L earning how to live in your car is quite depressing, and something nobody should have to go through. But with rent and evictions rising, it’s a good idea to know how to live in your car in case of an emergency.
Due to COVID-19 unemployment and inflation, more and more people do not have enough money to sustain a shelter for themselves and the only property they do hold is their car. If you find yourself in such an unfortunate situation, here are some tips that might ease your situation a bit
Sign Up For A Mini Cubicle Storage
This is a must because there are often a lot of valuable possessions you cannot keep safely in your car. Rent out a storage unit and make sure you get 24 hours access along with it. Not only will this cubicle keep all of your valuables safe, but it might also give you access to parking or a free and clean washroom as a paying customer to a facility.
Organize As Much As Possible
Anyone who has gone through having to live in their car will recommend this. You need to stay as organized as humanly possible. Keep all of your sleeping items safe in separate compartments. You need to have one box for all your clothes, another separate box for all your dirty clothes pending a trip to the laundry, a box with all your toiletries, and a separate space that contains all your important paperwork.
Plan Your Meals
It is highly unlikely that you are going to have access to any stove while you are living in your car. This is why it’s great to figure out what you have available and how you can use it to feed yourself economically. It’s convenient to have foods such as dehydrated meat, fresh vegetables, oatmeal, fruits, instant noodles, and soups.
Buy yourself a water flask and keep it with you while visiting a café or restaurant of any kind. Go to the restroom and fill that flask with hot water. If you are not comfortable doing that, you can always ask around for hot water. Normally, restaurants don’t mind giving that away. Other than that, you can always buy cheap food at the dollar store.
Showering and Other Toiletry Based Needs
There are a lot of ways you can ensure hygiene. If you look for some truck stops, you will find that a lot of them offer showers for a small fee. Membership at a gym or health club is usually affordable. And they offer facilities where you can shower, work out and even get some rest indoors.
How to Handle Communication
The biggest lifesaver you can get yourself is a solar-powered power bank for charging your phone and laptop. This will help you stay connected and fully charged, even when you cannot find a place to charge your electronics. Getting yourself a healthy mobile network-based internet plan is also very important, but if you cannot afford to do that, search for places with free Wi-Fi services. Paying for a good subscription service for your entertainment may seem like a luxury, but ultimately is necessary if you’re hunting for jobs online or working through the web.
Find Your Local Church
Churches or other religious spaces can offer some shelter, food, clothes, and even monetary help on occasion. See if a nearby church has a program to help the homeless or less privileged. You may encounter others who are struggling with homelessness and form a small community or support system to help you through this.
Look For Jobs That Come With Free Housing
This is more of a tip that can help you get out of your current predicament. Several low-wage jobs offer housing as part of the package. For instance, working for a motel/hotel or landing a job as an apartment manager. Mini storage management requires 24-hour surveillance, so they often provide living accommodations alongside the job.
We are all living in an economically tough period. So, if it helps you feel any better, you are not going through it alone. There are a lot of mutual aid programs that have popped up during the pandemic, so looking for them through social media may be the answer to getting leads on your next housing situation. But until then, it’s great to pick up tips on how to live in your car.
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- living in your car
- car living tips
- essential car tips
