Curd soap instead of detergent. Refresh armpits with baking soda without water. Hang up laundry without a clothes rack. Garbage bags instead of trash cans. The decision to live in the car.

November 10, 2024.

Hi! I woke up at 8:30 today because I was woken up by the alarm clock, as today I'm having breakfast with the family.

Last night, before going to bed, I was thinking about whether I should really take the plunge: living in a car.

I imagined myself standing in a beautiful place with the car. Being more in nature but also traveling to other cities or countries when I feel like it. I still have a few worries about Carlife: What do I do when I need to go to the toilet? How do I do the laundry? How do I sleep in the car in winter?

Before driving to breakfast, I washed T-shirt and underpants with curd soap instead of detergent powder. I used to do this too, but after moving into an apartment I abandoned it and switched to detergent to be a bit more of a “normal person” for mother. It was actually a cowardly decision.

Curd soap is perfectly adequate for showering, hand washing and washing clothes. I will gradually re-establish the old habit of washing clothes with curd soap. Why again?

• Fewer “chemicals” stick to the clothes. Not all of the detergent is washed off the clothes. Detergent residues remain and cause unnecessary inflammatory reactions on the skin.
• I have more money because I never have to buy detergent again.
• I do not generate any detergent packaging waste.
• I never have to worry again about whether I have enough detergent and buy more if necessary.
• When hiking for several days (which I hope to do during Carlife), I only need to take a curd soap with me to do all the hygiene (except brushing teeth). I don't need to take any wax with me. So I save weight and space.
• I am less dependent on physical things in order to make a living. So if there is no detergent to buy, it has no impact on my life.

After washing the clothes in the sink, I thought about how I would dry them while living in the car. The way I do it now, hanging clothes on a clothes rack, will only work to a limited extent. To save space in the car, I wouldn't dry the clothes on the clothes rack, but on the doors or, if that's not possible, on a washing line. That way I no longer need the clothes rack. As a minimalist, I especially don't need the clothes rack in the apartment. Here I can hang the few clothes I have on the doors, windows, radiators or on the clothesline outside. I used to do the same in the shared flat. I only went back to the clothes rack because I was afraid of not being accepted by mother and society as an extreme minimalist. Now I realize that it was also a stupid decision to allow myself to be influenced against my will.

At breakfast with the family, the fears of living in a car have not diminished. The family is very skeptical.

After breakfast, sitting in the café, I asked myself: What am I afraid of? Will the world end if Carlife doesn't work out? What bad things could happen? If I died tomorrow, what would I regret more, having dared or not having dared?

I can also look at life in the car from a different perspective. I won't have to pay rent, heating costs or electricity bills. I won't have to rely on citizen's benefits, which run out in January. So I won't have to keep looking for a job in order to earn money to pay for the apartment. I am more independent of money. I am freer. I can wake up in a different place whenever I want. I can travel the world. I'm outside more because I probably don't like being in such a confined space (in a car). And it's a totally new experience that I'm going to have. That's what we're here for, life experiences, right?

While browsing through the car advertisements, I came across a perfect car that has already been converted into a mini camper, a Skoda Fabia from 2002, with a fresh MOT and already converted into a mini camper. I have written to Ann-Kathrin, the owner, and hope that the car is still there.

Full of enthusiasm for the mini camper, I put the kitchen niche up for sale at home. So the time has really come, I'm taking the plunge. I still can't believe it myself, but after discovering the beautiful red car, I decided to go with Carlife.

On the way home, I came up with the idea of using a garbage bag instead of a garbage can for organic waste. I could either buy compostable garbage bags or, which is even cheaper, use the sandwich bag from today's breakfast at mom's for example. Or any other bag that has no use or that I find somewhere on the street. That way I don't have to spend money on garbage bags and I'm also cleaning up nature or the city. A bread roll bag that was otherwise only used to transport bread rolls once is not immediately thrown away, but is given a new lease of life - as a garbage bag.

Why is a garbage bag more useful for me than a trash can?

• Living in a car means saving space. It's easier to store a garbage bag than a trash can.
• If I have to brake hard, I'd rather have a garbage bag hit my head than a trash can.
• The water in a car does not run as obviously as from a tap in an apartment. I should therefore use water as sparingly as possible. Unlike a garbage bag, a garbage can has to be washed out. I throw the garbage bag away directly with the garbage or use it several times - without washing it.
• A garbage can is heavier than a garbage bag. I was inspired by ultralight trekking and would also apply the term “ultralight” to life in a car. After all, a more heavily loaded vehicle consumes more fuel. I go by the motto of the ultralight trekking community: Every little bit helps.
• I would also prefer to carry a garbage bag instead of a trash can when hiking 😉.

The washing machine was finally picked up today. The thought of never having to lug the heavy washing machine upstairs again brings a smile to my lips. The man who collected the washing machine was fascinated that I live such a minimalist life. He couldn't do it, he said. I disagree with him. He can. The comfort zone he would have to leave is simply far too big. Like me, he would have to take small steps towards this minimalist state in order to experience how liberating it is to live like this.

I am grateful today:

• For having the courage to try something new.
• For coming up with the idea of simply storing the garbage in a bag.
• For Tobias telling me that I don't smell so fresh. Now I know that I should pay a little more attention to body odor. Goal: to be as odorless as possible.
• For finding a wonderful minicamper.
• For coming up with a water-saving idea to make armpits odor-free.
• For finally getting rid of the washing machine.

Continue Reading