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They will e-mail the Gazette to you each month. Every few days they will e-mail additional positions that didn't make it into the monthly issue.
Some of the positions are for house sitters for a certain length of time, but most of the positions are permanent.
There is anything from working as a ranch hand, to being a maintenance person, to taking care of animals, to running an inn or bed & breakfast, to running a private house with owners that are hardly there, to permanent house sitters that just watch over the place. Some positions include a salary and free place to live. Other positions have no salary, but a free place to live. Sometimes you can even hold an outside job. There's a lot of variety.
I'm sorry this is happening to you, but you definitely need a break from the stress. The Caretakers Gazette can give you a softer landing. Is there any reason you couldn't sublet your apartment if you could get one of these positions sooner?
OP, have you thought about combining car living with traveling the country?
You could find a fairly cheap camper and simply travel across the country, stopping at rest stops along the highways. The advantage to that would be that you'd have access to heat (via a propane tank in the camper shell) and light, and also a stove and an oven. You could even get a small portapotty. And you'd be able to take advantage of overnight camping in campgrounds where there would be showers.
A car is possible to live in, but a small van is better. You'd be amazed at what you can fit into a small space. Here are a few things to know about car camping or living in your car.
Let's pretend you have a PT Cruiser or something similar, or an SUV with a large flat cargo area, or a small van. You'll need to lay down a piece of wood over the back and make sure you have some 1 x 2s spaced under it for ventilation. You'll need to cover the wood with something like a sheet or a blanket, then have a couple of foam pad mattresses over that. You'll need another sheet to cover the mattresses and then you can layer your blankets as you need them. Having a sleeping bag rated to zero isn't a bad idea.
You will need at least one plastic tarp. That's handy if you're out in the woods wanting to cook and you want shelter, or if you need to move your gear out of your vehicle while you clean it and want to keep it covered so people can't see everything you own, and if you want to wash up inside your vehicle, you can lay the tarp down over the blankets so nothing else gets wet.
I suggest a sponge for cleaning because it doesn't drip. Getting anything wet where you sleep could be a major disaster. You may also want to string a rope across the inside of your vehicle to be able to hang up towels and damp clothes.
I've carried and cooked on a camp stove with a large propane tank in the back of my car and also in the back of my truck. I shouldn't have to point out that this is dangerous and you should be super careful. There are now inside propane heaters that you can buy. If you have the room and aren't afraid to do it, you might want to get a propane tree and use that for your heat, your cooking, and a light. Battery lanterns are OK, but they go dim really quickly and you'll find yourself spending tons of money on batteries.
For clothes, I had two fold-down plastic storage bags. As I would change in the morning, the dirty clothes went into one container and the clean clothes came out of the other. When the dirty container was full, it was time to go to the laundromat.
It will make life incredibly easier if you have some kind of cupboard and/or drawers in the back of your car. The drawers can hold all kinds of things you will need like deodorant, toothpaste, underwear, etc. Go to REI and look in the camping section at all the stuff they have: soap containers, toothbrush holders, collapsible basins with a cover, etc. At some stores they used to have the small sized bottles of shampoo and stuff like that for 1$. Your best bet for cleaning pots and pans will be - wait for it - baby or hand wipes. Make sure you have a supply of small garbage bags and that they're hung up out of the way, but handy for use.
You can use plates and silverware, but if you are short on storage, you can stuff paper plates and plastic forks, knives, and spoons in a drawer. Make sure you have boxed matches, spare batteries, and extra mantles if you have a propane light. And practice putting that mantle on in the dark, too. Make sure you have one backup battery powered lantern.
Your cabinet can hold things like dry groceries, and clothes, and the outside of it can be fitted with hooks for a paper towel rack, hot pads, and pots and pans. Invest in a set of different sizes of bungee cords, too.
The biggest problem with car and van camping is condensation. At best, it will cause mold problems. At worst, everyone who goes by your car at night will know someone is inside. I still haven't figured out what to do about the condensation problem, especially when cooking.
A second huge problem is getting and getting rid of water. I would keep a 5 gallon container with a spout (you can get the large jars with a battery in the lid so the water is drawn out) and then a couple of gallons in the front of my car. You might even want to think about having a few half gallon jugs, too, because sometimes it's difficult to fit a gallon jug under a faucet. Honestly, I'd fill those water jugs whenever I had a chance.
Dumping any water you've used for bathing is difficult without being seen. I'd park in a public lot against the islands or against the tree line in a park. Most water dumping should be done in the dark to avoid anyone seeing anything. Most people don't care if it's water, but you really don't want to be noticed. Of course, you may want to carry the basin to a rest room and drain it there if it has soap, but that's not always possible or prudent. Washing your hair can be done at a gym, a YMCA, or even done by just dumping a gallon of water over your head to rinse out the soap. Yes, you will get used to cold water shampooing. And by the way, keeping your hair short saves a lot of water.
One of the things you might want to consider is what another poster here said and is something I'm going to try to do, and that's buy some land and camp on it. In my case, it's going to be a little tricky because I won't have a great amount of money and a lot of the land here is built up, meaning I'm facing CCRs and possibly some nosy neighbors. There's now also a question of being able to drill a well in this area, which means I may have to buy land with water already on it and that could be even more expensive. And there's always the chance the county could become developed enough to where all the campers are told they have to build houses. But it's something you may want to think of. Of course, if you're in the boonies like that, you could be facing a commute to get to work every morning. On the other hand, you could get a truck with a camper on it and then take the camper off and park that on your land.
Look around for some blogs and stuff on people who car camp. It can be cold and miserable, but if you know it's not going to be forever, it could be a good experience instead of something just to be endured.
OP, you may want to google "nomad retirement". Even though you're not retired, there's a lot of good info on seasonal work, living arrangements, etc. to be had. Good luck finding a situation that works for you.
ETA: You may find a bunch of articles on people who live in other countries, but you will also find some on people who move around in the US, doing everything from working at Amazon distribution centers at Christmastime to farm work.
You can get a basic cargo van and add insulation to it. Build a bed, fix up a basic cooking area, place to store clothes.
You can sign up for Workamper News, there's listings every day for workers. You can work summers at the National Parks gift shops and such, or campground host. Fall is the sugar beet harvest in North Dakota. Right after that it's time for the Amazon Camperforce season. Done by New Years. Get a couple of months off to explore the country some, and do it again.
You can camp on BLM land. Time limit is 14 days. Also there's dispersed camping in the National Forests. Again, a 14 day limit stay. Follow the rules, or the wrath of the rangers will be upon you.
There's an army of people doing this, young people as well as retired or near retired age. Lots of people are very content with getting out of the rat race and leading this kind of life.
I think you're just in the panic mode after your decision. I once walked off the job and the first few hours felt so good but then you're like wtf did I do? Anyway, the end of the year is a long time and I'm sure you will figure out how to get a new job and if you have 50k, a new job and the w2 from the call center, you can probably buy a condo/house. I think once you've moved past the current emotional state you're in, you will see it's not so bad.
I think you'll probably find a job before the end of the year. You could look for reception work, clerical, sales... customer service is a part of a variety of jobs. I think for now, you're just feeling burnt out and negative about it all. Give yourself some time to breathe fresh air, take walks, reconnect with people, and then you'll be able to start looking for something else with a fresh perspective.
And then, if you do decide to live and travel in your vehicle, you should check out this site for an online community of what is known as "Van Dwellers," although there are people who live not only in vans, but also RVs, mini-vans, truck campers, refurbished buses or ambulances, and regular cars (there's even a woman who lives in her Prius!): Cheap RV Living. Read the how-to articles and join the forum so you can post questions. There are lots of van dwellers out there, out of choice, not desperation. Most of them love the lifestyle!
- By November '17, conservatively $50k (sans any unexpected expense before then).
- Arizona.
- 35, male, no chronic health defects or addictions.
If you have $50K in savings you should be fine. Arizona is a low COL state. My brother lives in Phoenix , so I'm not sure why you shouldn't be able to find a small apartment or even try a studio or mobile home. You can also buy a "Tiny house" for as little as $15k and it will then be paid in full so you wouldn't need to worry about rent. If you have a truck you can move it (they attach like a trailer) and take it anywhere with you!
If you worked in a call center then you can probably get a customer service type job at any company such as a receptionist, scheduler at a doctors office or even at a bank as a personal banker. Lots of possibilities there!
If you have $50K in savings you should be fine. Arizona is a low COL state. My brother lives in Phoenix , so I'm not sure why you shouldn't be able to find a small apartment or even try a studio or mobile home. You can also buy a "Tiny house" for as little as $15k and it will then be paid in full so you wouldn't need to worry about rent. If you have a truck you can move it (they attach like a trailer) and take it anywhere with you!
If you worked in a call center then you can probably get a customer service type job at any company such as a receptionist, scheduler at a doctors office or even at a bank as a personal banker. Lots of possibilities there!
I wouldn't advise anyone to buy *any* piece of RE until they get more settled with their employment and/or mental health/state of mind. Cart before the horse, mind you
I suggest Airbnb for a month or two until the OP finds another job somewhere.
Where do you live now? Are you planning on literally "hitting the road" to find a new town with better opportunities or are you going to try to stay in place? Man or woman? We can give you better advise if we know these things. So, for what it's worth -
First of all, become the king or queen of frugality and pragmatic actions right now. For example: Do you have a spare room that you could rent out on a temporary basis? If your landlord will allow it, you can save half your current rent money that way every month. Every penny is going to count under the scenario you describe. Don't be too proud (or too ashamed) to apply for SNAP (food stamps) and any other available assistance Those programs were put in place to help a person going thru a rough spell live to fight again another day - ie get back on your feet and back at a job and paying your taxes. If you've been working and paying taxes for 15 years, you've already been helping others in your same situation. There's nothing wrong with asking for help now that YOU need it. Also, check to see if your state offers anything in the way of voc rehab assistance since you obviously need to get into a different line of employment. My state has a good voc rehab program for its residents, but there is a wait list. Call up your local social services and ask if there are any such programs that you might qualify for.
Your car is going to be your home, your transportation to look for work (or get to a new town), and your place of refuge. Now, while you still have the money, do all you can to keep it well maintained and make sure your insurance is paid up on it for as long in the future as possible. You are going to be amazed at the way your savings vanish once you have no money coming in every month. The last thing you need is for your car to break down and be hit with a huge repair bill when you are all but penniless. The same goes for insurance - especially if you are forced to let it lapse due to lack of funds. You do not want this to happen. Not only will it be illegal to drive an uninsured car, your car insurance payments can go up double or even triple of what you are paying now because insurance companies consider you to be a risky customer if you can't make your payments on time, and they will penalize you accordingly.
I know where-of I speak because once upon a time I myself ended up homeless. I was living in a major urban area on Colorado's crowded Front Range. Like you, I had no close family ties and silly me - I had neglected to cultivate friendships with people who lived in big houses with plenty of extra rooms. My friends could only offer me the occasional crash on one of their couches or on the living room floor. The homeless shelter in the city I was living in had a horrible rep - seemed like every other day their was a knife fight or a rape in that place. No thanks. I tried pulling my car into parking areas in out of the way parks and greenbelt areas, but even in these places, the cops would always come along and rap on my windows to inform me that I was not allowed to sleep in my car. It can be VERY difficult to find a place that's both safe and legal to sleep in your car in the city. You end up slinking down back allies, feeling like some sort of criminal just because you are in desperate need of a few hours worth of undisturbed sleep.
After a couple of weeks of this, the gravity of my situation really hit me hard. In my case, I had become homeless because I could no longer work after I suffered a brain injury. I was attempting to function on about 2 or 3 cylinders all by myself, a single woman alone in a big city. Talk about feeling like a target! I was surprised that some predator hadn't already snapped me up. My innate response was not to adapt to being homeless in a big city because I saw that for me, remaining where I was could only end up being a losing proposition. I come from rural roots and I have always loved the out-of-doors. My every instinct screamed at me to head for the mountains and safety, and that's exactly what I did. I already had all my camping gear in my Explorer, and my cat had accompanied me into the world of homelessness and had already adapted to life in my car. A friend loaned me a couple of hundred dollars for gas money and my cat and I fled as far as we could go, ending up 400 miles away across the state, invisibly camped next to a stream up in the mountains on public lands. This was something I was already very good at. I'd spent a life time heading out for the back-country every chance I got. I knew how to read maps and use an orienteering GPS. I knew how the public lands in my Western state are managed and I knew where all the lost and empty places were - places where a woman could safely fall asleep with no authorities or human predators to bother her.
I kept clean by jumping into that stream for a chilly quick bath every morning. Once or twice a week, I drove into the nearest small town and washed my clothes at the laundromat. I acquired a post office box where I could pick up my mail, and I made friends with the woman who ran the town's little library where I'd go to use the Internet to keep in touch with the world and look for sources of help. I've never been one to whine or collar strangers to tell them my deepest secrets, but if asked, I was willing to discuss my situation and I was also willing to ask others if they knew where someone like me might get a bit of help. After 4 months I knew not only the librarian, but also the editor of the local paper, the person who was the disability advocate for the area, the retired town sheriff, and the doctor at the rural health clinic. Amazingly, I also encountered an old friend from back in the big city who was also camped out up in the mountains for reasons of his own. By the grace of God and the kindness of strangers, I managed to qualify for a nice little apartment in town by mid October before the snow began to fly. The librarian gave me a nice bed she no longer had a use for. The retired sheriff went down and arranged for me to get a land line for a telephone (and Internet) installed free of charge. The kids who lived in the apartment next to mine managed to find and present me with a free sofa in new condition that someone else was giving away. The hunters who lived on the other side of me presented me with some tasty elk steaks and me and my cat were back indoors and part of a community again. I love you, Naturita, Colorado! You folks rock!
To sum it up, follow your own instincts as to what's right for you. A male, sophisticated urban dweller would probably far more easily adapt to living in a car in a city or if you're close to public lands somewhere that might be the choice for you, as well. Learn to think on your feet and roll with the punches. Keep an open mind and a hopeful heart as much as possible. Don't isolate. Reach out to others, especially those who may be in the same situation as you. In your darkest moments, remember that there also many other people just like you who are suffering just like you are right now. Think about how you could help someone else - even if just in one small way. I have found this to work like magic. My every smallest act of compassion or kindness has come back to me a thousand times over. And when I'm thinking about what I can do to help someone else, it gets me out of the "poor, poor pitiful it's all about me" attitude which can only bring a person even further down. I wish you well and I wish you luck.
Your story is amazing! It reflects such resilience, mental strength, and an ability to forge connections with strangers, who helped you turn your life around. OP admitted that he has no support (friends or family). He is also struggling with anxiety. Perhaps you can reach out to him. Pay it forward in a way...
If you have anxiety issues but good customer service skills and don't need a big salary then I would also look into work from home customer service jobs. They are out there and while they don't pay great, they have value for people who are good at their jobs but the coworkers situation is a source of stress. I have also found that getting criticism over email or phone is much easier to not get upset about bc you don't have the people in your real life.
But like the poster below my other post said, give yourself some time to decompress.
I'm not knowledgeable in the type of life you're asking about but I will say that being transient has hidden $$$ and quality of life costs that imho offset some of the savings you think you're getting.
Good luck and whatever you decide, it's going to be ok! Xo
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