Living Car Free - Living house-free

This may go against the grain of this car-free forum, but there are some interesting stories of simple living and being resourceful.

http://cheaprvliving.com/index.html

I lived in a self storage unit in orlando for a bit.

aka being homeless?

One compromise is to just obtain a really tiny house (http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/houses.htm) and find a way to make it work with your lifestyle.

I lived in a self storage unit in orlando for a bit.

taking "self" storage to a whole new level :D

aka being homeless?

The line between living in an RV and being homeless is razor thin at best.

A house is "roots" that has worth even without all of the modern amenities.

There are folk's who live in rolling palaces called "coaches" but those are
so expensive that only millionaires can play.

I lived in a pickup camper in the woods for about 9 months:p and I currently "live" in motel rooms about 290 days a year:cry: and I have spent more than a few nights in the cab of my truck during Katrina.

Aaron:)

A house is "roots" that has worth even without all of the modern amenities.

I agree. The compromise my wife and I have made was to buy a small, very old house, with modernized furnace, windows, roof, insulation, etc., in the city we live in that is close enough to walk or bike to everything we need.

It would be hard to be a part of any real community in our society living this way. Ask the gypsies, they have made their own but are ostracized from every other one.

Even though I own a townhome I've kept my address at a local Mail Boxes Etcetera for seven years now. To me it's invaluable. To creditors it looks better to have a long term address, I have have packages delivered there and not outside my door while at work, and I can travel for a few weeks without dealing with mail.

Anyone considering traveling long term (or living house-free) should consider it.

Anyway I love traveling, but as the above poster mentioned there's something special and comforting about having a neigbhorhood to return to.

This may go against the grain of this car-free forum, but there are some interesting stories of simple living and being resourceful.

http://cheaprvliving.com/index.html

One fellow mentioned that his costs were about $1,000.00 a month. Heck, my apartment and all my bills are less than that.

I agree with James Denver about having a stable P.O. box. Mine is at the post office though. When I move to a new city the very first thing I do is get a P.O. Box so that I can start moving all my mail to the new city even before I move myself and I have a stable address no matter how often I move within the city.

One fellow mentioned that his costs were about $1,000.00 a month. Heck, my apartment and all my bills are less than that.



Agreed.

I live on about 1K a month plus this includes heat and water. Living in the back of a van would get pretty cold in the winter and an oven during the summer. Then you have to worry about bathing.

I thought about house free.
Some ways around it.
Go to college, My college has a little cooking area, showers, gym, internet lab.
for 179 dollars for 4 months. Plus you attend a class for 3 hours every week. There are also college clubs you can join. My college is open till 10pm.
no one will kick you out for stuyding who knows you live there.

I think it would be neat to try.

Originally Posted by Artkansas
One fellow mentioned that his costs were about $1,000.00 a month. Heck, my apartment and all my bills are less than that.

I don't live house-free but I think my monthly budget is under $650 a month. I'm pretty sure that right now I can't beat the $500 per month they use on the site in post#1 as a really frugal budget, though.

I lived in a self storage unit in orlando for a bit.
That's one way. Here are some more ways to be house free: http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=2129401&postcount=171

Probably car-free too!

I thought about house free.
Some ways around it.
Go to college, My college has a little cooking area, showers, gym, internet lab.
for 179 dollars for 4 months. Plus you attend a class for 3 hours every week. There are also college clubs you can join. My college is open till 10pm.
no one will kick you out for stuyding who knows you live there.

I think it would be neat to try.

Your suggestion reminds me of that college student who spent his vacation living in Walmart. It was remarkable how many days he remained undiscovered.

Sure it would be cool to save money on rent and all, but what about the quality of life? A lot of these post involve breaking the law by living in a storage garage.

For city dwellers: Here's the downside for living in a RV.

A lot of times the cost of paying for the trailer park is almost the same amount as paying for rent for a small studio. Also, if you don't want to live in a trailer park, then you will have to wake up early a few nights a week to repark your RV to avoid getting ticketed.

also, what do you do with your RV when you want to go on vacation overseas?

Too many hassles. Doesn't seem worth it to me.

Cool, I'm currently car-free but soon my step-uncle should be done fixing up my car and give me his humongous van in exchange for the small car. I'm planning to try and move into the van when my lease expire in Feb 2008. Hopefully I'll still be able to afford the trip across america that I have been trying to plan for. (see sig for info)

I can park a van or small RV for $27 a month in a secured storage area near where I work. I found out the price when I had to store my truck after it was hit by a drunk driver while parked (legally) on the side of the road. After the damage the truck is no longer legal to park on the side of the road or in my condo complex... so I needed storage space while I sort out the insurance issues.

The lot has a gated entrance with a keycode pad.

Dunno how they'd feel about someone living in a vehicle stored there, but it would really take care of the overseas vacations, etc.

you can have a 'home' without having a house

I know a guy that lives in a broken down van, rides a nice road bike and has a small pick/up for work only.

...

Does this count?

http://bikeportland.org/2006/11/10/motorhome-bike-makes-portland-appearance/

I met this guy once and took some pictures of his bike/home. He seems to be happy with it. I question some of his design ideas; however, it works for him. I used to see him a lot along I5 in CA

The university library that I work for is only closed 4 hours on weeknights. We don't kick people out for sleeping, only for being disruptive. So all you'd have to do is go find something to keep you occupied in the wee hours of the morning and then come on back in. We've had people who virtually live there for a while from time to time. They've never been any trouble.

When I was going to school in Boston it seemed like once a semester they'd find a student living in Harvards library.

Does this count?

http://bikeportland.org/2006/11/10/motorhome-bike-makes-portland-appearance/

Now that is an interesting concept...:p I saw where he was in need of some styro panels. I would donate but I am on the wrong coast for that. We use those things in roof systems and they are great for a lot of other uses.

Aaron:)

When I was going to school in Boston it seemed like once a semester they'd find a student living in Harvards library.

It wouldn't be that hard to do here. Of course if the custodial staff saw you here after hours, they wouldn't even bother to approach you, they'd just call the police.

omgz i wanna shake that guy's hand! best thing I've seen in a month!

What about a boat? One of my "life goals" is to live aboard a sailboat for a period of time, if not permanantly. Convincing my wife is the hard part. Slip rentals are relatively inexpensive (outside of so.cal. of course) and moorings are even cheaper. And of course sailboats can be uber-efficient in terms of power consumption. I've even heard of live-aboards that had no power on board at all, no engine, no batteries, etc. I wouldn't recommend it as you will need proper anchor/running lights and a marine radio at minimum for safety. Solar panels and a good battery bank are all you really need.

I bought an old suburban and lived in it for almost 5 years. Started doing it in college to save on rent, but when I got a job working as a sys admin for at@t I just kept doing it. I really only slept in it I guess not really "lived" in it
During school, I took all my showers etc at the gym, used the kitchen area for food etc etc. When I got a job working at at&t it was cool because my office door locked(I could sleep under my desk when it was really cold) and the parking garage was on a key only entry so there was no security at night. I parked my suburban in there and just moved it occasionally. I didn't drive it anywhere because I had a little honda for fuel economy when I needed to go somewhere out of my normal range.
My building had a gym, kitchen and was located right in the middle of Redmond so I could walk to movies/groceries whatever else. I worked there and just saved everything for the last 2 years. When it came time to get married I had a nice large chunk to put down as a downpayment on a house and still have a lot leftover for savings/ira's etc etc.
The simple life is good, but I don't think I could have lived like that much longer than I did. It's nice to have a comfortable home. No doubt about it.
s
In college, I started parking on random streets and crawling in the back to go to sleep. One night I got a tap on the window and looked out to see an older lady there with soup in one hand, a bananna and a glass of water in the other. I rolled down the window and she says "since it looks like we are going to be neighbors, I brought you some food" haha turns out she was an old hippie who lived in a vw bus for years and basically did the same thing I was doing. She let me park in her driveway from then on (didn't have a car) I still keep in touch with her :)


ANyway, heres a shot of my home for those last 2 years :)

http://www.derekandsara.com/photos/sept/digs.jpg

lets see, i've lived in a ford escort, a storage unit, my tent, and a vw van. i truly loved every one of those experiences.

I bought an old suburban and lived in it for almost 5 years. Started doing it in college to save on rent, but when I got a job working as a sys admin for at@t I just kept doing it. I really only slept in it I guess not really "lived" in it
During school, I took all my showers etc at the gym, used the kitchen area for food etc etc. When I got a job working at at&t it was cool because my office door locked(I could sleep under my desk when it was really cold) and the parking garage was on a key only entry so there was no security at night. I parked my suburban in there and just moved it occasionally. I didn't drive it anywhere because I had a little honda for fuel economy when I needed to go somewhere out of my normal range.
My building had a gym, kitchen and was located right in the middle of Redmond so I could walk to movies/groceries whatever else. I worked there and just saved everything for the last 2 years. When it came time to get married I had a nice large chunk to put down as a downpayment on a house and still have a lot leftover for savings/ira's etc etc.
The simple life is good, but I don't think I could have lived like that much longer than I did. It's nice to have a comfortable home. No doubt about it.
s
In college, I started parking on random streets and crawling in the back to go to sleep. One night I got a tap on the window and looked out to see an older lady there with soup in one hand, a bananna and a glass of water in the other. I rolled down the window and she says "since it looks like we are going to be neighbors, I brought you some food" haha turns out she was an old hippie who lived in a vw bus for years and basically did the same thing I was doing. She let me park in her driveway from then on (didn't have a car) I still keep in touch with her :)


ANyway, heres a shot of my home for those last 2 years :)

Wow, BAH that's interesting. :)

If it's not too personal, what do you live in now, and how does it compare with your housefree days? Happier now, less happy, or about the same? (I predict you'll say 'about the same'.)

When I was a kid, I was homeless for a time. I slept on the beaches in San Diego. Great view, cheap rent. Mostly I liked it, sometimes it was scary. I decided against it as a long term plan.

I think you may want to consult with Matt Foley, before deciding to go "house free"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQVr6f6FL5Y&mode=related&search=

"You'll have plenty of time for living in a van down by the river... when... you're living in a van down by the river!"

Actually, stealth living in a van for a while sounds like it could be a lot of fun.

Wow, BAH that's interesting. :)

If it's not too personal, what do you live in now, and how does it compare with your housefree days? Happier now, less happy, or about the same? (I predict you'll say 'about the same'.)

When I was a kid, I was homeless for a time. I slept on the beaches in San Diego. Great view, cheap rent. Mostly I liked it, sometimes it was scary. I decided against it as a long term plan.

Without question, more happy now! We have a nice, new comfortable, little house within cruiser bike distance of just about everything we need(on a daily basis) This is my current abode

Front

http://www.derekandsara.com/photos/jan2007/snowy3.jpg


Back

http://www.derekandsara.com/photos/april2007/spring2.jpg

http://www.derekandsara.com/photos/april2007/spring.jpg

Sleeping in the truckwas fun for the first year, ok for the second, bearable for the 3rd and by the 4-5th I was ready to get a place of my own. The money I saved was fantastic though. I was taking home about $1200 a month when going to school and the 2 years I worked in Seattle I made a little under $60,000 a year. Most all of that went into savings(although I did pay to put my wife through dental hygiene school) She graduated, we got married and bought this house with a very substantial downpayment and with absolutely no debt. We did buy a car just recently(http://www.derekpearson.com/subaru) because we snowboard and mtn bike a lot- but again paid cash for it with the money I had saved so we are still debt free.

I actually just recently sold the suburban because we have no need for that monster anymore, but it was kind of sad to see it go. Living in my vehicle for all those years was tough, especially towards the end but was it worth it? Absolutely!

Without question, more happy now! We have a nice, new comfortable, little house within cruiser bike distance of just about everything we need(on a daily basis) This is my current abode

She graduated, we got married and bought this house with a very substantial downpayment and with absolutely no debt. We did buy a car just recently(http://www.derekpearson.com/subaru) because we snowboard and mtn bike a lot- but again paid cash for it with the money I had saved so we are still debt free.



Fantastic!!! you are ahead of about 90% of all Americans! I have long avocated living below your means as a means to an end. And you just proved it!:D I realize it isn't for everybody to live in a truck for 5 years...but if people really looked at what debt free living was like I think they would enjoy it much more than all the crap they buy on credit.

Aaron:)

Further proof that most carfree people are rational planners who think ahead for the long haul. And also able to make sacrifices in order to accomplish their goals.

That's a beautiful backyard! I have a hot tub about that size which I bought used for only $800. The guy selling it was upgrading to a fancy one with stereo/TV in it. (Why). But his need to spend 8k plus was my win.

Miserably rainy day moving it in but I use it a few times a week and love it. I was patient and it paid off :) Anyway wonderful green lawn!

you can have a 'home' without having a house


+1

I have no house, yet I still have a home.

Fantastic!!! you are ahead of about 90% of all Americans! I have long avocated living below your means as a means to an end. And you just proved it!:D I realize it isn't for everybody to live in a truck for 5 years...but if people really looked at what debt free living was like I think they would enjoy it much more than all the crap they buy on credit.

Aaron:)

Living beneath your means is really where it's at, we can afford our current lifestyle easily on either of our incomes. The other income is just a savings bonus. We may not have all the fancy things- expensive cars etc that our neighbors have, but I can live with that shame haha One of my neighbors actually asked me one time, how we can afford to go on all the vacations we do- take so much time off from work etc. ( I assume he was asking that because of our lack of a lot of really expensive toys, we ride our bikes everywhere and our minimilist approach to home decor) It's kind of humorous because between the 2 of us, we are probably make more than any other house in our neighborhood, but we just don't have all the goods to show it off :)

Jamesdenver- ugh what an awful idea - tv/radio on a hottub. In my mind, the point of a hottub is to relax, and how is one supposed to do that with a tv barking at you?? I love and agree with the bumper stickers that suggest killing the tv :)

haha yeah that is a classic story. Same at NYU and many other high pressure schools. I'd love to be in the right social frame of mind to try living like that for a while. I mean, what does this guy do to make money? or was it all saved up and now he's semi retired and living on the road? I wish I could just pick up the family and try it but its a little harder when other people are involved...


www.sportskool.com

What a wonderful looking house BAH! I printed those pictures out and stuck them on my refrigerator so I have a reminder of what I'm trying to save for.

Living beneath your means is really where it's at, we can afford our current lifestyle easily on either of our incomes. The other income is just a savings bonus. We may not have all the fancy things- expensive cars etc that our neighbors have, but I can live with that shame haha One of my neighbors actually asked me one time, how we can afford to go on all the vacations we do- take so much time off from work etc.

Most folks see travel as a "once in a lifetime" thing where you drop 2-5k on cruises or Hawaiian beachfront hotels. I make an effort to take two 10-15 day trips per year - one in spring and one in fall. What I've learned is that if you go where the deals are and where it's a good value, you'll eventually see a lot of places.

You can stay at nice hostels and guest homes, eat out or cook in, do walking tours and rent bikes, and just do "local" activities like visit coffee shops, libraries, farmers market, get a haircut, or go to a museum -- all that for a reasonable daily per diem.

I've stayed in Argentina, Uruguay, parts of inland Mexico, Alaska and parts of the U.S. and ate out every day for total sum of less than living at home. And the methods of cheap traveling (hostels, eating at culinary schools or colleges), force you to meet people and interact.

Yup the four weeks a year I spend overseas or in another city learning, observing, and exploring are worth every "sacrifice" I make the rest of the year at home. (if you can call it that).

I don't feel bad about not wanting an HDTV when I consider what that $2000-3000 can buy if I really need it. (Like food or house payments). Plus less time spent watching TV!

What about a boat? One of my "life goals" is to live aboard a sailboat for a period of time, if not permanantly. Convincing my wife is the hard part. Slip rentals are relatively inexpensive (outside of so.cal. of course) and moorings are even cheaper. And of course sailboats can be uber-efficient in terms of power consumption. I've even heard of live-aboards that had no power on board at all, no engine, no batteries, etc. I wouldn't recommend it as you will need proper anchor/running lights and a marine radio at minimum for safety. Solar panels and a good battery bank are all you really need.

My brother has been living on a boat for .....(counting on fingers for decades here....) forty two years. Different boats, not houseboats. He has been living on a 38' replica of the "Spray", the first boat to sail around the world with a solo skipper, for about 30 years. He built the boat all by himself to sail around the world. The world still waits....Kinda like my touring bike. He says that boats make real lousy apartments. But forty two years? Hmmmmm.

Damn BAH, that photographer who shot your car is fantastic.

Anyone here read Vagabonding, by Rolf Potts. The concept is very similar to what jamesdenver was saying; travel need not be an occasional treat, it can be a lifestyle.

I've taken one of Pott's core maxims to heart, and recommend it:

"Don't reward your work. Justify it"

Damn BAH, that photographer who shot your car is fantastic.

haha thanks for the compliment :)

JamesDenver- Totally agree with you. The one thing I don't mind spending money on is travel/experiences.
Having lots of stuff just ties one down.


manual_overide - haha cool!

My wife and I go on mission trips with church. Church pays for majority of costs, and we get to see cool stuff, meet awesome people, and best of all, serve. We find that serving is much more rewarding than any vacation. All it takes is time and a lot less money than we would have paid.

You guys should try it some time!

Sorry for the off-topic post, just replying to the vacation stuff.