Voluntary "homelessness" and alternative living arrangements.

[FAST6191]

Some have said this generation might well be called "generation rent" owing to most not having much chance of doing the whole home ownership bit (house prices around here are around the £300,000 mark for something worth having and for 10% down on a 25 year mortgage that is doable only with a partner or fairly high paying job, and if you hit about 30 without that you are likely not going to). This led to some interesting arrangements, as well as in many cases it being socially acceptable to live with parents for periods others would have deemed highly unusual 30 years ago.
It is not a sole thing for the young though and I have met many of many ages that head down this path. Most of the older people doing it tend to be of the trades that allow for it (tradesmen that spent time in mining/construction*, truck drivers, sales...), or were serious PTSD sufferers and that allowed them to get on with it.

*friend of a friend had a really quite nice Arctic grade truck with a toilet and shower and everything. That said a more general insulated van and the option to shower in swimming pools/gyms

I then saw something on youtube about people living in their car, but not necessarily through any kind of poverty


It is a subject that fascinates me, though perhaps not as much as the potential legal implications (a lot of things require you to have a "permanent" address, something I discovered a few years back as I thought I would see what goes if I pretended I did not have somewhere like that).

To that end your thoughts on the matter. Would you eschew rent in favour of something like that? Still having a job, regular showers, good food and all that but either working less or having money for nice toys and travel.
I have considered it but I do also like to have lots of tools, books and machinery so that is harder.

 

[grossaffe]

If you're living in a car, you don't have room for nice toys.

 

[Fishaman P]

I've considered living in a storage unit. I haven't REALLY looked into it yet, but I haven't thought of any downsides besides a likely lack of insulation during the summer and winter.

 

[RevPokemon]

It is a subject that fascinates me, though perhaps not as much as the potential legal implications (a lot of things require you to have a "permanent" address, something I discovered a few years back as I thought I would see what goes if I pretended I did not have somewhere like that).

To that end your thoughts on the matter. Would you eschew rent in favour of something like that? Still having a job, regular showers, good food and all that but either working less or having money for nice toys and travel.
I have considered it but I do also like to have lots of tools, books and machinery so that is harder.

I actually have a few commercial truck drivers in my family including one who is about my age that recently got a CDL for big rigs. In my own case as someone who has plentiful material objects (books, figures, and so on), the idea of those sort of living conditions are not interesting to me. Partially this is because where I live decent housing is relatively cheap for the money. Although the idea of a nomadic life is semi-interesting to me but then again it is not to the extent that I would want to do so.

 

[grossaffe]

I've considered living in a storage unit. I haven't REALLY looked into it yet, but I haven't thought of any downsides besides a likely lack of insulation during the summer and winter.

well there's the downside of it being illegal.

 

[DinohScene]

I've lived on the streets before, involuntarily tho.

 

[SomecallmeBerto]

I'm almost 26 and I currently live with my Mother by my own choice. I pay part of the rent and buy my own food and it works out great for both of us.(we both save money this way)

Though I used to be materialist I have since changed and I feel it's for the better. I also feel a lot less stressful as I don't have to worry about money as much and since I have less bills I can save/invest more which only makes my money issues less of a problem.

I couldn't do living in a car though. I still have a few nice things and I enjoy sleeping in a bed too much. Maybe if I wanted to travel for a year or so I could see myself doing something like that.

 

[Fishaman P]

well there's the downside of it being illegal.

Care to cite any references?

 

[RevPokemon]

Care to cite any references?

No, it is not normally legal due to city ordinances. For example, they are not built to code for human habitation and as such the wiring and all that jazz really are not safe.

 

[Jayro]

Care to cite any references?

Trust us, its illegal. And you'd have no electricity, and they close the gate at like 8 or 9 PM.

 

[FAST6191]

and as such the wiring and all that jazz really are not safe.

But safe enough to be pushing heavy items around, and possibly even operating a forklift with those crazy tough steel prongs on the front? I don't disagree with the notion and ideas of fitness for habitation but that may be one of those scare them unless they actually think about it examples.

The history of the various types of criminalisation of homelessness is quite an interesting one if you are interested in types of social control, and also some suspect laws.

That said another option in all this is to buy a piece of what would be dubbed amenity land in the UK and park on that to some extent. They often go for not a lot (£10000 or so) and some portable stuff is pretty nice these days.

 

[Chary]

Living in a car, even just for a few months would save a chunk of money on rent/electricity/water bills. Rent alone where I am is 1000/month. It sounds like a genuinely good way to save money, but constantly charging things like a phone or handheld game system through the car would be taxing on the car's battery, I assume. That being said, I'll likely live with my parents into my mid 20s, just because it is cost effective, and the Houston housing market is pure trash.

 

[WiiUBricker]

No idea if these are legal, but they seem to be a better choice than living in a car.

 

[RevPokemon]

Living in a car, even just for a few months would save a chunk of money on rent/electricity/water bills. Rent alone where I am is 1000/month. It sounds like a genuinely good way to save money, but constantly charging things like a phone or handheld game system through the car would be taxing on the car's battery, I assume. That being said, I'll likely live with my parents into my mid 20s, just because it is cost effective, and the Houston housing market is pure trash.

As an ex-Houstonian, I do agree the market the last time I checked (5 years ago) was pretty high (at least where we were looking), but as for living in a car one idea would be just to hang out at a library where you can take advantage of the a/c, internet, and electricity for so much time in a day (my local one is open like 9-9 for example) and then just stay in your car when needed. I mean it could work and a few homeless people actually will go to libraries for this reason...

No idea if these are legal, but they seem to be a better choice than living in a car.

The biggest issue with those things would be whatever local ordinances say about RVs and parking them.

 

[lostboysteve]

Trust us, its illegal. And you'd have no electricity, and they close the gate at like 8 or 9 PM.

The ones around here provide a nominal amount of electricity for battery chargers and lights. Sounds like an episode of Maron though.

---

So how does one go about not having an address? PO Box?

 

[grossaffe]

Living in a car, even just for a few months would save a chunk of money on rent/electricity/water bills. Rent alone where I am is 1000/month. It sounds like a genuinely good way to save money, but constantly charging things like a phone or handheld game system through the car would be taxing on the car's battery, I assume. That being said, I'll likely live with my parents into my mid 20s, just because it is cost effective, and the Houston housing market is pure trash.

You could always move three hours away to San Antonio where housing is dirt cheap.

 

[RevPokemon]

So how does one go about not having an address? PO Box?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

General Delivery is free and can be used if you stay in a certain area

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

Care to cite any references?

Nearly every storage center you'll come across have mandatory contracts that are meant to prevent owners from staying overnight on the property. Most places will search through their storage spaces looking for people who do this at the end of their opened hours and will simply kick you out if you're found. Not to mention there's usually no heating/cooling for the units themselves, no easy access to power in the storage unit itself (meaning you'll likely have to at least run an extension cord from the hallway to your unit...which is going to be noticed). Source: I know a guy who used to hop through storage units throughout the state and kept getting kicked out of them.

No idea if these are legal, but they seem to be a better choice than living in a car.

Those are technically legal (since they'd count as an RV I believe) but at $60,000 for a pre-built one you might as well just...buy a house lol. Even their "Shell's" are going to set you back $20k not including materials to finish the build. They look pretty neat though, I'd live in one of those if need be.

As to the topic on hand, I don't think I'd ever voluntarily "go homeless" so to speak, even if it'd save me thousands of dollars a month. But if forced to, I'd probably live in my car But I'd try and couch surf as often as humanly possible.

 

[Flame]

ill rather sleep in my mums basement then be homeless.

i imagine be homeless is no fun.

 

[WiiUBricker]

Those are technically legal (since they'd count as an RV I believe) but at $60,000 for a pre-built one you might as well just...buy a house lol.

A house for $60000? Please tell where.