With housing costs being at record highs, would you consider living in your car to save money on rent?

In a car, no not really, that is going to make everything in your life a lot harder and less comfortable. I feel like a car would be a last resort, I have no other options, kind of thing.

I lived in a van for just over 2 years though and honestly I miss it. I don't just miss the extra money I had from not paying rent but I also miss being able to stay where ever I wanted and waking up next to the beach or in a forest.

No. I've done it, and it is dangerous, uncomfortable, unhealthy, and often unsanitary. Plus it is illegal most places.

Beats the shit out of a shelter or the street though.

I would do it if it were legal.

As a libertarian who tends to get along really well with socialists, it boils my blood that living in one’s car is illegal. There is absolutely no reason reason for that law other than “fuck poor people”.

Poor people are an inconvenience. They often don't produce anything of value, and they aren't consumers on a large enough scale to be worthwhile. So they should be banned.
I'm sure some 1% type has said this at sometime.

I live in my car rn, and have been for over 300 days. And not because I wanted to.

AMA

What's your day to day like? Pros? Cons? What's something you didn't realize until you were living in your car?
- Its better than being on the streets or back in texas with all the transphobia there. I hate not having a bathroom that's mine, and I really hate all the eco-sinks every bathroom has.
  Since living in my car, my sense of white guilt has skyrocketed. I have so many interactions with police because they just wanna check on me, but I haven't had a single "bad" experience yet and I know thats because I'm white.
  Its not going to be forever, but it was the best way to start living as my true self and despite all the struggles I don't think I'd do it any differently.
  If you are in a position to do so, I have more of my story on my gofundme that I recently set up.

I lived in a small travel trailer for a year. That was bearable, because it had the semblance of a small domicile. It also has the benefit of blending in, if parked in areas where you're assumed to be camping or just passing through. At the end of that year, I was definitely over it, though.

When I imagine living in a car for the same amount of time, I can only think of negatives.

Nope. I don't have a car and consider it a money pit in the first place. A car costs a driving license. It also costs insurance. And fuel to move it. And it will break down at some point. Plus, winters are pretty brutal where I live and heating this thing/myself would be a nightmare. To me, a car is an anchor; a heavy ball attached to your foot.

If I had a car, and it was for a few weeks in summer, I may consider it. But I prefer have a proper place instead, and save money by not having a car.

You can live in your car but you can’t drive your house

I can attest it feels like being in a cage and that it's one that's prone to the elements.

Without a legal mailing-address, you will be blocked from participating in much of the online-economy.

"no shipping address?" XOR "we won't ever ship to rural people, P.O. boxes, or any other non-CITY bullshit."

There's a book which discusses this, named "The Addres Book", by Deirdre Mask.

Some jurisdictions may require you to be treated as a valid citizen, even with a P.O. box "address", but I don't know of any jurisdiction that does that.

No address?

Your life will be stomped, & from what I've seen, you get deemed a vagrant/homeless by enforcement, too.

I would already be living in a vehicle, but I can't drive (low vision) so it's never going to be an option for me.

About 10 years ago I was looking into bike towed campers as a security plan for an unstable housing situation, only to learn they are illegal to tow in my country. You can own one, sleep in one, and tow it on private property, but to move it from one property to another legally I'd need to pay someone with a car to put it in a car trailer, then unload my camper at the destination.

Definitely not. I would rather consider moving somewhere else, where the rent isn’t that bad. Unfortunately that’s not an option for many people.

Absolutely not. There are no upsides to it that would outweigh the negatives, and I have other options long before getting to that point.

Nope. Around these parts, the cops will accost you every hour no matter where you park. I don’t see where I could sleep the night.

Car, no. Camping trailer... only thing holding me back is convincing the wife.

I was pretty close to needing to, and may be again soon. Needing to shower is a big issue, as is needing a place to keep my dog when I'm at work. Fortunately I have a good network of friends that I'm pretty sure I'd have a couch to crash on for a month or so but it is a perpetual concern in the back of my mind.

I'd only consider it if it was tied to a nomadic lifestyle. At that point, you're no longer tethered to a static location, so why not travel?

I imagine my van would likely be something like on Cheap RV Living: https://youtube.com/@CheapRVliving

He shows a lot of different set-ups, from elaborate to basic.