RV living with a stationary job?

[Guest]

Anyone living in an RV with a regular long term job in a stationary location? This looks like it would be our reality for a few years, just wondering if there is anyone else out there doing the same. Why not live in a house then? We want to be able to take the house with us <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"> for trips/ vacations and can't afford, and don't want to, have a house and RV.<br>We are counter-culture enough to not want to be tied to a house but my husband (at 33) has glaucoma and if we quit the job (and health insurance and eye surgeries) and hit the road, he'll be blind in a couple years...so... we'd like to ease into RV living in a stationary capacity to ensure it is really for us anyway....any thoughts?<br>This seems like a great group, just want to hear what everyone thinks and what everyone is up to.<br>Take care,<br>Allison<br><br>

 

[gp]

<P>Hi Allison. My sister and I were just talking about that a few days ago. We figured up that EVEN IF YOUR HOUSE WAS PAID OFF, by the time you pay property taxes, property insurance, electricity, water and internet (not to even mention home repairs),&nbsp;it's much cheaper just to&nbsp;rent&nbsp;monthly in an RV park where you have a beautiful view, don't have to mow or do any upkeep whatsoever, have all of the above included in the park rent, and you can move if you don't like your neighbors. </P>

 

[Guest]

Hi,<br>&nbsp;Yes, I agree that is a savings. That is exactly why we rent a house instead of buying one, it is cheaper. I am starting to look into workamping deals in our area. I am so nervous about pay sites and pay subscriptions being rip offs....<br>Allison<br><br>

 

[gp]

Another thing we discussed was buying an RV lot, but there are a lot of downsides to that too. What if you end up not liking the place, and, are there homeowners association fees, and, would you have to pay separate electricity and water since you&nbsp;own the lot, and, &nbsp;what if your neighbors drive you nuts? I think the ideal would be just to rent a lot. Unfortunately, as people figure out that it is so much cheaper to do this, as well as those who have lost homes through forecloure and now rent in an RV park,&nbsp;I bet park rates will go up substantially as demand increases. This could be&nbsp;disaster for someone on a fixed income.<br>

 

[Seraphim]

Home owning hasn't as many financial pluses in the current market - the incentives just aren't there, especially with the future housing market being an unknown. If the strong potential for future capital gains (right term?) is not there, then the labor and cost of owning a home is not worthwhile - unless you enjoy the physical aspect of home ownership. Home ownership was at one time, with thoughtful planning, an investment. People stopped thoughtfully planning.

 

[Wild_E]

Hi there, Allison and welcome to the forum.<div><br></div><div>Live in my RV / Camper/truck = box truck converted. I live at the back of an old farm, where there is equipment. I stay there for a small $$ per month, and look after the place and chase looters/thieves&nbsp;away. So built in Security for the guy with lots of equipment and he does scrap metal hauling on the side.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>I also have a Work Van, Self Employed, live in my Truck full time. Why, why not, it is much smaller and feels like a home to me. I am not homeless, I live in my home, I also do not consider a sticks and bricks setup a home unless you feel comfortable there.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>A few options would be to find someone the same as what I have and just ask them if you could park there, look to quarries, salvage yards, truck yards, trailer yards, large equipment companies, how about small farms or even large farms? All of them are targets of&nbsp;vandals,&nbsp;thieves&nbsp;and&nbsp;malcontent's. Just walk out of your&nbsp;<br>Camper, that is enough for most, carry a flashlight and just say security, and bam they take right off!&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Try to get to live there in exchange for being on site security, and tell them to say that and not O the Joneses live there, Security can be 24/7 with a camper etc, and that bypasses a lot of rules that towns have. You could also go to building sites, especially larger commercial ones, out of the main core or perhaps even downtown and park in a corner provide minimal security in exchange for staying there. Try to get close to a plug in as well and this solves some issues you will have.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Make sure you tell them, you are not always there, but come and go with odd hours and thieves do not like that either, they like to hit places with a routine.</div><div>just some thoughts to add to your questions.&nbsp;</div>

 

[jdillard]

<p style="margin: 0px;">I am just beginning to live in 40' fifth wheel in a nice park in AL--$400 a month covers everything as fifth wheel is paid for.&nbsp; For $400 month, I have nice spot, close to work (teaching), internet, cable tv (lots of channels), 50 amp service, sewer,&nbsp;a street address--just ordered a magic jack to use for my fax machine.&nbsp; I have stored my good stuff in the event I change my mind but will probably sell it in about a year I continue this love affair of being unfettered!!!&nbsp; So far, it is great and my dog loves being here in the rv park.</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">Also, have a boostmobile phone -- $45 per month with unlimited talk, text, and data.&nbsp; Life is good!!!</p>

 

[akrvbob]

I lived in a box van for 6 yeas after a divorce. I kept working at the same job and that worked really well. My kids loved it, they felt like they were camping whenever they were with dad. Then one of my kids wanted to live with me, so I put a 24 foot travel trailer in a RV park and he lived with me for a year. We both liked it. <br><br>You don't say where you are located, but my one warning would be if you are in a area of extreme cold. Heat is easy to deal with since you will have full electric and air conditioning, but extremes of cold can be very unpleasant in an RV. They are find at normal winter temps, but once it goes below zero RVs simply are not equipped for that kind of cold. Once in a while is okay, but regular extreme cold can be miserable. Bob<br><br>

 

[Guest]

Hey everyone,<br><br>thanks for the replies. We live in central florida. I am nearly finished with school, with a degree in education. I will be able to teach special ed, math, and science so I shouldn't have a hard time finding a job anywhere, even if not my dream job. My husband is a scientist but his position is very programming heavy so our plan went something like he getting a virtual or contract positions and I would get a couple years experience and then teach for a virtual school and our two kids would attend virtual school themselves. Alternatively, we would both teach in a more rural area that we would like better than where we are...but, my mom had a series of strokes last summer and lives with is. she needs virtually constant medical management with her local doctors which really limit our ability to travel...not really sure what to do. I need and want to care for my mom but feel trapped.<br>Allison<br><br>

 

[sl1966]

You've kind of got it made then. All you have to worry about are tropical storms if you can deal with the summer temps and humidity already.<div><br></div>

 

[Guest]

I HATE humidity and so desperately want to move west. I was in Las Vegas for a month. best month ever. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br>

 

[sl1966]

Me too! And I'm living in south eastern TX where the summers are brutalizing me! I've got maybe another year or so left here and am looking forward to the day when I can get back to the dry heat.&nbsp;<img border="0" align="absmiddle" src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif"><div><br></div>

 

[Guest]

I would stay in the house.<br>Husband has medical issues<br>Mother needs care<br>2 kids to raise<br>You are in school<br>Dont buy an RV lot<br>Its just a little early but someday will come<br><br>