Selfsufficientish.com

Last year I bought a mobile home, which I love. I bought it thinking I'd give myself five years-ish to pare down my belongings so that I could live in a travel trailer. I love having a building of my own, even if I do rent the land it's on. After decades, yep, decades, of always living in someone else's buildings, I love having my own space. A hall to walk down, no television or footsteps to hear thru the walls or the ceiling. I love not smelling smells from other people's domiciles.

The pared-down lifestyle of the travel trailer/motor home folks has a strong appeal. All this comforting stuff is appealing too, but suffocating, or strangling? Anyway....

I've quite a few neighbors in travel trailers and motor homes. They love it!

Is anyone else thinking of drastically reducing and having a house you could take on the road?

I was made redundant last year and seriously considered buying a canal boat to live on. The only thing that stopped me was that I would miss my garden too much. The plan was to rent the house out, which would hopefully pay the mortgage and then I wouldn't have had to work - or at least I could have done a much less stressful job.

Since then I've got a much more flexible job. Same stress levels but fewer hours and much more freedom as to when I work so the need to downsize drastically has gone away a bit. It still appeals but the OH and I are thinking now of getting a boat for holidays rather than actually living aboard.

Sounds like your set up is ideal for you. Well done.

Zoe

i bought a vardo a couple of years a go in the hopes of repairing the rotten bits and living in it ,in the garden to start off then ....who knows
its still a work in progress but draws people off the street in curiosity

I have lived in a van for the last seven years and I love it

The van is coming to the end of it's life so we are going to buy an American Airstream Caravan and live in that instead

Ultimately we will then move down to Portugal and buy a small piece of land so we can park up and grow old

mamos

my wife and i were discussing this only last week. Our tied morgage ends in 3 years so we thought about selling up paying off the mortgage and buying a big uk version of the winnebago type bus and "go touring" but then we thought about clearing the house and decided it would be a non starter...

If you ever do decide to sell up and drive off into the sunset I would reconsider the whole motorhome thing and go for a large caravan

We have lived in a motor home for the last seven years and it can be annoying at times.

You get to where you want to go and you have set everything up then you decide you need to go into town to get some things or just to explore or you want to go off around the countryside for the day. You have to break camp, put everything away, pack everything up and then set it all up again when you get back.

Also, if you decide to stay somewhere for a while and get a job you then need to buy a car to get to work and stuff and all the time the van is sitting there you need to get road tax and mot and insurance but if you had a caravan none of these things would matter.

That is why after seven years in a van we are going to get an Airstream

mamos

My son left home to live in a mobile home , when he was selling to move in with his wifetobe I would have loved to have bought it from him - but it wasn't feasible at the time. sad
We have often discussed a canal boat - but I would also want my own patch of land to tie up alongside - so guess that would be a lottery win required errm if i ever bought a ticket
The thing to have with a winebago type is one of those cute 3/4 wheel moped/cars 50cc 40mph two seats and they will tow behind the main vehicle- perfect for popping to the town for supplies

snapdragon wrote: The thing to have with a winebago type is one of those cute 3/4 wheel moped/cars 50cc 40mph two seats and they will tow behind the main vehicle- perfect for popping to the town for supplies

Two lots of road tax, Two lots of MOTs two different fuels

mamos

Would there be enough room for my books and sewing machine ? nope .. ok couldn't do even if I didn't take the husband with me... but I do like spending time travelling in one...

Silver Ether wrote:Would there be enough room for my books and sewing machine ? nope .. ok couldn't do even if I didn't take the husband with me... but I do like spending time travelling in one...

We have a problem with storage but it is good to limit the amount of stuff to just the stuff you really need or want and get rid/store the rest.

We have a problem with DVDs and our solution is to put them all onto a massive hard drive and play them through a media player of some sort.

As for a sewing machine, you make room for the important things in life so I don't think you would have a problem

mamos

[quote="mamos]


As for a sewing machine, you make room for the important things in life so I don't think you would have a problem

[/quote]

that means I get to leave the old fella elsewhere

He can sleep in the tow vehicle

mamos

mamos wrote:He can sleep in the tow vehicle

mamos

If it looked like a shed he would be happy ...

Lived in a motorhome. True independant living - especially round europe with all the aires.

I'd second the caravan though. Having to take a motorhome out to do simply things like shopping is a pain in the ass. Also if you are not touring get the biggest awning possible. Will triple your living space.

I second the canal boat option sounds like good lifestyle , you could grow stuff in containers on the decks.
Unfortunately not enough to be selfsufficient.
Untill the kids have left home we will keep dreaming and planning