Living in Your Car Hacks | Effective Tips and Essentials You Need

Living in a vehicle might seem strange, but it’s a harsh reality becoming increasingly common for many people. Sara Rankin, director of the Homeless Rights Advocacy Project at Seattle University School of Law, defines them as “the nation’s fastest-growing homeless subpopulation.”  They have no choice but to call their vehicle home as a permanent residence appears to be an unattainable luxury for them.

The National Homelessness Law Center (NHLC) estimates that approximately 40 percent of all homeless people in the West Coast cities, where concentrations are observed, live in vehicles. For instance, point-in-time count data from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority 2019 reveals that approximately 14,000 of the unsheltered homeless population, uses cars, vans, and RVs as shelter in Los Angeles County.

Certain circumstances may result in such perilous situations including emotional upheaval due to divorce or job loss, eviction from home because of domestic violence, financial issues, and any natural disaster. Some individuals may reside in their vehicles to pursue their studies or internships and a few people deliberately choose to live in a car for adventure or to explore the world.

Irrespective of the underlying causes, residing in a vehicle can be an uncertain and potentially risky situation and it is necessary to get support and access to resources for well-being.

Crucial Factors to Consider to Reside in the Car

Living in a vehicle isn’t as simple as it appears. In most cases, people have to dwell in the car as they couldn’t find any safe shelter. But living in a car is not only being criticized rather it is considered unlawful.

However, if you experience the same challenges and have to reside in the car, remember that there have been others too in the same predicament. You need an effective approach to tackle this situation, although it is unusual and fraught with perils. So, here is a detailed guide to lessen your suspicions, with tips from people who have made their cars their home.

26 Ideal Ways to Live in a Car

At first glance, it can seem quite a challenge but once you’ve taken care of some practical problems, you’re good to go. Start with getting rid of all the unnecessary stuff and keep only the bare essentials you need for your daily life. Adopting the minimalist style of life will help you greatly in this case.

1. Comfortably Sleep While Living in Your Van

The obvious answer is to hop on the back seat to sleep but it can be very cramped and lead to various health issues. The second option is to lower the front seats to make enough space to stretch your legs but it, too, can lead to back pains because car seats are not manufactured for comfortable sleep. The best option, however, is to buy a soft and cozy mattress that fits inside your car or convert your vehicle into a camper.

2. Why It Is Not Good to Live Out of Your Ride?

The car provides you with safety and protection against extreme weather elements like rain, storms, harsh sunlight, etc. It also provides you with freedom of mobility as well as independence. You can move around various relaxing spots as much as you please and get away from dangerous situations or natural disasters. It’s far better than imposing on a friend or taking refuge in a public shelter with many strangers. Moreover, it’s a great way to cut back on expenses and save money.

3. Get an Appropriate Car

One of the most significant aspects of living in a car successfully is finding a suitable vehicle for long-term living. Sure, you won’t be in this situation if you had enough money to buy a new car, in the first place. But you have to admit, living in a big car or truck is definitely easier than living in a small one. Get a car that is not only spacious but also inconspicuous.

4. Use your Permanent Address

Life can get sticky if people find out that you’re homeless. Although unjustified and unfair, it is the way of the world. Regardless of whether your situation is temporary or not, you need a permanent address. It is even more important if your goal is to get back on your feet and own a house one day because being homeless limits your opportunities.

So, before you start living out of your car, make sure to use your permanent address to rent a new PO Box, store valuables in a safety deposit box in the bank, and alter any paperwork that requires an address. In this way, you won’t miss any mail or parcel sent to you.

5. Think About Personal Protection First: Locate a Safe Place to Park

Ensure that you always have something at hand to protect yourself. It can be a Taser, pepper spray, or anything that can be used as a weapon in a dangerous situation. Do not park your car in abandoned places at night. To keep you and your vehicle safe, park at some place where you won’t draw attention to yourself.

6. Do a Tradition Build-Out

If you plan on staying in your car for a long time, you’ll benefit from making custom alterations to suit your lifestyle. You can take out the back seats and install a bed in its place. Also, you can customize the space for more storage. You can either do it yourself or spend some money on professional service.

7. Is It Legal to Sleep in Your Motor?

Fortunately, No. But only in some places. However, it is not as illegal as it is frowned upon. Since it’s an unusual practice and people in most societies, no matter how different, like to conform to norms, individuals living in their cars have a tough time dealing with stares and judgment. As far as the law and police are concerned though, they’ll question you but won’t put you in jail for it.

For more details check out
Why is it illegal to live or sleep in your car?

8. Where to Park Your Car at Night to Sleep?

The best place to park your car at night is somewhere populated enough to not be dangerous but with fewer people around to not cause suspicions. Church parking lots are the best option but you can also use the parking lot at the gym or community college. Places like Walmart and shopping malls also allow people to stay overnight in their parking lots. When selecting the spot, try to find areas that feel safe and discreet so you can relax and fall asleep without worry.

9. What to Do if You Can’t Park on Your Land?

If you can’t park on your land, camping grounds should be your first choice. They do charge a fee for letting you stay at the ground but it should be no problem for one night or two.

10. Don’t Look Like You’re Living in Your Truck!

You’ll really have to go the extra mile to take care of your appearance or else you’ll start looking like you live in your car. If you don’t want to reek of poverty or homelessness, invest time in personal hygiene. You can use washrooms at rest stops, petrol stations, restaurants, cafes, a library, or other places open to the public to groom yourself.

11. What to Do About Hygiene?

You can bet on gyms to get that load off your mind. Hygiene is really important when living in your car not only to keep up your appearance but also to stay healthy. You don’t wanna be sick while living in your car. So, get a gym membership for free showers. You can also indulge yourself with a luxurious bath at hotels and motels, occasionally.

12. Keep Dirty Clothes Separate in Plastic Bags

You don’t want your whole car to smell like dirty clothes. It should be obvious that you need to keep clean and dirty clothes separate. Using plastic bags for storage is a convenient and cheap option. Make sure to dry your clothes completely at the laundromat, otherwise, they’ll smell like mildew.

13. Get a Good Night’s Rest

When living in a car, every day can seem like a struggle to survive. With avoiding getting into trouble, fending off stares, looking for the basic necessities at cheap prices, and continuously moving around, getting a good night’s sleep is no less than a challenge. However, if you want to survive and live successfully every day, you’ll need to get adequate sleep.

14. Keep Yourself Tidy While Occupation in the Car

Like I said before, public places are the best to clean up and groom yourself. But if, for some reason, you cannot access them, always keep wet wipes with you. Thoroughly clean your body, cut your nails, and brush your teeth every day. Also, go for professional haircuts periodically as well.

15. How to Live in Your Car in the Winter

You can use your car heater to stay warm while living inside your car but it can cost you a fortune in terms of gas. In this case, keeping hot packs can come in handy. Don’t forget to bundle up with warm clothes, especially in winter, when it snows a lot. You can also go inside cafes and libraries with the proper heating system.

16. How to Stay Cool

An important tip is to de-winterize your car, which includes checking and servicing your vehicle’s cooling system to ensure it operates efficiently in warmer temperatures.  While the car air conditioner is the best option for staying cool, you can’t use it all the time. Lowering the windows in your car would be another option but it leaves you vulnerable and exposes your situation to people. You should buy sun shades, blinds, or curtains for your car to block the sunlight. Also, you won’t regret investing in a portable fan.

17. A Better Way to Get Connected With Others

Communication is probably the least of your worries when living in a car since everything is connected through the internet these days. Keep in contact with friends and family through your smartphone, laptop, and numerous social network sites. You can use free Wi-Fi available at public places or buy a mobile Hotspot plan to go with your laptop.

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Smart Ways to Get Wi-Fi In Your Car

18. Places to Spend Your Spare Time

The library would be my first answer because you can read as many books as you can. And you can never read enough books. Not only it’s a great place to spend your spare time but it also allows you to stock up on knowledge that’ll come in handy when living off-grid. You can always go to movie theatres, community pools, shopping malls, cafes and other recreational spots.

19. Wear a Better Outfit When Living in the Motor Car

Wear clothes that’ll draw the least attention because you don’t want people to notice you and your situation. Dress up like any other person on the street. Also, buy clothes that are easy to clean and don’t wrinkle much because you won’t have the luxury of ironing them in your car. But more importantly, wear clean clothes.

20. What to Do for Your Diet

Fast food would be the most convenient option. It’s tasty and cheap but not quite when you’re living off of it. I’d advise eating healthy foods such as cereals, oatmeal, fresh fruits, and salads. Instant noodles and pasta are other options. Snacks like granola, protein bars, and crackers should satisfy your midnight hunger pangs.

Or you can cook for yourself. But most people wouldn’t like this option because it’s a hassle. You’ll have to arrange for an electric or gas stove, get cooking pots and utensils, get ingredients and seasonings and lastly, actually be able to cook. Otherwise, you’ll have to eat burnt food. However, if you get the hang of it, your food problems will be solved.

21. Exercise Regularly

Living in a vehicle may limit your physical activity, hence it is crucial to exercise on priority for sustaining both physical and mental well-being. Even stretching your body in the morning can make a huge impact. Regular exercise helps to reduce stress and anxiety, refreshes your mind, and empowers you to cope with the challenges of residing in the car.

Activities like brisk walking, running in the park, or some simple exercises like yoga and meditation to relax yourself, are ideal for your situation.

Keep in mind that staying active is not related to protruding muscles but it’s about maintaining blood flow and lifting your mood. You may dance to your favorite songs in the car to keep you physically active and to boost your mood too.

22. Stay in Touch With Society

Living off-grid doesn’t mean going off the radar. It doesn’t mean you’re no longer a part of society and even if you die, no one will take notice. It is necessary that you stay under the radar and keep in contact with your friends and family members. Or else the legal authorities can consider you missing or lost.

23. Manage Your Valuable Stuff Within the Car

There’s already too little space in a car that buying essentials for an off-grid living can make it even more chaotic. And lord forbids if you lose something in there, you’ll never find it. This means you need to store your stuff wisely. First, store everything separately by categories. Second, label them. Finally, place everything in order of use, from most frequently used to least frequently used. There are many storage units made for cars, available in the market that you can buy.

24. Maintain a Backup for Electricity

You’ll need electricity to charge your phone, laptop, fan, car refrigerator, or any other appliance you may have. Using the car battery for all of this will result in a breakdown. Alternative ways of generating electricity include having another battery or installing a solar system in your car. A solar system is your best bet.

25. Seek Remote Job Opportunities

For living out of your car while keeping the lifestyle, you need to leverage remote work opportunities. In this digital era, many companies prefer to opt for virtual offices as modern workplaces, which offer multifaceted jobs that anyone can do from almost anywhere but you must have a stable internet connection.

Numerous options are available to manage in the car as you may choose to become a freelance writer, graphic designer, virtual assistant or online tutor. You will get financial stability with the liberty to travel anywhere and you can work at your own pace.

Also Read: Most Successful Ways You Can Get Paid to Travel the World

You need to identify your skills and seek out remote jobs from job platforms that match your aptitude.

But above all of this, make sure to park the car at a silent place during work hours – to avoid any trouble amid your meetings.

26. Cultivate a Positive Mindset

One of the great hacks is staying positive. It goes a long way with one’s ability to bear difficulties while living in cars. Being grateful every day really changes your focus from trying to overcome challenges, since the small joys that surround you, like eating something warm or seeing the most beautiful sunset, start gaining priority.

Positive self-talk fights against the negative thoughts that appear, and it develops your inner strength. Additionally, decorate your car to be more personal and comfortable to be inside it, and that will perhaps make your mood brighter, and it feels home-like. This strategy and being happy with small things will help you get used to this lifestyle more easily and be positive about living in a car.

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Key Essential Factors for Safety when Living in a Car

Additionally, here are some things you need to make your life comfortable. Plus other tips to keep in mind that can prove to be a lifesaver in times of need.

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Few Extra Living out of Your Vehicle Tips

Here are a few extra tips that I think are essential for people who plan on living in their cars. We’ve discussed many of the practical problems you’re likely to face while staying in your car. However, it also has an emotional and psychological aspect as well.

Conclusion

Living in a car poses unique challenges and opportunities that require careful consideration and planning. At first, it might seem daunting, but a minimalist lifestyle with some practical strategies can make all the difference.