How to Live in Your Car

While living in your car is never recommended, it sometimes becomes necessary. Whether you're doing it for fun (road trip) or out of circumstance (lost your home) these tips will help make the process much easier.

This article does not advocate living in your car for any amount of time and it should be understood that many of the strategies listed below are frowned upon in most jurisdictions.

Only the reader is responsible for their actions.

As you read this list you may find that certain investments have to be made. These investments may seem like a horrible way to spend your money today, but they will all help you stretch your money in the long run so that you can use your money on more important things like gas and preventative maintenance.

The thing to remember about living comfortably in your car is to make use of as much space as possible. Depending on the size of your car and the amount of people in your party, some creative packing may be in order. Purchase a few of those vacuum seal bags to minimize the amount of space your personal belongings take up. This is a good idea for blankets and clothes. Make your own form of vacuum seal storage out of a few hefty bags and a handy-vac. If you don't want to spring for the handy-vac, wrap up your belongings in the hefty bag and squeeze out as much of the air as possible. Seal off the top of the bag with a sturdy string or chord of some kind.

Showers are something that a person can take for granted when they have easy access to a bathroom facility. When you begin to feel like you could use a rinse, try to find a truck stop with free shower facilities. If you don't want to do that, you could join a gym in the area you will be traveling in so that you could use their showers. If you don't want to pay for a full membership, ask the sales staff if they offer one day gym passes to travelers. Lastly, if you there is no other option, a full body treatment with disposable baby wipes will come through in a pinch.

Find a job you can do online. The Web may be full of scams offering six-figure incomes for easy Internet work, but there are a lot of legitimate opportunities as well. You could be a freelance writer, web designer, profile designer, etc. all from the comfort of your car. Most of these jobs don't even require contact with the clients, so you won't have to worry about holding a business meeting in your front seat. There are a number of free Internet solutions across the country including libraries, cafes, and even the parking lots of hotels.

For doing your laundry, wash one article of clothing at a time in a medium-sized cooler. Don't use the cooler for anything else. The design of the cooler allows easy transport and a nifty water dumping solution in the form of a built in spout. Fill your cooler with water from the road by getting as much free water as you can. Most places won't charge you for water, so fill up a glass or two at a time and dump it into a second water jug for later. When you have a full jug, you can start washing. If you are going to be awake and parked for a while, you can drape wet clothes through an open window. If you're traveling, lay the wet clothes behind the head rests of the back seats as flat as possible. Remember to turn them every so often for an even dry.

Don't be afraid to haggle or barter. Many mom-and-pop stores are able to offer some discounts if a person asks. Explain to them your situation (try not to sound too pathetic) and ask if they would consider offering a small discount.

Always think safety. No matter where you go the potential for harm towards you exists. Minimize that potential by playing it safe. Avoid areas of town where light is scarce. Follow your gut.

This list is only a partial list of some of the ways you can improve your living situation from your car. As you travel and begin to experiment with other methods you will find that adjusting to a life on the road becomes easier and easier every day.