Let’s count the ways
For decades now, we’ve all been bombarded with the “American dream.” While it can vary a little from person to person, it generally seems to involve owning a house with a white, picket fence. And while having your own home (with or without that fence), can be great, it’s just not for everyone. This is why many people are deciding to create their own, new American dream by living in an RV, and they’re doing it for these reasons.
1. It’s cheaper
While the price of an RV can vary widely, you can usually buy a new rig for under $100,000. Price does, of course, depend on size and type.
How much can you expect to pay for a house? The median price of homes currently for sale (at the time this post was published) is almost $300,000. And that’s just the initial cost. If you’ve ever bought a home, you know there are closing costs, lawyer’s fees, and many other things to think about. Then there are the property taxes. The costs of owning a house are endless. After you pay for your RV, the biggest expenses you’ll have to worry about are gas, insurance, and maintenance.
2. You don’t need as many furnishings
OK, let’s say you buy that house. You need to put stuff in it right? This is another expense we didn’t mention. And while you may already have furniture and other things, if you’re upsizing, you’ll probably have more rooms to fill. This is not an issue with an RV.
All the furniture – beds, couches, tables – are built-in. Plus, because space is minimal, this will force you to live minimally. While this may seem restrictive at first, it can actually be very liberating. With limited shelf and closet space, you have to be smart about what you bring, and this means getting rid of items you probably don’t need.
3. There’s never any yard work
Some people love nothing more than slipping on their gardening gloves, grabbing a trowel, and heading out to the yard. And others don’t. Even basic yard work like mowing or pruning can be a tedious chore, and if you don’t do it yourself, you need to pay somebody (yet another expense).
But what about your yard when you live in an RV? What yard? If you’re eager to see some grass, you can go drive somewhere to find it.
4. You don’t have to deal with bad weather
This one is a bit of a misnomer; at some point or another, we all have to deal with crummy weather. The difference between a house owner and an RV owner is that the RV owner can just drive his or her home away from the bad weather.
The forecast says it’s going to snow 3 feet? You can head south until you see palm trees. Is a heatwave coming? Just drive north until you see somebody wearing a jacket. Because you can go almost anywhere you want, you can always stay one step ahead of Mother Nature.
5. You can experience something new every day
When you live in the same town for a while, things can become dull. There are usually only a limited number of things to see and do. In an RV, your options are wide-open.
Heard about a great new restaurant on the other side of the state? Let’s go. There’s an exhibit of your favorite artist at a museum across the country? When are we leaving?
When you don’t have anything anchoring you (literally) to one location, you only have to stay there for as long as you like.
Thinking about living full-time in an RV? Check out our tips for taking the plunge, your options for work, and even roadschooling if you’ve got kids.
