You’re gonna live in a van down by the river!” is what many of my friends and professors exclaim when I tell them about my intentions to begin living in a recreational vehicle (RV) this summer. The exclamation references a skit that was done by Saturday Night Live several years ago about a motivational speaker who lives in a “van down by the river” trying to convince two teenagers not to do drugs using references to the speaker’s miserable life in a “van down by the river.” However, my choice to live in an RV is certainly not like living in a camper van.
The first thing to realize about RVs is that there are many different types. Ranging from the simple camper van or pop-up trailer that only has a bed and maybe air conditioning to fully self-contained units that have all the creature comforts of a small home or apartment, such as travel trailers, Class C, and Class A RVs. My RV is a 1983 Fleetwood Pace-Arrow. It falls under the category of being a Class A RV, which is essentially shaped like a charter bus. However, rather than having rows of seating, it has the contents of a typical one bedroom apartment. I have a living area with a couch and can place a TV linked to a satellite dish on the roof. I have a fully functional kitchen with an oven, stove, microwave, and refrigerator along with a dinette to eat at. My RV even has a bathroom area that has a toilet and shower larger than most of the dorms. Then I have a separate room for my sleeping quarters and plenty of storage for all my possessions. There is not much else a single person in their 20’s needs out of their living situation.
However, I am still frequently asked the question of why I have chosen to live in an RV? It just makes sense where I am at in life right now. My roommate for the last three years will be moving to Orlando when our lease expires, and I do not particularly like the idea of breaking in a new one. Also, it will be possible for me to save a considerable amount of money living in an RV rather than getting another roommate of renting a studio apartment. Currently, I pay a little over $600 a month for my share of the rent and utilities; that is approximately $7200 per year I am throwing away on rent. The reason I refer to paying rent as throwing away money is that you gain absolutely no capital benefit by doing so. You are quite literally making someone else richer without gaining any long-term benefit. I purchased my RV for only $3200 as a mechanic’s special (but hey, I am a mechanic) and RV lot rental with utilities is only approximately $300 per month. Not to mention that my RV has already experienced its maximum depreciation, which means I should be able to get most of the money I put into it when I decide to sell, so long as I maintain its condition, of course.
Not to mention one other intrinsic benefit of the RV lifestyle, you can go wherever you want, whenever you want. All you are is a gas tank away from a short weekend adventure or a permanent relocation.
The first thing to realize about RVs is that there are many different types. Ranging from the simple camper van or pop-up trailer that only has a bed and maybe air conditioning to fully self-contained units that have all the creature comforts of a small home or apartment, such as travel trailers, Class C, and Class A RVs. My RV is a 1983 Fleetwood Pace-Arrow. It falls under the category of being a Class A RV, which is essentially shaped like a charter bus. However, rather than having rows of seating, it has the contents of a typical one bedroom apartment. I have a living area with a couch and can place a TV linked to a satellite dish on the roof. I have a fully functional kitchen with an oven, stove, microwave, and refrigerator along with a dinette to eat at. My RV even has a bathroom area that has a toilet and shower larger than most of the dorms. Then I have a separate room for my sleeping quarters and plenty of storage for all my possessions. There is not much else a single person in their 20’s needs out of their living situation.
However, I am still frequently asked the question of why I have chosen to live in an RV? It just makes sense where I am at in life right now. My roommate for the last three years will be moving to Orlando when our lease expires, and I do not particularly like the idea of breaking in a new one. Also, it will be possible for me to save a considerable amount of money living in an RV rather than getting another roommate of renting a studio apartment. Currently, I pay a little over $600 a month for my share of the rent and utilities; that is approximately $7200 per year I am throwing away on rent. The reason I refer to paying rent as throwing away money is that you gain absolutely no capital benefit by doing so. You are quite literally making someone else richer without gaining any long-term benefit. I purchased my RV for only $3200 as a mechanic’s special (but hey, I am a mechanic) and RV lot rental with utilities is only approximately $300 per month. Not to mention that my RV has already experienced its maximum depreciation, which means I should be able to get most of the money I put into it when I decide to sell, so long as I maintain its condition, of course.
Not to mention one other intrinsic benefit of the RV lifestyle, you can go wherever you want, whenever you want. All you are is a gas tank away from a short weekend adventure or a permanent relocation.
Resource :http://theavion.com/rving-an-alternate-form-of-living/
