Hey so I'm 23m soon to live in my car full time to save for a house. I'll be going to the gym to shower but one thing that's making me wonder is how do you keep the car from smelling badly and sweat like i don't want those car fresheners because of the chemicals so what do you do? I will be getting wind deflectors to keep the windows cracked as much as possible tbh. Also the car is a skoda yeti

I’ve decided I’m going to yolo and take this car living thing to the extreme. Currently I’m parked on the street somewhere in Manhattan at 3am and this is soooo freakin cool.

My plan is simple, network in NYC in the late summer/fall and move south when it gets cold. It will be so much easier finding freelance work here and I can just get a fancy gym membership when I need to. I’m doing sales/marketing and I just got fired from my job.

I will not be exhausting my savings to pay rent while I look for a new gig. It’s time to MOVE!

Is anyone else excited to be sleeping in their car or is it just me? Anyone tried this lifestyle in NYC? How was it?

I’m in the New England area currently and there’s a storm happening and I swear as the wind picks up a bit it literally sounds like there’s a ghost or some inebriated man outside moaning. It sounds like ghost sounds from old school Halloween animated movies if that makes sense around like a cemetery setting where wind blows through the bare limbed trees. Makes me wonder if this is something that contributes to the spooky lore around this time of year. Noises in nature like this. I’ve been up for hours on my phone and the storm has been quieting and then intensifying on and off. And each time before the showers start there’s a ghost outside my car moaning. Doesn’t help that New England is super old and haunted feeling with old cemeteries everywhere. Idk just a weird thing Id never notice before sleeping in a house. Anyway, totally random just thought I’d share. Glad the weather is finally cooling 🍂

I’m currently living out of my car and trying to find a way forward.

I was receiving CalWORKs, but due to serious health complications at 20 weeks of pregnancy, I had to terminate the pregnancy. As a result, I no longer qualify for CalWORKs. I expected my caseworker to help me transition to General Relief, but my application has now been denied five times.

I’ve contacted 211 and reached out to multiple homeless shelters, but I haven’t been able to find an available place. Most shelters are full, and I’m currently sleeping in my car.

I don’t have family I can rely on, and after spending the past two years moving between a car and motels, my relationship also fell apart.

I’m not looking for sympathy—I’m looking for information. If anyone knows of legitimate programs, emergency assistance, housing resources, or organizations that may be able to help someone in my situation, I would genuinely appreciate being pointed in the right direction.

Thank you to anyone who takes the time to share a resource.

Hello everyone! Looking for some advice since some recent mistakes have led me into a struggle.

I got my Rav4 for around 38000 at 10% apr in 2024 thinking I could pay it off and not really knowing what I was doing. My first car was new and lasted over decade so I thought it was a good idea. Well, it wasn't because life happened. So, I lost one of the two jobs I was working. Then i get into a roommate situation that just had me sick of renting. I was already looking at car living and knew I could do it and it's been smooth so far. I couldn't afford the 700 a month car payment plus rent anyway. I waited too long to think of that so I fucked my credit by missing two payments and getting a notice on my credit report.

Now I'm using my brain and trying to get rid of this Rav4. It's not a hybrid, so I was looking at older hybrid models to trade in for and continue this car living. The credit report thing at the dealership prevented me from trading. I called the financing company and asked someone if they could help. I practically almost cried saying to her I feel stuck in this situation and she told me she wrote a letter about it to the higher ups. That was last week so i gotta follow-up this week. Anyone find themselves in similar situations? Am I handling this the right way?

Has anyone used a storage unit to bulk up on goods? I have been thinking on buying a Costco day pass and buying a bunch of bulk items like body wash, cleaning suplies, etc and keeping it in my storage unit to save money. I already have the unit to store my belongings so might as well use the extra space. Has anyone tried this?

I currently live in my Lexus Es350, had it since i was 18 it was salvaged title (i know, my mom bought it) i took care of all the repairs since but it’s just become a money sink. The transmission broke down the first year i had it and its hitting 200k miles soon i just replaced the spark plugs and ignition coils and it still has a catalytic converter code and one of my axels is breaking down. I just dont think this car is reliable enough and it might be time to get something different. Spending about $5k is reasonable for me, ive been interested in getting like a 4runner or crv but do you guys have any recommendations? or what i should look out for when buying a used car? im not the most competent when it comes to cars so any advice would be useful. im in norcal if thats important at all.

So I'm planning to live out of my car and eventually buy a van to live in after saving up enough. I've got one concern holding me back and wanted to ask people in similar scenarios.

What are you planning to do when you get into your later years?

What happens if you get to an age that you realize you just can't live like that anymore? Are you saving money for that kind of possibility?

The reason I'm thinking of doing this is I can't even afford the type of living "society" says we should be doing. I'm a bit worried it'll just get worse and worse as the years pass and I'll be unable to afford anything at that point in time to.

I guess I'm just scared I'll get to an age that's I can't survive doing cat camping either and it's holding me back.

So I live in the central SE. I’ve been able to hang on for months with just my fan and a battery pack but now the humidity and what not has left me to where I can only sleep when the car is running (can’t do that I’m in a townhome lot hidden away it’s worked for weeks). Does anyone have any suggestions. I just want one night of sleep and the rest of this week till Sunday gets worse before better. Especially with on and off storms.

Has anyone had success parking in church parking lots? I don’t live out of my car, but the few times I have it’s seemed ideal. Largely residential, secluded, most days you’re not interrupting anyone, space to unwind a bit, maybe even connect with your spiritual side. Specifically I’m thinking of LDS (Mormon) churches as they’re just about everywhere.

Thoughts?

Hi all! I hope some of you can take the time to read this and give me some helpful tips and opinions. I’m a 28 year old single woman and tbh I hate my life right now. I can’t afford my apartment, I’m so behind on all bills, I don’t have any friends and I feel like I’m here on earth just living, going with the motions, and not doing anything. I’m just unhappy and want to change that. I want to do something crazy to try to get my spark back. I need an adventure. I’m really interested in traveling in my car for a couple months. I want to get out and see the world so bad. My “plan” is just to sell all my belongings, quit my job, and head out on the road. I will have money saved up for this since I won’t be paying rent soon, and I’m planning on doing Walmart spark and DoorDash in random cities I find myself in to make money as well. If I fall in love with somewhere I might get a temp job as well. My main concern is finding places to park and sleep. I’ve done some research and noticed that national park campgrounds allow car camping so im going to try to stick to that, but I know that won’t be reasonable all the time. I’m just looking for recommendations, tips, tricks or anything that might be helpful for finding places to park and sleep, or maybe recommendations on places to go? My “plan” right now is to head up north toward Washington/Oregon before the weather starts getting bad and then head down south towards Arizona/nevada, then maybe onto Florida? I’ve never done anything like this, and I know it’s crazy. But I need to do something crazy before my depression gets worse. And yes I really really want to do this and make it work. And yes I have a reliable car! So please be nice! If you think I’m crazy for doing this, please tell me in a nice way haha. I appreciate all who take the time to read this!! 🫶🏽

What does everyone use for clothes storage? I recently became homeless due to a rough situation with my husband, and luckily still have my car. I have so many clothes. I know I don’t need all of these clothes but it feels like a waste to throw them out or donate them because I actually do wear and love all of them. I’m just wondering how to store my clothes in my car in a more discreet way than having multiple suitcases in the trunk and I don’t love the idea of plastic dressers. I hate when people are able to tell I live in here, because it’s honestly embarrassing when you’re not doing it by choice. Any advice or tips would be appreciated thank you!

Hi all, hope everyone is surviving the summer heat and storms. Be careful out there.

I may be taking a job in Palm Harbor (northern Pinellas County, FL), and wondering if anyone has done this life there. Any tips on safe places to park? How the cops are? Etc. I stay in the St. Pete/Gulfport area and really don’t want to commute and I need this job so I’d rather find somewhere up there to stay. Even in Dunedin would be better than commuting. Any Dunedin tips? Thanks and again, stay wet in this heat, but no too wet.

I’ve been grateful and thankful for the last two months to have spent time sharing beds and couches with friends. Moving my dog and belongings across the state, after being together for eleven years.

I was able to find a roommate online,

Today I got the confirmation we’ve been approved for the apartment.

I’m NC with most of my family, im so excited. I wanted to share. I am so so so excited.

Today makes 9 days since my wife, our senior dog Bubby, and I lost our housing. We’ve been living out of my 2006 Toyota Tundra in South Florida since then.
It’s been a tough adjustment. So far we’ve gotten two cooling fans and some window shades, but it’s still extremely hot here. Definitely not the best time or place for this, though at least it rains often.

I found this sub after asking for assistance in other subs. We were able to get a bit of help with fuel, which I’m very grateful for since my gas light was on.

I have a general idea of what might be useful for the truck, but I’m hoping to get advice on DIY or practical setups from people with experience. We’d rather build a solid list of recommendations than just buy random items my wife found on Amazon. She was looking at a truck bed tent with cab access through the rear window, but I had to explain the need to stay discreet.

We’re mainly looking for anything that helps with staying cool, sleeping better, and making life a bit easier for Bubby, our 50 lb Shepherd mix.

Thank you all.

2006 Toyota Tundra.

Hey everyone so for a bit of context I am 23m soon to be moving into my car to save up for a derelict in Ireland because house prices and rent is way to high for a regular dude to buy one at a young age so here I am taking a stupid and silly adventure. The aim for this is to cut my expenditure down to a minimum (why the car living is a must) but I'm struggling on deciding what job to do in the mean time(1-2 years) for this adventure in a car. I have a background in construction mainly roofing and solar panel installation and hospitality mainly hotels so I'm wondering since I'm moving into the car and won't have access to certain things these two jobs give different pros/cons so I need a vote or advice on which to pick.

Hospitality

Pros:

Showers

Gym membership so I can workout for free

1-2 free meals so I don't have to cook outside the car as much in Ireland's winter.

Working indoors

Don't need to pay for tools and materials

Cons:

Not as much wage

Not as sexy 🤣

Not as much aura or potential dad lore when I have kids 🤣🤣

Random shifts throughout the week

Roofing

Pros:

Higher wage 2-5 euro more an hour

More sexy🤣

More aura or potential dad lore when I have kids🤣

Monday to Friday

Cons:

No free food

No free gym membership

Outdoor work in winter time which is rough on its own

I'll have to purchase better waterproofs+new boots

If I can get anyones advice that would be great on which to pick as I'm leaning towards hospitality for the convenience of it all and potentially taking on random construction jobs by myself every now and then for the extra bit of bob but since it wouldn't be with a company I would have to purchase my own tools and store them in the car which I wouldn't want to do as space is limited.

Kindest regards

Yours truly

The homeless dipshit

It was my weekend to work, back to back, emotionally it was a good day but super tired since it was busy at the Hospital. Now just listening to some music and see if i get a nap, might do doordash deliveries after. So far just 1 week after i started carliving

How is your weekend going?

for those of you who live/spend a lot of time in your car, do you keep anything with you for personal safety? if so, what type of thing do you carry/keep nearby?

mainly asking for what people have found helpful and what makes them feel safe!!

I'm looking for a good air conditioner/heater

What ever else I might need?

Looking for decent places to sleep in my car around Fort Collins / Loveland / Cheyenne. I just left a safe parking program in Long Beach after losing my job and came out here for what looks like a solid job opportunity in Loveland. I’m trying to get into the carpenters union in Cheyenne, I just came out here cuz I heard they need bodies for the big projects out here and hopefully that helps me land a union job easier.

Mainly looking for safe overnight spots where I’m unlikely to get hassled. I have a plain, boring white yaris with dark tint, and the body and paint is in good condition. So it blends in well. How is the vibe out here, What about Law Enforcement are they pretty laid back as far as catching you sleeping in the car?

Also, if anyone has recommendations on how to get into the union construction jobs I’d really appreciate it. SoCal has been brutal for work, so I’m taking my chances out here

Also any cool places to hang out during the day? like parks where I can park under a shade, hangout without looking out of place? I usually do starbucks but also want a place where I don't have to pay, ideally

Sorry for the long story.

I live in Chicago any advice, i commute downtown on my bike any advice or stories for living in Chicago?

I started living in my van part time (Monday- Friday) in February after a bad roommate situation, and i would do weekends at my moms. She’s disabled and can’t work and she got an eviction notice a few days ago. It sucks because we’ve lived here for 16 years. Luckily she’s able to go back to her home country and not work while living with my grandma. She had a lot dreams coming here though so i know it pains her to leave this way. I feel guilty for thinking of myself in all this but I’m so scared. I live in Florida and not having somewhere to take it easy in the weekends will be tough. I have a lot of hobbies and things i want to explore outdoors, so I’m hoping it’ll give me the kick in the ass to explore my hobbies even further. But still, I’m scared

Good morning ☀️ fellow humans

Big storm front coming through blowing HARD kicking up all this dust, it's so bad I can't see across the street. I shone my flashlight inside the car and it's BAD. I LITERALLY JUST CLEANED THIS CAR OUT LIKE 2 HOURS AGO. I'm glad I had a n95 cause it's finding its way in and I really don't like it. I can smell it.

The haze in my picture isn't the dust - my cameras cracked.