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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAlternative lifestyles...Which would you choose?
I spend 1/2 of my income per month on living expense related to rent and utilities. I've been wondering about alternative ways to live and not be a burden on friend/family but also not be homeless.
I've looked on Craigslist for a room for rent and you can find some decent accomodations but most are still comparable to renting an apartment - without the privacy.
I work online so I can work from anywhere. I've been thinking about an RV or a tiny house on a trailer.
What I'm wondering is: What would be your suggestion for alternative ways to live life that are different than the traditional rent/mortgage and utilities model we currently conform to - and which costs less than half a month's income?
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Exilednight
(9,359 posts)Quickly become a money pit and you will never recoup your investment.
Personally, I am looking at doing a container house.
ChisolmTrailDem
(9,463 posts)Last edited Sun Jun 7, 2015, 02:37 PM - Edit history (1)
Indeed, what partially prompted my OP was the inspiration and information provided by Tiny House Blog and their facebook page here.
A lot of cool things can be done with a container, or three, too.
The most attractive thing about these two options is that they are relatively inexpensive, compared to a 30yr mortgage. Another thing I like is that I can build either one myself.
I didn't know RVs are a money pit. What typically goes wrong with RVs that makes them expensive to maintain?
Exilednight
(9,359 posts)Replace appliances and such with standard items. Stoves, ovens and even the cabinets are designed specifically for a RV.
Aerows
(39,961 posts)that the V part, vehicle, you really don't go anywhere in them. They are insanely expensive to fix if they break down, as well.
Why have the V if you can just get the house part?
MADem
(135,425 posts)Does it matter to you...can you work from anywhere or are you tied to a region?
Houses and rents are dirt cheap in some places, dear in others...
ChisolmTrailDem
(9,463 posts)I sorta am tied to Texas as I have been here 3 decades and my friends and "family" here (in quotes because I'm not related to them by blood but was in a long-term relationship with a woman who had five kids who I helped raise and now consider me "Dad" or "step-dad" and who have their own kids now that consider me their grandpa.) My actual blood family are all in the east, N. Carolina, Florida, and Virginia. (Kinda sucks those states suck so bad!) But, here's the thing...
I'm not particularly tied to this region or that because if I can find a way to slash my living expenses, I can retain those ties even if I'm 1000s of miles away because I'll have the funds to travel more often, which is ultimately what I want to do with the money I save from slashing living costs, ie: rent, electricity, etc.
MADem
(135,425 posts)You can buy a fixer upper house for less money than you'd pay for a new car. You do have to heat the place in winter, though.
And it's rural environment, too. Long way from anything but the Canadian border!
Are there any rural towns in TX that are affordable like that? Maybe a little-known town in the middle of nowhere? It would put you a bit closer to family than Maine would!
lovemydog
(11,833 posts)asking around at universities or community colleges. Or looking at message boards where a nice house has a room for rent. I'd try and look for a house where maybe they just want one person to take a room in a nice big house. Like try a local investment bank or a church or synagogue or the local paper. Craigslist can be a bit sketchy. I'd try and find people who are well off and who wouldn't normally advertise on Craigslist. I'm just trying to throw some things out there. Good luck to you CTD!
ChisolmTrailDem
(9,463 posts)
struggle4progress
(118,291 posts)ChisolmTrailDem
(9,463 posts)Cohousing is a type of intentional, collaborative housing in which residents actively participate in the design and operation of their neighborhoods. Cohousing provides the privacy we are accustomed to within the community we seek.
Cohousing residents consciously commit to living as a community. The neighborhood’s physical design encourages both individual space and social contact. Private homes contain all the features of conventional homes, but residents also have access to extensive common facilities such as open space, courtyards, a playground, and a common house.
Certainly an interesting concept, s4p. Thank you!
gwheezie
(3,580 posts)It presented a different set of problems but the enjoyed it.
ChisolmTrailDem
(9,463 posts)Boat sitting might be interesting...
http://overyonderlust.com/im-on-a-boat-sitting-gig/
AZ Progressive
(3,411 posts)
Paka
(2,760 posts)I live on about $400-450/month in Thailand. Particularly in Asia, there are lots of countries to live in on a budget and still have a good life. I live exclusively on my social security (under $1,000/month) and save money for travel.
ChisolmTrailDem
(9,463 posts)how is the internet, electricity service?
Paka
(2,760 posts)Because I like being able to walk most places I go, I chose to live in the central city (Chiang Mai) where rent are more expensive. I have what would pass as a small studio in the US, but if you go just a tad out of the center city, you can have a whole house for the price. My rent runs between $100-120 a month depending upon my electricity use. Thai food is uniquely cheap and although I do love it, I get tired of the same flavors. Local markets are plentiful, so you can cook Western food cheaply as well, but if you eat out Western it can be expensive.
There is a hugh expat presence here, so there are many activity options both local and foreign. There is an expat club that meets once a month with a speaker, etc. There are many small interest groups for those so inclined. To name just a few, there is a computer club, a photography club, a hiking club, a travel club, a game club, etc.
Transportation options are good also and cheap. I rely a lot on Songthew which is about 50 cents a trip. Internet and electricity are great. Where I stay now I have free WiFi and it is very reliable. Occassionaly during a thunderstorm the elctricity will go out, but usually only briefly. Back on before you even have time to grouse about it.
The big plus for me is the medical and dental. The medical and dental schools are both here in Chiang Mai, and I get top quality care for pocket change. Dental example, I pay $150 for a crown that would cost at least $1,000 in the US and my dentist is the best I have had in my lifetime. You can have insurance, but I chose not to. My health is good and it is cheaper for me to simply pay out-of-pocket.
I hope that covers what you were looking for.
ChisolmTrailDem
(9,463 posts)hadn't considered yet. This is VERY useful information. To be able to have a decent life on $1000/mo in retirement is VERY intriguing, indeed!
AND, I already have a friend there...you!
Thanks for the info, Paka.
Satyrix
(2 posts)There's a ton of houses that were abandoned after the real estate bubble burst in 2008 - lots of them are available through local government (county or city), whether it's a land bank/grant sort of thing or sheriff's auction, and usually there's local/state/maybe federal assistance to get the places back up to code.
It's how I became a first-time homeowner after a quarter century as a rock band nomad. = )
Bought outright from a third-party Real Estate Management company for $3000; of course, it needed a little more than just some TLC.
It needed more like an ICU.
But still.
Good luck.
ChisolmTrailDem
(9,463 posts)actually feeling myself being pulled more toward nomadism than I am to a rooted structure, lol. But, in the end, I have to be practical. So, a recovered house in a place I feel content (I'm not content where I am now) might be a consideration.
Thank you for your ideas!
lumberjack_jeff
(33,224 posts)Interest = waste. Rent=waste. Insurance = waste. Utilities = mostly waste.
If you can work from home, you should live someplace other than a big metro center. I know people who work from home in the Bay Area, but I don't understand it at all.
If you're going to work from home, do it somewhere cheap.
ChisolmTrailDem
(9,463 posts)
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)Housing is very cheap, the biggest cost is electricity for the A/C in the summer, which, if you have a small house, is not much.
I was making about 30 K a year and banking 2/3 of it and had my own house when I worked here.
Now we are living on a rather small retirement income, own a bigger house and still banking some money every month. (having no debts helps)
80% of Alabama is rural, dotted with lots of charming friendly small towns.
As long as one avoids the 4 big cities ( all of which have about 250 K pop.) expenses are quite low.
Gormy Cuss
(30,884 posts)Last edited Sun Jun 7, 2015, 02:38 PM - Edit history (2)
I've known several people who have opted for professional couch surfing instead of independent housing. Some wealthy people maintain pied a terres that they use only a few weeks out of the year and for security reasons they'll have someone live in them full time. One of my friends had an arrangement that included pet care duty for aging cats but in general the deal was to keep it clean and looking occupied, plus being the eyes and ears for the owners should some maintenance issue arise. Living this way does require one additional expense, namely maintaining a P.O. box for your personal mail and there are some issues with establishing your legal residence but living in an RV would have similar challenges.
ChisolmTrailDem
(9,463 posts)resorts there and I would love something on the beach. Good point on the PO box.
Thanks for the suggestion, GC!
jwirr
(39,215 posts)room in my grandson's home. Just outside my window is a garage they only use during the winter. Someone has already partially insulated it and it has a concrete floor with one crack. And it already has electrical service. I would have more privacy, could cook for myself - I now buy things that do not need cooking, and have guests over when I want - and be out of their way. I would not save rent but I would get a lot of other things.
Not to mention I fell in love with a tiny house in the 70s and have wanted one ever since.
ChisolmTrailDem
(9,463 posts)then I would need a place to crash while it's being built because I will still need to slash my living expenses in order to finance the build. But once built it would only be a matter of determining where to locate it once it's built. The beauty of a tiny house too is that it can be moved.
Zorra
(27,670 posts)A lot depends on knowing what you want and being in the right place at the right time.
I've lived in my small RV in various places and situations, from free rent and no utility costs, at a place where I worked, $200 a month rent and no utility costs on a friends property, $80 a month on BLM land where the snowbirds live around Yuma or Quartzsite in winter, $65 a month rent on the Baja peninsula, rent free in the woods or desert in various places, etc.
Sometimes you can score a nice private RV spot in a really nice place near a river or lake for $300 or less at a private residence.
I've found that the farther away from cities I am, the easier life is in most every way. Warmer, drier climates generally make RV life a lot more hassle free. I recommend a solar powered energy system for living in an RV, it gives you much more independence and increases your options for places to live. RVs generally have propane stoves and propane hot water heaters, many have 3 option, 120v, 12v, and propane refrigerators as well.
All of the above places I've lived were west of the rockies, east of California, east of the Cascades, and south of Canada, depending on the season. The southwest has by far been the easiest, all things considered.
Living in an RV gets really old after awhile, mine is parked in the yard in front of my cozy $500 a month rental home right now.
Good luck!
TexasBushwhacker
(20,196 posts)I did it for 6 years and I only had one pair of roommates that I got along with the whole time (about 2 1/2 years). There's the lack of privacy and the inevitable "my house, my rules" arguments. People don't rent out rooms for company. They wouldn't do it if they could afford not to. But they seem to be oblivious to the fact that you're helping them pay their mortgage and utilities.
I like the co-housing, intentional community idea better, but it won't necessarily save you money. The tiny houses are cool, but finding a place to park them is a problem. Plus you to have a pretty substantial truck or SUV in order to move them. Lot rental in an RV or trailer park will cost you as much as rent.
Older homes can be pretty cheap in small towns, but you have to like the small town lifestyle and you'd better want to stay put. Selling a house in a small town can be a challenge.
I'm curious. What kind of work do you do online?
Jamastiene
(38,187 posts)away from any city, build a basement first, then put one of those shed type buildings on top of that with a hatch leading down. I was thinking maybe a 12'x14' barn shaped shed with a loft and a skylight. The loft could be the bedroom and the skylight would provide light in the daytime.
Instead of putting it together, as is*, build it up to code as a house, then pick a corner and plumb it for a bathroom. Then, wire it for electricity, preferably solar or wind with battery and generator backup for times when solar and wind are both not working. Also, insulate it with the highest rated insulation you can possibly afford to cut down even more on heating and cooling costs.
With something like that, you could get by with a window A/C if you live in an extremely hot area, or a small pellet stove if you live in a cold area. Or both, if you live in an area that has both hot and cold temperatures.
*I'm going by where I live. The sheds Lowe's sells have the wall studs 24" on center and to make it into a house, that would have to be modified to be 16" on center instead, along with a few other modifications(a major one being don't use that pressed board wood chips and glue garbage, but real plywood for the walls instead), to get it up to building code here. Even better, instead of buying the shed kit, look closely at how they are made, then build one with 2x6 studs instead of 2x4 studs, and use real plywood so the walls don't dissolve in high humidity. With the 2x6 walls instead, when you insulate it, you'll be able to add extra insulation for energy efficiency.
To me, that would not only be a much simpler way to live, but it would be fun building it and I would be able to add on if I wanted and/or save up and get some log cabin siding to make it look nicer. As it stands now, the place I live in would be damned near impossible to do any of this to it. I'm not good working with metal and there isn't insulation available that can withstand the high humidity that the walls and floors here seem to soak up and hold. If I had enough land and the money to do it, I would already be picking a spot in the middle and having a basement built to get ready for when this place finally goes kaput because of the humidity from hell that seems to just be drawn to these walls and floors.
Warpy
(111,270 posts)are too tiny to afford much work space and even less entertaining space so if you're at all a social animal, you might want to upgrade to rural cabin.
I bagged the RV idea years ago since they all seemed to be designed for people who are a lot more normal than I am (I have two floor looms). A trailer, on the other hand, was a good fit with low square footage and low cost. I should mention that this is not tornado alley.
There is cheap housing to be had outside cities in most states, as long as you aren't wedded to things like granite countertops and stainless steel everything. Unfortunately, once you get far enough outside cities for that really cheap housing, you run into piss poor internet access unless you're willing to spring for commercial satellite.
AZ Progressive
(3,411 posts)Cheaper than an RV, more flexible, and if you get the right one, can even park it on city streets without much of a problem (though there's a whole technique that needs to be learned for that.)
Google: cheap rv living
Ghost in the Machine
(14,912 posts)front end... big enough for one person, cheap on gas, and you can travel the country if you want to. There are many State Parks that allow free camping for a certain number of days, probably some National Parks too, but I'm not sure. I know they have some free camping spots in the Smoky Mountains Parks, and also in the Cherokee National Forest here in East Tenn.
K.O.A. Campgrounds are usually pretty reasonable, and there are some rest areas on the interstate that have sewage dumping facilities and fresh water fill-up facilities. Check out small RV prices on Craigslist, you'd be amazed at what you can find. I've even looked at small houseboats that were very reasonably priced. Of course with either, I would recommend having a bicycle, small scooter or moped to get around to stores close by. The KOA around here has several stores and restaurants in walking distance. The Marinas.... not so much, at least in the area where I live. Some of them along the Tennessee River at the other lakes/dams may have better accommodations nearby, but I couldn't tell you for sure.
Hope you can find what you are looking for...
Peace,
Ghost
AZ Progressive
(3,411 posts)
mnhtnbb
(31,392 posts)on an 8 ft by 28 ft trailer on wheels. The company is local (Mebane, NC) blueweststudio.com
Can't get a link to come up for the story which was in the real estate section. Cost $60,000.
The woman who had it built will have it placed on a foundation on a lot she's renting in Mebane.
The article mentioned probably being able to cut the cost to $40,000. with choice of different
finish materials.
PowerToThePeople
(9,610 posts)I considered living out of a vw van as an option. Get a gym membership for morning workouts and shower.
Now that I have someone to take care of, I need more space. If I ever get out of renting and into owning I will probably purchase an undeveloped lot and do converted cargo containers instead of a traditional house, paying cash for everything as I go.