4. UNCONVENTIONAL OPTIONS:
I have slept in cars, tents, homemade shelters (that's me in the pic below in one - I slept great through a storm in it and it worked great for the days that I was using it), rotating church shelters, permanent shelters, under trees, in train stations, boats, on shuttles, underneath tables, at homes of unknown strangers for free via Couchsurfing, and in police stations. For a list that includes most of the list below with additional unconventional options, go here.
If going unconventional, security is often going to be an issue. Consider placing multiple GPS tracking devices in hidden spots with valuables. Video cameras and locks are also especially helpful when going unconventional. Don't forget about free showers at the YMCA if you sign up for their low-income program for a free membership, which is a great prospect if you're going unconventional. Also, consider combining resources with one or a few other trusted people if going unconventional to split costs.
Various Possibilities:
Find campsites & other similar unconventional places to sleep here.
Parking lots - Find Walmarts that let you park overnight here. I met someone in CO who lived at a Walmart for whole seasons in a van that they had converted to be more like an RV with a bed in it. He was one of my ice climbing guides.
Liveaboarding - Some boats sell for practically nothing (check Craigslist - I see a boat with a trailer that ran last year with a cabin for $200 on Norfolk Craigslist at the time of this writing), sometimes even being given away for free (check Freecycle & Craigslist - I see a free boat w a free trailer on Craiglist in Norfolk at the time of this writing), and you can find places to live on a boat for free, especially when you anchor in waters protected by the elements near free dingy docks such as in downtown Hampton on the Hampton River. Be sure to check local laws if going that route. At other places, you can live on a boat for as low as a few hundred/month. At Ocean Yacht Marina in Portsmouth, for instance, you can have a 23' boat paying $195.50/month to live aboard it ($8.50/month/ft w annual rate) which includes water, with an additional fee for power at 11 cents/kilowatt, which is close to the rate you'd be paying at a house. Keep in mind solar options to avoid even the expense of power if you can afford panels and batteries. If going that route, go online and look up all the local marinas, and start with my list here. Also, there are places where you can anchor your boat for free, although in those cases, having video cameras, GPS trackers on valuables such as a dingy or kayak, & locks on your boat are important to deter thieves. Also, having a paddleboard and a car with a paddleboard rack are helpful if anchoring your boat. I have seen where someone anchored their boat for free with no cameras and it was vandalized over time. Some questions to ask for marinas include the following:
1. Are live-aboards allowed?
2. What is the cost for those staying annually (or whatever other time you want)?
3. Is there any additional cost for water/electric and are they included?
4. Are showers available?
5. Does the boat need to be approved before I can book the slip?
6. Is wifi available and at what cost or is it included?
7. Does the boat need to be insured?
8. Is parking available and is there any cost to that?
9. What is the lowest low tide the dock experiences?
10. Are there laundry facilities and is there a cost?
11. Are there minimum or maximum sizes for boats?
12. Are there any other requirements for liveaboards (some ask for references, might check your credit, do a background check, etc.)
You can own a lot at an RV lot, as you can see here.
You can own property and sometimes have an RV on it, as you can see here.
Train stations and police stations are also options sometimes, but it depends on the place. Some will let you and some will kick you out.
AirBnB - at the time of this writing I'm seeing as low as $10/night in Hampton Roads
Jobs/Interships that include housing - If you can't find any jobs locally or nationally, and are open to working for food/housing or going international for higher paying jobs that include housing, click here.
If you're 16-24, looking for free education that includes a home, check out Job Corps.
Craigslist - at the time of this writing I'm seeing as low as $250/month including utilities and wifi for someone who is working, on social security, or disabled and on disability (basically any form of income that would adequately cover the rent and your additional expenses in their eyes). If something like that is not available when you look, keep checking back. If it's not available in Hampton Roads, you can always check other locations as well. In some cases, there is work that someone will request to subsidize the rent.
Other Countries in 2/3 of the world - You can stay at hostels in some places in other countries such as in South East Asia for as low as $1/night ! You can also get low cost food and daily necessities - see more about that in the paragraph below on credit card points which can help you to get there and stay there. There are many places to find cheap hostels which can often run in 2/3 world countries for $10/night or less.
Credit Card points - see more on that on my transportation page and my credit card page . You can stay at hotels for free with points, and you can get a lot more bang for your buck in other countries in 2/3 of the world like most of South East Asia, Africa, Mexico, Central America, and South America. You can also get to those countries for free or at dramatically reduced cost with points. I have flown to many countries before with points. For instance, (see links on my transportation page for each card) if you got the Chase Sapphire Reserve (50k initial signup/spend bonus), Chase Ink Preferred (80k initial signup/spend bonus at the time of this writing), Chase Ink Cash (50k initial signup/spend bonus at the time of this writing), and Chase Ink Unlimited (50k initial signup/spend bonus at the time of this writing) this year, and were able to meet the initial spending requirements, you would only pay a $450 annual fee for the CSR (you could cancel it before year 2 and the same with the Ink Preferred to avoid any future annual fees), get a $300 travel credit back for $300 in travel spending (effectively a $150 annual fee with that factored in). You could then go to NYC by Amtrak with points for free, you could fly out of JFK to Delhi for just under 30k British Airways Avios 1 way + a fee of $324. You could then stay at a hotel for under 700 points per night. Round trip you might spend $648 for the flights +$150 in CC fees and pay for your daily needs and be at the hotel or others of similar cost for about a year! While there, you could continue to rack up credit card points to increase your stay even longer! Also, if you have an income from social security or disability of over $500, you might just want to stay over there if you are in good health because of the low cost of living (including housing), but if not, you would definitely want to have the ability to fly back if anything serious happened medically if you had medical coverage in the US or if you were going to get care uncovered.
To see how going outside the US might impact your social security, and what to do in advance, go here.
To see how to get more bang for your buck with nicer hotels starting at 5k points per night, check Hyatt's website which is a 1:1 transfer partner of Chase where I have booked hotels to get more than 3 cents per point at times rather than 1.5 cents per point with the Chase Sapphire Reserve pay with points feature.
Options in Bangkok, Thailand include one hotel rated 4.5 on Tripadvisor for <800 pts/night!
