Yup, that’s right friends… as of today, I have been in my Button Mobile for six months. Any regrets? Ya, a few, but not what you might think.

  1. I wish I would have given more thought about my reading light by my bed. I went for looks instead of functionality. What I have now is super cute, but it requires the inverter to be on as it runs on 110. The reading type lights that are 12v are way more expensive. This is an easy fix according to Gene who did most of the work.
  2. I wish I would have got a better quality vent for the ceiling. What I have now is fine, but it is not ‘smooth’ when it closes so it makes a funny noise. It is also already starting to rust INSIDE. That said, I think the one I got was $130 so they are NOT cheap anyway. I will deal with this one until I ‘must’ replace it.
  3. I wish I would have let Gene talk me into his suggestion of putting light switches on the inside of one of my back doors. I declined his offer because I was pushing him to do other stuff, but also because I was convinced that I would rarely use the back doors and instead come in and out of the cab door (which NEVER HAPPENED).
  4. I wish I would have added two more LED lights in the ceiling; one in front of the closet and one when I first walk in (the back door). I’ve actually already fixed this by using battery operated lights that closely match the other four ceiling lights.
  5. I wish I could figure out how to stop buying things and get rid of more of the crap I already have. Sadly, this includes my addiction to buying books.

Yes, that is it. Those are my ONLY regrets, so far. Now, what have been the benefits to this little adventure? Too many to list without boring you to tears, but here are a few:

  1. NOT ‘saving money’. Yes, you read that right. I am actually thrilled beyond belief that I have NOT saved a single penny living in the Button Mobile. Why am I happy about that? Because I have been blessed with the opportunity to help others instead of paying rent. I have a friend who I’ve known for over 20 years whose husband (also known that long) had a series of strokes a few months back. He was the breadwinner of the family and now she has to try to manage two kids, get her husband to endless doctor appointments to help him get better, and now has two jobs to TRY to not lose their home. She is at her wits end trying to juggle everything. I can’t be there for her (she lives in Vegas) so I’ve been happy that I can help her a little financially. Gene, who did so much on my truck also had a medical set back after we finished the project and I was able to help him out a bit financially just before Christmas.  I’ve also enjoyed donating some money to a few amazing kickstarter projects, gofundme’s that caught my heart, helped a couple homeless people out, and even donated a little to Bernie’s campaign. Oh, and I took a little trip down to California and Mexico.
  2. Meeting some really interesting people. Even though I say “I live in a Box Truck”, I really don’t. I sleep there. I spend most of my time OUTSIDE of the truck. I spend more time meeting friends to brainstorm and vent, doing laundry where I make a point to talk to people if they are open, and sometimes if I am eating out I try to sit with another person who is alone and have great conversations. I’ve also spent more time at the nudist resort I am a member at and have met some cool people there also.
  3. Cleaning house is a snap! With no kitchen or bathroom and just about everything within arm’s reach, it literally takes me 5-10 minutes to ‘clean my house’. Ya can’t beat that with a stick!
  4. I’ve actually enjoyed my job more. I spend more time at work now (free heat and indoor plumbing, and all) so I’m actually more relaxed and less stressed that I only have 8 hours to get things done. I stay at work on MY terms which makes a huge difference in attitude.
  5. Being Mobile. I’ve lived in three different locations in my first six months in the truck. It’s been really nice to be able to just move if something doesn’t feel right. The first place I was at was in the parking lot behind a gym…in a bad neighborhood. I didn’t realize how bad it was until my homeless friend said he wouldn’t live there for nothing. During the summer, weekend nights were never dull. There was always ‘something’ going on in the parking lot, but it wasn’t until about four months I’d been there that I finally got hit. Someone tried to syphon gas out of my truck, WHILE I was sleeping in it. On the grand scale of things, this wasn’t the most horrible thing, but I moved the next day never-the-less. I then moved two miles down the road after checking a crime map of the area. I chose a particular street because there was a vacant lot in front of where I parked and I wasn’t blocking anyone’s ‘view’. Within just a few nights, I realized I wasn’t the only one who found this to be a good spot. Apparently, I had chosen a street that two other people were also living in their vehicles (a Yukon and an old Van). The night before I moved again there was a third guy who pulled up and was sleeping in his car. I decided to move again, not really because of him (even tho he did look creepy), but because I was unhappy with the gym I had been going to. So, I moved closer to another gym but still remained about five miles from my work in the other direction. Before I drove the truck over there, I scouted the area with my car first. I found a cop and talked to him about my situation. He suggested a street where he said a guy has been staying there in an RV for months. I found the street he was talking about even tho the RV guy wasn’t there so I requested a Lyft and went to get my truck. The second night there I noticed there was a guy sleeping in a little Chevy truck. I introduced myself to him and learned he has been studying Buddhism since the 70s. Completely unprompted, he launched into a 20 min conversation about symbols, atoms, molecules, and how we need to fix ourselves and the earth. He also informed me that I give off a very powerful vibration of kindness. So, there ya have it. Good stuff!

In closing, I am looking forward to at least another six months in the Button Mobile. I would like to spend at least a year in my awesome ‘Mobile Home/Tiny House on Wheels’. I will turn 49 years old next month so I’m feeling good about doing this at this time of my life. I have no idea what turning 50 will bring, but I’m pretty sure it will be bigger than a Box Truck.