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ShelbylovesKk's avatar
ShelbylovesKk
Explorer
Sep 01, 2014

Off-grid vs RV park

I'm a little torn. I'm looking at buying a TT to live in full-time with my toddler, but need some advice from some seasoned RV'ers about my concern. I know no one can tell me what I should do, but any advice will be helpful.

I found a wonderful opportunity to go semi off-grid (I would have hook-ups put in) on an acre of undeveloped land zoned for agricultural use for $400/month plus electricity. The real motivator here is that I would be able to grow my own organic garden. The people currently living on the land are looking for like-minded people to create a nice little community, establish a farm, and eventually barter and trade goods. This is right up my alley and ultimately my dream. However, I have never done any sort of gardening and I'm worried about not having any bearings on how much energy I will produce (especially with the bi-polar Texas winter coming up), nor any idea of how much this is all going to cost. I'm a young, single mother, and my mom is the one who is going to be paying for all of this until I am able to do it all myself (God only knows when that will be).

Then there is the RV park that I was initially looking at before I found the off-grid opportunity. It's one of the top rated parks in my state and has amenities such as a swimming pool, laundry facility, and full functioning bathrooms (that were amazingly clean) all for $400/month plus electricity. Seriously, this park blew me away with how nice it was and I really did fall in love with it.

The off-grid opportunity is essentially my dream, but I'm afraid I will have bitten off more than I can chew as someone with no experience living in a trailer, let alone in seclusion. I'm starting to think the adjustment might be too much and the thought of how much money this is going to cost upfront worries me. But my heart breaks to think that I could be passing up an opportunity to live they way I've always dreamed.

If you were in my position and knowing what you do now from personal experience, what would you choose?
  • Mandalay_Parr's avatar
    Mandalay_Parr
    Explorer
    Sep 02, 2014
    I would try the RV park for a year, then decide.
    You don't want to bite off too much right off the bat.
  • Tvov's avatar
    Tvov
    Explorer II
    Sep 02, 2014
    Is the acre of land all yours? Or will the other people be on it also? I don't think one acre is all that much. Put your trailer on it, room for parking a car, and you have to use all the rest for a garden. Are you planning on growing your own food? Or selling it?

    Honestly, I don't think you are getting much of a deal, at all, with the acre of land. $400 a month, you have to pay for utility installation and then the cost of electricity, with no other facilities. Just for definition purposes, I wouldn't consider that "off grid". Who are you paying the $400 to? The "group"? Are you getting anything else in return? Help with the garden, watering, weeding, sharing of harvest?

    The RV park you describe is $400 a month, utilities are already installed, you pay for electricity, and you have access to all the facilities on the property. RV Parks can be great places for kids to grow up at if you pick the right one, with playgrounds and tons of other kids to play with. You may well end up having "playgroups" with other families, basically sharing babysitting while your kid gets to play with similar aged kids. And you can always go help out at "The Farm" with growing gardens if you want, and (I would assume) get a portion of what is harvested.

    Now... if the 1 acre plot was like $50 a month, then things are different.

    I'm just going by the quick description of your situation and (a lot) of assuming. Hope all works out well!
  • stew47's avatar
    stew47
    Explorer
    Sep 02, 2014
    Raising kids is hard enough without having to figure out your water and sewage. Go for the park. Park may have place to grow vegetables.
  • pianotuna's avatar
    pianotuna
    Nomad III
    Sep 02, 2014
    Hi,

    Since you have never been in an RV I would certainly recommend the park at $400 per month. After you have done that for a year, then consider the other possibility.

    You have more than enough on your plate without the steep learning curve of full time living in an RV in isolation.
  • Trackrig's avatar
    Trackrig
    Explorer II
    Sep 02, 2014
    Is the $400/month for the land a rent/lease cost, or is it the monthly payment to buy it?

    The trailer can be skirted to protect it from mildly below freezing weather.

    Have you priced having water and a septic system put in? Can Mom afford it?

    Living on the acre of land and growing your food would be a nice life style, but it's not going to put more than pennies in your pocket, it may not even make enough to pay for gas and car insurance. It's more of a retirement life style. You need something that's going to support you now and live this way later.

    Bill
  • Francesca_Knowl's avatar
    Francesca_Knowl
    Explorer
    Sep 02, 2014
    Let's review:

    The "off-grid" place would require you to "have utilities put in", whatever that means. So you'd be paying $400.00 a month for a bit of bare land that they'd allow you to "improve" at your own expense so that you can have basic utilities. Which you'd then be responsible to pay monthly on top of the rent. And presumably any/all such improvements would become the property of the land owner regardless of whether or not you stick around.

    Right so far?

    Your other choice is moving into an established Park for the same basic rent plus utilities, main difference being that you don't have to install any infrastructure yourself.

    Given your lack of experience, evident youth, and presence of a dependent child, the Park option looks best to me.

    This especially since winter's a comin' on!
  • trop-a-cal's avatar
    trop-a-cal
    Explorer
    Sep 01, 2014
    First, where in TX is this place, as the Winters can be bad. In 1995 we were in Lake Travis just above Austin and it was in the high 20's so we went to San Padre Island, (and that's about as far South as you can go), and it was still below freezing,( ice on the Palm Frons). That being the case heat is needed and not cheap in and RV due to the thin walls. So before you do it, look for alternatives. The other thought is let Mom off the hook and get some public assistance and they will pay for housing, food and health care. Go to your local Social Services and apply. As far as the gardening, yes do it, and that can be done in Municipal gardens that are open to residents that have a section for themselves or share crops. Good luck, but get real and use the available assistance, it's there for you.

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