Family of 4 in a 25ft Safari for 1 year

[ILOVESALLY]

I'm seriously thinking of taking a year to save some serious money and live in our Airstream. We will stay in the same town and go to work and school as normal. Our children are still young 5-10 After doing the math and getting tired of paying large rent and utilities I realized that I could save half of what we make annually. We could use this money to buy a house or even buy a new Airstream out right
My better half is considering it but obviously has lots of doubts. One is getting ready in bathhouses and doing laundry on site and making beds everyday. In my mind if we can get over a few of these doubts and fears it could be life changing financially. It would just be for one year and the park we are considering is a safe fun place and fun to be at. The park has state of the art facilities and is located in Florida.
Has any other families similar to ours done this for the same financial reasons in the past. Our Airstream works well for sleeping as we use the dinette and front couch for separate beds for the kids.

[m.hony]

I would do it in a heartbeat- and most men would-
It's the women-
I have seen a family doing that very thing in a 5th wheel.

I wouldn't even have the goal of buying a house or another Airstream-
I would be happy to live in my current Airstream forever-

If I ever find myself single for whatever reason that is what I will do, but I ain't gonna kill 'er to make it so...

[ILOVESALLY]

Well that's my thought and I can save money to.

[ILOVESALLY]

I can't do away with her she makes more money than me

[Ultradog]

With my wife?
Perhaps.
With children?
No way in ...

[Rollster]

Give it a try! If it doesn't work out, you can always find a place to rent again.

[dkottum]

You're going the wrong direction; I would sell the Airstream and buy a house. Without a doubt.

[andreasduess]

Take a look at malimish.com. Family full-timing in a 25' with three kids.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by ILOVESALLY

I'm seriously thinking of taking a year to save some serious money and live in our Airstream. We will stay in the same town and go to work and school as normal. Our children are still young 5-10 After doing the math and getting tired of paying large rent and utilities I realized that I could save half of what we make annually. We could use this money to buy a house or even buy a new Airstream out right

If your goal is to save money, an Airstream might not be the best way. Hate to say it, but it's true. The same plan works the same way with a larger but cheaper trailer, especially if you're not planning to keep it for a long time.

[m.hony]

Looks like by the post that they already have an Airstream-

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by m.hony

Looks like by the post that they already have an Airstream-

Well, since you've already responded it's kind of pointless to delete my post. So I'll just sit here looking foolish until the thread moves on from my inane comment.

[SteveSueMac]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

Well, since you've already responded it's kind of pointless to delete my post. So I'll just sit here looking foolish until the thread moves on from my inane comment.

Not foolish! The advice is sound. So you missed a detail. Happens to all of us.

Good luck OP - I love the dream and of course every family has to figure out what works for them.

[Grrrwolf]

The kids will be easier to convince than the wife If you are serious, I'd say start with a month and see if you are really saving any money.

Personally, I think I'd spend a few months looking for the perfect foreclosure. It could be a great reason to buy a fairly unlivable place that you can slowly rehab while you are living on-site.

[LiLNomad]

But could sell the Airstream and buy a cheaper larger trailer like a Avion or Silver Streak or God Forbid SOB..hehe and pocket the rest of the money to pay the first few months of rent at the RV Park.
LilNomad

[rvhippo]

I think that if you're traveling, the limited space will not be a problem because the majority of your time will be spent outside the trailer. If you're stationary, it is going to get tight.

Without three permanent beds, the couch/dinette will have to be broken down every night after dinner and then reassembled for breakfast. If someone needs the dinette to work or study, this will become a bother. Everyone is going to have to go to sleep at the same time because you can't separate the sleeping and living quarters in a 25 ft trailer (a flimsy plastic partition is not going to keep light and sound out of the bedroom).

The more you can move, the less space you will need to keep entertained (or sane). The more outdoorsy you are, the less space you will need (if the weather cooperates).

But moving around a lot costs a lot more money.

Check out the family blogs online. Most families are doing it with a fifth wheel and chasing the warm weather. Most RVs cannot handle extended stays in below freezing weather.

The big problem is space. A single guy can live in a RV small enough to boondock or Walmart. A single guy has all the privacy he needs to make a small space livable. 4 people in under 200 sq. ft. with nowhere to go is going to get painful very quickly. If it's raining outside, where is the 5 year old going to play while the 10 year old has to do homework and mom is assembling dinner (she's going to have to use the dinette table for counter space because there is too little space otherwise to put dishes, pots, pans and food)?

You may save money by moving into a stationary travel trailer, but it is going to be painfully cramped. I'd recommend you try it for a month first and see if you can tolerate it. Don't commit before you know your family dynamics are compatible with such a small space.

The reason you don't see families with kids living in stationary RVs is that the money saving alternatives to a single-family house - namely an apartment or a mobile home in a trailer park are so much more comfortable than a stationary travel trailer.

[John Adler]

A lot of it will depend on the park where you stay. You may do little more than eat and sleep in the camper if there are plenty of facilities. You can save a lot of money if the park has cable, internet access, etc.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, we have spent some time in our 25'er, [up to 50 days] but not full time. My wife and I and one little dog. Our clothes and a few extra doggy towels takes up all of our space and laundry must be done weekly. Where are you going to keep enough clothes for four people? Or doing laundry every couple of days because you can't carry enough changes for everyone. Camp ground laundries never work as good as my washer and dryer at home. And as high as $4.00 per load to wash, and almost the same to dry, adds up. This is just one thing to think about.

[mytehawk]

When my son was born we were living in a 24' Terry. It had been fine for the two of us, but after he arrived if you were sitting in one place and wanted to move to another you had to move what was in the other place to where you were first sitting. We bought a 40' Fifth wheel with a rear bedroom and lived with two kids for 5 years. I'm living in a 31' International and it's fine for one and would do for two, but 5 would be tight.

[Nealrap]

I think you'll spend more $ on eating out(cooking daily in a tight space is smelly & no fun).
Also the laundry as stated is probably more $.
And weekends it's hard to be cooped up all day, so you'll probably spend $ at movies or anywhere outside the airstream.
It might not be a money saver, but it'll be an adventure.

[Jim Lee]

From 1973 to about 1988 we followed the fair circuit from LA to Canada and back, playing fairs in the Midwest. We traveled from April to November.

When it was just Regina and I we lived in a 1968 Utopia... We made the gaucho into a bed every night. When she got pregnant, we moved up to 28 or 30' Impala or LaSalle travel trailers, my MIL was kin to the factory owner. These were cheap trailers...both cost and quality.

Then we went to motorhomes, by then we had two kids. We moved up to a 40' Kountry Aire fifth wheel... Two bedrooms. It was the perfect trailer for our family, we full timed for two years.

Now, it us just the wife and I in our Airstream and we are getting ready to full time again.

My advice to you is to get the biggest sob you can, park it, live In It, save your money. You will not be comfortable in a 25' trailer with two kids, full timing.

Don't forget the cost of propane, freezing pipes, electric heaters, snow in the entrance door and the worst of all: rainy days