| What are alternative lifestyles and why
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| | people choose to live in tents, RVs,
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| would they require alternative housing?
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| | cabins, underground homes, rental rooms
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| To answer the first part it is easiest to
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| | and anything else that's less common than
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| give examples. Then the answer to the
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| | the houses, condos and apartments that
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| second part becomes self evident.
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| | most people call home. Here are a few
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| One winter we were camping in our
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| | more of these housing options.
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| conversion van at a hot springs area in
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| | - RV Boondocking. I've talked to people
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| Arizona. We met a man who sold stuffed
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| | living in Rvs that cost $200,000 and ones
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| animals on the side of the highway.
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| | that cost $600, so the selection of
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| Having been through a bad divorce, and
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| | accommodations is varied, to say the
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| having little money, he was living in the
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| | least.
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| van at places like these hot springs.
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| | - Permanent travelers. Housing is
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| Every day he drove off to the nearest
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| | whatever works for the moment for those
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| highways and set up his stuffed animals
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| | who work various jobs as the travel.
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| for sale. He claimed to have sold $4,000
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| | - Houseboats. There are whole communities
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| worth the first month, so his low cost
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| | of people living on houseboats, and they
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| living meant he could save the money and
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| | usually don't have to pay property taxes.
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| get back on his feet.
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| | - Basements. Even some people with good
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| Meanwhile, another neighbor at the hot
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| | incomes choose to live in the basement as
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| springs was living in his old RV. He had
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| | they build the house above for cash. No
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| a house, but he preferred to supplement
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| | mortgage sounds nice, doesn't it?
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| his social security by renting it out.
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| | - Log cabin squatting. Yes, there really
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| This meant he lived in his RV for a few
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| | are people living out there in the
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| weeks at each location, often for free,
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| | national forests, moving when they get
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| and spent evenings sitting around
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| | caught every five or ten years.
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| campfires talking to travelers like us.
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| | - School busses. Apparently old busses
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| A friend of ours lived in a shack that he
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| | sell cheap. We met three young men who
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| built for $3,000 on a small piece of land
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| | lived in one in the deserts of Arizona,
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| he bought for $7,000. He was there for
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| | and anywhere else they could park it for
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| enough time to pay off the land and sell
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| | a month.
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| it for a profit. This is illegal in many
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| | - Offices. A couple I know almost moved
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| areas, of course, because of things like
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| | into the office building they owned. It
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| occupancy permits and minimum square
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| | was on the river and had showers, so why
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| footage requirements. Usually, however,
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| | not? One less mortgage too.
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| you can camp on your land, so a $2,000
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| | A national magazine recently did a
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| used RV parked on your land makes for a
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| | write-up on people who lived in the
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| cheap and legal housing alternative.
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| | jungles of Hawaii. Rents are high in
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| Other Housing For Alternative Lifestyles
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| | Hawaii, and life on the beach is good -
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| Alternative lifestyle doesn't mean "low
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| | at least for younger people who can
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| income" of course. There are other
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| | tolerate camping out for years.
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| reasons for living differently and
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| | Alternative lifestyles and alternative
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| needing different types of housing.
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| | housing are often more for the younger
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| Whether to save money, to travel, to live
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| | crowd. Then again, tell that to the tens
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| creatively - there are many reasons why
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| | of thousands of retirees living in RVs.
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