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I need some living advice

 
 
Joedoe6
 
Reply Mon 4 Apr, 2016 06:55 pm
Hello and thanks for reading. I need some advice right now. I live with my Aunt and ive been with her for about a year. In 2 months(more like right now), she wants me out the house. I dont have much of a career right now so i cant really afford a place yet. But i have managed to buy an affordable car. Im planning on living in my car for a month or so until i can afford my own little place. (Its very possible, ive already worked out many details) But i dont want her to know what im doing! And dont want her to think bad of me or herself for putting me out ( i dont blame her, i shouldnt live there much longer, as i dont want to seem like a burden)..

Edit: So my question i guess is basically, do i lie to her??? And just say yeah im living with a friend??? What if she asks to see/visit???

I dont think i should tell her about living in the car because she might get too afraid, or even say its a stupid idea etc etc... i really dont know. But i know living in my car could help me put away money for a while to get a place of my own
 
View best answer, chosen by Joedoe6
CalamityJane
 
  1  
Reply Mon 4 Apr, 2016 07:13 pm
@Joedoe6,
First of all, it's a very very bad idea to live in your car - no matter if it's for a week or a month, don't do it!! In the end it will cost you much more than saving up for a place. Think about all the food you have to buy - fast food, restaurants etc. Then, where would you shower? Your clothes would look run down and dirty? You're more prone to be a victim of crime or theft, if you live out of your car and the list is endless.

You didn't say if you're currently working - if yes, level with your aunt and tell her that you'll have enough money in about one to two months to get your own place and stay there for the duration. Once she knows you're gone in 1 or 2 months, she'll let you stay.

Then start looking for a roommate situation where you pay a smaller amount in rent and can save more money and work on your career. Are you a student? What is your position?

In any case, do not live in your car! This is the worst you can do for yourself. If you don't have a job, get one asap, or if you do work, start saving money, get a cheap room with other students or young people and start working on getting your life in order.
ossobuco
 
  2  
Reply Mon 4 Apr, 2016 07:17 pm
@CalamityJane,
I understand him and simply don't know how to help.
Joedoe6
 
  1  
Reply Mon 4 Apr, 2016 07:23 pm
@CalamityJane,
Well thw.food part is true but I would cook at friends houses and i eat with other family too.. and as far as showering, my local gym is fine. Also i have a minimum wage job and making about 7-800 a month,.very hard to save. I dont mean to shoot down all of your thoughtful advices, but its just really slow right now. Im not a student but i am a mechanic, just have no noney for tools (go figure) and am always looking for a better paying job. If not that, im always working on my own business, tying loose ends.
I guess i could look around with friends and see how much they would want, but Id rather save the rent money, you know?
Joedoe6
 
  1  
Reply Mon 4 Apr, 2016 07:28 pm
@CalamityJane,
You might say, why dont i live with other family? Because id rather not be taking up space in someone elses home, seeming like a failure/unsuccessful... Im.broke as ****, and im.not even after food stamps or other BS government help because i KNOW i can make a living myself, nothing is ever as simple as it seems though, im just being resilient by living in my car for a while, "roughing it" if you will
Joedoe6
 
  1  
Reply Mon 4 Apr, 2016 07:29 pm
@ossobuco,
Lol i wouldnt either
0 Replies
 
CalamityJane
 
  1  
Reply Mon 4 Apr, 2016 07:33 pm
@Joedoe6,
Okay, I know more now, however, no matter where you live - rent is expensive and if you earn between 700 and 800 Dollars a months, your rent will be at least $500 and most likely more. Then you need gas for your car, you need insurance for your car and you're left with absolutely nothing.

So do the math yourself - if you can get a $200/month room, that's about 1/4 of your paycheck. Your car insurance, gas and maintenance will be another 1/4 of your paycheck or $200 which leaves you with $400 a month or $100/week.
Even if you're frugal, you need to buy groceries, toiletries etc. etc. and your $100/week are gone.

In other words, you cannot afford to get your own place unless you get a much better paying job or you go back to school (at night) and get working on your career.
ehBeth
 
  1  
Reply Mon 4 Apr, 2016 07:36 pm
@Joedoe6,
Joedoe6 wrote:
I guess i could look around with friends and see how much they would want, but Id rather save the rent money, you know?


check this out before you make any hard and fast decisions

living out of a car is difficult and pretty hard to cover up. a friend of mine did it for several months when we were younger.

do you have a gym membership or is it a free gym/community centre you would access for showers (and brushing teeth in the morning etc)?
Joedoe6
 
  1  
Reply Mon 4 Apr, 2016 07:41 pm
@CalamityJane,
Exactly. Thank you. And yes youre right i would like to go back to school but cant afford it just yet. Another reason why im trying to save, but cmon everythings just spiraling downhill getting more expensive..
And i need to get out of this womans hair lol she always talks.about when am i leaving. I need to go like right now. But how do leave without telling her what im doing?
0 Replies
 
Joedoe6
 
  1  
Reply Mon 4 Apr, 2016 07:45 pm
@ehBeth,
Yes i have a membership. Close to laundromat too. And an address for my mail...Ive thought this through thoroughly, I feel like this is the best option right now really.
But i will ask around and see whos got a room available
ehBeth
 
  1  
Reply Mon 4 Apr, 2016 07:46 pm
@Joedoe6,
ok -you've got a gym membership and a car but can't afford housing

it seems you've gone about this sideways

Joedoe6
 
  1  
Reply Mon 4 Apr, 2016 07:53 pm
@ehBeth,
Well im lucky planet fitness is very cheap..car insurance on the other hand is 270 a month ( im a very young guy). And yeah it may seem like it, but i need this car to get a real job. How do you think i could improve my circumstances?? Any advice is helpful. Thanks
chai2
 
  1  
Reply Mon 4 Apr, 2016 07:58 pm
Not that I advocate it, but there are much worse things than living out of your car for awhile.

The only thing I would be worried about would be the safety issue, getting broken into and mugged. Also, it can be tricky finding places to park.

If you've got a gym membership you have a place to keep clean, and exercise. There's laudromats all over for your clothes.

As far as food, a person isn't condemned to eating fast food. You can buy fruits and vegetables at the grocery store, peanut butter, bread, good sandwiches and salads, canned sardines and crackers etc. If you want a sandwich, you buy half a pound of deli meat cheese, a tomato and bread. You keep a cooler for with a bag of ice for perishibles that will keep stuff fresh for a day or 2.

It's not like you can't walk into any store and buy yourself a yogurt or cottage cheese, a couple of bananas, nuts, dried fruit and have a better meal than most people.

It just takes a little ingenuity.

Sometimes I go to Jason's deli and buy a salad bar to go. I load up on quinoa, my favorite vegetables (don't really take lettuce), like red, yellow and orange peppers, tomatoes, all the other veggies, plus some packets of Dr. Kracker and trail mix, and I have enough food for 2 plus huge meals. For like $8 or $9.

Plus, if you do have a job, you can always microwave a healthy frozen meal.

Again, the hard part is finding a quiet place, actually a few places so you can rotate, where people won't report you, or you won't be hassled by people.

If you've got a car, and a job, a place to wash and grocery stores, it's pretty much no different from living in those "tiny houses" that everyone is so impressed with.

Frankly, I'd rather live in my car where I could drive away from a situation I don't like, than live in a rat/roach infested rooming house where god knows what is going on next to you.

ehBeth
 
  1  
Reply Mon 4 Apr, 2016 08:01 pm
@chai2,
chai2 wrote:
Also, it can be tricky finding places to park.


it's illegal in a lot of communities and police/sheriffs etc can get pretty assertive about getting people to move on
CalamityJane
 
  1  
Reply Mon 4 Apr, 2016 08:05 pm
@Joedoe6,
What state are you in? You can get with Progressive Insurance a much cheaper rate when you take a high deductible. That's what my daughter did when she started out driving. Her car insurance was around $68/month.
chai2
 
  1  
Reply Mon 4 Apr, 2016 08:12 pm
@ehBeth,
ehBeth wrote:

ok -you've got a gym membership and a car but can't afford housing

it seems you've gone about this sideways




Planet Fitness is like 10 to 20 bucks a month. All you need is dollar store soap, some shampoo, and towels.

There's this used car lot down the street from me, has been there for years. Painted on the side of the building is their slogan..."If You Have a Car, You Can Get a Job"

True dat.

Of course it depends on where you live, but many times it can take you an hour or more to get from your home to where you work. Then, all day long you are stuck there. Reverse that going home, and now you've got to figure out how to carry enough good food home, plus get anywhere.

To me, when in dire straights, having a car, and a gym membership is infinately more useful that 4 walls.

Back in 1989, my first short marriage, things got really bad financially. We did have our house, and could pay the mortgage, but I had to literally budget $7 a day to cover all our food, sundries, and my gasoline.

The way I accomplished it was that the gym I had belonged to in another state was 2 miles from my house. A grocery store was accross the street. The annual renewal fee for the gym was $69.00. It was a Bally's
Every day I would drive to the gym, then afterwards walk across the street, buy whatever fruit, vegs, bread, bulger that was just for that day. I'd put whatever change aside and that was gas money and some meat. We were both very healthy that 2 or 3 months period. I went from some marginal part time job to full time somewhere else, things got better, and I knew I could have gone on that way much longer.

If you have a car, you can get to where you need to go, and don't have to be dependant on where public transportation can take you. Then, once you have a job, and some money, you can get a place close by.

Most importantly, there's that knowledge that if your careful and do the right thing, you can totally take care of yourself.

chai2
 
  1  
Reply Mon 4 Apr, 2016 08:26 pm
@ehBeth,
ehBeth wrote:

chai2 wrote:
Also, it can be tricky finding places to park.


it's illegal in a lot of communities and police/sheriffs etc can get pretty assertive about getting people to move on


Yeah. It can be done though. Walmart parking lots are good from what I've heard, ask a friend if you can park in their driveway after dark and you'll be gone in the morning. In my neighborhood I know a random car could park in a quiet area, not too near a house after dark and no one would even notice. You just can't be a dick and park in the same place every night, or right in front of someone's house, or advertise you're sleeping in the back seat. You can disguise that fact though if you not all spread out, just cover up and keep low. Maybe a hospital parking lot as one of your rotations. People stay all night with patients, that could be your car.

If you wanted to, you could drive around in the middle of the night and see where cars are parked where no one would think it looked out of place.
0 Replies
 
chai2
 
  1  
Reply Mon 4 Apr, 2016 08:29 pm
https://laquiete.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/car-job.jpg?w=500&h=332
0 Replies
 
TomTomBinks
 
  2  
Reply Mon 4 Apr, 2016 09:43 pm
@Joedoe6,
In the late 80's me and my room mate lived in my car for about a week. It was just until I got my first paycheck at a job I had just found. It was uncomfortable and inconvenient, but there was no other choice. In your situation, you seem to have some choices. You've been staying with your aunt and you have some friends nearby. I would make living in my car my absolute LAST choice. Good luck!
0 Replies
 
Joedoe6
 
  1  
Reply Mon 4 Apr, 2016 10:06 pm
@chai2,
Exacttttllyyyyy its all about being careful. I got like 10 places i can alternate to and from. Thats what im saying bro! Okay orange and red peppers? Sounds healthy as ****. And yup fruits nd veggies, tuna, and a ton of nuts, trail mix is my ****, peanut butter etc... ive been thinking like a survivor for a while now.
And very true i need a cooler, thanks man.

But yes my sedan is like a tiny house aaha.

Above all, i just gotta be careful. Thanks i needed a positive comment. Is it the ideal situation??? Of course not, but it could be far worse, and its practical for the moment..

And damn sure better than paying a ton of rent in formentioned hole in the wall/slum
0 Replies
 
 

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