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Thursday, December 27, 2018

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



15 comments:

  1. I like that option as well. Trouble is...I don't have a boat!

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    1. If you get another hurricane flood in Houston, you might need one.

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  2. Eighty month jump - how did they explain that rise in price ? Did you become incorporated into city limits or something of that nature ?

    I wonder about living in a houseboat in the West's canyon country reservoirs. Plenty of shorelines if you want to change your view. Those pictures that Harry has on his now defunct (sadly) blog looked great.

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    1. One of the big reasons is that the two county nursing homes lost a lot of funding that my county had to pick up. The school also needed an awful lot of repairs. Came as a shock just the same.

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    2. Even so, that's a huge chunk of change! Pathetic how we are taxed. Don't think I've ever heard of 'tax' decreasing once it has fixed the problem.

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    3. I must admit, I have had my taxes go down in the past, but this recent increase more than made up for it.

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  3. Just a note about the weather in the South and Southwest. This season is a lot colder than last year. I would reconsider a tent. Camping in a tent with mid 30 degrees nights is not pleasant. You might have some form of heat, but you've got to come out sometime. Another issue is full campgrounds. They were full long before the gov shutdown. Even here at a military base FamCamp sites have been full for over a month. Good luck in what ever you decide

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    1. Thanks for the heads up. We'll probably hang up here north until the shutdown is resolved. (Might be warm here by then)

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  4. The tax people will figure some way to tax your boat every year just like your bricks and sticks house.

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  5. Appeal the property tax increase!

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  6. My wish for you and your lovely wife in the coming year is to be able to find that perfect boat that fits your needs at a super affordable price. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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