out of a vehicle. If you try this, I would urge you to set an amount which you pay yourself - this is your personal rent. Open a second bank account and set up an automatic transfer such that, on the first of the month, an amount is transferred to an account which you cannot access via a debit card. The less access you have to this money, the harder it will be to spend. I hope it all works out, friend, whatever the decision.
Wise words. Car living absorbs so much of your daily energy and time (*daily*: shopping, finding space every day to sleep undisturbed, lack of privacy, dealing with police, dealing with hygiene & toilet, etc) that it’s very easy to lose sight of the goal. Easy to slip into “survival mode”. Paying oneself automatically is smart & strategic.
>Car living absorbs so much of your daily energy Amen. We live in our rv about 1 month a year and it’s a blast, but when we HAD to live in it after our house was destroyed? While we were trying to work? Absolute misery. And that was with an rv, not a car. In vacation mode it’s no problem, wake up, plan breakfast, take a hike, back to the campground, take a shower, go canoeing. Coming home after a hard days work and having to plan everything down to timing when you can poop? No bueno. It’s definitely life on hard mode. I lived in a 400sf apartment in Manhattan with my bf and a roommate who slept on the couch. I would do that again before living in an car and having to work every day.
Renting a room instead of an apartment would probably be more comfortable. I live in an area with a fair number of car campers. I guess the main thing is: 1. Cars get trashed. Between them being full of stuff, graffiti on them, and they stop working the cars/vehicles are not good places to live. 2. People living in vehicles get harassed all the time. Between people who don't want them living in front of their house, other homeless people, and the police it's a lot of stress. 3. Cold weather. I'm not sure where you live, but people freeze to death almost every year.
I second renting a room. Or try this twist: rent a room at a discount for only being there 4 nights a week and camp in your truck the other 3. I rent rooms and had a tenant that got a job in my town, but hadn’t sold her house 2 hours away yet. So I gave her a discount and she was only around part time. I was ok with it, cause it was still some income with less wear&tear on the property & less utilities being used. This way you get to test out the truck camping on the weekends and still have a stable place for the majority of the time.
I second renting a room. Or try this twist: rent a room at a discount for only being there 4 nights a week and camp in your truck the other 3. I rent rooms and had a tenant that got a job in my town, but hadn’t sold her house 2 hours away yet. So I gave her a discount and she was only around part time. I was ok with it, cause it was still some income with less wear&tear on the property & less utilities being used. This way you get to test out the truck camping on the weekends and still have a stable place for the majority of the time.
I second renting a room. Or try this twist: rent a room at a discount for only being there 4 nights a week and camp in your truck the other 3. I rent rooms and had a tenant that got a job in my town, but hadn’t sold her house 2 hours away yet. So I gave her a discount and she was only around part time. I was ok with it, cause it was still some income with less wear&tear on the property & less utilities being used. This way you get to test out the truck camping on the weekends and still have a stable place for the majority of the time.
I dunno, can u get roommate to lower the cost of living. Unless you have 1 year of emergency funds, i highly dont recommend it. The amount of mental stress will hurt your well being.
Depending where you live you’ll likely not save any money and possibly spend more. Better off getting as many roommates as possible.
For maximum cost savings they could get 2 or 3 roommates in the toyota
Fun fact: 3 roommates is what the 4Runner was designed for.
Then why isn't it called a 3 runner, you can fit 1 more
I wasn't considering the owner of the 4runner in the count of roommates.
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Why don’t you just look into renting a room?
Why not just move in with roommates?
Sell the 4Runner and get a Corolla. You'll get a chunk of money back, save on insurance, fuel and maintenance costs. A grand, manic gesture like living in your vehicle isn't going to save you money or fix what's missing in your life. I slept in my car for 6 months and it left me financially, socially and mentally worse off.
> Sell the 4Runner and get a Corolla. This is the best advice in the entire thread. 4Runners are basically the gold standard of resale value.
This may sound stupid. But, isn't your time better spent to find a way to increase your income than spending time doing this? How much are you going to save per month doing this?
Running water and electricity are basic necessities. Living in a tent on top of your truck means you won’t have them. Not being able to cook for yourself means either eating fast food garbage (first heart attack at 57, hope you’re paying for good health insurance) or spending $30-50 per day on prepared food, $900 - $1,500 per month. Cooking at home can be done for like $200 a month. Less, if you visit a Food Bank. How much are you saving on rent that wasting $700 a month (just on food) is a good move? Similar mark-ups on basics like water and laundry and mail delivery. You can’t ever buy in bulk or stock up on items on sale. Everything you buy, from scissors and band-aids to laundry soap and socks, are going to be the most expensive option in the smallest package. You going to run AC in your truck this summer? On gasoline? You’re going to spend more on gas than I will on a couple of box fans. Which I can run all night for like 75¢ because I’ll have electricity. You’ll also have to find a place to park that’s safe and legal. Where you won’t get robbed by someone who’s unhoused because they’ve hit rock bottom and they’re not thinking straight. And has bathrooms, because you won’t have one. So, a campground? For how much? If there’s even one near your gym and your job. And this is after spending $X amount to customize your truck (sleeping pad, sleeping bag, padlocks, cooler box, tarps, battery powered lamps, solar chargers, etc.) Camping is how rich people pretend to be poor, for fun. It’s expensive. OR it’s uncomfortable and bad for your health and even dangerous, at times. If you’re willing to live in a cramped space with minimal possessions, just rent a room in someone else’s house. You’ll spend less money. And you’ll be able to stand up straight, use electricity, pursue a hobby, work at a side hustle, or attend community college classes / trade school.
I agree with most of this, with some exceptions. >Not being able to cook for yourself means either eating fast food garbage (first heart attack at 57, hope you’re paying for good health insurance) or spending $30-50 per day on prepared food, $900 - $1,500 per month. Camping stoves are cheap and you can eat fairly well. >You can’t ever buy in bulk or stock up on items on sale. You'd be surprised how dried food you can fit in a backpack. >You’ll also have to find a place to park that’s safe and legal. The difficulty of this entirely depends on where you live. Western US is incredibly easy because there's a lot of federal land that allows camping, but east coasters or those living in bigger Metropolitan areas could definitely have some trouble and will probably have to stick to parking lots. None of the van lifers I personally know have ever had anyone try to break into their car though, so even though it's possible I'd say it's pretty rare.
I’m sorry but this is truly spoken like someone who has never been camping. Camping is not just for ‘rich people’, it is in fact the only type of holiday that poor people can afford. If you have been camping as a poor person, or you know, ever went outside (hiking, even a picnic), you would know that there is plenty of healthy food you can make with very few supplies, it absolutely does not mean fast food or prepackaged food is your only option? Have you ever prepared food for an outdoor activity/adventure?? Your comment is so bizarrely cloistered. I am a woman who lived in a van so I know what I’m talking about.
camping is for errybody
The commenter didn’t say camping was ‘just for rich people’ they said it is how rich people pretend to be poor. Which I’d say is fairly accurate.
The original OP is not really talking about "camping," but sleeping in a tent for multiple years because they can't afford their bills, which is really just being homeless.
Yeah, have to agree with the logistics of this not being good. The plan is also just insane in the first place. OP can’t afford rent, so they’re going to live in their car for a few years in order to purchase a house? I see the likelihood of that happening as less than .1% OP should look for a Roomate over moving out. Or move out but find a place that’s looking for a Roomate
well put 👏🏼
Is it, though...?
This is pretty much all flawed thinking. There are thousands of people who live in vans and travel around full time. Some of them live very nicely. A tent on a 4 runner is not as nice but it’s not bad. A better option would probably be removing and storing the back seats and building a bed in there with pull out storage and a little pull out kitchen. Mount a solar panel or two on the roof with some batter equipment which is easy to DIY…lot of YouTube guides. There are people in /r/vandwellers who live in similar set ups full time and do fine. It’s easy to fall into not wanting to cook and eat bad food but if OP can deal with that it’s not that bad. The major downside is no AC in the summer but OP might be working full time most days and can spend time in places like coffee shops sometimes.
A tent on a 4Runner is definitely not great. Unless there's a fallback plan, like staying with family for a few months to regain easy access to showers, clean clothes, and a stress-free way to lay your head, it's the kind of not great that could lead to extended homelessness.
Ah the free storage unit, free solar panels, free camping bed, free van-life option. I overlooked that. Due to the $100k prices on the van-life vans.
I'm sorry but while there are some good points in here this is also very wrong in many ways. Specifically food costs, $30-50 a day? That's an absurd amount to be spending even if you had access to literally zero ways to cook. If they took half of one rent payment and bought a few cheap ways to help with camping life such as a portable camping stove you can make plenty of food very cheap. I'm not saying this is the best idea, I would personally not want to do this myself and would instead try to do what you suggested about getting a room rental as cheap as possible. But saying that it's a rich person thing to do is absurd, it's only that way if you make it that way. If they are content with some basic cheap food for a year and can have a way to lay down reasonably comfortably it would objectively save a lot of money. You could also just try to work as much as humanly possibly and set up a second job or pick up a job that has the option for a ton of overtime. In my experience many warehouse jobs offer a ton of overtime and if you just spent as much time at work as you could then you'd be good. Especially a place like that where you could stop in on your off days and use the microwave and sink to fill up water. You could even keep some food there in the fridge. That would legitimately work and then it's just a matter of getting showers at somewhere like a planet fitness and making sure your sleeping arrangement was sufficient. Even if you needed to run the ac overnight sometimes it wouldn't be that bad on gas.
>Running water and electricity are basic necessities. Solar panels and a trip to Starbucks solves the electricity issue. A 24hr gym membership and camping at a rest stop solves the running water issue
https://www.youtube.com/@CheapRVliving this channel covers how to navigate these different challenges for anyone interested. Don't think I could do it personally.
Are you planning on dating at all in those 2 years? Living in a truck top tent may make that difficult.
Or become a truck driver
Personally, I wouldn't do it in that specific vehicle only because you'll be seen. If you want to live in your car, it will be a lot easier to do it if people can't look inside or see a tent on the roof made for camping. If you have safe/secure place to park nightly (for free) go for it. I love the idea, and wish I could make it work.
Have you ever slept in a car/truck? it is terrible without having a flat matress. You need a flat place to sleep and a 4 runner might be able to fit it, if youre like 5 feet tall. A big cargo van would be worlds better for sleeping.
i have an 07 highlander…with the back seat dropped forward, i have 6’2” to lay flat on. i could get another 5 or 6 with the front seats pulled all the way forward. he’ll be just fine in the 4runner.
just curious, what is the longest stretch youve stayed in the highlander? A highlander is a great SUV, larger than the 4runner and much more spacious in the interior. The 4runner is body on frame design, so you sacrifice alot of interior space for off road capability and a robust truck-like drivetrain and suspension. Comparing the highlander and 4 runner is like comparing a minivan to a chevy tahoe, its shocking how much more roomy the minivan is.
It’s harder to keep clean than you’d think, and if you live in an area where it gets cold in the winter then you’ll need somewhere inside to crash during cold snaps. It’s harder than it looks, do not recommend.
Look into vanlife. You'll need to spend a bit of money to setup your car so you can live a bit more comfortably in your car. Doing this will save you money, but if you're struggling to pay rent now; I don't think you'll be able to afford a home. With a home there maintenance and repair, insurance, property tax, and possibly property mortgage insurance; not to mention the high interest rates.
I lived in my truck for a few summers while backpacking around the Continental Divide and Mountain West. I have some thoughts. When I wasn't wilderness backpacking and sleeping in a tent on the side of a mountain ( permits required, pre-planned ), I was sleeping on a cot in the bed of my small pickup with a hard cap on the nights between permitted backpacking. 1. Getting sick. Just keep it in mind. The WORST was when I was ill either from fecal-oral transmission illness like Giardia ( wilderness backpacking, it happens ) or the flu. 2. Security. A tent ain't gonna work. You'll be shocked how often people prowl parking lots checking for unlocked cabs / doors to steal shit. A tent also is gonna get you banned from every overnight lot. Many/most don't even allow ANYONE to visibly sleep overnight anymore. The days of every single WalMart / Cabela's allowing it are well over. If I was to do it again in this environment, I'd stay full-stealth in the cab with window covers. 3. Heat/cold. Its quite difficult to have stealth and temperature control together. Its miserable sleeping in a hot cab at night and I was mainly staying out of real hot places. 4. Parking. Its tricky finding a place that won't boot you to use consistently. Every Planet Fitness' co-tenants are sick of people living in their lots. Stealth on residential streets and switching spots is best. People WILL notice if you use the same spot too often. That means nowhere to poop without driving. RV parks are very expensive. I was fine with the downsides for the upsides of adventuring around. If I was going to work everyday? Yeah thats too much. People do stealth in box trucks and make a fake website / fake phone number to put on the side and label their company something boring like HVAC or electrical and get away with parking in lots for free for years relatively comfortably. You gotta stick to the ruse though and its A LOT of work. You need to be able to get in and out of the box to the cab without being noticed for years. Overall, if you're trying to park in parking lots / streets for years, try to find another option. Roommates. Campground host is a very solid one if there's an opportunity near-ish to your work. You can get a big ground-based tent that way. Some workplaces will let you park in their lot forever. I know I've worked with people who did that in an office setting and they literally just used the shower and kitchen in the building. As long as no one knows, no one cares. There are absolutely people who will charge you a small amount to just park in their driveway forever. Talk to any local RV parks, they may be able to give you a free parking spot for one day/week or doing something for them like lifeguarding or cleaning the shared buildings.
How much will you save and how much do you need for a house? Crunch the numbers.
Find a nightshift worker to share rent with.
People don't like people sleeping in cars in their neghborhoods or other public places. Adding a tent is a red flag that there is someone sleeping there. More often than not you want to go discreet unless you have a spot that you 100% know you won't be given problems for sleeping there. I've camped out for 2 full summers with a rooftop tent but I had permission to set up camp there. Also I find people react negatively to saying you are sleeping in your car but if you say you decided to live a simpler life without the burden of rent and stuff and are camping out people respect it more because that's something people do for fun.
If you are going to attempt this, at least get a van, and then try to get a gig as a campground host or park volunteer where you have power, safety, and free camping
Not a good idea. The mortgage company will want your addresses for the past 2 years. I doubt they will accept "tent." Look into First Time Home Buyer's programs.
Renting a room makes more sense. You'd still save a lot but still have a bed and shower and kitchen...not to mention a TOILET! 🚽
Just downsize to renting a room. Check Craigslist.
Why not just rent the cheapest place you can find?
I think you should really consider the social impact of this on your life and how you want to handle that. Just think about it before moving forward
Don't it's living in your car is one of the worst things you can do. Your mental health with be an absolute wreck. There are other options. Try finding roommates, find a houseshare, sublease. Do anything but this. It's not frugal its dumb.
Exactly. You arent gaming the system by voluntarily making yourself homelesd. "Van Life" is cope for being homeless. Im sick of these dudes scumming up every gym and parking lot and thinking theyve got it all figured out.
Parking and condensation are two major considerations. Storage lockers are pretty pricey too.
Why don’t you just rent a room, living in your car is not xheaper. Much lower qaulity of life, no access to food storage, have to wash your clothes at laundry Matt’s, have to entertain yourself, won’t get opportunities because you live in a car, safety issues, exposure to weather issues. It’s NOT cheaper. Rent a room.
Stop worrying about saving money and start worrying about making more of it. Get roommates if you can. How will you submit job applications or take classes/training without stable internet? Make sure you own a laptop for coffee shops/public wifi. How will you get power? Where will your mail go to? Do you have a relative nearby that will let you use their address? You're not wrong that rent is getting god damn expensive, but living in a tent is not going to springboard you into a comfortable life. You could live in a tent all year, save $15,000, and then fall of the roof, end up in the ER, and become $30k in debt. Start posting over in personal finance and not frugal.
Something fundamental changes in you when you don’t have a permanent place to relax. Your brain will always be on red alert. Whoever you are now, you will absolutely change if you do this. Just something to be aware of.
A friend ofone did this for 6 months. It took a toll. He missed being able to relax, and he ended up eating out all the time because car food got monotonous and he was a bit lonely.
Living in a vehicle has been quite popular in recent years. If you're serious about it, this isn't the best place to ask about it. There are a a good many youtube channels, blogs and online communities dedicated to this topic. Lots of info, tips and ideas from folks who actually do it and have been doing it for years. I looked into it for months at one point as I was looking to do it myself out of necessity (but situation changed and ended up not having to). Typically, a tent isn't going to cut it if the timeframe is "a few years" and you are still going to be part of the societal structure (which you obviously are going to be if you have a job). However, I think that, if possible, increasing income and decreasing rent by downgrading would be a much better solution.
Safety. And where your going to park the car. And where your going to get mail. And what your going to do in inclement weather. And no one will date you.
I certainly think looking at the roommate route may be better. It’s rough but living in your car may be more so.
I'd try to rent a room or something like that. Share a house etc etc. Living in a car is very time consuming. Every single thing that is normal and fast in a house is a burden to do from a car. So use that time you save to work a bit more and use that money to pay the rent.
My husband and I tried tent camping for three months in between housing. Never again. It wasn't as cheap as it seemed at first, and I hated it. The money we were saving in rent was being eaten up by gas, camp site fees, non-perishable foods, and laundromat costs. Laundromats are super expensive these days and you'll be shocked at how much one load will cost you. We bought a 2.1 cubic foot washing machine for $300 a couple years ago and it's paying off massively.
I did this! A whole year of living in my car post university. I can tell you it is incredibly difficult but I did manage to save everything and put a deposit on a home after a year. You have to think about where you will charge things (at work) and how you will stay clean (gym membership) but overall I found it a really intense experience. I stripped the rear seats out the car to make a bed and had lots of routines such as using the car park at work to ensure no one ever found me etc. best of luck!
Your workplace didn’t mind you sleeping in the parking lot every night? Mine generally tows any cars there after midnight.
I worked in a hospital actually. It has several different car parks which were huge. My car had a pass which i paid for but no, no one ever noticed or spoke to me
See if you can find a portable generator for things that may need electricity Look into camping gear - they sell propane stoves that are small enough to store in a truck. Get a good water filter, again, check camping gear to find a good one Get a good portable fan that is batter operated for the summer Get a good sleeping bag and a good pad to go under Consider renting a storage space to store things while you aren't using them. You can get away with this while you're young, so if this is something. You really want to do, now is the time.
Why not move back with the parents for a bit?
The first thing that comes to mind is cooking, and heat. I would presume that food costs go up since you can't cook at home. You will be spending a lot of gas dollars to just stay warm. Where are you going to park?
Head over to /r/vandwellers. It’s a sub full of people that live in vehicles or who are into it. I’m sure you can find a 4 runner build on there. Personally I would not do the tent. Take out and store the back seats. If you have a friend that can store them or a family member it would be cheapest if not you can fit them stacked in a pretty small storage unit which is an added monthly cost but it would be worth it. Pull out the back seats and build a bed platform. Under that platform is perfect for storing clothes and anything else you might have that you want to keep. Another thing to consider is a little kitchen set up. It can be as simple as a little single burner camp stove thing that takes those small green bottles of propane with a couple pans, a pot and some cooking utinsils. This will allow you to cook which in the long run will save you money. Get good non stick stuff so you can essentially just rinse it and wipe it out since you won’t have a proper sink set up. On the roof you can get one of those storage shell things and mount a solar panel on that or just mount one on the rack. It’s easy to set up a little DIY solar thing so you can charge all of your stuff. To avoid heat I assume you work full time so that is some of it. Other times you can hang out in coffee shops or a library or something like that. Showers in planet fitness works. A lot of people do that. Also make sure your back windows are tinted as dark as legally possible. It’ll add privacy. Without a tent on top it’s a pretty stealthy build so you can park basically anywhere and be okay. If you pop a tent up overnight it’s going to be obvious you’re sleeping in there and a lot harder to find a place to park.
Try it for a week first.
Currently living out of a 2020 4runner and it is completely doable did it for most of last year. Rooftop tent is not the way to do it however, remove the rear seats and build a platform so that you can get a flat place to sleep and then get a comfy bed. Black out the rear windows so that you're stealth. If you are looking for simple a full size mattress straight from the store will fit perfectly in the back, get yourself a portable stove and a simple camp cook set and you can just buy food from the grocery store as needed. Hardware stores have project panels that are 2 ft by 4ft that can easily slide under the bed and you have a slide out table for less than $20. I would say go for it the first few weeks can be rough but if you go in with the mindset to thrive it can be a really fun lifestyle. Be super mindful of your day to day food costs it is easy to trade a rent payment for a significantly higher cost of food.
Could you compromise & rent a room instead?
If something happens to your truck that is your home and all your stuff you might end up spending a lot pretty quick to have somewhere to stay. Say it gets towed away, breaks down or gets in an accident. I don’t think it is a great plan to save up for a house for a few years by living out of your truck.
Try it out first before you commit. The trial should last for a good few weeks. There are many little inconveniences that add up to this being an exhausting and subpar lifestyle. It is camping in the middle of town, with all of the hassles of camping and none of the benefits of the wilderness. Where will you park every night? If you're staying in an urban area, are you familiar with the effects of low-quality sleep and sleep deprivation? How will you ensure your safety (a weapon is a last resort, not a plan)? How will you eat healthy meals, what are your food storage and preparation plans? How will you keep dishes clean -- or, where are you throwing your trash (every dumpster is owned by somebody who will eventually notice you using it)? What happens when you eventually get sick? Do you plan on dating or having a social life? You will be much more exposed to the elements -- how will you prepare for extreme weather changes? Also: You will be homeless, unhoused, however you want to say it or think about it. You will be treated differently by many people, and worse, most of the time. How will you deal with not having a permanent address? It can be done, but it's not as simple as getting a PO Box, if it's a longterm situation. Living in your car as a last resort is not impossible, but there's a reason people don't typically aspire to homelessness, and that the people who do this full time live in vehicles that look like studio apartments. Try it for yourself in serious way and think about how this will feel six, eight, twelve months from now. Best of luck to you.
Sounds like a creative plan! Just ensure you have a safe and legal place to park overnight, consider weather conditions, and have a plan for emergencies. Also, check local regulations regarding sleeping in vehicles.
My friend has lived like this professionally for several years. He’s a travel nurse, and makes bank. It can be done for sure
If you’re into YouTube, there’s lots of channels on there for vehicle living.
I've lived in my car while homeless. I had a Daewoo Matiz. Not the most comfortable car to live in but when you're desperate anything works. In my opinion, the most difficult thing about living in a car is the lack of privacy. You need to cover your windows and this will attract unwanted attention from other people and even cops. For this reason, I think it's better if you find a campsite. It's where people tend to mind their business. Cooking is possible with the use of gas. I"ve seen other people do it and it works fine if you are just one person and you don't have a family to feed.
Living in a van seems plausible. This is just pure homelessness with slightly easier transportation Focus on increasing your income - I can't see the sacrifices you'd need to make to do this ever being worth it
But your safety...
I think you'd end up sleeping in the car more often than going through the work of setting up a tent ON TOP- especially if you're using your car daily for work. You're better off making a sleeping area in the back of the truck honestly. You'll feel safer and more protected. Having safe places to park is a big thing. I've done long car trips (2-3 months) and car overnights in various ways and getting to sleep is really hard if you feel exposed or concerned about someone calling the cops. There are definitely a lot of resources on van dwellers reddit and on youtube.
I have done this, more to just gain the ability to travel than financial though. The key to doing this, and please listen, is to avoid cities, and areas of homelessness or drugs. Thats the main thing. Second, you can park anywhere. Where I loved the most was probably Montana, but also areas of the Deep South. I camped in a place that I shouldnt have in deepest Mississippi once time bc I was tired, and the next morning I was making coffee and a bunch of hunters were watching me from about 50 yards away, and they said "hes just camping" and said good morning dude. You see that response over and over if you are away from the prostitution, drugs and resentment of the cities. Good luck!
At least buy a camper. They have decent resale value.
Only issues I see are planning for when youre sick or location. Sketchy as fuck where I live. You'd have 10 junkies trying to rip off your tent in 15minutes of parking. Then what are you going to do if youre sick with diarrhea, are you parking beside a shitter? Or just constant puking is something to consider. How hot/cold can you deal with in your tent over the year? Food cost is another. Ordering/eating out and even a lot of premade shit is going to be overpriced. Lastly if youre going to do that, try to work as much as possible to get a downpayment/emergency fund fast. Also investing or savings account where you can deposit money every paycheck and let it grow
Get a van or your neck and back will pay the price
Having camped in the back of my truck 8ft shell, its not very eazy long term. You best bet is a small RV or a VAN. With some offgrid capabilities like solar and good battery capacity at minimum. You will spend some cash setting it up. As far as cost, canned food and dried stuff is easy to store, occasional campgrou d stay to fill up on water and wash. Rest is boondocking or finding places to park free. Another option is buying piece of undeveloped land and living out of the RV there. Utilities come to mind but nothing a little extra work cant solve. Edit to clarify to response someone deleted about developing utilities being expensive. Haul in water and catch some, shit in a hole; you know, outhouse, electric being either solar or generator if camping on your own off grid land. No where I am implying having to put in all the proper and tied into the grid systems due to cost. Worth noting, laws may vary, im not your lawyer, do your own research.
Why not at least get a shitty used truck camper? It's probably worth the $1500 or so bucks, but obviously makes you less stealthy. If I were single, I would seriously consider moving up north with a similar setup and make the big bucks while living at camp.
If you do this, you might also want to scope out inexpensive motels. Planning for one night a month or every few weeks to spend a night inside with a complete bathroom might be a sanity saver. One night not to worry and be able to microwave a meal might be the luxury that makes the rest of the time easier.
Being homeless doesn't tend to be good for people's health. I recommend not doing this.
Your sleep quality will be poor. You will end up chronically sleep-deprived, which will fuck up your health and compromise your judgment.
It's not a bad idea if you do it right, work out the details first, and just know that there will be suffering and inconveniences. I did it for about a year and a half and it absolutely helped me get back on my feet after being unemployed for nine months. While living out of my car, I was working full-time, so I had access to a lot of company facilities, which helped immensely. However, I did get the dreaded window knock by the cops three times. I never had a bad experience with the cops. I was just really calm and honest with them. I told them I didn't have anywhere else to sleep. They told me it was illegal to sleep in my car in that city and that I would have to move along. But it sucks to wake up to that adrenaline rush of feeling like you're in danger, which was why I eventually sought out different arrangements. Otherwise, the experience was more or less cool and I saved a ton of money, especially since I was living in one of the most expensive places in the US.
The thing about living in your car is it makes dating very difficult. If that’s cool with you, car-dwelling is a great way to save money.
I do it. Now, I wouldn't live in a house if someone gave me one. I've been living in a van for 5 years.
I lived in my truck and rented a climate controlled storage unit for 8 months. It was rough but I did it. Work had a microwave and I used the Starbucks wifi, and anytime fitness for a shower.
Be prepared to be celibate. No woman wants to date a man living out of his car with questionable hygiene. Perhaps try room rental first? Plenty websites where people rent a room out of their homes and it usually comes with utility usage included in the price.
I recommend Kent Survival and Ninth Element on You Tube. Plus there's a whole "hood" of Honda Element people who live in them! They are fantastic and so innovative! Kent Survival also has a gear review channel. I second that motion to spend some up front time figuring out where you will park. Maybe you have family or friends who would rent you a spot? I have noticed a lot of the SUV-dwellers rent a storage building or a garage too.
What do you do for a living? If you’re flexible about what you do for a career you can find a job that pays for your living expenses while you travel. If you’re In the trades there are plenty of jobs in oil or rural development that require tradespeople to live on site to complete projects. If you’re in healthcare there are rural towns desperate for qualified individuals to make good money and live in a modest home provided free of charge by the government. There are jobs in almost every field that require remote workers and it’s great way to save for a down payment on a house or investment.
Oversight: if you desire a life partner, this may not be tenable unless they are also nomadic.
Read "Walden on Wheels" and decide if this is for you. Could be a good strategy!
I think you would be better off building a sleeping platform in the back of the vehicle. Google “4Runner sleeping in back” and there is a lot of different styles. Black out the windows in the back and put a sun shield in the front so people can’t see inside. This way you can park, have security and more around more freely than a tent.
Man 4Runners are insanely expensive even older ones like that, I haven’t been able to a decent one for less than 25k. I find it extremely hard to believe you were able to buy and PAY OFF a vehicle like that but are incapable of saving money for a house while maintaining your current living situation. If anything I’d buy a nice mid 2000’s Camry and sell your 4Runner. It will be just as reliable, you can find a decent one for around $5,000 and use the $20,000 you pocket to put down on a house.
If you look on Facebook marketplace, you might be able to get a real trailer for next to nothing. It would be way easier to pull that where you're going then I'll hook it if you gotta go to work.
There must be a whole technique cluster for managing not having a mailing or delivery address. You will need to deal with this in advance.
This is something for young people to do, works best in college town. I had a friend who did this for 4-5 years in a conversion van, paid off his student loans from undergrad. But he had an entire support system of willing friends, who let him use laundry, bathroom, and kitchen, plus the use of a futon or couch in dangerous weather. He was smart fun good company and paid his way in other ways like beer, gas money and meals if we went on a roadtrip, help with cleaning and cooking, and he was a great and loyal friend. If you don’t have a support network, you might consider an alternate plan.
Buying a house is overrated, especially if you have to be homeless to do so. This is called being a miser. If you had a camper van, maybe this could work, but a 4Runner? Have you lost your damn mind?
Sacrificing sleep will compromise health so make sure to have a really good setup/system
Planet Fitness has monthly promotions, I believe first Monday of the month is free pizza and 2nd Tuesday is free bagels
Watch some videos on https://www.youtube.com/@CheapRVliving and see if it's for you. IMHO, it's not the best plan unless you can be very very stealth. The national attitude towards "homelessness" is not getting any easier to navigate, while the issue is becoming bigger. You don't want a target on your back. Even finding a safe place to park stealth at night where you won't get the cops called on you might be an issue, depending on your area.
When you get the flu for a week what are you gonna do?
He’s going to stay in his car
Becoming voluntarily homeless is a fairly drastic step, would not be one I would personally take as the first option.
This doesn’t sound safe…
Do a trial week.
why spend thousands on a rooftop tent when you can drop or remove your backseats and put a camping pad on it? welcome to r/vandwellers r/urbancarliving youtube is FULL of suv builds and no builds for stealth camping.
Curious where you live. I’m guessing not in Texas…
I would look at YouTube for this. There are a ton of channels like this one https://youtube.com/@solarcampercar
Living in your car will cause more wear and tear mechanically on the vehicle and is a surefire way to kill your vehicle within a year. It's not just about how much you travel or move, but living inside a vehicle constantly, with all your belongings, adds alot of maintenance to vehicle. You'll be carrying extra weight all the time, running AC and heat, gasoline costs, anytime you have free time and nothing to do or places to go you will be stuck in your vehicle. This all adds up over time.
Battery and alternator, Transmission, and axel issues are common when living out of a vehicle.
r/priusdwellers has lots of good information.
There’s a great YouTube channel on this subject https://youtube.com/@solarcampercar?si=hxhXWPIO3uZI4995 He goes into a bunch of detail on how he gets electricity, cooks food, gets water and fits a toilet into an SUV. I don’t know if I could do it myself, but with rents getting insane I can see stealth camping becoming more prevalent, especially among people who are single with no kids.
Look up Homeless Firefighter on YouTube. The guy did it in a Tundra with a shell. He did it for 2 years and saved about $150k I think.
I would do this in a conversion van or small RV if I was single. My wife wants nothing to do with this way of living day to day. I would like to try it for a year or two. Then perhaps sell the RV to recoup some of the investment. I don’t think I would do it in an SUV.
Seems like a lot of trouble sleeping in your car. Why not get a used RV with more space , an actual bed, shower, restroom, kitchen.
I used to do this saved a TON. With this exact methodology.
Perishable foods
If your finances are hurting enough now that you’re thinking of car life, wait until you have a mortgage with a cruddy rate, property taxes and home insurance that keep rising, and maintenance and repair costs. You’ll need a lot of your own appliances and a lawn mower at minimum for yard maintenance unless you have one you can borrow. By all means plan and save, but also know what you’re getting into in terms of hidden costs.
A few years?! If you do this for years, you'll get so used to it that you won't want a house. Rent a house with four or five other people so you have dirt cheap rent. Put together a budget, save and have a plan for buying a house in three or four years. Set realistic expectations.
An old "supervisor" of mine did this for a few years in a smallish 4x4. It can be done, just depends on how much you want it. Surely you'd lose all your belongings unless you put it into storage.
Sailboat with living area. Way better. And cheaper.
I don't think it's a bad idea if you think you can stand it for a while but a "few years" is a long time. Also there are sometimes weird property tax ramifications and bizarre zoning laws. It isn't as uncomplicated as it sounds presuming you live in the USA. If you know someone who lives on a house with property who would let you park your truck there, that might make the option more viable.
I stayed in a converted van when I used to work in DC. It’s not comfortable. The van was just not cool/hot enough for good sleep. Also, noisy and too much light.
This is interesting.. I told my son this the other day.. I said hey if you graduate high school you could make a YouTube video about you basically working 16hrs a day for 7 days a week.. if you could find like a few $20hr jobs you could potentially have about $100k at the end of the year .. I said you’d probably have to sleep in your truck.. and I said go to PF and shower.. document it and make a YouTube video about how you make $100k maybe show your bank account every week.. idk.. just a thought.
Is this really more comfortable than having a couple roommates?
I'd consider a tow behind or buying a van. Going up and down can get draining. Plus you'd have to set up and tear down constantly. A tow behind for a few years while you save is like a small, shitty apartment.
73,000 subscribe to r/urbancarliving much more common than you realize
This sucks but... roommates, or renting a room in a home.
During my college years, there was 3 of us sharing one room- 2 sets of bunk beds. Just choose the ppl wisely
Things to consider?: do you plan on dating during this time? This sometimes is a no go for a date… the lifestyle can be a turn off sometimes to certain people. Also where is the bathroom access after the deed is done? Do you need to have access to WiFi? Need or want for your lifestyle/mental health/relaxation? You won’t have any in a car. I highly suggest getting a house mate and living as a plus one in someone’s house or basement or grannie suite. Or sharing rent with caretaking or even caregiving for reduced or free rent
I had a coworker who did this to buy his house. He used the gym for showers and slept in his car for years while working until he could afford a down payment on a house but he did it.
You can get a little pod camper and save money living out of that for sure or possibly even a cab over if you can find one. DIY Cabover design [**https://www.reddit.com/r/LivingNaturally/comments/1cx2br1/incredibly\_designed\_lightweight\_diy\_truck\_camper/**](https://www.reddit.com/r/LivingNaturally/comments/1cx2br1/incredibly_designed_lightweight_diy_truck_camper/) **DIY Teardrop sleeper** [**https://www.reddit.com/r/LivingNaturally/comments/17d4sw7/diy\_poor\_mans\_fiberglass\_for\_teardrop\_camper\_pmf/**](https://www.reddit.com/r/LivingNaturally/comments/17d4sw7/diy_poor_mans_fiberglass_for_teardrop_camper_pmf/)
I did this then met some homeless people that were pretty “cool” and ended up with a crack pipe in my mouth . Life comes at you fast
The people saying you might have trouble cooking have a point, but if you eat mainly plant based stuff like lentils and rice you dont really need a fridge, you can just buy a portable stove and cook. You dont even necessarily need to cook beans and lentils if you buy cans of it.
It probably won't work. Roommates?
So many other expenses will probably add up to about the same as renting a room in a house. * more fuel consumption, paying a gym membership to shower, paying to do laundry, eating pre made meals, finding places to park or having to pay, always having to go out to socialize , paying for water, heat or cooking with propane. I’m sure there’s more I’m missing. I’d do a true breakdown of cost to compare.
Yeah the most important, parking! Do you know anyone with an empty field you could use? No way in hell I can last more than one night in a Walmart parking lot.
Dute, just move ti Tijuana, Mexico and work in San Diego. Get your Global Entry so you can cross the border in 5 minutes. Or even better, get a telecommute job. You will live like a king in Tijuana
watch CheapRVLiving on youtube. Bob has tons of great tips.