I wonder why I have started a blog, and the answer is truly that I need to find things to fill my time. I’m not doing this for the E fame, or the recognition. I’m doing this because I believe writing about myself and my experiences will help me to reflect on my life and help me to figure out better the path I want to walk down.

Firstly, it should be fairly obvious that I live full time in my little car. And by little, I mean really pretty small by car standards. I live in a Ford Escort ZX2, which for those of you who don’t know; is a very small coupe. I have removed the passenger seat, and rear interior pieces to make way for a ply board I cut into a makeshift platform that I sleep on. By removing the interior pieces and putting down the platform I am able to fully stretch out while I sleep. I can truly say that I sleep pretty comfortably given the circumstances.

Now the question becomes, why on Earth did I decide to live in my car? and what circumstances led to this major decision. My brother and I have been traveling back and forth from Oregon to South East Alaska for a number of years for seasonal employment, always getting an apartment and filling it with new stuff that we needed. Which can become quite expensive, and wasteful. Secondly the rent is overly expensive in South East Alaska. Thirdly the rift raft of downtown Ketchikan (current home) is really unpleasant to deal with on a daily basis. The last reason and perhaps the biggest is freedom, financial and mental. I can’t understate how much the two are essentially tied together. When you don’t have to worry about a long series of bills you are responsible for, it seems a major weight is lifted from your shoulders.

I guess that leads us to today, and where I am now. I have been living out of my car for the last three months in one of the rainiest places on Earth. It has been a complete adventure for lack of a better word. It has been extremely difficult, it has been rewarding, it has been embarrassing, but most of all it has made me feel very alive, and has changed me in a way that will absolutely permeate through the rest of my life, that I can say without hesitation. I am more patient, cleanlier, humble, and less wasteful. Every purchase I make is calculated for my space and living environment. When you have very limited space, you can’t just purchase impulsively.

So I will share with you how I spend most of my days and how I have made living in such a small vehicle doable. I have a membership to a local gym where I can shower and take care of my hygiene. The membership costs me 60 dollars a month, which is completely worth it. You get hot showers and a place to exercise. Then I typically go to work early in the morning till around three or four in the afternoon. After work, I regularly go to the library to play games or socialize with my family (Free internet). I will usually go to the grocery store and buy lunch. Food is where things can get a bit difficult, you have a couple of different options. I have a two burner propane tank and a set of spices, and oil which I keep in a plastic sealed container in my car. You can purchase ingredients to make your meals, but because I can’t keep anything refrigerated I tend to purchase food I can eat immediately without having to store. I buy a can of quality soup for around two dollars and some bread or veggies. If you end up living in your car, you will find that food will be your number one expense. After eating lunch or getting supplies for dinner, I will either stay at a State camp ground, or find a place off the beaten path where I am legally allowed to stay. Camp grounds offer a lot of amenities for typically a low fee (10 dollars or less). My state camp grounds have out houses, with toilet paper, and they also have garbage disposal areas. They also have tables. These three things are great to have once or twice a week to cook a fresh meal on a stove top or to dispose of any extra garbage you have accumulated over a couple days. After dinner I make my bed, and I set up the bug nets on my windows (Complete must if you live in the woods). Plus having fresh air while you sleep is borderline essential for good sleep. So more or less that is how a typical day for me will go. This is an ideal day, but when it rains all day every day for three or four days straight, things can seem a little daunting. This is why the library is such a savior.

I suppose that’s all I have to write for today, I think I got up to date on where I am and how things operate. I’m going to be updating this blog every single day at least until the end of summer.