I thought of something I did not put into my first posting of What People Need To Live
An Address
I guess sometimes that would be the place you live but in the case I pointed out in the Shelter part of that first article I typed, some people might have to resort to keeping their belongings in places where you can not use the address for a mailing address. So, if you don’t have a friend or family member that will let you use their address you will need to try to get a rented mailbox somewhere. Lucky for me I already have one that is a really good deal for $15 per month or less if I pay for 3, 6 or 12 months at a time. Just don’t forget to pay it when it’s due.
Expanding on the shelter idea, I have been looking into offices that rent by the month as well as storage places. I know there are limitations on some office rentals but there are some that include electric and or internet in the price of the rent. There are some that do not require a bunch of money up front but most will require a deposit & at least 1st month rent. Some will want the deposit and 1st & last months rent. There are also some that want proof of income and other information that some people won’t be able to provide. I have rented an office at two different times because I needed someplace quiet or quieter than the place I was living. I did have a job at the time and was able to provide all the information the office renter wanted. But if someone does not have the required information or a current job, they may find it hard to rent an office.
The main thing to think about before you actually need to rent a storage or office is what proof of anything you will need to show and keep those documents handy so you’ll know where they are if you have to go searching for a place to keep your stuff or a place to “sit” that is at least out of the weather. Another thing to think about with these ideas is how far it is to a bathroom/restroom from your storage unit or office door. It wouldn’t be good if the bathroom/restroom is a long walk and have to unlock a door or maybe wait for someone that is already using it.
Having a small backpack with a change of clothes that you can grab quick and carry with you no matter what would also be a good idea, in case you don’t make it to the restroom in time.
Office vs. storage
The office with electric is a better deal if you can find a good cheap office because then you can have a coffee maker to do hot water for any “instant food” and maybe even a microwave to heat food in. You may want to ask about these things before renting since some office rentals have cleaning people that have access to your space in order to keep everything clean. And that brings up another problem since you may not want people seeing everything you have in your office and you’d have to get to know their schedule for cleaning so you are not sleeping or something when they come and open your office door. The coffee maker and microwave also brings up another problem of possible fire hazard and the people who own the property may require renters insurance. Renters insurance might be a good idea anyway depending on how valuable your belongings are and if you are liable for damage caused by any break-in.
A gym membership would be a good idea as long as they are open 24/7 (not sure about holidays) and not always busy … I’ve been looking into the Planet Fitness membership that includes access to “all locations” and that said haircut services available which would take care of another thing that should be done once in awhile.
Another possibility for a place to “sit” that is not really cheap or convenient for many reasons is a day use pass to a State Park (SP), Recreation Area (SRA) or other places. I have bought the SRA day use pass before which was good for one year and it granted unlimited access to any of the parks on the state list which you can get when you buy the pass or look up on the .gov site.
California Park Info Looks like the Golden Poppy Vehicle Day Use Annual Pass (Hangtag) is $125 (looked up on Oct. 31, 2018)
The ones I went to most had showers and picnic tables with bbq stand near the tables and most of the time it was not crowded. Summertime was a bit crowded because everyone wanted to be at the lake and picnic or bbq and have a good time. Plus you have to have a good vehicle and gas money to get there. Most of these places are not close to a city where you can get your other stuff like food.
I might add more info to this article later.