Cheap weekend homestead outside BIG 500K population city?

^^^^ you forgot to define “cheap”. If the mathematical ratio of “cheap” is similar to the disproportionate ratio of a 500k population to a 15k population it is most likely not very affordable for anyone on a very low income who is looking for payments of a $100 or less monthly payment with a very low down payment.

Even Bob Wells soon realized he made a mistake in buying a small piece of cheap land close to the tiny town of Grand Canyon Junction. There is a community well in that tiny town and water delivery and Walmart is within a 45 minute drive to Flagstaff for a monthly grocery run. There is a Safeway about 30 minutes or so drive time to Williams, AZ. But unfortunately both winters and summers are not suitable for living in an RV or a Van. It freezes most nights in winter and 90+ temperatures are common in summer. Plus it is in the summer monsoon season rain area making dirt roads get deeply rutted with mud. So there is a very limited spring without mud month which is late May and early June. There is anlson the one not too snowy fall season relatively dry month sch is late September and early October. However both of those time periods can have temperatures cold enough for snow fall events, that happened in May of 2024. That is why land is very cheap there.

maki2 said:

^^^^ you forgot to define “cheap”. If the mathematical ratio of “cheap” is similar to the disproportionate ratio of a 500k population to a 15k population it is most likely not very affordable for anyone on a very low income who is looking for payments of a $100 or less monthly payment with a very low down payment.

Click to expand...

I'm relatively cheap.

maki2 said:

^^^^ you forgot to define “cheap”.

Click to expand...

$30k for 40 acres. Lots of junipers and red dirt. Wells are ~300 ft deep with good water. Fairly flat. No association, ag zoning.

rruff said:

$30k for 40 acres. Lots of junipers and red dirt. Wells are ~300 ft deep with good water. Fairly flat. No association, ag zoning.

Click to expand...

They want a cheap WEEKEND homestead outside a BIG 500k population city. The land speculators who know such cities are going to expand and that there is a need for warehouse space and manufacturing space and housing subdivisions for the workers plus stores and schools snap up those rural acreage properties years in advance of the growth expansion.

The Cedar City Utah metro area is expanding west on UT-56 towards Nevada.

Housing and Industry, hand in hand.

maki2 said:

My back is too damaged to want to own land and look after it. Cheap land is undeveloped but that means lots of work including hauling water and keeping the access road passable. NONE of those cheap land deals are on paved roads or located along county maintained roads or close to places to buy supplies including water. Many have no place to get mail or are not located where you can get Amazon and UPS deliveries. The rules from towing companies about higher rates to go to dispersed camp sites on BLM lands will most likely also apply. That land is cheap for a reason! It is no good for grazing, farming or much of anything as permits to put in a structure with foundation are not cheap and to get a permit for that you have to put in very expensive improvements.

I visited such a property and the owners had big shed kits they put up for a kitchen, bedroom, living room and storage. But as they did not bother to put in lightning rods and there were no trees taller than the sheds one of those buildings got hit by lighting. Fortunately they were not home that afternoon and the lightning strike just burned a hole through the wall but it could have caught fire and destroyed everything else they worked for years to put up including their solar panel farm and other sheds as well as all the vegetation and other vehicles.

I bet few of you have considered that on those properties you will need to have lightning rod protection for all your shed buildings…

Click to expand...

isn't that just a rod on the top with a long grounding wire to bring that electricity into the ground safely away from the building? I remember helping family tear down an old house and they had that.. Seems like simple tech, which I'm sure is another expense but not massively expensive.

As for hauling in water, living as a nomad in my minivan for two weeks at a time on BLM land 2 gallons a day is plenty of water. While a minivan is not a typical rig you think of when hauling water but 30 gallons of water every 2 weeks is easily doable. But I don't think I would want to "stay home" longer than 2 weeks haha. rain catchment for a garden is an assessor. Also buying crap on Amazon and UPS really do seem much more of a rare event as I get older cause consumerism is the devil. haha. We still need basic things but overall I don't need that new gaget that is advertised online for 50% off and free shipping if I buy two. I'd rather save 100% and not have to work those hours of my LIFE to obtain a gaget that will waste even more time of my life..

oops a bit of a tangent.

Either way I've given up on being a homeowner.. I will be homeless or renting paycheck to paycheck until the sweet escape of death.. Great nation on earth.. hmmm... sure it is.. sure it is.. Havn't been to a doctor in over 10 years. That sweet escape likely willl sneak up on me sooner than me being old enough to be president! haha.

There really is no way to win anymore. it's all ways to waste your money making others rich and we the people get screwed out of everything.

Lance22 said:

There really is no way to win anymore. it's all ways to waste your money making others rich and we the people get screwed out of everything.

Click to expand...

Now that a bunch of states expanded Medicaid, I think it's easier than ever. You just need to be a poor person, and forget about middle class. Get your free HC and foodstamps, and work under the table when possible.

If you want to live in the boonies, then do that. Cheap land isn't hard to find. Work online, or get a seasonal job during the part of the year when it's unpleasant at your place, or something like that.

Spend less than you make...

rruff said:

Now that a bunch of states expanded Medicaid, I think it's easier than ever. You just need to be a poor person, and forget about middle class. Get your free HC and foodstamps, and work under the table when possible.

If you want to live in the boonies, then do that. Cheap land isn't hard to find. Work online, or get a seasonal job during the part of the year when it's unpleasant at your place, or something like that.

Spend less than you make...

Click to expand...

I like the free HC part but the foodstamps idk..

My dream is to living out of my minivan summers in the north, Winters in the south and work mostly online. I want to write 6 hours a day for 6 days out of 7 so working 36 hours a week. and then living in cities about 200-600K in population so I can go to the gym workout and shower and still go to local BIG parks and enjoy life.

Just upgraded my minivan to 400 watts of solar and just bought my new bigger fridge and the other will be a freezer now! yea! I heat healthy tons of frozen veggies and stick to less processed foods as well. I really am trying to get my life figured out. I been investing in dividend income stocks, I want to stop living paycheck to paycheck now that I'm moving back into the minivan. Basically I will be working at my stocking job as I'm still working on loosing weight and getting into shape and then be "living at the gym too"

but eventually I'll try getting freelance work as a writer once I save up some more and have some monthly income from my investments too.

I went to collage so I know if I make to much money then I have to pay more back to my loans which I can never pay back already anyways... I was given bad advice early and made bad choices I mean as an early adult I should have known better than to trust the adults telling me to go to collage as that would help improve my life. lol..

What are these states with expanded Medicare? Right now I'm kinda committed to my employeer but I can transfer with them every 6months and they have locations in all 50 states.. (but I'm not driving to Hawaii since I can't swim)

I was planning on going up to Iowa this coming summer. Then maybe back down to Oklahoma or West Texas.. Although south Texas might be nice next to the gulf during the winter!

Colorado and the west coast seem to hostile to vanliffers so I been avoiding considering those areas to be honest...

Lance22 said:

What are these states with expanded Medicare?

Click to expand...

In the west all but WY. Medicaid is tied to a state where you domicile.

And you absolutely need to be poor at least on paper! I think it's ~$15k/yr; varies by state. They may or may not look at bank accounts and what you own. Do your research.

Free lance writing seems like an extremely precarious way to make a living, especially with AI. Working in a trade would be a good bet, I know several people who do that under the table. I have a buddy who made his living playing poker at casinos, but he says it's much harder than it used to be.

Working out in the boonies is super easy... you don't need a gym. For instance, there are usually lots of rocks around and you can "take them for a walk"... they'd appreciate it! Really examine if you need the things you believe you do.

For your student loans take a look at doing a job in a career field that will repay or forgive them after 10 years. Government has been trying to help as bankruptcy doesn’t cover student loans but there are way too many people that made bad decisions early to let those that influenced them off the hook and several of those universities have been shut down but more needs to be done to make them refund tuitions and student loans they made attractive to young gullible students in my opinion. Why should those institutions profit if promised results never materialized? Sorry for wandering off subject, maybe a new thread is in order for further discussion.

Lance22 said:

.. Although south Texas might be nice next to the gulf during the winter!

Colorado and the west coast seem to hostile to vanliffers so I been avoiding considering those areas to be honest...

Click to expand...

Maybe you could just blame John Denver for Colorado being overwhelmed with a vast number of retiring “Baby Boomers” who want to go camp in the woods for an authentic Rocky Mountain High!

Every coast line in the USA is overwhelmed with campers in all kinds of rigs staying for short vacations and looking for a long term, low cost way to camp next to a beach. It happens to lakes and rivers as well. It must be something in the water

maki2 said:

It happens to lakes and rivers as well. It must be something in the water

Click to expand...

If you want peace and tranquility... gotta go where other people don't.

It sad how hard that is getting. It's not just more people, but the public lands favoring the use of these damned SxS and similar ATVs.

It usually in my experience starts with ranchers and mining operations creating roads and access points. For many years you had to be a backpacker to get access to backcountry. Then dirt bikes and ATVs made exploration easier. Many campers used them before attempting to drive their larger vehicles into remote areas. Wildfires have caused many more roads and two tracks to be built lately. The very roads vans and camper vehicles require to access remote areas is one of the reasons side by sides and UTVs have become so popular. Many handicapped hunters and hikers enjoy the benefits of them as well. OHV areas were specifically designed for these vehicles but until noise and speed limits are strictly enforced the only answer authorities have is the same one they have for people living in the areas CLOSE THEM OFF! It would make sense for groups like ours to join with side by side, UTV, ATV and even dirt bike groups to require access while creating and enforcing reasonable noise, speed and use regulations. Bitch about them and loose access for all but the able bodied or join them and and keep areas open insisting on noise, speed and liter standards with self enforcement as well as including bans of individuals for violations with strict enforcement.

Self discipline??? Not likely. There is an excitation high when those some of those individuals get on their toys that literally “overrides” their common sense social behaviors. It is the Wild West, bronc riding, horse racing head to the saloons spree time. Those are their let-it-rip recreational outlet.

Now, now, blocking the road so someone can’t camp somewhere you don’t want them to? Many people on public land don’t exactly act as they should, might possibly you be encouraging those people to create or expand the road because of your actions? They are probably thinking mean thoughts about whoever had the bright idea to park as to block the road. Many organized rides for UTVs stress and enforce laws of the area in an effort to keep trails open. One of which is staying on established trails, when new tracks get made because the couldn’t get by someone parked in the road it doesn’t help anyone. Just saying.

maki2 said:

Self discipline??? Not likely. There is an excitation high when those some of those individuals get on their toys that literally “overrides” their common sense social behaviors. It is the Wild West, bronc riding, horse racing head to the saloons spree time. Those are their let-it-rip recreational outlet.

Click to expand...

AGM same thing. As an alcoholic, I know what they are doing when they jump in their ride, race around, then come in for a quick alcoholic pit stop, then race back out. No dune permits needed on Ogilby Road, so no policing at all, unlike Imperial Sand Dunes aka Glamis.

bullfrog ! said:

The very roads vans and camper vehicles require to access remote areas is one of the reasons side by sides and UTVs have become so popular.

Click to expand...

The "roads" aren't new... they've been there forever.

The difference is that there are just so many people using these noisy things now. What I mostly see is people who tow them behind their monster RVs. I have no trouble finding a secluded spot that is miles from where they park their "home", but there is no place to get away from the SxSs, because they are allowed everywhere that I'm allowed to drive. The RV owners spend their days tearing around the boonies on them...

The value of living in my rig has always been to be in nature away from everything. Now due to modern tech, people simply bring everything with them, and stay plugged in to the same BS 24/7 like they do at home. No worries about tearing up the desert with lots of noise and clouds of dust, because what else is it for? They are there to have fun, party, yeehaw!

rruff said:

The "roads" aren't new... they've been there forever.

The difference is that there are just so many people using these noisy things now. What I mostly see is people who tow them behind their monster RVs. I have no trouble finding a secluded spot that is miles from where they park their "home", but there is no place to get away from the SxSs, because they are allowed everywhere that I'm allowed to drive. The RV owners spend their days tearing around the boonies on them...

The value of living in my rig has always been to be in nature away from everything. Now due to modern tech, people simply bring everything with them, and stay plugged in to the same BS 24/7 like they do at home. No worries about tearing up the desert with lots of noise and clouds of dust, because what else is it for? They are there to have fun, party, yeehaw!

Click to expand...

You are absolutely correct that there are more people and more vehicles in remote areas. Backpackers and hikers as well! I can remember Backpackers complaining about RVs with generators, Jeeps and motorcycles trying to restrict federal lands to foot traffic only and at the same time rafters screaming to not build dams while mining, clear cut logging and open range ranchers flourished. Made me realize large groups with deep pockets usually get their way. It helps when you can prevent people with different views from compromising and unifying to oppose you.