I-10bound wrote:
Don't you all think a van would be the cheapest and most practical solution for me?
No, I don't. I don't think going from sharing a house with your own family (mom and brother from prior posts) to living on the streets in a van is a practical solution. That WILL make you homeless. I am basing the following comments on all your posts that suggest that you wish to LIVE FULLTIME in this van/RV rather than just wanting something to get you a weekend or two away from home once in a while. If you are indeed just looking for something to let you get away for a weekend or two once in a while, then ignore everything else and I will say that yes, a simple van will work great for that.
In regards to fulltiming in a van and stealth camping in LA/San Diego and moving out of the house and your family:
I think you really need to look at your future and not your current situation. I'm assuming you're still pretty young (20s?). If so, then how can you better your situation for the future. You've only been saving money for a year and you're already getting the bug to spend it - NOW. I remember those days - you only saved money to buy something with it. That's all fun and dandy, but you're not going to have a future that way. You will ALWAYS be scrambling to survive. You are at your most able now. Get a second job. Go back to school. Apply for jobs in places where internal promotions are possible (it may not be a great job, but it can gain you more experience). Find jobs that offer greater versatility in the duties - again, it will gain you more experience. Get into construction work and work towards getting a contractor's license. Apply for entry level government jobs. Join the military. Join the job corps.
There are all sorts of options that will help you get a future that can give you what you want. But, it's not going to happen right away. You can't live in a van on the streets of LA or San Diego and have a future. You will end up spending the rest of your life on the streets. It sounds like you and your family are in a tough situation - I would hazard a guess that if any one of you lost your job, you would find it hard to make ends meet. If you can work out a 5 year plan with them so that you can each get 2 years at a community college getting some practical education and working second jobs for the other 3 years to cover the additional expenses, then you might all be able to better your situations. Working together will give you more than you can get on your own - IF you have a good relationship and are supportive of one another and no one has an "issue" that makes them unreliable.
If you can't work it out with your family, then go talk to government programs, church programs, social programs, etc. It's OK to get help to get out of your situation - that's why such programs are out there. But these programs aren't an easy fix. They won't turn you from a struggling young adult into someone enjoying the "American Dream" just by signing your name to a piece of paper. These programs won't make your life better - they just give you an opportunity to change your life and make it better for yourself.
Basically, if all you do is what you're doing (living day to day; struggling to get out of THIS situation because it's annoying only to find yourself struggling to get out of THAT situation; struggling to support yourself and your dreams), you're never going to get anywhere. Changing this situation for living in a van is NOT an improvement of your life - it's just trading out one problem for another.
