Tuesday, September 01, 2009

Trailer Lifestyle

Ever thought about living in a travel trailer?  It's actually not that bad.  When I was a teenager my parents bought a 35 foot travel trailer that had 4 beds.  2 couches that faced each other but they folded down into 2 beds, a twin and a double (I slept on the twin, my parents next to me in the double, doesn't it give you shivers to think about?) then above that a twin (which is where my kid sister slept, she was small enough that she could fit, it was like a bunk bed to her) and then the dining room table came down to make a double bed (my older sister slept there).

That's 5 people in a travel trailer, yes it's very cramped but that's the type of trailer you go camping in, not live in.

They do have trailers that have actual bedrooms with a door so you do have some privacy.  My stepdad and sister live in a trailer in Northridge, CA.  It's got 2 bedrooms both with double beds, the main living space has a regular couch, not built in, a dining room table, again not built in, a regular sized fridge that you have in your house or apartment (or as the British say, your flat) and it has a small stove and a small oven and a small sink.  It has enough cupboard space for all of your dishes and a big enough pantry for a lot of food.  The living room actually expands outward with the push of a button.

If you get a 5th wheel or an RV they are going to be bigger so you get even more room.  They all have a bathroom with a shower but you know the rule when showering in a trailer right?  Wet yourself down, turn off the water, soap up, shampoo your hair then rinse yourself off.  Don't use a lot of water because the trailer water heater isn't as big as the water heater in your house.

It's actually great for 1 person or a couple or even a person who is retired and their kids are all on their own.  I wouldn't put a family with children in a trailer though unless they were really poor.

A trailer park has decent rent usually about $300 per month but I guess that depends on the city/state and/or neighborhood.  You can find a decent one that doesn't have the typical "trailer trash" but instead where all the people are nice and they aren't stereotypes.

I certainly wouldn't want to live in a cramped trailer where all of my stuff is in storage but if it really came down to it I guess I wouldn't really mind.  I don't have that much stuff, I only have 1 piece of furniture which is my grandmothers bed frame which if there were bedrooms I could just set it up in the bedroom.  But other than that I'm pretty much set.  I could live in one if I had to.  It's actually not that big of a deal for me, I could easily live in a trailer, that is if I was in a nice trailer park.

I'm talking about trailer parks today because my sister is in trouble.  She is at risk of becoming homeless and I told her that she should get a trailer, you can find one on Craigslist really inexpensive.  They have problems but inexpensive.  You just get someone to tow it for you and if it has repair issues then you do those repairs as you get the money.  I found a trailer for $1000 in craigslist.  Considering they usually sell for $10,000-$20,000 used, $1000 is a great price.  Especially if it's temporary until you can get a better job and save the money for other arrangements.

She works at this halfway house, she gets free room and board and she gets paid $200 a week but she can't set aside any of it because she has credit card bills and loans to pay off so she's basically stuck.

If she can get a trailer for $1000 then she can quit her job and use her credit card to pay rent until she can find a job.  And if she has to she can apply at a fast food place until she can find a better job.  Trust me, you do what you gotta do.

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