Please seek help with a mental health professional. Or stop trolling.
Please seek help with a mental health professional. Or stop trolling.
I'm tempted to post my Facebook, so you guys can see the type of person I am. Too many trolls on these message boards though.
I don't recommend living in a car. Too cramped and awkward. It can get really hot and stuffy, if you roll down the windows it helps to cover them with mesh or something to keep the insects out.
Depending on where you are just setting up a tent might be better. On the fall when school starts there will be lush cover so you can set up anywhere. When the leaves fall it's a bit trickier. But once you adjust to a couple of uncomfortable nights of noises, etc it'll be far more refreshing then a car.
On the lifestyle end, you should find youself with more time. When class or whatever is over and everyone tends to go home, you don't have one so you'll just stay out. It keeps you pretty active by hanging out in whatever place is open and welcoming like a library or coffeeshop, or even just sitting around on a nice piece of grass.
I did this type of thing a while back. I'd say it does help accomplish what your goals, though wifi didn't exist back then. It trains your resourcefulness and you certainly don't have to look and act like a dirty hobo to do it.
Everyone who hears about you will invite you to stay at their house, it's a good thing.
You can live in a van if you plan it right.
Free overnight parking can be found at walmart, casinos, hospitals, and college parking lots.
One letsrun poster said he bought a gym membership to get access to a shower and parking.
There is a yahoo message board dedicated to vandwellers.
A Duke undergrad did it a few years ago.
Thanks for your response,
That's great to hear, I appreciate the tips!
Thanks for the response,
It gives me a lot more confidence after reading that article, it's exactly how I thought it would be! Appreciation and valves is a must learn lesson at a young age.
Try an ambulance...or a hearse.
I'm a bit confused. Wouldn't be easier to just shut down the internet instead? Or learning how to manage your time?
Nothing good can come out of sleeping in a car.
I've never lived in my car, but I've vacationed in one. If you are a small runner type, a seat is all you need to be comfortable. I have more trouble in the summer than the winter. Even in 10F I could get a good night. Nights with a low of 60F seem to be enough to get sticky.
I like stuff too much to go more than a few days like this. I wish I could just donate my junk, but I'm too attached.
Thanks for the response Rockstar Games,
I’m currently getting back into my time management phase. The whole concept revolves around, if I don’t get my life together now then I’m going to put myself through that.
It’s going pretty good, I started eating healthy will hit the gym for the 4th time in the past week.
Jose el Plomero wrote:
I would go with a minivan, like a Dodge Caravan or something. Should be able to find one cheap. Tear our the back seats and put a mattress back there. Tint the windows so no one can see in.
This is the way to go for many reasons :
1. Easier to sleep in than a car, remove seats, get an ikea mattress, cover windows with insulation.
2. Less conspicuous than an RV or Van. If you don't move your RV or van for a couple nights security/police will definitely hassle and might even the first night. Minivans blend in better.
3. Cheap.
4. pretty good gas mileage.
If your car truly is a car and not a larger vehicle sleeping will be uncomfortable. Subarus are comfy but pretty small after a few nights.
I got a friend who did this in College. He bought a soccer mom van, and converted it into a sleeper. Took showers at the gym and at the cafeteria with a meal plan.
He liked it so much, when he went looking for a job and got a job, he bought a nice RV camper, and a huge F-450. Bought up a couple large plots of land, and put a cement pad, water, power, sewer at each one. So when he gets tired of one place, he moves his trailer to another place. Mail is no problem, as he's got a PO box.
He also makes $$$ working in the industry. So he's loaded.
I spent a year sleeping in a tent and a barn in the Midwest.
I did not have a car. Was working about 50-60 hours a week and not paying rent helped me pay off my college loans that year.
I commuted to work by bike. Living in a tent is easier without a car as I could just pull my bike into the woods next to the tent. With a car it can be conspicuous depending on where you park it.
My job did not require me to be super clean so I took a shower 3-4 days a week at the college rec center. (this was the year after I graduated from college in the same town.)
Basically ate uncooked food (sandwiches, fruit, yogurt, cereal etc) as I bought it. Kept a lunchbox with a little extra food at work. Buried a 5 gal plastic bucket in the ground near the tent to keep food in.
In the winter I moved into an upper loft in the college barn. Nothing else in the barn but hay. Had a good bag, never got really cold.
I did not have many belongings at that time. It all fit on the bike. just some clothes. No laptop or phone.
Did not hang out much in the tent or barn, just slept there.
Between work, commuting 10 miles each way by bike to work, running 50 miles/week, etc. I did not have much free time.
I did hang out in the homes of friends and the library some, but mainly worked, slept, ran and ate.
I was homeless, but did not feel poorly about it as it was a conscious choice and only temporary.
I loved the freedom and simplicity of it all. Focusing on just living in the moment.
My running fitness suffered that year. Never had any real recovery time. Only did one race that year and it was just ok.
I slept in my car again last night at a walmart near Indianapolis. (raced an ultra) An suv pulled in a couple spots from me. When I was leaving he had the back door up and could see he had a mattress in the back.
I just bought a huge cargo van for my business so I threw a couch in to sleep on and have been taking that when I go for a trail maintenance weekend. It is much nicer than the front seat of my car though I have spent probably 200 nights sleeping in my car the last 6 years.
Give this a watch. Puts some things into perspective:
I was going to tell you you won't get laid, but I'm pretty sure you've already got that covered.
I don't think you need to go to extreme measures, like sleeping in your car, if your biggest problem is procrastination. Have you considered not having internet and cable in your apartment? That will force you to not only focus more on school work, but find more creative ways to relax, socialize, and entertain yourself.
If you want to develop character, go do a thru hike. Or run/bike across your state. Or join the military. But being intentionally homeless may lead to you being socially isolated and feeling very alone. And if that's not something that you've experienced before, it will be a tough adjustment. Coupling that with the demands of school and life, you may find yourself more stressed than you do now.
But if your heart is set on this plan, please do yourself a favor and get a vehicle that can properly accommodate yourself. Outfit it for maximal comfort. This will be your abode for months at a time. No need to sacrifice comfort for character development when it comes to where you sleep.
Check out Will Prowse on youtube.
I "camp" in my van 6 months a year on top of a mountain pass which i wont say. And then drive to town each day to work. Made me a much better runner.
Maybe you should try getting involved in clubs and activities, learn an instrument, or even use your time to do community service. If you are "wasting time" then living in your car wont fix that, because your problem is that you have extra time in the first place that you wish was preoccupied.
Besides, I promise you'll be pretty miserable living in your car, it'll be cramped, and hot (or cold in winter), and you'll surely miss a lot about living in an actual apartment/home
Personally, I think you are using this idea to convince either yourself, others, or both that you are "developing character." In reality you are just using an extreme way of living to avoid having to actually do more with your life. For the record I'm not saying your a bad or unintelligent person, you may already have good character, but it seems like you have some insecurities deep down, and this whole living in your car thing is NOT the way to fix them.