conversation: User (-just-throw-me-away): "Hello,\n\nI'm being kicked out of my mothers home. She is schizophrenic and can't support me anymore. I'm only here until this morning and then I need to be out. My car(Crown Victoria) is already packed and we already said our goodbyes. I have no friends or family members to stay with, and no job.\n\nWhere does anyone reading this think that I should go? I understand that I need to get a job as soon as possible, no matter where I end up. Should I just make a "B line" towards the closest city? I'm willing to live in my car if I have to but I don't know how I could have a job without being caught.\n\nI know that I didn't provide much information but I don't know what to think right now.\n\nThank you all\n\nEDIT - 1:47AM, 03/21/15 - I very much appreciate the offers from people for a place to stay and a job and would love to take one up but I don't know if I can trust anyone without major proof of normalcy. I must seem very vulnerable at this point so I feel like many people with malicious intentions are lurking.\n\nEDIT - 4:30AM, 03/21/15 - I don't know what to say. I'm receiving so many kind messages and comments. I'm sorry if I can't get to yours. I very much appreciate all of the help that I'm being offered and I'll try to keep updating this thread as long as I can."
  Self: "If you want the advice of someone whos done this exact thing with less money before, heres mine. Save that cash like its your life, thats your ticket to a home for a month. Be very friendly with everyone you meet, but not desperate. Accept this as a life experience. This is America and you are 18, you arent going to die or starve or be a hobo. Relax. Dont stress yourself out needlessly.\n\nStay within a few hundred miles, this is the safest method as you wont have to pay for gas to travel. Your story can help or hurt you, nobody cares about the depressed guy with the sob story. Sad fact of life. Get over it. Be positive about your situation, joke about it, keep your head up.\n\nYou are on the internet so im assuming you have a laptop. Craigslist just became your best friend. Search for Rooms Shared. Because of your situation, you need to MASTER this over the next few years. DO NOT Listen to naysayers, Craigslist is the shit. You can find remarkable deals if you know how to look. You can find fantastic people to live with NO LEASE, NO DEPOSIT, NO BULLSHIT. If someone tries to force you into a lease screw them sleep in your car and find something else. Be nice, be reasonable, be personable. Learn to make your personality of value to people.\n\nHeres the method: Call, Check, Talk, Move. \n\nCall and feel the person out. What do they want from a renter? Are they willing to bend on price? Do they demand a lease? Are they safe? \n\nCheck: Go see the place. Inspect EVERYTHING. Do the faucets work does the fridge work are 15 people living there, does the AC work, is the place falling apart? Is it nice? Great! \n\nTalk: Negotiate a price, all REAL CL landlords put a higher price expecting to negotiate. Explain your situation, be honest but positive and confident. Are they trying to muscle you? Is there anything shady? Listen to your gut. No? Great!\n\nMove: Put your money down and move in. Get on your hunt for labor IMMEDIATELY. Find something that pays CASH DAILY for now. Once you have that, work on steady employment.\n\n\n\n Chill in neighborhoods and search for unsecured internet at night. Starbucks during the day. Meet people. Talk to people. MAKE FRIENDS. Only look at rooms with pictures and dont do any shady ones. You can get a sweet place for the same money as a shit place on CL. Find a sane person with a decent setup. Pay a months rent. Find a labor job on Craigslist. You can find places that will start you the same day and pay cash. Look for Movers, Valet, Construction, etc. Labor jobs. WORK HARD. \n\nI did this many times when I was young and crazy. I have lived off CL and still do for the last 10 years. If you need any more advice please inbox me if you have skype or a phone ill make time to chat with you. Dont give up, youve got this. Stay calm and believe in yourself.\n\n\nEdit: Sooo... I had a really long day yesterday and fell asleep. Thanks for Gold and yes my inbox is completely flooded. I will try to get to everyone asap. Thanks everybody!\n\n\nEdit: I am overwhelmed with the response ive gotten for this post. Thank you all so much for the kind words. I have also gotten MANY requests for advice! I am traveling today and wont be back until Wednesday however I will get back to all of you as soon as I can. I will make time for everyone!\n"
  hobbers (hobbers): "&gt; This is America and you are 18, you arent going to die or starve or be a hobo.  \n  \nThis is pretty spot on. An achy 70 year old hobo riddled with disease is substantially different than a young buck at 18 just looking for a place to sleep for the night. There are 18 year olds that do this just for fun. So no need to panic as long as you have a roof over your head (the Crown Vic), something to stay warm (blankets in the back seat), and some food to eat (soup kitchen at last resort).  \n  \nI would almost extend the advice further and say to live out of the car for a while (maybe a month or so). Assuming you can do the research and figure out where it is legal / safe to sleep in your car overnight ... then just find a place where you can take a shower every day. Maybe there's a cheap gym membership somewhere locally. Live out of the library for internet and information. The primary cost issue would be food. Food in a car tends to be expensive because you can't buy a big bag of rice and cook it each night easily. However, I have seen a few blog / video posts online where a college student or whatever experimented with car living for at least a few months. Maybe they figured something out.\n  \nI have in no way, shape, or form, ever been close to being forced homeless in my life. But, I have done a few adventures, road trips, etc where I slept in my car for a fairly short amount of time. And it's not a bad life style for a short while.  \n  \nThe key here is that you want to spend time focusing on finding a job as soon as possible. And if you spend a week or two running the craigslist routine, then you might have lost that week or two looking for a job."
  TomBadombadil (TomBadombadil): "&gt; Food in a car tends to be expensive because you can't buy a big bag of rice and cook it each night easily.\n\nCLIF Bars and things of that nature. Still expensive compared to rice, but needs no refrigeration, not too bad on price, you can stash plenty in a car, and it'll keep you going for now. Individual fruits here and there, can't go getting scurvy. Avoid fast food like mad. Not because it will make you fat, but because it's gonna kill your money fast, fast. You're 18 you can afford to do some weird shit with your diet. Soldiers live on worse."
  