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Bob Wells of the CheapRVliving YouTube channel interviews hundreds of people who live in their cars, vans, campers and cargo trailers. Most of them are older, retired people living on small incomes, and more than half of them are women. So this woman isn't unusual. No one would live this kind of life if they didn't have to. Bob himself lives the nomad lifestyle, and supplements his income with YouTube.
Most people think the economy is doing great (e.g. the stock market). But the stock market is not the economy. Young people are having a tough time finding decent paying employment. Many of the elderly are just a step ahead of this lady in the video, if not worse. There is a lack of affordable housing for such people. When those on the fringes of society start to run out of options - and that is what's behind all this "tiny house" and living in your car stuff - then it's time for us to admit that there is something fundamentally wrong with our economy, regardless of what the stock market is doing.
Those who criticize preppers, survivalists and self-sufficiency (see other thread on what paranoid "nut jobs" we all are) are living in a dream world where the social safety nets never fail, and the government handouts never stop. This woman is a good example of why people need to explore their own "what if's". If you really think she just loves her lifestyle, you've gotta be kidding.
When I had my travel trailer, I had people stopping by regularly wanting to buy it (or me to donate it) for a friend or relative who was destitute and needed a place to live.
Poverty is alive and sick in America. It will get worse.
I've done car living & while it's not the most ideal by any means, it saves you a lot of $. You just have to do it in an area with a decent climate. I did it in the Midwest but only between April and October, any other time of year is just deadly. I had a cheap gym membership for hygiene and a P.O. box for mail.
When I first became disabled and my case finally went through my ex got a judgement of spousal support and I was left with 342 a month to live on. She lied to the court about her income (she works for the post office and makes 32 an hour) but I had to wait on a hearing date for 3 months before I could do anything about it.
Thankfully I had family who put me up as I was just out of a two month hospital stay and could not even walk. The ex had some 'spalining to do to the judge when I finally got her to court. He awarded me a judgement to get the money back she had taken and quashed to support order but she never paid a dime of it.
If I hadn't had the help I did I would have been royally screwed. I can't imagine trying to live out of my truck, with unhealed surgical work on 342 bucks a month. I was "lucky". Some folks ain't so lucky....Life on disability ain't no life o' Riley.
- and that is what's behind all this "tiny house" ... stuff -
I think in many cases, you are correct.
But the tiny house thing is also a reaction to the Bunyanesque McMansion thing. Some folks niether need nor want to pay for, maintain, heat/cool, etc, a home that is the size of a grand hotel. The current codes and municipal regulations are getting to where they are forcing people into way more than they want or need (at least many people). And... some folks don't take a liking to that. Of course, it's all about extracting more money from John Q. Public--safety has nothing to do with it. It's an industry and government that wants to maximize revenue (tax on 5000 sf as opposed to 500 sf, heating bills on 5000 sf as opposed to 500 sf, maintenance on 5000 sf as opposed to 500 sf, etc).
Personally, I live alone and plan to stay that way (even if I don't, there would be at most two people), so I see no reason for a giant house. A small home (from say, 400 sf up to about 1000 sf) is all I would ever "need" or want. Small and in the style of Carpenter Gothic/gothic Revival, French Second Empire, or say Queen Anne. Hey... small homes CAN be stylish, unlike most of what is being built today in the housing industry.
I think for the "prepper type" who does not have a large family, that is a reasonable goal for living space. Of course, if you need a workshop, shelter for animals, etc, that's all separate from the house. A big component of the direction I go with lifestyle is minimalism. I know minimalism and preparedness/self-sufficiency need not be synonymous. But I think when they are practiced together, they go hand in hand.
I'm more or less a libertarian by nature. Do as you like as long as it isn't preventing me from doing the same. But, having said that, a libertarian is free to have opinions, even negative opinions (I know that's frowned on in our day and age). My opinion is that our modern society is about as gluttonous as any that has graced the planet. I prefer not to follow suit, thus the preparedness thing, the minimalist thing, the "1880s lifestyle" thing, etc. For me, it's more than surviving some major catastrophe--I hope that never happens. It's just a lifestyle choice that happens to include minimalism and small houses and preparedness. Yup... a LITTLE House on the Prairie sort of deal is A-Okay with me... in the style of late 19th century Queen Anne architecture.
Like, say....... this one: (one of my own plans at just under 1000 sf of living space on three floors + attic)
But the tiny house thing is also a reaction to the Bunyanesque McMansion thing. Some folks niether need nor want to pay for, maintain, heat/cool, etc, a home that is the size of a grand hotel. The current codes and municipal regulations are getting to where they are forcing people into way more than they want or need (at least many people). And... some folks don't take a liking to that. Of course, it's all about extracting more money from John Q. Public--safety has nothing to do with it. It's an industry and government that wants to maximize revenue (tax on 5000 sf as opposed to 500 sf, heating bills on 5000 sf as opposed to 500 sf, maintenance on 5000 sf as opposed to 500 sf, etc).
Personally, I live alone and plan to stay that way (even if I don't, there would be at most two people), so I see no reason for a giant house. A small home (from say, 400 sf up to about 1000 sf) is all I would ever "need" or want. Small and in the style of Carpenter Gothic/gothic Revival, French Second Empire, or say Queen Anne. Hey... small homes CAN be stylish, unlike most of what is being built today in the housing industry.
I think for the "prepper type" who does not have a large family, that is a reasonable goal for living space. Of course, if you need a workshop, shelter for animals, etc, that's all separate from the house. A big component of the direction I go with lifestyle is minimalism. I know minimalism and preparedness/self-sufficiency need not be synonymous. But I think when they are practiced together, they go hand in hand.
I'm more or less a libertarian by nature. Do as you like as long as it isn't preventing me from doing the same. But, having said that, a libertarian is free to have opinions, even negative opinions (I know that's frowned on in our day and age). My opinion is that our modern society is about as gluttonous as any that has graced the planet. I prefer not to follow suit, thus the preparedness thing, the minimalist thing, the "1880s lifestyle" thing, etc. For me, it's more than surviving some major catastrophe--I hope that never happens. It's just a lifestyle choice that happens to include minimalism and small houses and preparedness. Yup... a LITTLE House on the Prairie sort of deal is A-Okay with me... in the style of late 19th century Queen Anne architecture.
Like, say....... this one: (one of my own plans at just under 1000 sf of living space on three floors + attic)
Now, THAT'S my kind of tiny house.
That's very cute! I'd be perfectly happy living there. Love the porch too. But then I like many styles. I'm easy, lol.
Thank you all for posting your stories, and to the ones that haven't yet. I enjoy reading your input. Food for thought.
This is really a shame there should be some kind of government housing for seniors or disabled people so they are out there homeless which is what living in a car basically is. They should make some micro apartments like 300 square feet or less so that people at least have a bathroom, cooking facilities and a place to sleep and they can pay 1/3 of their benefits to cover the rent. Or even some refurbished motel rooms turned into apartments.
Last edited by LifeIsGood01; 12-02-2017 at 09:13 PM..
But the tiny house thing is also a reaction to the Bunyanesque McMansion thing. Some folks niether need nor want to pay for, maintain, heat/cool, etc, a home that is the size of a grand hotel. The current codes and municipal regulations are getting to where they are forcing people into way more than they want or need (at least many people). And... some folks don't take a liking to that. Of course, it's all about extracting more money from John Q. Public--safety has nothing to do with it.
I agree about the McMansion thing, but most people don't live in those. I know I don't. The wife and I live in a 28 x 40 1120 sf ranch in northern Maine, 2 beds, 1 bath, and it's off grid to boot! In Maine, we've noticed that smaller houses are the norm - when you have to heat it up here, you think twice about the square footage!
But no, what I was referring to in my post above, is the 320 sf storage shed turned into a backyard home in mom n pop's yard, with a hose and an extension cord as "conveniences". While that would have been more than adequate in 1880, we realize now that substandard housing can lead to physical conditions and shortened lifespans. There's a difference between living in a small space out of choice, and doing so out of necessity. People living in storage sheds are still homeless people, and that still speaks volumes about our economy.
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(I know that's frowned on in our day and age). My opinion is that our modern society is about as gluttonous as any that has graced the planet. I prefer not to follow suit, thus the preparedness thing, the minimalist thing, the "1880s lifestyle" thing, etc. For me, it's more than surviving some major catastrophe--I hope that never happens. It's just a lifestyle choice that happens to include minimalism and small houses and preparedness. Yup... a LITTLE House on the Prairie sort of deal is A-Okay with me... in the style of late 19th century Queen Anne architecture. 
