4 ms·

>Equity and saving for the future are things you do after you've established a home. He has established a home, it's just not a traditional one. It's a really-

>Equity and saving for the future are things you do after you've established a home. He has established a home, it's just not a traditional one. It's a really-not-up-to-code tiny house on wheels. If he were living in a Winnebago or a trailer would you feel differently?

new_hackers 11y ago
I was thinking that: why didn't he buy a Winnebago?
- Pinckney 11y ago
  A truck is stealthy. It doesn't necessarily look like anyone is living there, which means you're much less likely to be hassled by the police. Compare carcamper's experiences below.
intopieces 11y ago
If this were a story about migrant workers employed by Google, would you feel differently? I suspect so; our standards for living spaces are not arbitrary. That this man chooses to forgo them despite his salary is certainly his prerogative, but this "hack" drawing admiration points to a central failure of both housing in the bay and the culture at large that values future profits over basic living.
- allencoin 11y ago
  I think if this story were about migrant workers I would feel differently about it because it would be an entirely different story—it would be about people not being paid much and forced to live in a truck versus a story about somebody being paid a lot and living an alternative lifestyle. I'm perhaps looking at this differently because I am into the financial independence movement[1], and I also quite like tiny houses. I like the idea of saving as much as you can so you don't have to work for the rest of your life, and I also like the idea of reducing your ecological and physical footprint. So that's how I'm seeing this story. This guy seems like a "mustachian" more than he seems like a guy forced to live in his car. I don't know how much he gets paid, but I'm certain he could afford an apartment—ridiculously expensive though it may be. I absolutely agree with you that the housing situation in the Bay area is bonkers, though. [1] See Mr. Money Mustache http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/ http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/

new_hackers 11y ago

I was thinking that: why didn't he buy a Winnebago?

Pinckney 11y ago
A truck is stealthy. It doesn't necessarily look like anyone is living there, which means you're much less likely to be hassled by the police. Compare carcamper's experiences below.

intopieces 11y ago

If this were a story about migrant workers employed by Google, would you feel differently? I suspect so; our standards for living spaces are not arbitrary. That this man chooses to forgo them despite his salary is certainly his prerogative, but this "hack" drawing admiration points to a central failure of both housing in the bay and the culture at large that values future profits over basic living.

allencoin 11y ago
I think if this story were about migrant workers I would feel differently about it because it would be an entirely different story—it would be about people not being paid much and forced to live in a truck versus a story about somebody being paid a lot and living an alternative lifestyle. I'm perhaps looking at this differently because I am into the financial independence movement[1], and I also quite like tiny houses. I like the idea of saving as much as you can so you don't have to work for the rest of your life, and I also like the idea of reducing your ecological and physical footprint. So that's how I'm seeing this story. This guy seems like a "mustachian" more than he seems like a guy forced to live in his car. I don't know how much he gets paid, but I'm certain he could afford an apartment—ridiculously expensive though it may be. I absolutely agree with you that the housing situation in the Bay area is bonkers, though. [1] See Mr. Money Mustache http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/ http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/