Hi everyone!

A big thank you for all the replies. I wish I could multi-quote but i don't see that feature here..? Anyway, I am coming back down to earth on this idea, coming to my senses. Sad about it but it needed to happen and I appreciate all the honest input.

Terry: Thanks for the welcome. Regarding the electricity costs you have, I was shocked! Really! That's about what we pay in our current apartment in a 100 year old house! I never would've guessed that high. As for the nearby town, I have been looking there but rents are not much better, even for mobiles. They are still a bit better though so I am focusing on that town over the town my school is actually in. I didn't understand about how often the flushing must happen, either. I have a lot to learn! Now on the plus side, none of us are really attached to "stuff" our computers, some books, and a small wooden chest of momentos (mostly paper, some baby items from my kids) that also doubles as seating, and we're happy. As for any of this, though, we should be finished with school in a year and after that we are hopefully heading out of Texas. So IF we were to try something like this it'd be a year "trial" at most, but I am now leaning towards just scouring more and looking harder for an affordable rental. For now! :) I am not giving up completely yet.

PIEERE; See now, your signature line is what's nagging at me all the time these days I am just so tired of feeling "stuck" in one place. I think it is in my blood; my ancestors were ALL over the place and were a pretty migratory bunch, even within single generations. By the time my mother was my age she'd lived in four states and had traveled to four countries. So had I, of course, for most of that, but I had zero recollection of it, we settled in Texas when I was just 3, lucky me! ;) I just have to be patient. I like your idea of making a pros/cons list. We are definitely going to take more time to research fully before we do anything.

Technomadia: Good questions to consider. I have some ideas for some of them; we were looking at motorhomes with bunks in back in a bedroom for the older two anyway, so if we did that we would only have to convert our sleeping area (we'd most likely take the sofa sleeper or dinette and put the 10 year old in the bed over the cab). We are used to leaving the house to study as it is just because we live with other people, even in an apartment it gets too distracting. On other things you mentioned I have no idea and surely need to think about. As for getting 2 RVs, I don't know if we could swing that any time soon financially but maybe later on. Wondering if something bigger would work, down the road (haha, not literally really huh?)

NWescapee: That sounds pretty awesome. Along those same lines, we've been looking at bus conversions. My only hesitation there was not knowing if they'd be accepted in most RV parks. The possibilities seem endless and the prices seem reasonable even for those that are already converted, partially or fully.

Cindy T: It's looking like we'll end up just continuing our search for an affordable apartment or mobile home or something. Even if we went forward with an RV we'd want to do it before we sign any leases, and we need to be moved by Fall so there's really no way to research this fully AND buy something by then, I have to admit.

Everyone: Now, like I said,  we don't want to give up this idea entirely. Ideally, if we could rent a place that would allow us to park an RV at home, something a bit rural maybe, then we'd probably try and make a purchase later on in the year for the purpose of weekend trips and see how it works for us. It would be nice to have something to take trips in and have the option there if we ever decided we wanted it. I think part of my desire to do this is when I come across used RVs that are really affordable it just feels like "Why not!??". I have had times in my life where I scraped by financially, way too close for comfort. I have always managed to keep a roof over my head (and my children's of course) but there were times in the past where it was a real struggle and I guess I am kind of traumatized by those experiences so that even though it is not the case NOW, part of me sees an RV as a kind of insurance against homelessness, which is my biggest deep seated fear. Make sense? That's not to diminish the overwhelming wanderlust I already mentioned.

So on that note, for future reference and trips and a possible period of nomadic living in the future, should we be researching 5th wheels and a truck purchase? We aren't really interested in this point in a Class A motor home, mainly because I am terrified to drive one. That's probably irrational (especially considering I'd consider a bus) but it's true. I was in my Grandma's, sleeping, when we had a small but LOUD and scary wreck! I don't think I ever got over it!

-- Edited by CharlotteSometimes on Monday 24th of June 2013 07:43:52 PM

I think I have lost my mind.   I'm sure others who know me will agree if they hear of what's been going on in my head lately. I am going to try and keep this short but I bet I will fail at that! This situation is a little different from most because at this point, if we were to live full time in an RV, we would not be "on the road" much.  So, we don't have to consider "on the road" costs. 

Here's the situation:   We are a family of five.  Three kids, with the oldest a student living at home (21) and working part time, and the next being 15, and then the youngest 10.  We also have 2 dogs and 3 cats. 

We (the "grownups") are both full time students working part time (I work from home).   Long story but neither of us ever had any formal education, due to having kids young, and hence the later in life return to school for us both.  We each have about a year left before we finish our degrees and we have been commuting to a school that is over an hour away from where we currently live. 

The commute got to be a bit much over the past year in cost, time, and wear and tear on our car, so we decided to move to the town our university is in, an hour up the road.  No problem there, the kids are on board because the new town is different and kind of exciting, and my eldest takes mostly online classes anyway and can get another part time job.  The problem is, rents in that town are a good 30% higher than what we pay here, it's a college town so finding a place that takes pets is proving to be very difficult, and there are very few rentals that are larger than 2 bedrooms or in any way "family friendly".  Those that are, are way out of our budget.   Yes, we will save money by not having to commute but the rental situation there is just less than ideal.   We can find something I am sure but I don't WANT to pay that much, honestly, especially not to have to live in a party type complex or a place smaller than where we are now.  It's not the space so much as it is the principle of the increased costs.  Most rentals larger than 2 bedrooms are rented per room to college kids, with individual leases, and if we had to go that route it would DOUBLE our current rent (away from the college town)!  Ugh.

So, I started thinking, if we're going to live in a smaller space anyway to not cough up a fortune, why not make it mobile?   We have been talking for years about buying some sort of RV.  Mainly because we all have crazy wanderlust but with five of us and being students, we never have much extra money to travel.  We satisfy ourselves a bit with short day trips here and there but overnight stays become cost prohibitive even in cheap hotels because there are five of us. Most hotels max the room at four so we have to pay for junior suites or get a second room.   We are always saying how if we had some sort of RV, we would have the gas costs but would save so much on hotels and eating out...   and now I am thinking hey, two birds, one stone.

My rationale: We will most likely spend over $11,000 on rent alone this year.  Add an extra $200 or month for electricity (it's Texas -- it's "summer' most of the year) and pet deposits and pet rent, IF we can find place that will allow all our animals since many places limit you to two.    What if we bought a used RV and stayed in a park instead?  I've looked at what's available in the town we need to live in.  Rents are about $400 a month, including electricity.   Most include wi-fi and cable.  A couple look really nice: river access, indoor pool, hot tub, dog park, playground.    That's $4800 for the year in rent instead of $11,000.  Sure, we'd have the initial cash purchase of an RV to consider but after that, well, we would cut our housing costs by about half, at least that's how it seems to me.  Plus, instead of wishing we could afford to travel, we'd actually be able to just go when there was a long weekend or during spring break.  The money we'd save would allow for more travel, which compared to now, is ANY travel -- we haven't really been anywhere since 2011.  We are happy even when we can get away to the beach (2.5 hours for us) but with the hotel costs we haven't done it in forever.  We would mostly travel in summer so we'd be living in the RV while staying put, but it would be nice to know the option to take a road trip was there, much more so than it is NOW.

Is there any big flaw in this thinking?  The kids are excited but also skeptical when we've discussed it.  They wonder where they'd put their stuff (actually the older two are both just worried about their computers and the type of internet connection we'd get)---but they like the idea of being free to move about the country, or at least the state.    I have been leaning towards a used Class C motorhome at this point, because of the bed over the cab and money reasons and also because I think I'd be less afraid to drive it.  Ideally we'd go for a 5th wheel but we don't have an appropriate vehicle to tow one and I don't' think our budget will allow for a truck/suv too.    

I should mention that I do have some very minimal RVing experience, both for travel and full time living, long ago.  I spent many summers traveling the NE coast with my Grandmother and her husband in their big Class A, as well as going on Texas trips with them, and I briefly lived with them when they had it parked, when I was in high school (for about a year).  I also lived with my mother in an itty bitty travel trailer, when I was 20 and my son was an infant.  That was about a six month thing, and not pleasant but there isn't a house big enough in all of Texas for me to live with my mom, so the trailer wasn't the issue.    My aunt and uncle are full timers (retired) and they travel the country.  They have kids all over the country and they stay with their kids for a bit then move on and stay in parks and campgrounds for a while, then go back to visit another kid for a while. 

None of that means I know anything, just mentioning it, and though it was long ago, I HAVE lived full time in RV's, even though not for extended periods.   Maybe I sound naive but I think we get along really well as a family, we aren't prone to bickering and everyone respects each other's space, so maybe it could work?  I keep thinking that if it doesn't work, worst case scenario is we have to deal with it for a while and then we find an apartment to rent so if it is a disaster it would be temporary...  my biggest concern right now is ending up in a park with management problems.  There are only four or five RV parks in that town that I am aware of, and a nearby town (fifteen minutes away) has a few more options.  So I guess we could always move if there are issues..?   My other concern is that some parks limit your number of pets (why??) and so there's that.

Geez, that is still longer than I wanted, I'm sorry!  If you read all of that, you are too kind and I thank you!

Sherri,

First of all, welcome to the RV Dreams forums.  You will find this a good source of information with regards to RV's and the RV lifestyle.  With regards to your situations and desires, I can say that I do know of folks that have done what you are planning, but not in such a large group of people and pets.

I would recommend caution, especially since you are located in Texas.  Let me start with giving you an idea of our situation here in Oklahoma City.  First of all, we see temperatures ranging from 14 degrees up to 115.  We live in a fifth wheel (DRV Mobile Suites) that has 3 1/4" walls and a high insulation R-rating.  In the summer, our two air conditioners can run a lot.  In our case, we are living in a mobile home park, not an RV park, so our situation is that we have water and sewer supplied, but not gas or electric.  Our electric runs under $200 per month.

With RV parks, be sure and ask that if one is staying long-term, will they insist that your site be a metered site with respect to electric service.  I know of a few RV parks that have gone to insisting on that situation because the air conditioners and heaters can be running a lot in extreme weather, thus taking those sites up over their "preferred" expense for the site.  What you might also consider is seeing if you can find a mobile home park that has mobile homes for rent, perhaps in that town that is 15 miles away.  Believe me, I understand the extra expense with living in a college town.

Your next issue is that with an RV, you would have to keep a very close eye on your black tank's capacity, especially considering the number of people that would be living in it.  We have a coach with a 50 gallon black tank and there are two of us living in it.  Our normal period of time for needing to empty and flush the tank is about 7 days.  With more people and in a small RV like a Class C, that would require emptying and flushing about every couple of days, depending on how much on allows for flushing after each use.

Space in a Class C for 5 people and 4 pets sounds awfully cramped, especially when everyone starts looking at the "stuff" they want to keep.  Plus, with so many of you needing space to study, how would that be worked out, especially if this "lifestyle" might involve a number of years?

I don't really like to sound so negative because I understand the desire to save money, but I really suggest that you look at this very carefully.  Having said all of the above, I am sure that others here could give you some ideas as to how one could compensate for some of my negatives.  Keep in mind that I'm pretty "ancient" and desirous of being comfortable, but I can't see my wife and I living full-time in a Class C.

Good luck with your research and planning, and I hope that some of the others can give you more input than I have.

Terry

I totally understand living on a budget, but I really can't imagine that many people & animals in an RV.  My husband & I have been fulltime for about 2 years in a 38 ft 5th wheel.  When people come over, it starts feeling cramped really quick.  RV kitchens are notoriously small, there's only 1 small bathroom, if it has any hallway, it's narrow, etc., etc.  I agree with Cherie of Technomadia that living in a small space is more tolerable when you're traveling & seeing new sights.  Sitting in a crowded campground, packed into a small RV can be stressful.  My opinion is that you'd be much better off in a mobile home or apartment. 

Yes, the cost of renting in our soon-to be new town is making me a little sick to my stomach.  I am still looking for a suitable rental, even most mobile homes there are about the same as an apartment and it's so tough to find anything!

If I had the cash to buy two travel trailers, just to park them in a park and put my older boys (21 and 15) in one right next to us, I would do it, even without any plans for ever traveling in them! 

Argh.  I have never had this much trouble trying to find a rental because I am used to being in a city of over a million people, this is a new and frustrating challenge for me!