Thoughts of Extreme Frugality

I can't stop thinking about this.

When I moved to Atlanta and got an apartment to stay in during the week, I didn't think I'd have any more to pay for outside of that. I ended up needing another car and bought a new one so I wouldn't have to worry about driving the 500-mile weekend trips. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Also, I had failed to realize what a strain paying back student loans would put on the finances. It has made me consider more than once whether the education was worth it. Since I can't return the Bachelor's degree to the store, complaining won't do much. I tell myself to live with it.

Considering ways to save money these days has become a new hobby. I tend to think in extremes at times, and this is no exception. I have almost found a way to save the largest amount of money in the shortest amount of time, while still saving my credit rating. No, it's not some debt relief plan that includes hacking the credit agencies, and I'm not going to rob a bank. I'm not going to default on any of my commitments, yet I'm going to save about to $700 per month.

Two words: voluntary homelessness.

The thought had crossed my mind some weeks ago, but I couldn't figure it all out. I'm close now.

Currently, I stay in this apartment during the week and drive 238 miles home on the weekends. If I could survive each work week just sleeping in my car, I wouldn't have to pay rent, water, sewer, electricity, or gas bills. Let's consider what I have available as alternatives:

Bathing
My work has a gym available for employees. It's $10 per month, and there are showers (and perhaps lockers; I haven't been there yet). That would be the place to change clothes, shower, and even - get this - work out.

Eating
There is a refrigerator at work which can hold necessities like jelly, cold cuts, cheese, fruit, and bottled water if needed. I can keep the rest in the trunk of the car. A large meal's leftovers from a good restaurant could be kept in there too. I can keep dishes in a desk drawer and wash them in the sink at the break area.

Sleeping
The parking deck at work is prime real estate. The bottom floor has no natural light and must therefore stay cooler in the summer months. I have a good sleeping bag for the colder times. It is a 24-hour operations center and my car being there during the day wouldn't raise suspicion as long as it's not in the same space at night. Of course it wouldn't - I'd park in my regular spot during work hours. Tinting the windows would also help, as could one of those windshield sun-shades.

Safety
Work is pretty safe. It has 24-hour security and is in an affluent part of town. The Glock 19 also has a voice.

Laundry
I own a house with a washer and dryer. It's just not in the Atlanta area. Weekends are for laundry and bed-sleep.

Internet
Some of you might imagine that I would just use the Internet at work, but you are mistaken. I suppose I could just war-drive, but that is a bit inconvenient (and I guess living in one's car is too, but...). Considering the mobile nature of living in a car, Verizon or Clear wireless has a solution. For around $50 a month, I can get one of those hotspots with enough bandwidth to publish posts and conduct research. That takes away from my overall savings, but it's the one thing I cannot do without. It's funny - I am willing to go without shelter, climate control, and running water, but Internet access is an absolute must. What year is this?

Potty
Pretty obvious. Work or Wal-Mart.

Phone
Exactly what I do right now - use my mobile phone.

Electricity
Living in the car without appliances could be said to be "going green." I have auto adapters for the phone and the computer. Right now I can't think of anything else I'll need to use. No shaver, no hair dryer, nothing.

Part of my motivation is the possibility that at least one of my student loans could be paid off in a matter of a few months at this rate.  I only wonder how long I could stand it.

So now that I've covered most everything, I turn to my overwhelmingly huge reader base I like to affectionately refer to as the fewer than five: What have I missed? What will I not like that I don't already know about? Would this make a good story on NPR?