Before And Now

Lately I've been talking to quite a few people who are debating the mobile lifestyle. Some are in college, some are in debt, some are looking for an adventure or to caste off the shackles of our consumer driven society. One thing that they all have in common is that they have big dreams. One wants a cargo van, one wants a box truck, one is looking into converting a trailer. If I can give one word of warning, which I believe will be echoed by the rest of the mobile community, it is that you will discover your needs only after you have moved to the road. It's easy to dream about putting a fridge in your van, but will you use it? Will you want the space for something else? I guarantee you will learn as you live, so start small and learn to adapt as needed. Your space does not need to be completely set up the day you move in. There is plenty of time to make changes, and you'll want to.

The best way for me to demonstrate the changing needs of the vehicle dweller is through my own before and afters. It's been a little over five months since I moved into my car full time. This is how I started and how it is now.

BEFORE

Not too stealth, right? I wasn't living somewhere that I needed to be super incognito.

NOW

I took off the rest of the hubcaps, got new roof storage, and made black out window blinds

 BEFORE

My front passenger seat was the base for a dresser. It worked, but wasted a lot of room

NOW

I took out the front passenger seat so I have more room. On rainy days I don't have to exit the car to get into bed.

 BEFORE

 Because the drawers were in the front seat I had more room in the beck for my large bed

 

NOW

I still have a huge bed by car standards, but I've had to adapt storage

NOW

I got a 55 1/2 inch board from Home Depot and set it between the two doors. This extends the back shelf making a good place for my drawers.Later in the fall I may be expanding this.

NOW

A light rope is strung from front to back with hooks, to better organize my kitchen bag, craft bag, and so on. Not too much weight, but it gets them out of the way

So, a lot has changed and a lot has stayed the same. When you're working with limited space, every inch counts. Because of this limited space you will begin to realize how much you can live without. You're priorities will shift and necessity will breed invention like rabbits in Georgia.

Good luck to all!

Helpful Sites

So, I have a lot of emails to go through; forgive me if I haven't returned yours yet. People have sent me some great and really useful links plus I've come across a few:

• Find a Spring: An international map of natural springs. Very cool and fun to visit
• If you're looking for some great stories, check out Hank at The Lost Wolf.
•  I'm not huge on the survivalist movements (those I've met are very often way over the top) but they do have great ideas and, let's face it, we're all on the alternative fringes of society. With this in mind, check out these sites.
• Survival Spot: They have some great clothing options as well as alternative energy options and other stuff
• Survivalist Boards: A forum with some really interesting people. You can pick up all sorts of things
• The Other Mobile Home: A kind of funny/kind of true 12 step guide to living out of you car
• Ten Cars You Can Live In After Your Home Is Repossessed: The Jetta is not on there, but it should be 
• Finally, I've posted it before but will do it again. Cheap RV Living is probably the best source for those thinking of the mobile lifestyle. Most, if not all, of your questions will be answered and you'll get some great ideas

So, check them out and see what you can use.

On a totally different note:
The microwave multi-cooker is a great success. Things I’ve learned:

• The first day I made pasta
• Make sure the pasta will remain covered by water even after expanding
• The second day I steamed veggies
• Veggies shrink and a full pot of broccoli and mushrooms shrink down to a lunch size serving