r/urbancarliving

1. I don’t miss living in a house or apartment.

2. I don’t miss the financial stress that comes with paying rent or a mortgage, and all the bills and expenses that come with a sticks-and-bricks place.

3. I don’t miss having stuff. No TV, no furniture, no clutter.  

4. I don’t miss all the maintenance, cleaning, and all the upkeep of a much larger place.

5. And, last but not least, I don’t miss work. Since I was laid off last year, I decided to retire early. I can afford not to work now that I’m living a simple, minimalist life as a nomad in my little “home on wheels.”

I didn’t have much free time after spending 60+ hours a week working, getting ready for work, commuting, and overtime. I didn’t have much discretionary income to show for all that work after paying all the bills to live in a conventional, sticks-and-bricks crash pad. Now I have considerably more time and the resources I need for travel, adventure, and experiences while out on the road. I really like having this level of freedom.

Life is pretty good after leaving the American Nightmare. I know the propaganda misidentifies it. But as George Carlin pointed out years ago, "The reason they call it the American Dream is because you have to be asleep to believe it."

I'm just annoyed and venting. There's a half decent travel stop about 15 minutes from work. I've gone there the last 3 days, a couple hours before my shift. Always a handful of cars in the far end of the parking lot with window covers and obvious signs of people sleeping in their cars. Free wifi, security on site, good spot to just chill.

Came in tonight, bought a sandwich and a new charger cable since mine stopped working. Asked the cashier if I could eat in the trucker lounge, she said sure. A few truckers there, charging devices and watching shows and one with a whole grill set up cooking tacos. I ate my sandwich while charging my phone, then sat around another 20 minutes chatting to a guy before leaving.

Security stopped me at the door and asked if my car was the one sitting at the gas pumps. I said no, I was parked down at the end. He then told me I can't park here anymore and to leave. I tried to say I bought food and got permission but he didn't want to hear it.

I don't stay long, don't make noise or leave trash, spent money, parked out of the way. I'm clean, don't smell, didn't ask for money, not drunk or on drugs. But some jerk in a security vest decided I was a problem. And since I don't know his schedule I can't risk coming back for a while. Which sucks since it is so near my work it's my little pitstop to eat and pee before I gotta go in.

https://reddit.com/link/1tj64et/video/mbj0v6x5ce2h1/player

Raining outside, showering from pf, good night

Hey r/urbancarliving,

I have an idea, and I want to know if anyone else has done this before.

Obviously, you're not allowed to live in a storage unit, but are you allowed to at least use it as a living room during the morning + afternoon, and sleep in your car?

That way, you're technically not living in it 24/7. Idk.

I'm out on the sand, a long way from the bathroom. So sometimes I'll piss down my leg. If I stand a bit off center, I can angle my penis down such that the stream of urine goes straight through to the ground without coming in contact with my swimsuit or my feet. I can get away with doing this in a crowd of people because my penis is not exposed. I can even just go ahead and piss my shorts if I want because the salt water will wash it when I swim. Also I'm very well hydrated with very clear healthy urine so it's basically water. It's very good stuff.

Now what would happen if I walked out on the beach and pulled down my pants and shit out a two and a half foot log right on the beach. What I can do is spend the night before eating avocados and a pile of black beans. Wake up and eat 20 bananas with 10 cups of hot coffee. Then go straight out on the sand and explode.

Hey everyone, just wanted to share a quick reality check and remind you all to take care of your health.

I recently had a short ER visit for some lower back tenderness. The main procedures were just basic blood and urine tests, and I even declined the recommended X-ray. I spent about 3 hours there, mostly just waiting in a tiny cubicle.

The final bill just arrived:

• Hospital Fees: $685
• Physician Fees: $565
• Total: $1,250

I sincerely hope none of you ever have to step foot in an emergency room. Stay healthy and wish you all the best!

UPDATE:

some people suggested not to go to an ER for a lower back tenderness, actually it was a heavy pain from a kidney stone. The stones I got after drinking a lot of water are showing as follows:

https://preview.redd.it/p1e0ixr5tb2h1.jpg?width=3120&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dad3881a956f76af836fcd1e5c1542d8c63dd2be

after exposed in the air, the stones are becomes some powder alike:

https://preview.redd.it/uob1fevdtb2h1.jpg?width=3120&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5c71e07199625b1cbe482e08e1a68fa8e21cec12

hostital

doctor

i might have to rent a room or stay in a hotel or something for the forseeable future, it’s sooo freaking humid and hot here in texas and i don’t know what to do. i’d hate giving this up for a bit but the heat is practically unbearable. if anyone has any ideas on what to do let me know. i can’t drive so when my girlfriend is at work i have to stay parked where there’s no shade on concrete and it’s god awful, especially now that it’s starting to hit the 90s :(

Hi all! So I’m moving to Oregon after I graduate from nursing school. I’m running into the problem of residency so I can get things like divers license, new plates, taxes, and permanent address for work which a hospital will most likely want after I work there for awhile year+.

So after some research, I’m seeing my only real option being to make some friends and find someone willing to allow me to use their residence as my “permanent address” even though I won’t be living there. I would be more than willing to pay monthly ofc for the trouble. The question is though, how to find these people??? Is this mega dumb, has anyone ever done it successfully? I’m open to all ideas!

how many of you guys are living in coups or convertibles? i am in a coup myself and never see any of the smaller guys posting. what does your setup look like if you have/had rock a smaller car

Am i going to get the cops called for putting those silver windshield sun visors on all my windows in daytime so I can nap in Walmart lot. I don’t have black window covers and I see a lot of people using those on here. Oh also it’s hott af today so my cars running with the ac on

I’ve been a car dweller since 2023. I started in a 2013 Mazda 5 and am now in a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid.

I want more stability but I cannot wrap my head around being in a building again. So I wonder if my next move (which may be a year from now when thinking about timeframe) is to move into an RV or more “fancy” van.

Has anyone done this? What are your thoughts. I’m not very mechanical. I majored in History for example! Haha!

So to be clear, I’m early days in thinking about this. I’m trying to get a handle one how people have done this and what difficulties they have run into.

Yes, I have already googled things, but I don’t know what I don’t know, ya know?

Hi all! I graduate nursing school next spring and plan to do car life in Oregon or Washington while I work at a hospital. Motivations include paying off student loans quickly and being surrounded by beautiful nature hehe.

Anywho, I'm running into the issue of what to put down for an address. When I initially apply for jobs, I can obviously use my current address but they will most likely want something updated in the future. Any ideas? I have no friends in state (yet) to ask that sort of favor of. Please tell me my dreams aren't over!