A Million Americans Are Living In Their RVs
Is it because they want to, they lost their other home to repo, or they can’t afford anything else?
A million Americans live full-time in RVs, according to the RV Industry Association. Some have to do it because they can’t afford other options, but many do it by choice. Last year was a record for RV sales, according to the data firm Statistical Surveys. More than 10.5 million households own at least one RV, a jump from 2005 when 7.5 million households had RVs, according to RVIA.
And there’s this:
A 30 year mortgage is essentially a suffocating lifetime financial commitment for many people, and so a lot of Americans are choosing to embrace the RV lifestyle in order to escape those financial chains. One family that the Washington Post recently interviewed says that they are “redefining what the American Dream means”…
“We’re a family of four redefining what the American Dream means. It’s happiness, not a four-bedroom house with a two-car garage,” said Robert Meinhofer, who is 45.
The Meinhofers and a dozen others who spoke with The Washington Post about this modern nomadic lifestyle said living in 200 to 400 square feet has improved their marriages and made them happier, even if they’re earning less. There’s no official term for this lifestyle, but most refer to themselves as “full-time RVers,” “digital nomads” or “workampers.”
I don’t see how a family of four could possibly live in an RV, no matter how big it is.
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11 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Check out Tiny Homes that movement is gaining speed too.
We have a group here "Treehouses, tiny homes and natural building"
It's embracing life over possessions.
RavenCT
Level 9
Nov 17, 2018
1
We are a much more mobile population than ever. Families are more spread out geographically. If I had the option an RV would be a wonderful home. My son and his wife live in Ohio, my daughter and her husband live in California. I would love to be able to spend time near both and travel back and forth at a leisurely pace.
For a lot of people in situations like this, it is a possibility; others just like to escape our northern winters; and a lot like the freedom to travel. There are a lot of reasons why people would choose to live in an RV. Most are probably positive.
JimG
Level 8
Nov 17, 2018
3
The American people are broke as hell. I read some study not long ago that found the something like 70% of us can't scrape up 400$ in cash.
OpposingOpposum
Level 9
Nov 17, 2018
5
One of our most exciting purchases was when my husband and I bought an RV. The happiest day of my life after my husband died was when a tree fell on the RV and the insurance company bought it and I no longer had to make payments. Maintenance on an RV is far from cheap even without a tree falling on it.
Lorajay
Level 9
Nov 17, 2018
4
With Seattle's sky-high apartment rental and house prices, thousands of people living in vehicles have no place to park.
LiterateHiker
Level 9
Nov 17, 2018
4
I would live on a boat if I could, but I live in a landlocked location.
Piratefish
Level 7
Nov 17, 2018
4
If I could still see well enough to drive and could afford it, I'd be fine with living in an RV.
Home ownership is more trouble than it's worth. I detest HOAs and anyone else who thinks it's okay to tell anyone else how to live. As long as no one is creating health hazards or eyesores that bring down property values, no one should have anything to say about how other people choose to live.
Living in an RV and having the freedom to pick up and go wherever one pleases is my idea of heaven.
The "American Dream" was nothing more than a marketing ploy designed to create a larger consumer base. Buying into that concept helped to fuel the credit-rating system scam, and a whole host of other previously non-existent and unnecessary businesses, designed to do nothing more than take people's money.
Don't even get me started on the rental property industry. There's an even bigger scam perpetrated on people, that goes back even farther.
KKGator
Level 9
Nov 17, 2018
3
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