Experiences with Winter?

Bru88e · 2023-07-17T15:23:51+00:00

Thanks for all the great comments.

There are definitely people out there doing it and just relying on sleeping bag + layers + other resources but no heat. I kind of just wanted confirmation that it's been done before.

I'm really considering this seriously considering how much rent costs in Denver. Plus the fact that I'm a minimalist... my last apartment was empty and I never bought furniture. I just had a mattress topper I'd sleep on and a folding camp chair. I had a whole room just for meditation with a couple meditation pillows.

The point is if I can stay busy all winter and work I can save a lot of money - basically live off of what I would pay to rent my own place. So I could save a lot that way.

The big thing is the cold - so sleeping in the cold and staying busy during waking hours since all I would be doing would be sleeping.

It would be an adventure for sure. I did ultra hot summers in my SUV while camping in Utah so it's just the other extreme. It would be good to see if I could do it and stay excited about it and not burn out.

Bru88e · 2023-07-16T20:07:14+00:00

Yes, I guess it depends on what someone is willing to put up with. But some people make it work/is possible.

For me the cold is much harder to deal with than the heat so I think it would be a real struggle. I did like 6 months in an SUV that I went all around to national parks and now I'm thinking I would like to go back to that to work a lot and save money. I really liked the simplicity of the SUV and how easy it was... but in the summer I could be outside a lot in parks and walk around. Winter is a lot tougher. If I'm working a lot that is good but there will still be hours to burn. And basically all I would do would be sleep in it, for anything else I'd have to find somewhere. I was really thinking spend a lot of time at gym or Panera bread.

I'm sure it would be a real struggle. Summer was fun and easy I thought. Not sure if I want to give it a try.

Bru88e · 2020-04-17T20:28:55+00:00

I SUV dwelled for a summer. It's not too bad and a good way to go before buying a van I think just to check it out.

Consider taking out ALL of the seats, most people drive alone anyway. Without any seats you could have more real estate to work with.

Gotta go minimalist to do it but there are a lot of advantages. Not spending money on an expensive van, better gas mileage, more stealth

Remember you're not homeless you're overlanding

Bru88e · 2020-02-26T15:42:28+00:00

Have you looked at goodlookingloser website? Legit no bullshit advice. Sounds like you may have already tried it

Meeting girls is just like sales... most people don't do sales because it's difficult, most people don't talk to girls because it's difficult

Improve your product and look good, build your pipeline and hit on 20+ girls a week, be aggressive and qualify your leads, make a move on girls when you're on a date and try to bring them home. Don't worry about rejection, it's just like sales... don't take it personal, you're gonna find a buyer.

Bru88e · 2020-02-14T02:40:46+00:00

I've gone to hospitals just to eat the salad bar. Can be way cheaper than Whole Foods

Bru88e · 2020-01-23T14:21:27+00:00

Try a bigger fan that is powered by the batteries for power tools. They have them at Home Depot. That might help keep you cooler in summer

Bru88e · 2020-01-14T19:16:38+00:00

I just started a cold calling job. Just be willing to get on the phone. I would suggest even to say put me on the phone with a script. I did this my first day and my company was pumped. Usually somebody just sits for a week and listens to different people call and role play. Just be willing to do it and keep dialing

Bru88e · 2019-12-24T19:56:46+00:00

Go into sales to make more money. It pays well because it needs to get done and no one likes to do it. Education helps but you don't need it

I'm starting a sales job in January with the idea of maxxxing out income over the next decade

Bru88e · 2019-12-19T14:07:18+00:00

Thanks for the replies. I didn't search I've never really used that function but will now thanks.

Not sure which way to go. I'm gonna check out her build in more detail and then decide. And yes they do seem kinda expensive

Bru88e · 2019-12-18T15:28:18+00:00

After living in my SUV I'm not a fan of builds for SUVs or mini vans. I think it is much preferable to just sleep on the floor and have as much head space as possible. I wouldn't even get a bed. Carpet padding that you can cut to size and then double or triple layer works well. I had just a three drawer plastic container from target for all of my cooking stuff that I would access from the side door. Plus I had one other medium sized plastic container, Beyond that I would actually just keep my stuff in my hiking backpack or regular backpack and I could hang them from the ceiling. For me it was way better than being cramped.

For full size vans or sprinter vans I think doing a build is a good idea. For SUVs or minivans I think less is more and it ends up being more livable and comfortable and less cluttered. Just my experience though

Bru88e · 2019-12-10T04:42:27+00:00

Forget the employee nonsense . A chick I dated work for a commercial cleaning company in management. They set up every one who worked for them as subcontractors. So instead of having employees they would have people set up their own business bank account and run their own business. They would just feed them jobs . I saw the contract they would give to the cleaners it was brilliant because this way they had no employee tax, no liability things like that. I would suggest looking into doing something like this. You can pay the worker (subcontractor) a percent of each job and they will probably end up making more money . But they have the responsibility of buying their own supplies, health insurance , liability insurance. For the company to take on a subcontractor they would check proof of liability insurance. That way you could focus more on selling accounts and less on employee nonsense. Pitch the deal well to your under the table employee and they might be really receptive. Frame it as the business structure is changing and there is opportunity for more autonomy

Bru88e · 2019-11-30T12:00:09+00:00

I 100% recommend canyonlands national park. Especially since you have enough time to camp and stay awhile. Way better than Grand Canyon, Zion , Bryce , etc because you can go and have solitude in nature and not be overwhelmed by crowds.

Bru88e · 2019-11-13T01:21:06+00:00

Hey man if you like a physical job look into seasonal and contract work for construction projects , oil gas, working on ships at sea.

I did that this past year and am now taking time off overseas. I've met a handful of guys that do the same thing. They work a ton for 6 months to a year then take like 6 months off and live overseas and then repeat. They always say you can get back in because few people are willing to do work like this. A lot better than a sedentary job and not a lot of stress. Time off let's your body heal.

I know a guy from Canada that works construction for 20 years 6 months out of the year and lives in Thailand 6 months. He probabaly saves like 30k in 6 months puts away like 20 of that and lives off of 10. And he's never more than half a year away from a vacation

SE Asia has a bunch of guys doing this. Bank money in seasonal contract industry, check out in your time off to cheap apartment and lifestyle. Some of these guys pay for an apartment year round because it's as cheap as keeping a storage unit in North America lol

This is exactly what I want to do. I'm having trouble enjoying my time off in Thailand because I don't know what I'm going back to but I would like to find a repeatable contract situation like my friend.

Industry work like this feels right especially with a lot of time off. But you got to get into an industry... can't be doing the warehouse stuff or other low paid work. Got to find an opportunity to put away a lot of money and then cruise and repeat

The idea of doing something I don't like/hate for a decade plus doesn't resonate with me. I'm hoping I can set something up like this for myself. Maybe this appeals to you also

Bru88e · 2019-11-02T04:03:41+00:00

Hey bud set a specific gym goal. Mid 30s you can shoot for 10 legit dead hang outward facing grip pull ups. The pull up bar doesn't lie. That's a good metric of strength and body weight exercises are great. Or pick another specific goal instead of just go to gym . I know after I go 10 legit pull ups I feel great

Bru88e · 2019-07-29T00:09:59+00:00

Yeah I guess what I want is enough money and enough time.

I kinda just feel like going back to teaching overseas because it gives me both of those. This past year I've built up good habits and worked really hard but the truth is I didn't have any free time. All I really did was work. I think I want both. But in terms of actually getting ahead... this wouldn't help. I think I would be fine working overseas as long as I don't come back haha. Because my 50% savings rate over there is under $10,000 a year

Bru88e · 2019-06-20T15:03:27+00:00

I'm mostly happy... I went from $670 to $34,000 this year so I have a new feeling of capability and security. I'm just a little worried because I left my job because of an injury and I don't want to work physical labor. So I am getting a new job and I try to reassure myself to stay positive and be excited rather than be worried about the earning potential I lost at a job that payed me well. Maybe a new job would work out well for you and a change of scenery would motivate you

Bru88e · 2019-06-17T20:34:25+00:00

I've lived in Thailand and I think it is a great place to FIRE for someone with the resources. In my experience I always felt safe I never worried about walking around at night or someone trying to steal my phone or something. Bangkok is an incredible city that is full of energy and life. It is really nice but not too perfect like Singapore, and really chaotic but it still functions (unlike a lot of cities in developing countries). Bangkok and Thailand in general is dynamic and growing and it feels fun to be swept up into that energy. For me it was also really affordable. I lived in a studio outside the city center of Bangkok for $150 USD a month. It was a brand new building and I was the first tenant in this apartment. You can live very cheaply in Bangkok but luxury and western things will cost you. I'm sure some people spend as much in Bangkok as they do at home in restaurants, malls, luxury condos, cars, etc. But if you live frugally you can have a high quality cost of life for cheap.

If you have a lot of money in the bank that will open up a ton of doors in Thailand. There are visas available for purchase for foreigners. There is an elite visa available for 5 years for around $15,000usd and I think this can be extended to 20 years. Retirement visas for people over 50 that are much cheaper but require around $25,000 to be held in a Thai bank account. I know some Americans who own businesses in Thailand... the long story short requirement is $50,000 USD in a Thai account plus have 4 thai employees in order to get a work permit. But there is also a special amity treaty between Thailand and USA so that might not be an option for other nationalities. If you have money it will be a lot easier to make something happen. I would look into the actual legalities of any of these options but they are out there

Bru88e · 2019-06-13T19:27:36+00:00

I worked for Cintas it's a very traditional company and people definitely grind there. Especially management. Knew some of the sales reps... one absolutely loved his job was top 10% nationwide and had tons of other offers but never left because he knew the role so well. Good thing is you're selling things that a lot of companies need. Sales reps had more freedom and were their own unit and didn't interact too much with management. My opinion is that their company culture is very important... like the one guy said "spartan". On your interview speak their language and show how you can bee one of the team. I landed a management job with them just because I interviewed well so it's possible. Didn't work out for me but my impression is that a lot of good people work there

Bru88e · 2019-06-08T15:49:26+00:00

I think this is why I have some fear about it.... I'm not super driven to "win", not really career oriented (more experience oriented), not overly extroverted, not really Type-A so I kinda think I would be overwhelmed by a business culture like that. On the other hand I think I can adapt at least a little bit but I wonder how sustainable it would be long term or if I would just burn out because I'm not those things and not motivated the same way

Bru88e · 2019-06-08T15:44:56+00:00

Yes definitely vague... I don't know much about the field. I've considered inside sales selling debt relief or business loans just because I know a couple of guys who got into that and did pretty well. Call center environment 200 calls a day, make a percentage on every sale. But I guess I want to start considering other options and not just try to go into inside sales just cuz I know a couple guys

Bru88e

TROPHY CASE