how-to Homeless in Tacoma?

Has anyone done this?
Ideally 1-4 months

May be moving states and had an idea...
What if I just live in the truck bed at first
-provides time to scout roommates
-provides time to scout apartments
-saves money! The ability to pocket full rent and not spend it.

I mean our trucks have superpowers, right? They can do anything, right?
I bet a Civic can't. Well it can, just not comfortably.
But at the same time, a Taco is not as roomy as a diesel 4x4 Ford or van.

Here are my thoughts on the matter; I am more curious to hear yours:
-it could be just like Instagram Overlanding!
-I took a shower at the gym before. And it was fine. I've even seen people brushing their teeth there in the morning or shaving. Like when I was there for an early AM workout. I just ignored it. Or at a campsite I used the showers there (token-operated)
-have to choose safe spots carefully and not get in legal trouble
-may be wise to move location every so often
-probably better in a temperate climate
-wise to set a bedtime and wake-up time, as to be up before the sun starts baking you in the interior
-better idea to do it stealth/unknown, aka tinted windows, etc.
-if you cross a river to a hidden spot, that is more driving to get to your dayjob

However, those things are all easy. Like knowing a nice area is better to choose than a bad one. That is easy.

What would be hard? Well, for starters:
-food storage. Healthy affordable cooking regularly, etc.
Instead of blowing $30/day on Panda Express getting quick heart attack from 6,000mg sodium. I've found if really trying, a person can eat on less than $200/mo /$6 per day. But at home that means meal prep, not eating out, cooking cheap carbs like rice, cheaper protein like chicken, and putting it into containers
-living a normal life. And doing things quickly. Have your own place? Need to go to the bathroom? Boom, no problem. Walk there.
In a truck? Maybe that turns into a half hour mission that wastes a lot of your time.
Or even office things. Got some office shit you need to do on a computer? Paperwork? Congrats, you have an office. Bookshelf. Filing cabinet.
Can't do that in a truck. Maybe you put all that in storage.
And that just seems like looking weird.
I imagine if you set your storage unit up like an office to do some shit, it will look weird. And there will be no light inside. No power outlet to plug things into.

I know you all have thought about it. Just make a quick $10k by living in the Taco.
You've already got everything else. Armor for rocks. Dometic for food.
Snorkel for rivers.
The question is now, will you switch from Paying The Tacoma,
to the Tacoma Paying You (by living in it temporarily to save rent)

 

Not sure if I’d want to try and live out of my taco for a month+, but I’m sure there are those who have.

Maybe look into threads/ sites where people do van living or travel around the country in their taco (which is also serving as a nightly home) and get their input on the struggles of that lifestyle, unexpected costs or problems, and adventure that I’m sure are to go along with this type of endeavor.

 

https://youtube.com/c/TheHomelessFirefighter

 

Just buy an old Tacoma
Chinook.

 

I would skip the “snorkel for rivers”. Total waste of time. That Tacoma camper you shared is going to be so heavy, it will get stuck halfway through any sort of river and then you are screwed in multiple ways other than hydrolocking. These truck are not designed for deep water.

Buy a Gazelle hub tent. Camp in nice places. Bolt minimal crap to your truck. Keep your Taco light and nimble and powerful. Any effort to turn these trucks into an “earth roamer”, usually ends in the person selling the truck in frustration.

If you want an earth roamer, buy a used full-size Van first to see if you like that lifestyle.

 

I slepted in the back of my taco with a simple shell, not fun. In the city not fun and me personally i have to be with someone else and even with someone I always think of the zodiac is gonna kill me. I wouldnt recommend, unless your broke or need to save money, but if your making money id say just get a place

 

I'm pretty sure those truck houses start at $325K so if your rent is $100K a month, you're SAVING money

 

I lived in my truck for almost three years. Acces cab, regular Leer cap with interior lock mod. Worked full time. Notes:

PO Box
Safe deposit box
Storage Locker
Libraries are great
Always park ‘legally’
Have a guaranteed emergency shelter option
Staying clean and healthy is a constant task
My job had a locker room
Kept food in the fridge at work
Don’t tell anybody
Don’t draw attention to yourself
Don’t ‘hang out’ where you sleep
A claw hammer was the only weapon I had
Get a REALLY good sleeping bag
Sleeping in cold weather is much better than hot


I saved money, I read a lot, I never had any trouble with anybody, getting the flu sucks in a truck, emergency pooping at 02:00a sucks a lot.

 

I did that when I was in my 20’s, I’m glad I’m not in my 20’s now.

 

Choosing to live in a car but calling yourself homeless is the most millennia shit ever.

I can see the oblivious yet self righteous Reddit post now, "I was homeless for two years, now I have a mortgage!"

 

Interesting! What was your motive? I'd like to hear more about your experience. Three years is a long time

 

I lived in mine for almost 2 months. Between jobs and medical issues, wasn't the greatest, but it was doable. Kind of like deploying to a shitty tent city in some shithole with no friends!! You need to find a place to wash regularly, and if you're "homeless" time to grow a beard. and I agreewith MNMLST a good sleeping bag, and a sleeping arrangement that's comfortable, will make or break you. If you cant sleep well, then by week 2 you'll want to kill someone..

 

That dude is the best

 

It was a combination of: it just happened, I was pretty good at it and it became a sort of challenge to myself.

A buddy and I had planned a cross-country motorcycle trip and the lease on my apt was up. I figured: move out, put my stuff in a locker and find a new place when our ride was over. Well, after a couple weeks living off a motorcycle, when we got home I figured I was in no hurry to find a new place and the truck was actually a ‘step up’. I spent my first couple weeks at a state park campground about 0:20 from work, then another couple weeks at another park, in the other direction. That was the first month, so I just kept going. Tried a WalMart parking lot a couple nights (no), then ended up at a quiet commuter ‘park and ride’ one exit up the interstate from work. I kept a weeks worth of ‘business’ clothes and toiletries in the locker room at work. Ate a lot of fresh, whole food like fruits, vegetables, nuts. Coffee at the convenience store. Winters were rough, but on weekends I would visit family and friends. I had a 10x20 locker that just barely fit my truck, so I could pull the motorcycle out, put the truck in and take off for long weekends. The only really crazy experience was the night two guys whipped into the park and ride and started fighting inches from my truck. I very quietly called 911 from inside my sleeping bag and stayed very still while the State cops slammed their heads off my tailgate during the arrest.

It was difficult, but was the smartest financial move I ever made.

You do have to sort of ‘lie’ to a few of societies over-seers that expect you to have a residence (insurance, voter registration, etc.), but I had my PO Box and the street address of the Post Office on my drivers license and nobody ever really questioned it (I still do this, even though I own a house).

Not having a residence and the responsibilities that go with it changes your perspective. Living in a vehicle slows things down.

I did not ‘lean on’ friends and family. I spent time with the ‘homed’ only as much as I would have if I had my own place.

It has risk.

It’s a young/healthy person’s game.

I enjoyed it.

It can be done ‘responsibly’ (I worked, paid taxes, voted, went to the dentist, was a volunteer firefighter, etc. all while I slept in my truck)

If you want to do it, it can be done, but it takes some stamina and planning. Dirtbaggers and instagramers won’t last very long, despite what they claim on YouTube.

 

Some homeless people use a simple box found behind an appliance store. Or just a blanket.

Suggest to use campgrounds for your overnights. A simple dome tent with a cot and sleeping bag would be sufficient.

 

Not sure what rent runs where you are but most places in the US you can at the very least rent a room for less than $1,000/month. To save $10,000 you'd need to be living out of your truck for over a year when you consider the expenses that you'd have if living out of the truck, putting your personal belongings in storage, and paying a gym membership so you can shower.

How much would you spend to outfit your truck? If you have to buy a shell, that's 1-3 months of rent easily. If you have concerns with eating healthy (different than eating cheap), how will you keep perishables fresh?

 

Love this guy, so sad that he hasn't uploaded since he bought a house...I still check one and awhile.

 

I understand living out of your truck when traveling around, but doing it by choice just to save a few bucks, life's too short for that nonsense.

 

Check out my build thread - I am very comfortable in my cab sleeping (no, not in the seats!)

Downsides though - you would need somewhere to stash the seats, assuming you go back to using it as a seat. Only fits 1. Needs airbag recalibration after.

If I was going to do what you're thinking, I would do it in a converted sprinter or something instead of in a tacoma. But, work with what you have! But to echo what others are saying, I do this for camping and adventure/fun. Living out of this -- food, showers, clothing, work clothes, etc. to live in instead of adventuring in, not sure how I'd be a fan of that.

 

Mortgage/Rent = no
Property tax = no
Gas = no
Water = no
Electric = no
Cable = no
Internet = no
Trash = no
Sewer = no
Lawnmower = no
Snowblower = no
Vacuum = no
Crockpot = no

Yes, there are expenses living in a truck, but they are not in addition to what most people with a ‘normal’ residence have. They are much less (insurance, food, phone, gas) and, yes, you have to find some other ways to meet some domestic needs (laundry, shower, etc.). Some could argue there is ‘mooching’, but you don’t have to (laundromat, YMCA membership).

I did the math. I saved >$50K in under three years. I know because I used it, and prior savings, to pay green, no shit, stacked and banded, cold, crisp, in god we trust, outright cash money for my home.

I sleep just fine now.