Written on mobile - don't hate me. :)
I've been having a rough few years (to put it lightly) but I've been pushing through it. One of my biggest costs is rent and lately I feel like it isn't worth it. None of the places I've lived have felt like 'home' and I have no connection besides a monthly payment I can barely afford. I started a business a few years ago which has been a blessing and a curse. It's finally looking like it's worthwhile for the long term but it's put me into about 50k of debt to get it to this point. With all of this looming I've been considering a spartan lifestyle and living from my car/camping until October. The hardest part is I actually have 2 dogs who I could never part with so they're coming with me. I was hoping to get some perspective on here and see what I may be missing.
Needs as far as I can tell: car, shelter, food, hygiene, storage, clothing, work, social. Help me if I'm missing anything.
Car: Chevrolet Trax Additional storage: small storage rental
Shelter: For my car I purchased a large roll of reflectix and a windshield screen. I plan to put magnets on the reflectix and cut it to fit in my windows. Giving me privacy and regulating temp. I bought a small sleeping mat for the car as well. I also have a large Coleman tent and queen size mattress I can use at camp sites.
Food: I have a Coleman stove and a 5 day cooler. I was thinking of doing meal prep every 3 days or so and making my meals for the week that way. I also planned to buy in bulk and use my storage unit as a private pantry, just refilling my car and shopping on meal prep day for the ingredients.
Hygiene: get a planet fitness membership and go work out early in the morning and shower. This is one of the only times I would leave my dogs in the car unattended so it would need to be when it's cool out.
Storage: my car has roof racks so I plan to purchase a cargo box and keep all of the camping gear in it and whatever else I can fit that isn't too valuable.
Clothing: I have a small amount of clothes picked out that I could wash every week in a laundry mat for less than $5. The rest will be in my storage in case I need a nicer outfit or more clothes.
Work: I've set up my business in a way that I can work anywhere with my laptop and my mifi device. Sometimes I need to go on location but it's not often. I also do courier delivery in NYC. I was thinking of spending the nice weather days at campgrounds and hiking and spending the rainy/wet days doing delivery.
Expenses: Between my business and my personal I think I can get away with as little as $2500 a month in costs. That includes gas, food, loans, everything. The business makes an average of $1000 a month through guaranteed income and then it can earn a lot more than that when it's busy. So I need to come up with a minimum of $1500 a month which should be easy doing deliveries about 3 days a week and 12 hours a day.
Social: I can make friends with people just about anywhere so I'm not too worried here. There are bars I can bring my dogs to and tons of hiking to be had. I've started seeing someone recently that I half expect to think I'm crazy and leave - which is a price I'm willing to pay. They also said they have July/August off and they'd love to travel. I haven't said anything yet but I'm making the final decision in the next few days.
Any help or different opinions are much appreciated.
May 14, 2018 at 12:44PM
