A California man lost his six-figure Tesla job, then moved into his car. He says that helped him save $1,500 a month while working at GNC. In a July 4 video, Nico Murillo looks back on how he cut his bills.
His car had served as a bedroom long before it became his home. While working at Tesla’s Fremont factory, he slept in the parking lot to avoid a three-hour round trip to Lathrop.
After he lost his job in April 2024, Murillo and his family sold their house. He moved into his Model Y the next month. Even finding a place to shower took work.
By the time he made the video, he had switched to a Model X with a bed and kitchen gear. More than two years had passed since he first moved into his car, though he takes breaks from it during winter.
A Different Budget
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Murillo used a spreadsheet to work through his costs. Cutting rent and bills for power, water, and trash changed how much he needed to earn. He also got rid of his car payment.
After struggling to find another job, he returned to GNC, where he had worked before. The smaller set of bills left room to save on his retail pay. “And I started saving, get this, $1,500 per month just on a regular GNC job,” Murillo says.
By August 2024, he had left GNC to make YouTube videos full time. He also shared that career change in a LinkedIn post.
The Red Badge
Murillo joined Tesla in 2019 as a production associate earning $19 an hour. He became a production supervisor in 2021 at $85,000 a year, and says his salary had reached $120,000 by 2024.
Along the way, he bought a $1.2 million house with his parents and younger brother. His 12-hour factory shifts meant a long drive, so he used Tesla’s showers and the break-room microwave while sleeping near work.
On the morning of the layoff, an email reached him on his drive to work. His work account had been shut off. His boss told him to come in, but his badge turned red at the entrance. A security guard told him he no longer worked there.
Back home, he told his parents he had lost the job. The family later agreed they could no longer afford the house and sold it in May 2024.
Making Room
Daily life brought problems that the spreadsheet could not solve. Murillo struggled to find clean gym showers and places that stayed open all night. As the weather grew hotter, his fridge began to overheat.
He began living in the Model X in December 2025. His setup includes a single bed and storage drawers, plus a fridge, microwave, water pump, and sink. A power bank runs the microwave.
His car living also comes with a seasonal break. He stays in a house during November, December, January, and part of February to get out of the cold.