Sleeping in my car in SD? (San Diego: extended stay, 2013, living in)

[Mack Knife]

Ever think of house sitting? If you don't have a criminal record, have a job and some references, you could house sit and solve the problems of independence, safety, variety and all kinds of things. Do it once and then you have a good reference for others and word of mouth travels.

You can save the money from the gym membership as a plus.

[believe007]

I just want to add that the OP sounds like she knows what she's doing.
Conventional people will never understand....
non conformists & free spirits are much more adventurous than most, & it's something I can totally relate to.
As one of my best friends says...
anyone can live a boring & dull life-
I say to the OP go for it

[shmoov_groovzsd]

Have you thought about a county or state campground? I am sure they have limits as to how long you can stay for, but they at least have bathroom facilities open and relatively safe area to stay.

You can even reserve the spots online. Considering the time of year it is, I am sure there are far more options now than vs the summer. Just look online for booking campsites via San Diego County or CA state.

I was homeless at one point in my early 20s and this was what I was doing for a while, so from that perspective, I totally understand where you are coming from. Its not a position that I would say, most folks would be at all ok with for obvious reasons. I would have to agree that this chapter in my life certainly built some character and an interesting perspective vs where I am now.

But at the same time, I am sure you knew you would be getting 'life' advice about your situation on a public forum

[skeke]

Years ago I had a woman friend who was here illegally from Canada. She lived in her van but had a Great Dane named Blue which she said helped her feel safe at night. Due to her illegal status she only worked various part time jobs under the counter. One time we met for lunch and she said "I bet you wish you were free like me." It was all I could do not to do a spit take. I no more wanted to live the way she did then the man in the moon. I was happy in my large custom house in Poway thank you with my really interesting full time job. If I were to desire more freedom from my traditional family life I still wouldn't have wanted her life. I would have wanted my same job and a cute little cottage down in the city. To each her own.

[Stoney.]

Originally Posted by peasantgirl

Yeah, I can see how it's confusing. My job is basically a few assignments a week where I go to retail locations and do my thing, and then turn in the results into my company's website. So I dress professionally for that. So there's no one location where I have to show up on a regular basis and see co-workers or anything. I'm an independent contractor. The businesses don't even know I'm coming. I completely set my own hours - as long as I meet my deadlines, my boss doesn't care how I get it done.

And yes, sleeping in my car (or tent) IS a downgrade from my house...BUT... I'm not having to pay out the wazoo for the privilege of living with people who are rude, dirty, noisy, etc...KWIM?

Sounds like the OP is one of those secret or mystery shoppers that go into a retail store and report on the employees' actions and how they treat the customers. Not much more that I can add here except that a search on craigslist might yield some results- plenty of people looking to rent a room, shared room, garage, etc. for not too much money. But hey, if you're looking for "a little adventure" by sleeping in your car, well who's to stop you?

[RD5050]

I'd still recommend staying in a hotel or renting a room.

There are laws in CA about sleeping in cars, so you should become familiar with them.

But if you plan to do it, I found this website:

How to Live in Your Car: 13 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by shmoov_groovzsd

Have you thought about a county or state campground? I am sure they have limits as to how long you can stay for, but they at least have bathroom facilities open and relatively safe area to stay.

You can even reserve the spots online. Considering the time of year it is, I am sure there are far more options now than vs the summer. Just look online for booking campsites via San Diego County or CA state.

I was homeless at one point in my early 20s and this was what I was doing for a while, so from that perspective, I totally understand where you are coming from. Its not a position that I would say, most folks would be at all ok with for obvious reasons. I would have to agree that this chapter in my life certainly built some character and an interesting perspective vs where I am now.

But at the same time, I am sure you knew you would be getting 'life' advice about your situation on a public forum

I met a guy down in Mission Bay that had a big new RV. He lived there for years and saved enough to buy a house using the RV as a down. He said it was bothersome to move it once in a while for events and what not but he didn't really get hassled. I rode or ran by it every day.

[PatanjaliTwist]

Originally Posted by 1AngryTaxPayer

I met a guy down in Mission Bay that had a big new RV. He lived there for years and saved enough to buy a house using the RV as a down. He said it was bothersome to move it once in a while for events and what not but he didn't really get hassled. I rode or ran by it every day.

A couple of months ago, there was an ad on CList by a man offering space in his front yard for RV rental parking/living. $500-600/mo or so... not sure if he offered electricity hookup for an additional fee, but I was surprised that it's legal. Perhaps it's not, but maybe the OP can check into such an arrangement, especially outside of town where people have more land. My sister lives in Ramona & she said some folks had been known to rent tent space or their sheds to college kids in their backyards. Not sure how that's advertised. Surely, it would be safer to live on someone's property (even if in the car), just for the peace of mind of not being asked to move by police/security or harassed by kids/homeless, etc.

RD505... Great links, but wow, that sounds hard to do for any length of time, although if any of us had to, we could, I suppose. In an emergency, it's good info to know.

I've only slept in my car twice. Both times I was relocating cross country, was ill (turns out I had pneumonia both times, but didn't know it) & pulled over at crowded rest stops to sleep a few hours during the daylight (I felt safer if people were about & could see me) & let my cats out of their cages so they could walk about the car.

Even they protested... instead of wandering about, they just got all puffy, made horrid moaning noises & crawled so far underneath the seats, I had to drag them out & stuff them back into their cages when it was time to go... poor Kitt'Ns. I was in my 20's, but I vividly recall how awful my back felt being all folded up like a praying mantis... long legs, teeny tiny vehicles will do that.

[jambo101]

Originally Posted by peasantgirl

I have a job that is under a nationwide contract and I have the opportunity to re-locate to SD. I am single, my son is grown, and I want a little adventure. The job pays enough for everything but housing. Would I find it very difficult to find safe places to park at night so I can sleep in my car?

I am totally fine with sleeping in the car; I'm planning to take out the back seat and then I can stretch out into the trunk. I am fine with living very simply, I don't need a lot of stuff. I will join a gym for daily showers. I dress professionally and you'd never know I was "homeless" if you passed me on the sidewalk. I just need to know if I would get hassled a lot in the car, either by cops or "bad guys" at night?

I won't be using the homeless resources; like I said I have a job. I just need some freedom.


Any thoughts?

It might have been mentioned but SD winters can be brutal, sleeping in a car just wont work no matter how many blankets you use The temptation to keep your car running all the time will be hard to resist,the potential for carbon monoxide problems will arise. .Rent a room somewhere at least during the winter...
http://csd.craigslist.org/

[bloom]

It was not mentioned b/c SD winters are one of the least brutal in country.