My life

I've been without a place for three months now. It's caused by a lack of decent pay and horrific credit. I have friends in the area, but none of them have room for me.

I keep my stuff in a $72/mo. storage shed. I have a Sealed lead acid battery with 33AH and a car 12volt solar cell which I use to recharge it, and a DC->AC adaptor (combined cost $190). I travel around the city with a bookbag that contains a towel, a shirt, a blanket, a car windshield reflector, and a trash bag. The smaller pocket has my money and toothbrush and paste.

I sleep in parking lots and on sidewalks. The trash bag keeps in bodyheat and the windshield reflector gives insulation from the asphalt (and a little bit of cushion). The blanket is used when it's either very cold or when the air is still and warm (instead of the trash bag.) My bookbag acts as a pillow. I shower at a gym I have a membership with, or at work in the men's bathroom (birdbath wash).

I have a laptop leftover from my short stint in school and wireless is prevalent out here. It has been tremendous help in finding information and staying in contact with society. I have friends, regular work, and an active dating life (which has gotten even more active in the past three months, oddly enough).

Am I homeless? Yeah, technically I suppose I am, but with the exception of the lack of privacy I actually like this. I'm in good shape, I am hungry often (the job I have pays poorly), and very rarely do I get more than three hours of sleep. I've gotten tips from other homeless in the area (like the trashbag = sleeping bag idea) and I thought I'd make a post here now and again with helpful tips that I can pass along. I've found that the important thing for me has been portability, so most of the tips I post will reflect this.

You don't have to live like a refugee. Get some blankets together, put them in the plastic bag and stash them SENSIBLY in some bushes where other peopole aren't pking around. Next, get an input device for that laptop, preferably a MiniDV camcoder for $50 at a pawn shop, and then MAKE A MOVIE ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE. People will see what you're up to and will gladly give you what you need to make it happen. Once you have your own DVD, it's yours for life and you can duplicate them wherever you land. Make them for $3 apiece and then sell them for $10. I've done it and it saved my life.

Johnny Allen Shaw
http://www.freewebs.com/transitionsvideo

Get A Shopping Cart Ya Got Room To Keep Your Stuff And A Means Of Transportation To Make Cash Collecting Srap Metal Out Of Dumpsters I Keep All My Stuff In One Large Army Duffle Bag And Strap That To The Bottom And Walk 10-12 Hours A-day Till My Cart Is Full Of Cans,wire,and Scrap Iron Then I Get To The Recyling Center Before They Close At 5:30 Cash It In And If I Got 50 Bucks I Head Over To The Freeway Inn For A Cheap Room And A Meal If I Get Less Than 50 Just A Meal And Smokes And Save It And Sleep Under The Bridge Cause The Room Is $33.66 All Together

Great ideas. Personally, I found an RV for $1500. Borrowed the money and paid it back over the period of a summer via handy man work for a guy with a duplex. It worked super well because I could shower in the unfinished side of the duplex and was plugged into the garages electricity. But, that jobs over now though. I've got to find a new way for this year. It's been a rough winter. It's always challenging to find parking spots. I'm wishing to figure out how to make enough money for a solar panel and live in luxury.
Gas is so damn expensive. I usually just stay parked (if I find a spot).

I do make videos, but nothing I can sell. Just art videos.

I started a chip in but I can't post a link to it, cause one mod dude deleted my other posts with my link.

Good ideas anyway...