When the world is your home people pooh on your floor

Contrary to popular belief a lot of planning and consideration went into my decision to move into my car. I suppose the real genesis came in October of 2010, when I realized that between my $200 a month car payment, my $250 a month rent payment and my $50-100 a month utility payment, my monthly net income of $550-600 dollars left me with little or no wiggle room. The moment I realized this the dream of saving $300 a month by moving into my car was born. Since then, I have planned, weighed costs and benefits, and scouted out suitable nightly parking places with a thoroughness that I believe merits respect. My diligence notwithstanding, there have been several things that have surprised me in these first few days.

1. I have way too much crap. After living in Africa a Honda Civic seems like a roomy place. While there I often saw 8-10 people packed in a car comparable in size to my own: one driver, two people in the passenger seat, five people in the back seat and two in the trunk. It is amazing, therefore, that my person can barely squeeze into my car simply because I have so much stuff. Thankfully, this predicament has lead me to make an important change in my life: I'm a much better packer now. Things that are rarely needed but still essential find their place on the floor under and behind the front seats of the car. More frequently used items like clothes and gear merit a spot beside or on top of the mattress that covers the folded down back seat and extends into the trunk. They are neatly packed to optimize utility and provide a “narrow strip of land” to sleep on. Finally, food gets shotgun. A package of Oreos currently serves as my copilot.

2. The world is my home. Before I left for Africa, my good buddy Nick Romano came up one weekend unannounced to spend a couple of days with me. He was surprised that I didn't have a place for him to stay, being unaware that I was executing a trial run of living in my car. Later, when we were discussing those few days together Nick commented that when you live in your car the community where you live automatically becomes your home; the library is your sitting room, the school gym your bathroom and the movie theater your entertainment center. I think this is true. The disturbing part about this is that when the community is your home, the community is free to do whatever they would like to it. Today for instance, while I was at the park filling up my water bottles, I noticed a little kid walking out of my bathroom. Graciously, I didn't yell at him for failing to ask permission before using my accommodations, but I was very put out when he announced to his young friend that was about to enter the facilities after him, “somebody pooped on the floor!” Honestly. You'd think people would have more respect when I let them come in my house.

3. Necessity is the mother of invention. I have always considered myself to be a fairly innovative individual (using the thick plastic bags my school books came in as gators being just one example...) but living in my car has revealed the new levels of genius I am capable of. For instance, as great a company as Honda is, their engineers failed to realize that when you fold down the back seat of a Civic, there is about a six inch drop from the plain of the folded down seats to the plain of the trunk. While I am sure that is fine for normal use, it makes sleeping on a mattress that covers both areas very uncomfortable. To remedy this problem I simply placed a two foot piece of plywood over the drop. While there is still a bit of bend in my mattress the result is substantially more comfortable than before. I am sure Honda will be contacting me for the design soon. More tricky than that, however, is figuring out how to maintain airflow through a hot and stuffy car at night without letting a swarm of mosquitoes in. Luckily, my three months in Africa provided me with the solution. Before leaving I bought two square yards of mosquito netting. By shutting pieces of mosquito netting in the top of my rear doors and letting it hang down over the open windows I effectively allow a nice breeze to flow through the car while the mosquitoes remain outside the vehicle. You'd think this would come standard.

I sure am learning all sorts of great things at college this year!