Moving Up and Out
My apartment lease is up and I am moving into a van.
I have decided to give it a shot for a few months. I want to save up some money for a down payment on a home and figured this would be a great way to do it. It is a late 80s chevy, with a bed in the back. My office building has heated/cooled underground parking, so I am just going to park in there each night. I also have a membership to Anytime Fitness up the street, and they have shower facilities.
I will do all my laundry at the joint around the corner.
Have any of you guys done this? Or had a co-worker do something similar. I am slightly worried about the stigma at work, being “that guy who lives in a van” but it will only be temporary (6-12 months) and it makes quite a bit of financial sense imho.
A good friend of mine did it. Said it was a great experience that forced him to be more productive with his time because it removed the casual comfort factor of just being at home and finding distractions on the internet.
Your worry about the stigma is justified. You will be stigmatized. But the better question is, why would you tell others?
Good question, I'll break it out in a few categories although I'm not sure what kind of city/climate you're attempting this in:
Unforeseen issues: -Car was broken into due to frequently parking in one place -Temperature regulation inside the vehicle was difficult for sleeping -Finding a place with free overnight parking + quiet + not lighted can be difficult -He spent significantly more money on food due to lack of cooking accessibility. He wasn't doing it for financial reasons however. I'm sure you could find ways to cut back.
Recommendations: -Get a sleeping bag -Get used to eating bare minimum meals (Ie. he would soak oats overnight in a water bottle and eat mush for breakfast) -Get a library card for internet access -Get a gym membership and train each morning + shower (already done) -Accept that the first month will challenge you dramatically but gets easier/funner -Have a friend that will let you use their address for mail
Good luck!
I actually lived in my car (Jeep) during my sophomore year at college, my on campus housing got fucked up and got to spend the year hobo style. You're on the right track with the gym/shower situation (obviously i had a gym on campus and did the same thing). Your worries living like this come from three main sources (first hand experience)
1) your van is gonna get hot as fuck when you sleep, i know you said your building is climate controlled but i assure you it wont do you any good, a normal human generates heat equal to a 100W heater and its all gonna get trapped in your van. if you think youre gonna just crack a window, i assure you youll stop doing that the first time you hear a person try to jimmy their way into your car unaware of the slumbering beast that is you, which leads to the second main problem,
2) you're eventually going to be found out (fogged windows/snoring or huffing laundry back and forth to your car), by the parking police, and they're not going to be pleasant about it, you're only going to be able to get away with the "i didn't feel safe driving home" excuse a few times before they just straight up flag your car, then you're out office parking (and likely get in trouble with work), which brings me to my final point,
3) i assume that you'll be claiming that you're living at your parents as far as taxes/mail/applying for mortgage, otherwise living without a perm address is really hard. When your car is also your home, you really start to hate having to travel bc its actively picking up and going with everything. Simple things like going to the bathroom and charging your phone/laptop become absolute chores. And you can forget about living healthy, every meal you're going to consume is gonna come from a fast food place, no more home cooked meals and saving leftovers/buying in bulk. Also you wont be able to keep a girl/boyfriend and dating gets real weird when you're always asking to go back to his/her place.
That being said, it can be done and absent just crashing on a couch or something at a buddy's place, its going to eliminate the largest expense you have for a few months