Fun with housing

My lovey wife and I took a hard look at our budget. We did a number of tedious financial shenanigans to squeeze about another hundred per month out of our budget. It wasn't easy. We felt pretty proud of our ourselves.

Then a few days later we discover our house taxes have gone up about eighty dollars per month. There's not much that can be done about that. Either you pay it -or you live in a van down by the river.

Living in a van down the river isn't what is used to be either. Of course, we sold our van, so there's that. However, we are pretty well set up for tent camping. It's very tempting to head south this time of year for fun in the sun. Subzero mornings make me reconsider my winter plans.

Right now all those prime spots down by the river are taken. Thousands of people have been thrown out of Federal Campgrounds. Last year we got to see it up and close and personal. The shutdowns were short last winter. Currently, there's no end in sight. There's a lot more Federal campgrounds than people realize. Most people are aware of campgrounds in National Forests. They also have campgrounds run by agencies like water conservation districts and Department of the Interior lands.

There are still ways to live cheap. Plenty of stealth campers have their hidden spots. Some people spend the majority of their nights in these “unofficial parking” spots. It can be a cheap way to live, but they are always in danger of police or security knocking our their door at three in the morning.

It's still legal in most places to live at anchor on a boat. As long as you have the minimum safety gear and a reasonably sound craft, the Coast Guard will leave you alone. It's not the staying on the water that's hard. Problems develop when you need to go to land.

For starters you need some sort of dinghy. It's your car. That can range from everything from a paddle board to a rigid inflatable with a forty horse engine. The big issue can be shore access. At some point you have to resupply, do the laundry, walk the dog, and take care of other business. Now and then the boat needs repair or even a complete haul out. Bottom paint doesn't last forever. Some places are boater friendly. Others are not.

Personally, I still like the live on the boat thing as a fall back option. You need a certain level of physical agility to make it work, but when I look at my tax bill I'm tempted.

-Sixbears