Communications & Car Living
During my first car living experiment, I used a beeper and a calling card to stay in touch with friends and family. This was very unsatisfactory, and expensive too. It was often difficult to find a working pay phone when I needed one. I now have a cell phone with a cheap monthly rate and am very happy with it. It made job searching very easy, comes with voicemail and long distance, and is actually less expensive than the beeper/card option. I recharge it in the gym or in coffee shops.

Free internet access is also easy to come by, as nearly all libraries now have computers for their customers. I use the internet to stay in touch with far-flung friends (several are overseas) and to do this web page.

Mail is a more difficult problem. You need a legitimate address in order to get a driver's license, tag, and title. The best solution is to use a friend's or relative's address. You can also rent a PO Box from various companies such as Mailboxes, etc. Such a box may work when applying for a driver's license, though it may not. Otherwise, a PO Box will satisfy most mail needs. If you are working, you may be able to use your job's address.