In the same boat myself. There's a few things that some people have covered, but I'm just going to list it all anyway. Going to use a ton of underscores to help sort it so it isn't so difficult to read, hopefully reddit won't fuck it up ahah. _ - Apply for a temp work agency. I get a lot of off/on work from there. If you're in/around a large city, there should be multiple options. _ - Apply for food stamps. It's a federal program, so it'll work no matter which state you're in. _ - Check if there are local homeless shelters (they'll have resources and if nothing else can help you figure out where to get a meal) _ - Fix up your car, or trade it for something nicer. Crappy car (any dents/dings/large scratches/rust/broken anything) will instantly be a cop magnet. ALWAYS keep your car clean. Try to wipe it down if it starts to get too dirty. I cannot tell you how many times this saved my ass, it seriously helps a ton. Try to keep your stuff nicely packed if possible, that way you can use the excuse that you're travelling. _ - Map out local areas to try to find safe places to park for the night. Most people I know will go park in industrial areas (make sure semi trucks won't be trying to park in the same spot) rest stop areas around the highway are good too. Make sure you're always at least 2 hours away from the last one you are at, if you're slowly travelling. You'll get state cops that generally stay within a 1 to 2 hour radius of their hometown usually. You can use the excuse you're driving across country to visit family and had to rest, but you can't use that excuse twice in the same area. _ - IF you are able to, sometimes (SOMETIMES) it's worth it to pick up a hobby that you can make money back on. If nothing else, it keeps you occupied. I know people that get money for sewing, knitting, and drawing. If nothing else, try to find something that can occupy your mind instead of picking up an expensive habit, or to prevent you from going back to it ( like drinking/smoking) I personally use my spare time to study things. I picked up quite a few interesting car mechanic books from thrift stores that have managed to help me out of some pinches with car problems, and I have some language books as well. _ - Big rule of thumb, always make sure you're only breaking one law at a time. Living in your car is already illegal, make sure they don't have more than that to tag on you, or you'll get some serious jail time + impounded car instead of just a warning or ticket. If you plan on getting drunk, make sure you're parked somewhere safe first, then walk away from the car to drink. Make sure you never have open booze in/around the car, no matter the circumstance. Some cops will just look for reasons to be a dick sometimes. Same deal with any other substance. If you do it, do it elsewhere, and make sure you're never impaired behind the wheel (even if you sleep in the front seat, better to just sleep in the trunk at that point). You don't want your home to be impounded. _ - There are "sun guards" or "wind guards" you can get for the top of your windows. It helps to keep out rain if the windows are cracked, but the main reason is so you can have the windows cracked a bit at night and it isn't so obvious. This will help keep your car from fogging up too bad...sometimes. _ - One of my best investments was a foam sleeping pad that can be folded up. It's pretty thick though, so it tends to take up about the same room as my sleeping bag when folded. Also, invest in a warm sleeping bag. _ - You might want to invest in a tiny cooler, there are some for ~$10 at walmart (unfortunately i can't even find cheaper on craigslist, most places just sell it for $10 no matter what.) There are also little ice packs you can get from the dollar tree. Can be a pain to re-freeze them once they thaw, but it helps to have those for food storage. _ - A small power bank might also be a good investment. I bought a couple that work off of AA batteries from aliexpress for like $4 each. Ended up selling a couple for $10 each. Downside, since it's from china, it takes about 5 weeks to get here. _ - Find a place that you can use for mail. Quite a few shelters will know where you can find this, if they don't offer it themselves. _ - Figure out where you can shower. Once again, a good place to check with shelters for. I was able to get a cheap solar shower that has helped out a lot. If you go to campsites, sometimes they have showers as well. _ - Sorry if I already mentioned this, but if you have any big name expensive items (bose, apple, etc) you might want to consider selling it. Some will never get a good value, but those high dollar items can make you a target for assholes. I got the cheaper bose headphones as a gift many, many years ago. I got hold of a broken pair of bigger headphones and took the shell off it to put over my bose ones, that way they look like a cheap pair of headphones. If you have an apple computer, i highly suggest selling it for a cheaper one. I got hold of a laptop on craigslist for $15, and it runs great. _ - If you haven't started, start getting rid of stuff now. If you haven't used it in a year, you don't need it. Always keep a pair of nice clothes (job interviews), and always make sure you have a sewing repair kit. _ - Another rule of thumb lots of people live by, only spend what you make that (or the previous) day. If you didn't make money, try not to spend money. Keep that money you saved up as emergency funds. Try not to give in. Living by that will give you more of a push to find something that can help you get money. Even if it's collecting cans. This is why EBT will help.

There are likely some things I'm missing. Basically, I went on and looked at a bunch of camping checklists to help me get ready. But now I guess I'll move onto food. Quite a few people I know will eat fast food for a hot meal. You'll become closely acquainted with the dollar menu. However, there are cold meal options you might want to consider. I switched my diet onto mostly fruit, and have gotten MUCH more energy from it. Bananas are crazy cheap (25 cents each or so) and pretty filling. Personally, I hate them. They ruin my appetite. Which is what makes them great. I can go off of 4 bananas a day. No matter your diet, I suggest taking multivitamins.