Realizing that the people that have abandoned their dignity are a tiny part of the homeless population, nobody would actually know, great way to save.
Great way to be harassed, victimized by gangs and the police, and end up with a criminal record that would make it difficult to get a job. If you're a woman, you would likely be sexually assaulted. If you have children, it would be a horrible injustice to make them live on the street.
You must have a rather privileged life, with few responsibilities to others and no experience of hardship, to think this might be a good idea.
You'd have to be single and have relatively few possessions (because it would all have to fit in a tent, and you'd have to carry it all with you). You'd have to have some way to shower (gym membership, most likely). You probably wouldn't have a car (because otherwise, why live in a tent?), meaning you either live and work near public transportation or you camp close enough to work to walk. It would also help to be healthy.
In the Bay Area, you can accomplish all of this while living in a $1700/month East Bay studio, if you work in SF near BART, getting half the financial benefit with almost none of the down sides. The only major disadvantage over a more normal apartment lifestyle would be you have less personal space, but if you're willing to live in a tent, you probably don't care about that.
All in all, I would say it's probably not worth it. I'd consider van living before I camped in a tent.
I don't recommend it. I also doubt that you would save as much as you think.
And where did you sleep? And why not sleep in a vehicle? And why did you not save as much as you thought?
By the way, if you want to live in a vehicle, tent or something like that while freelancing, you could always just move to Eastern Europe, India or someplace else and live well for what you'd spend living in a tent in The Bay Area. Personally, that's what I would do. Alternatively I've read online about being "net cafe homeless" in East Asia for 10-30$ a day. Or, I've wondered about buying a van in Europe and hopping between countries for a couple years, but I've never heard of a non-eu citizen doing this, has anyone?
All of that is almost definitely more effort than it is worth if your only objective is to save money, but they might be good ideas if you want to experience them as part of travelling abroad while on a budget, or just get away on a Steve Jobs-type of adventure like he did to India.
I slept in a tent in whatever greenery I could find, usually on the edge of town. The reason I did not sleep in a vehicle: I gave up my car years before I went homeless. I no longer drive.
I didn't say I didn't save money. I said the OP likely would not save as much as they think.
OP said they would save $3000/mo. Let's assume that is current rent.
Housing is a place to store all your stuff. Many homeless people rent a storage unit for their stuff. Subtract the cost of your storage unit.
Housing allows you to buy food cheaply and cook from scratch. No kitchen means buying a lot of prepared stuff from eateries. If you are suddenly "saving" $3k/mo, you probably will not be eating at the absolute cheapest places to save money. Subtract higher food costs from your savings.
If you have a regular job, you need to be presentable. Homeless showers are often pretty horrifying and their schedules are incompatible with most work schedules. Most people will need to pay for some kind of shower access, such as a gym membership, truck stop showers and/or the occasional motel stay. Subtract that from your savings.
You can't expect to leave anything in your tent. It isn't secure. You have to carry everything you own everywhere at all times to secure it. If you leave your tent on the sidewalk, it may be gone when you get back. If you have money, you can potentially buy expensive lightweight, ultra slim items to make your alternative lifestyle work, such as a silk sleeping bag liner instead of heavier bedding. Subtract those expenses from your savings.
Camping tents are not intended to be lived in. They wear out when you live in them full time. I replaced my tent every one to three months. Subtract that from your savings.
Seattle is very wet. Cheap tents are never very waterproof. You either need a more expensive tent or to accept that stuff will be ruined or to check into a hotel anytime it rains hard. When electronics, like a phone or laptop, get wet, they can die. Life on the street is hard on possessions. They routinely get lost, broken or stolen. Subtract that from your savings.
Etc.
I could probably go on, but that should give you some idea.
So, I really appreciate the discussion.
I never considered that motel checkins would be a recurring thing for people that live that lifestyle.
When the storms come, you will say "Fuck it! I am not sleeping in this! I am checking into a hotel. I can afford it for one night."
As soon as I had enough resources to check into a hotel periodically, my highest priority was being in a hotel during life threatening storms. It was often a financial hardship that I stressed about, but I did it anyway. So, I think the odds are really poor you will willingly subject yourself to sleeping outside in a bad storm as a matter of course if you don't absolutely have to.
I wasn't in Seattle. I was someplace a lot drier. Given how much rain Seattle gets, hotel stays on stormy days could easily exceed $3000/mo. On a per night basis, hotels are usually much more expensive than housing.
Additionally, you will not be welcome at homeless services. Those are aimed at helping poor people, not clever hippies giving the middle finger to society to save a few bucks. And people will likely be much less tolerant of you setting up a tent on the sidewalk than of actual destitute people doing so. If the neighbors and cops figure out you are adding to the homeless problem in spite of being able to afford housing, you may find yourself subject to a campaign of harassment until you either go elsewhere or relent and get back into housing.
If you want to save a few bucks, a better plan is to do some research and look for a cheaper housing arrangement. This might involve getting a roommate or moving to a cheaper town and commuting or something else that adds inconvenience to your life. If you can't tolerate those inconveniences, you really don't want the hassle involved in living in a tent with no plumbing, no electricity, no means to secure your possessions, etc.
Also, I don't imagine they will shadow ban you for asking a naive question in good faith. I don't think that violates any rules here. ;-)
I think I met some. But why should it be much harder for US, except for Visa? (you just visit a non EU country from time to time)
If you do want a compromise on the cheaper side of things (I'm biased, though, being from the region), I'd rather go to Eastern Europe. Decent quality of life, low prices, ok-ish infrastructure, quick access to a lot of nice places to see, etc.