I am homeless now.

My friend did this for over 5 years...

Had a van, with a bed in back. Did laundry at laundromat, gym membership for a shower, and just ate cheap rotisserie chicken you find at supermarkets with a salad.

Only downside is toilet issues...so if you can deal with that...you are golden to live the vanlife.

Why are you on GLP then? Why not rummage and collect cans or something?

My friend did this for over 5 years...

Had a van, with a bed in back. Did laundry at laundromat, gym membership for a shower, and just ate cheap rotisserie chicken you find at supermarkets with a salad.

Only downside is toilet issues...so if you can deal with that...you are golden to live the vanlife.

Here you go




[link to www.youtube.com (secure)]

I've lived in a travel trailer the las 15 years or so. My boss lets me park it out back rent free.

I've actually never been happier. Naturally I couldn't do that without my bosses help, but I live the closest thing to a free life currently in existence on earth.

:goodpoint:

They sell a toilet lid that works on 5 gallon buckets.

The way I used it was to put a tall kitchen bag in the 5 gallon bucket, put the toilet lid on the bucket, and do my business, cleaning up with toilet paper and baby-wipes. Then I tied off the tall kitchen bag, getting as much air out of it as possible, and then put it in a 1 gallon zip-lock bag.

I did this for years living in a VW Bus.

When I traveled with girlfriends I let the women piss in the 5 gallon bucket/toilet, and then rinse it out with a bit of water. I pissed in a plastic jug. The women used the 5 gallon bucket/toilet for pooping just like I did.

Of course we used toilets when available, like in campgrounds, etc.

I used to sign up for community college swimming courses for my showers. It was much cheaper than gyms. When I was in warm climates I would use solar showers, which is basically a black water bag with a tiny shower head.

But its all good.

Got a truck with a mattress, storage unit, 24 hour gym membership and portable propane cook top.

Actually I feel more free than ever.

AMA

Most people with homes are forced to work to afford them. If they miss a few paychecks, it's over.

ssssssssssssssss it, you're on easy street Opie.

Jack Kerouac [link to g.co (secure)]

In my twenties lived out of a white '72 VW van, was a top surfer at Malibu & a Venice Beach street musician, had some of the hottest girls on the beach come up nearby fire roads I camped on to spend the night, or parked at the beach by the Santa Monica pier.

In the same period got introduced to producer Norman Whitfield who signed me at Motown Records.

I used to ferry his namesake son, a recording engineer, to the best studios in Hollywood & would crash in the van outside his brother's W. Hollywood apartment near their studio Fort Knox after partying all night.

That led to my engineering in Lenny Kravitz's L.A. loft studio in a downtown industrial building, he gave me use of his loft & bragged about living in his car earlier, while I slept in the van with 2 Siberian Huskies at night.

Those recording sessions were for Lenny's friend Tony Lemans, who was Prince's protege at Paisley Park.

In my decade in the L.A. music business only briefly had a house in Oxnard, meanwhile took Gold & Platinum musicians to recording sessions in the same van, full of 3-piece band gear: 2 amps, Orange stack, 2 horn loaded bass bins & North drum set.

Used to camp on fire roads overlooking Malibu Canyon & practice guitar with a portable amp for days sometimes in-between, keeping music gear & surfboards in a Marina Del Rey storage & mostly cold showers at the beach—though there were saunas/showers in certain Malibu condos.

Decades later & RVs parked all over L.A. & Pacific Coast Highway are a nightmare, dumping toilets on the beach or in sewers, etc raising ire of locals.

Not a bad life to focus on goals though, ran into homeless attending local city colleges & achieving degrees, but key to being a hobo is don't be seen & "pack it out"!

Staying in one place continually is stupid, though some cities are opening parking lots for same, and many states are giving free hotel rooms or income with Covid 19.

For me pro surfing & music were goals—besides some family flack it actually led to these breaks, the guy that introduced me to Norman Whitfield was a Topanga Hippy pot dealer that hung out at Malibu & found me a Topanga house share when my van broke down at the beach.

My influence was the Whole Earth Catalog where I read about Beatnik vagabond Kerouac & Backpacking as a sport: North Face, Jansport gear etc. though these days you have R.E.I. & Amazon for gear.

Took off hitchiking as a teen & worked at racetracks in Florida & New York, riding on semi-truck horse vans between stables & a decade in the horse biz.

Also Jimi Hendrix sleeping in doorways with his guitar looking for gigs in NYC was an influence, while backpacking in Hawaii on surfing trips opened me to new cultures.

Wouldn't trade it for college or being housed the duration, though living in a boat in the marina or parked off Malibu Pier surfing was the creme.

Just bragging because people make it out like you are an Untouchable living outcast in India. Truck drivers live out of truck stops, military obviously rough it in the bush just like bums—learn basic survival & any forest or mountain is a potential base.

Most casino games cannot be beaten in the long run.

Blackjack maybe can, if you're very very good at counting cards. And it's hard work, your average edge per hand is a tiny fraction of a percent, so you have to play hundreds of hands, not make mistakes, and not look like you're counting cards. I saw a guy get thrown out of a casino for looking like he was counting cards. And he was making mistakes so he was $1200 down when they booted him. It wasn't me, it's a long story how I know this detail.

In Vegas, where you can beat the house, they can throw you out of the casino whenever they like. In Atlantic City, where they cannot arbitrarily throw you out, they have so many decks in the shoe and shuffle so often you cannot beat the house regardless of skill.

But I like the suggestion about the airline lounge.

I was homeless once for two months... my advice is avoid shelters at all cost. buy a yearly lounge pass to a top three airline at an airport near you(free showers/food daily) Study/Learn to play all casino games, only start betting once you know the game your playing,don't drink or use drugs ever while playing and you can live off the proceeds like most professional gamblers do!

:Radicals77:
:truthbomb:
:bumpity:

Not sure if you are serious but yes I would count that as very good advise in this clown world. Maybe focus on skill games like black jack or poker and only hit the high stake tables where the money is loose.
Win one buy in and you can afford food and gas for a month.