Living in a truck or SUV for one year of law school

How will you cook/ where will you eat? Eating out more often will quickly add up.. you'll get tired of cooking on a cigarette lighter hot plate..

My suggestion, I did this for a whole summer actually, see if you can find a decent pick-up truck camper on craigslist in your area. Can pick up an old pick up truck for $1500-2000 and throw this bad boy on the back. Find a camp ground, or place to plug into electricity once in a while. I lived in one in a friend's back yard for 4 months and it was awesome. I plugged into their electricity and just paid them the $75/mo for the use. I had a small stove and light, and a double bed. Get bored? Drive somewhere new.

http://www.runwalkjog.com/RVs/virginia/80_truck_camper_111008.jpg

Truck camper would be even better. You could have a small toilet, shower, bed, maybe a stove, certainly a microwave, small fridge, etc. You CAN live in these things. Park at Wal-Mart at night, run it by a campground every week or so to empty the toilet. Used? Maybe $2k-$3k. Get a slide in one and put it in an older F-150 or Chevy or whichever pickup you prefer. Instant home.

1) Someone wrote a whole book about this very scenario. He did it at Duke Law I think. Find it.

2) Because you will only be doing it for one year (not three), your upfront costs will eat into your savings.

3) Where are you at school, what is your class standing, and what will you do afterwards? Quite frankly-- $4000 is not a ton of cash.

4) As someone mentioned-- you will have increased food expenses and end up eating much less healthy food.

I'd bite the bullet for the last year and just spend the money.

4runner wrote:

1) Someone wrote a whole book about this very scenario. He did it at Duke Law I think. Find it.

2) Because you will only be doing it for one year (not three), your upfront costs will eat into your savings.

3) Where are you at school, what is your class standing, and what will you do afterwards? Quite frankly-- $4000 is not a ton of cash.

4) As someone mentioned-- you will have increased food expenses and end up eating much less healthy food.

I'd bite the bullet for the last year and just spend the money.

One more thing: $4000 is about 400 hrs at California's version of the minimum wage ($10/hr). That works out to 40 hrs/month or about 10 hrs a week for 10 months.

It has to be easier to work 10 hrs a week then to sleep in a truck.

Maybe if you become a part time priest or monk you can get a stipend for housing. The government gives such tax breaks for religious worker housing cause of the service to society. If you think about it, you're poor, going to law school. You're also basically very close to doing very important work helping the public welfare, arguably in service of any major religion . You're living a lifestyle very close to a monk's life. The walk is there. Just gotta bring the "talk." Ask and thou shawl receipt

Yeah in the end because of the convenience for making food, I will probably do normal housing.

But my motivation is not purely monetary. Its also the fact that I could have a car for the whole year and still basically come out ahead on the money front.

In my third year I can probably just have class 3 or 4 times a week, so having a car like that would give me a great opportunity to take off for the weekends and finally explore CA.

It also just generally seems exciting to do something out of the ordinary for a bit and see what little challenges it presents.

I have a big firm job lined up if nothing drastic happens this summer, so fingers crossed I shouldnt be job searching my 3rd year. That means it wont be as critical that I'm looking my sharpest all the time.

And still, I am building up debt right now, so saving 4000 for the year is still something. That will grow a little with the interest on it, and since I'm aiming to get my debt paid down as fast as possible for a little more job choice freedom, every little bit counts.

I like the truck camper idea. I'd have to do some serious investigation on where i'd be able to park in the area.

It may just involve renting a parking spot on craigslist for 50 dollars a month or something. the parking is definitely another cost to be factored in.

Factor in gas cost, repairs, inspection, property taxes,etc.

ok, to make this thread more appropriate to letsrun... any thoughts on how to play the living in a truck off with the ladies? potential problems?

suv living wrote:

Here in law school in California. High rental prices. Cheapest I find for single rooms in decent houses is about 900.

Going to be in my 3rd year next year and have been fantasizing about living out of a truck or SUV for the year. (10 months)

I did this in Florida for a semester I think my freshman year of undergrad. I didn't like the dorms or my two roommates, and going back in there after christmas break was too depressing so I moved into the car. A 1972 plymouth satellite wagon. It wasn't that great. This was 1998.

I still used the dorm to shower. For food I was eating in the cafeteria so didn't have to figure that out either. It's harder than you think to find a good dark place to park without lights blaring in at you all night.

I will say it gets boring. Maybe you don't have any down-time in law school, but if you do, it kind of sucks just hanging out in your car during those times when nothing is going on.

There will also be a stigma about it, if anyone sees you. Some girl my room-mate was trying to date saw me climbing into the back of my station wagon one night and word got around that I was this strange dude choosing to live in his car behind the gymnasium. It wasn't so bad though, because in fact I was a strange dude. It was more a curiosity thing than a "let's ostracise the freak" thing, but there will be talk if anyone finds out.

I think these days this sort of thing has lost some of its negative aspect as compared to the "van down by the river" 90's opinion of living in a car. A lot of people are doing this these days by choice, not because they have no other option. A lot of professional athletes. Alex Honnold lives in his van and is making easily 6 figures from North Face. Krupicka lives in a truck in the summertime.

As for the chicks situation, as with anything it depends on the girl. No idea about law school girls, probably not your best bet. I think the key is making sure they know you're doing it by choice, and not because you hit some kind of dead-end in life. Maybe don't mention the "I couldn't afford an apartment" part. As far as actually bringing a girl back to your truck-house to lay her, not sure. Probably do-able as long as you keep the thing looking clean and neat inside and out.

If I were going to do this I'd go with a van, not a truck or SUV.

Ihave always wanted to do something like what you're considering. The problem I see with using a SUV is that it's increasingly difficult to find places where you can park and sleep and a wagon or SUV has windows that are easy for cops to see through. When I seriously consider this I always think that a cargo van would work best because there are no windows in the back. Stick a mattress in the back and hang a blanket behind the front seats and no one can tell someone is sleeping there.

suv living wrote:

But my motivation is not purely monetary. Its also the fact that I could have a car for the whole year and still basically come out ahead on the money front.

So your motivation isn't purely monetary; it's also about money.

I understand the argument that it seems like something exciting to do, but I'd recommend against it strongly for a few reasons:

1) Your grades and performance in school will probably suffer from lack of sleep. I think law school probably requires some focus, which means being able to get comfort and a good night's sleep when the day is done.

2) You probably have some job interviews. Where will you keep your suit? You're going to look slicker if you're well rested and have a real bathroom where you shower and shave properly and get dressed.

If you do well in school and ace you're interviews you will make up for the saved $4000 one-hundred fold in salary.

3) If you want to save money you're better off eating rice and beans at home every night. Eggs for breakfast and rice and beans are about the healthiest and cheapest way you can eat. Throw in some fruit and veggies here and there and you've got a balanced diet. You'll more than make up for the difference in money. Unless you have the willpower of jesus, living out of your truck you will find yourself eating out mostly - which not only is bad for your wallet, but bad for your health.

4) I know it sounds like an exciting adventure but the excitement will wear off quickly. After about 2 weeks (1 month tops) you will be sick of it. Haven't lived out of my car but I did spend a year living in a house in rural ireland with no heating and no appliances and it gets old fast.

Jessica

haha

The turn in that sentence was supposed to be that "I could also have a car for the whole year." Something I would value perhaps even if it cost more than my current situation. The lower cost is just an added bonus.

Thanks for the advice from the guys who have done this before.

Yeah, I agree. Those are a lot of the reasons I probably will not do it. But it would kind of be cool to have a car to travel around California my last year out here before heading to NYC.

I cant really justify buying a car for one year and having that freedom to go on a whim if I cant absorb the cost some way. living in it is kind of a way to make that dream possible. So thats more of the rationale for my motivation.

Just how law school works out here though, I should have a job lined up already. But at the same time, there are definitely reasons to still try to do well third year.

The chicks dig it when you invite them back to your place when it's a van down by the river.