A man lived in his car to save $60k in less than five months by spending $2 a day - so he could buy his dream tiny home.

Michael Hickey, 24, set himself the challenge to save the money in six months so he could afford a tiny home.

He decided to live in his Kia Rio and travelled to every state in the US whilst saving his income.

At the time, Michael was working as a DoorDash driver and content creator - earning a combined income of up to $20k a month.

He would shower at the gym and cook food on his portable stove.

In June 2024, after 146 days, Michael completed his goal of saving $60k and started looking for a tiny home.

He is currently in the process of building his 8ft by 24ft home complete with a kitchen, bathroom, and a queen-sized bed - while renting a tiny home for $600 a month.

In total, the tiny home cost $53k, and Michael is looking for a plot of land for $7k.

Michael, a content creator, from Mooresville, Indiana, said: "I first took a work trip to Oregon, where I lived in a tiny home."

"That to me was my happy place, it was a time in my life where I felt content and happy."

"I wanted to duplicate what I used to have and replicate that peaceful mindset I had."

"Tiny homes are cute and cheap; it felt like the right thing to do."

Michael was born and raised in Indiana, and in October 2021, after going to Mount Hood, Oregon, for a work trip, he fell in love with travel.

While he was traveling around the US, he set himself the challenge of saving $60k in six months so he could afford to buy a tiny home.

Michael said: "I had lived in Indiana my whole life. I travelled across the country for work, and I decided I wanted to travel for a living."

"It was on that job that I fell in love with tiny homes."

"I thought I could set myself a challenge of saving $60k in six months while travelling around the states."

Michael said his biggest challenge while sleeping in his car was fearing for his safety and admitted there is no way to be comfortable while sleeping in your car.

He said: "Safety was my main concern. I was sleeping in random parking lots and didn't know the area well."

"My biggest fear was getting my car broken into or getting robbed at gunpoint."

"There is no comfort sleeping in a car, you don't have a kitchen, bathroom or bedroom."

"The bare necessities kept me in a state of work mode, I was constantly working."

"When I am in work mode, I feel most comfortable, it keeps me busy."

In January 2024, Michael started living in his Kia Rio full-time while working as a DoorDash driver and content creator.

Michael managed to save up his $60k target in 146 days by spending $1 or $2 a day, living off eggs, chicken and peanut butter jelly.

He said: "I completed the challenge in June after just 146 days sleeping in my car."

"At the time, I was working as a DoorDash driver and posting daily on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok."

"My social media posts would generate $13k-a-month, and I would DoorDash for five to 10 hours a day for $7k a month."

Michael then continued living in his van until March 2025 when he started building his tiny home and renting a space to live in.

He said that he hopes his 8ft by 24ft home will be finished by May2025, so he can buy a piece of land in Oregon or Indiana to live.

Michael said: "After I saved up enough money, I talked to a bunch of companies, and it took months to find a great company worth working with."

"I have started the building process on my tiny home whilst living in a tiny home for $600."

"When my home is fully built, it is going to be 8ft by 24ft with a kitchen, bathroom, and a queen-sized bed."

Michael is sharing his journey on his social media @themichaelhickey