alternative living - part 1

Previously I posted about retirement planning and lowering cost of living options.  Here is a further look into one of the alternative living arrangements to lower the cost of living:  RV or mobile homes.

Here are the pros and cons to living in an RV:
Pros:
- RVs are a lot cheaper than homes for the most part.  We are not talking about getting million dollar RVs.
-There is no property tax because you don't own land.
-you can live where ever you want
-you can travel as much or little as you want
-there are ways to provide for your utility needs without being on the grid
-keeps you from owning too much junk
-no yard work

Cons:
-these isn't a lot of space
-you can't always park it where you want
-you have to know a little about maintaining the vehicle
-your guests any really stay over
-water usage has to be monitored well
-if you stay at a place that you can hook up to the utilities there, you still have to pay rent for the site, but it costs a lot less than a house rental
- you might develop a reputation as "the man that lives in a van down by the river"

The cost of living in a RV is a lot lower than in a house.  The down side is the you have to live kind simple. With the Internet and cellphone coverage being so great and getting better, communications isn't a problem.  Same with TV and other entertainment formats.  TV and electronics are getting smaller and more energy efficient, that having them around doesn't take up a lot of space.  Though you may not fit a 50" TV in your RV(and you could if you really wanted to), you wouldn't need it.  With the prevalence of solar panels, and other solar base ideas, your utilities will also be lighter.  For those who are extreme minimal in owing things, space isn't an issue. 

This would be a great way to travel both North and South Americas.  Depending on the cost of shipping and conversion, not a bad way to travel Europe and Asia as well.

There are a couple of site that will detail cost, how and why of living in a RV:
http://cheaprvliving.com/
http://www.your-rv-lifestyle.com/

Of course,  in the meantime, we can still take a page from the RV life style book on lowering the cost of living.  Habits like not owning a lot of stuff and monitoring your energy are good ideas anyway.  For me personally, I would love to install solar panels on my house.