Homeless & Voyeurism & Van Dwelling and Car Living 01 Nov 2005 12:40 am
Prognostication: the Magic Eight Ball sez…
Realizing that my fortunes were changing, and not for what is commonly regarded as the better, I hedged my bets and bought a van. A big, full-sized American van. This was done for several reasons.
Not owning a powered vehicle I’m limited to employers and clients sites that are on public transportation routes or those located within walking or biking distance. With the continuing downturns a vehicle may just open up more possibilities for employment. And at worst it’ll provide shelter in the upcoming financial storm.
Having kept well above the financial waterline since long before I was even of age to work legally, I’ve realized that financial planning doesn’t happen from paycheck to paycheck, week to week or even allowance to allowance. It’s a long term outlook that sees weeks, months or years into the future. With money reserves dwindling, credit tapped out and job prospects bleak I wagered from the top of the cash stash two months rent. One month as my budget to buy the van and the second to license, title, insure and fix it up.
With such a vehicle I could have means to distant jobs or in a worst case scenario a home of sorts. At the least, walls to protect myself and keep my and what little I may still own safe.
Coming to this conclusion was not easy and took a huge shift in what I could consider “normal.” But fundamentally incoming must be greater than outgoing. As such, with my incoming decreasing with little hope of changing this for the better I simply much decrease the outgoing. Already I’ve cut my budget to the almost nothing that my income is, but still, survival was traditional means is no longer viable. The single largest budget item was housing. Smaller items that were not of vital importance were already cut out and things like food and medications would be life threatening if eliminated. Something needed to give, clearly, and my research showed that vehicle living is the only feasible means of not living in a traditional home.
A vehicle provides security with its steel and glass enclosure. Possessions can be locked inside and left while the rightful owner can safely go about their day knowing their goods will be there when the return. A vehicle can be had inexpensively, for much less than even the cost of the most minimal traditional housing. In terms of job flexibility, a vehicle can take a person to employers not easily reached otherwise.
Rather than spend another month or two in a traditional home I’ve chosen to avoid the streets and take what control over my life I can make. I choose the safety, security and comfort of not catching lice at shelters, or having my life in a back pack, or not sleeping under a tarp somewhere. I’ve chosen my new home. It has glorious 55 square feet of living space. Small, but very affordable.
(This entry written retroactively.)
on 19 Apr 2006 at 6:59 pm 1.Hoopty Life » Hey you bum, why don’t you just get a job already?! said …
[…] Some of my earlier posts talk about my field of specialty being decimated after 9/11 with the number of jobs in the local area shrinking as fast as the pay rates for them spoiling my life long run of good employment and comfortable finances. So please go back and read if you’re so inclined. But trust me, I’ve tried. Both in my field and outside but I remain grossly under employed with just occasional gigs here and there. […]
on 04 May 2006 at 2:35 am 2.STICkY said …
I hope you ignored the previous comment.
You seem an articulate and rational person. It is easy to criticise people when they are down on their luck and have not been in a challenging situation. I think it is commendable on your part that you have embraced this lifestyle so you have more mobility to work and survive financially.
Preparation is the key to Van Dwelling. Sometimes we do not have the luxury of time or money. However, little things like insulation to keep heat in, can make the difference between a comfortable nights sleep and a cold one.
Van Dwelling has twice given me the opportunty to bounce back from financial and emotionally bereft times.
I hope this offers a little hope that times will and can get better if you wish them to.
Enjoy the time! You may miss the simplicity of life that Van Dwelling offers!
on 05 May 2006 at 9:12 pm 3.April said …
It is easy to criticise people when they are down on their luck and have not been in a challenging situation.
The internet is the coward’s best friend. People can say what they’d never have the guts to say in person. They also have little means for accountability, it’s easy to be a half assed cranks online.
In real life other people’s comments rarely disturb me. I hear critiques all the time when I work and I’ve long since learned to take them with really large grains of salt. Half of them speak more of the person talking than of me and the other half are right but merely expressions of personal preference. The random comment that does sting is the one that accurately reflects my own short comings or oversights. Which in reality just equates to new items on my to do lists to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
on 20 May 2006 at 1:08 am 4.Six said …
I totally agree with what April said - the way some people act on the Internet is downright shameful. They say things to people on here they’d NEVER have the guts to say to their faces, simply because they can hide behind anonymity.
It reminds me of that song from the 70s called “Smiling Faces”, because since I’ve been spending more time on the Web, I find myself looking at people a lot differently now. I wonder what’s really behind that polite facade/smiling face. I wonder how they act when no one’s looking and what they really think about me. Food for thought.
on 10 Nov 2007 at 8:05 pm 5.UFT said …
I was wondering you said 55 foot of square space and having a small space but then you talk about how much gas that vehicle uses so my question is what kind of van or vehicle are you using ? that gives you that comfort that traditional homes have.