4 ms·

I have a very low material quantity of life, but my spiritual quality of life is pretty good even as I live homeless with a disability in a minivan in the Unite

I have a very low material quantity of life, but my spiritual quality of life is pretty good even as I live homeless with a disability in a minivan in the United States. Americans are way too materialistic and there needs to be a reckoning of this if anything is going to change. Even people I meet that live in other minivans or RVs want to have every single creature comfort they had when they were living in a house. I decided that in my van I would only carry what I need for the van or things I can easily put in the backpack and walk away with. I definitely use the free places. They list in the Reddit post. At west I always stay on the BLM lands.

coolThingsFirst 3y ago
What's the hardest thing about your life?
- Podgajski 3y ago
  Thanks! I would say the loneliness because of the stigma of both how I live, and my mental illness. Even when I am out on the BLM land with people with other campers the fact that I live in a minivan is looked down upon. And since I have to drive around so much to follow the weather It’s very hard to have long-term meaningful friendships. The other thing is lack of stable healthcare but I am slowly weaning myself off of Western medicine so that has becoming less of a concern. It’s not that I want to live this way, it’s the only solution I have right now unfortunately.
  - ysavir 3y ago
    What do you consider to be the ideal solution?
    - Podgajski 3y ago
      If I had a simple clean studio I would be fine. I am not asking for much, just clean and stable. But even a mess of a studio costs $800 a month which I can’t afford. even if I had a place to park that was stable I wouldn’t mind either. Just something close to a town with food and place to shower, etc.
      - dmoy 3y ago
        > even a mess of a studio costs $800 a month which I can’t afford There are definitely cities in the Midwest where you can get studios for <$500/mo still.
        Podgajski 3y ago
        Please name one that one that will not trigger my suicidal ideation. or just name one in general.
        bhelkey 3y ago
        I found this in Pittsburgh. It is sub $500, has flexible dates, and includes all utilities except for electric. https://www.zillow.com/apartments/pittsburgh-pa/hampshire-hall/5Xt45L/ https://www.zillow.com/apartments/pittsburgh-pa/hampshire-ha...
        Podgajski 3y ago
        Do you notice anything missing from that apartment?
        ysavir 3y ago
        What's missing?
        Podgajski 3y ago
        Any sort of a kitchen. There’s no stove or oven. Just a microwave. This is one thing I’ve learned to look for in photos of online apartments. We’re looking at places at this price level.
        ysavir 3y ago
        That's not unusual for small studios. Oftentimes people get an electric countertop stove and/or toaster oven. I know that's not ideal, but how does that compromise compare to living in a van? Do you prefer to live without any facilities whatsoever to hold out for a proper stove and oven?
- pixl97 3y ago
  The hardest thing about his live is ignoring the massive production chain required to make all the things that make his life far better than one someone would have had a couple of centuries ago.
efitz 3y ago
Americans are way too materialistic and there needs to be a reckoning of this if anything is going to change. If this lifestyle works for you, then good for you. Try raising children that way. There is nothing wrong with wanting to live a comfortable life; the vast majority of humans forever have wanted this. In the USA we have a problem with cost of living, but at the end of the day the reason for this is almost always misguided government intervention. For example, in the housing market, many cities have made it prohibitively expensive to build high density housing (which is what is needed when you have high population density). If you wanted to make medical care unaffordable then you’d design a system like the US system, with artificial limits everywhere on increasing supply, and (well I am well off topic but could go on forever on this). I can completely sympathize with young people today who look at the ridiculous cost of living today and come to the (incorrect) conclusion that the problem is consumerism. But it’s not. It’s a century of well-intentioned but ultimately harmful government policies.
- Podgajski 3y ago
  > Try raising children that way. Come on now, people have done it for hundreds of thousands of years. Just because it’s different from what you used to doesn’t mean it can’t be done. And it doesn’t mean the children will come out harmed in anyway. > In the USA we have a problem with cost of living, but at the end of the day the reason for this is almost always misguided government intervention. If there is no government intervention after the 2008 recession (QE, 0% rates) then many more people would be living like I am living. That’s how much people don’t want to reduce their lifestyle, they push it out as far into the future as they can. No matter what the cost of that is later on. But you seem to think that the government and the corporate state or two different things when they’re one and the same. All these measures were to save stock, prices, assets, etc..But you seem to think that the government and the corporate state or two different things when they’re one in the same. All these measures were to save stock prices, assets, etc. I’m not a young person, but I can understand what young people think when they see the boomers, who are doing all the consuming, spending all their money which they got from the government interest rates. It’s both not consumers and it is, because the government instituting 0% rates just turned every asset market into a bubble. And this gave everyone with the assets the ability to consume. But you know the government needs people to consume because that’s what creates GDP right? So all the boomers with the larger amount amount of increase in asset prices, they didn’t have to sell their prices for more money, they don’t have to go on vacation and buy more things, they could’ve live more simply, and there would’ve been no inflation. But it’s the consumption from the people with the assets that to inflation. It’s not 0% interest rates alone that Cause inflation.
LeafItAlone 3y ago
> I decided that in my van I would only carry what I need for the van or things I can easily put in the backpack and walk away with. Would you be willing to share the list of what you have?
- Podgajski 3y ago
  Mainly clothes, much of which I don’t need but I don’t throw away because I have the space. But it includes three pair of jeans, four pair of underwear, shorts, four pair of socks and miscellaneous shirts. A down jacket, rain jacket, and fleece jacket. The pajamas and the down sleeping bag are really important for keeping me warm at night. For cooking I have MSR rocket and camping cookpot and a set of utensils. Also a gym bag with a towel and my shower stuff. Most of the things that take up space in my van or things that I need for the van, like shades for the window and tarps to keep the van cool when I’m in the desert. Also tools, of course. I also carry about 18 gallons of water with me so I can stay out in the desert for extended periods. Basically, I have clothes, food and shelter so I’m OK. I just wish the shelter was not a van.

coolThingsFirst 3y ago

What's the hardest thing about your life?

Podgajski 3y ago
Thanks! I would say the loneliness because of the stigma of both how I live, and my mental illness. Even when I am out on the BLM land with people with other campers the fact that I live in a minivan is looked down upon. And since I have to drive around so much to follow the weather It’s very hard to have long-term meaningful friendships. The other thing is lack of stable healthcare but I am slowly weaning myself off of Western medicine so that has becoming less of a concern. It’s not that I want to live this way, it’s the only solution I have right now unfortunately.
- ysavir 3y ago
  What do you consider to be the ideal solution?
  - Podgajski 3y ago
    If I had a simple clean studio I would be fine. I am not asking for much, just clean and stable. But even a mess of a studio costs $800 a month which I can’t afford. even if I had a place to park that was stable I wouldn’t mind either. Just something close to a town with food and place to shower, etc.
    - dmoy 3y ago
      > even a mess of a studio costs $800 a month which I can’t afford There are definitely cities in the Midwest where you can get studios for <$500/mo still.
      - Podgajski 3y ago
        Please name one that one that will not trigger my suicidal ideation. or just name one in general.
        bhelkey 3y ago
        I found this in Pittsburgh. It is sub $500, has flexible dates, and includes all utilities except for electric. https://www.zillow.com/apartments/pittsburgh-pa/hampshire-hall/5Xt45L/ https://www.zillow.com/apartments/pittsburgh-pa/hampshire-ha...
        Podgajski 3y ago
        Do you notice anything missing from that apartment?
        ysavir 3y ago
        What's missing?
        Podgajski 3y ago
        Any sort of a kitchen. There’s no stove or oven. Just a microwave. This is one thing I’ve learned to look for in photos of online apartments. We’re looking at places at this price level.
        ysavir 3y ago
        That's not unusual for small studios. Oftentimes people get an electric countertop stove and/or toaster oven. I know that's not ideal, but how does that compromise compare to living in a van? Do you prefer to live without any facilities whatsoever to hold out for a proper stove and oven?
pixl97 3y ago
The hardest thing about his live is ignoring the massive production chain required to make all the things that make his life far better than one someone would have had a couple of centuries ago.

efitz 3y ago

Americans are way too materialistic and there needs to be a reckoning of this if anything is going to change. If this lifestyle works for you, then good for you. Try raising children that way. There is nothing wrong with wanting to live a comfortable life; the vast majority of humans forever have wanted this. In the USA we have a problem with cost of living, but at the end of the day the reason for this is almost always misguided government intervention. For example, in the housing market, many cities have made it prohibitively expensive to build high density housing (which is what is needed when you have high population density). If you wanted to make medical care unaffordable then you’d design a system like the US system, with artificial limits everywhere on increasing supply, and (well I am well off topic but could go on forever on this). I can completely sympathize with young people today who look at the ridiculous cost of living today and come to the (incorrect) conclusion that the problem is consumerism. But it’s not. It’s a century of well-intentioned but ultimately harmful government policies.

Podgajski 3y ago
> Try raising children that way. Come on now, people have done it for hundreds of thousands of years. Just because it’s different from what you used to doesn’t mean it can’t be done. And it doesn’t mean the children will come out harmed in anyway. > In the USA we have a problem with cost of living, but at the end of the day the reason for this is almost always misguided government intervention. If there is no government intervention after the 2008 recession (QE, 0% rates) then many more people would be living like I am living. That’s how much people don’t want to reduce their lifestyle, they push it out as far into the future as they can. No matter what the cost of that is later on. But you seem to think that the government and the corporate state or two different things when they’re one and the same. All these measures were to save stock, prices, assets, etc..But you seem to think that the government and the corporate state or two different things when they’re one in the same. All these measures were to save stock prices, assets, etc. I’m not a young person, but I can understand what young people think when they see the boomers, who are doing all the consuming, spending all their money which they got from the government interest rates. It’s both not consumers and it is, because the government instituting 0% rates just turned every asset market into a bubble. And this gave everyone with the assets the ability to consume. But you know the government needs people to consume because that’s what creates GDP right? So all the boomers with the larger amount amount of increase in asset prices, they didn’t have to sell their prices for more money, they don’t have to go on vacation and buy more things, they could’ve live more simply, and there would’ve been no inflation. But it’s the consumption from the people with the assets that to inflation. It’s not 0% interest rates alone that Cause inflation.

LeafItAlone 3y ago

> I decided that in my van I would only carry what I need for the van or things I can easily put in the backpack and walk away with. Would you be willing to share the list of what you have?

Podgajski 3y ago
Mainly clothes, much of which I don’t need but I don’t throw away because I have the space. But it includes three pair of jeans, four pair of underwear, shorts, four pair of socks and miscellaneous shirts. A down jacket, rain jacket, and fleece jacket. The pajamas and the down sleeping bag are really important for keeping me warm at night. For cooking I have MSR rocket and camping cookpot and a set of utensils. Also a gym bag with a towel and my shower stuff. Most of the things that take up space in my van or things that I need for the van, like shades for the window and tarps to keep the van cool when I’m in the desert. Also tools, of course. I also carry about 18 gallons of water with me so I can stay out in the desert for extended periods. Basically, I have clothes, food and shelter so I’m OK. I just wish the shelter was not a van.