Gas has surpassed 4 bucks a gallon in my territory.

I live 45 miles one way from work, now making my commute cost 15-18 bones a day. I suspect that by the end of the year (Or even sooner) it may be cheaper for me to park the Burro at an RV park paying a monthly rent, or rotate through local campgrounds closer to my place of employment during the week, (I can do this with my golden access pass for 5-7 bucks a day with no hook ups.. which is not a big deal to me) and come "home" on weekends.

This will reduce several costs, from utilities in my stick built house, to gas for the Jeep, not to mention reducing my commute time.

Has anyone ever done this? Whats the best way to deal with two residences.. (If you count a 17 footer as a residence )

Even though the reality of this making financial sense is not lost on me, it bugs me to have to do it, and it makes me concerned about using the trailer on weekends to "Camp", which is my # 1 recreational activity right now. Will I lose interest in my weekend house playing on wheels?

Do you lose your sense of "Home" for your stick built? Does it turn into just the weekend vacation house?

I have actually done similar things in past lives. I worked here in So Cal, and flew to the Northwest on weekends during a long term, long distance relationship. The "House" I went to on weekends was not my own tho, so this makes it somewhat different. I also worked in Seattle while maintaining an apt in Portland for a couple years. I stayed with my Dad during the week and commuted "home" on Friday nights, returning to Seattle at O dark thirty on Monday mornings. (I was a LOT younger then!) I also lived in my VW Bus in my work parking lot in Portland for a year during a time of 12 hour days during the week, and going back to my house in the gorge on weekends. There I had use of an unused lunch and bathroom area, so I had private shower, bath and cooking facilities of a traditional nature. (I also got a little differential to be on call like that)

This all seems so far into the past that I don't remember how I coped. I had planned to actually sell my house before giving up the cushy gig, and doing just this, without the weekend travel to the stick built for a couple years and then head out to the road. Selling a house right now is NOT a good idea financially.. so, I guess I have to find out how to manage cheap rent and mortgage simultaneously.

I guess I feel fortunate to have this option. I know a few co workers that set themselves up during the housing boom even farther out than I am that have few options right now.

Renting my house out is NOT an option.. rentals are a dime a dozen right now. I also don't want to give up the escape from "down the hill" on my free days.

Treat your anchored home as a vacation home, to which you escape on weekends and holidays!

Buy a real small commute car. Something you get good mileage on. 2nd hand.

Unfortunately, there are two problems with that.

The last 12 miles of my commute home are straight up with no services. In the winter, this can be very dangerous should a mechanical issue arise. I knew when I bought this place that I would be faced with car payments to reduce my chances of that happening. Cash is not available to buy a low mileage one outright, and adding more car payments would only compound the problem.

I could trade in the Jeep and get a smaller car, but... it's hard to tow a trailer with a Honda Civic LOL!

I don't have room to park another car, thats why I reluctantly gave up the Element. A decision I am now regretting. When I had both the Jeep and the E, I actually used the Element more than the Jeep due to the gas consumption.

The 17 footer is my ticket to fulltiming. Giving it up is a poor choice for the future.

I have considered a Motorcycle again, however. I can't use it sometimes in the winter, but most of the time, it would be OK.

Hmm, quite a conundrum... a few thoughts; if push comes to shove, you will lose a lot more selling your house in the present market than selling your trailer. If full-timing is still some time in the future, it might be possible to temporarily downsize your trailer. Or, a diesel Liberty, or better yet, an AWD Subaru would give you the winter driveability you require, better mileage, and still have more towability than an Element to downsize to a 14 or a light 16 foot trailer. Toyota Ravs are rumored to get mid-30's mpg Imperial and still have a 3500 pound tow rating. Within the next few years, small diesel SUV's will be here, so that you could pull that 17 ' trailer, and still get decent mileage. Gas is $!.25 a litre ($4.73/US gal) here in Winnipeg, and a recent bank prediction is for $2.20/litre ($8.38) within 4 years. It may be that the long term trailer solution for the less-than-affluent is a 50 mpg Toyota Corolla pulling a light 13' trailer.

I gather telecommuting, carpooling, public transportation, and renting a room close to work are out. Around here we also have what they call "park-and-ride" parking lots where you would park your car during the day and take the bus for the rest of the trip to work. This is of course very location-dependant, but maybe a variation on that theme could be applied.

I think your RV plan sounds like a good one, especially if you don't have to move the trailer around much. I guess my concern would be the pets. Are they going to be safe/happy in the trailer/trailer park?

I have two houses, but don't commute that often. (Just summers and Christmas in one, the rest of the time in the other.) I don't feel less at home in either one, though. They are very different. One has all the comforts of, well, home, and the other is reasonably primitive. But when I'm heading to one or the other after a long drive I still have a sense of coming home.

Bobbie

I did this for 5 years in a Navy campground Monday night to Friday morning and my wife would come over from time to time. Things worked out well and we still like to camp. Taxes became a problem because our primary home is in VA and the Campground was in MD and MD wants TAX if you work and sleep in their state. Stay in a cardboard box or under a bridge even 1 night there and you must pay tax on your income. Go home to VA every night and the agreements between the 2 states and you only have to pay in VA. A real catch 22.

That shouldn't be a problem for Gina until California slides into the ocean and LA becomes part of the island state of Western California. http://geology.com/articles/images/san-andreas-fault-map.jpg

I want to get away from So Cal, but not necessarily have it get away from me :-P

All the suggestions are good ones, but they don't necessarily work in this area. So Cal was not designed with public transport in mind. (Coming from a city that has one of the BEST public transportation systems in the US, this was an adjustment for me.. I used the bus/light rail for years and years)

Carpooling is possible, and it has been discussed with a few, but my work involves traveling between facilities, on an irregular schedule. This only makes part time pooling possible, and thats pretty ineffective.

I have broached the telecommuting subject and found that there is a small army of individuals that are also calling for it independently. "Corporate" is looking into it. It may very well happen. But there are legalities to hurdle over.

No, getting rid of the trailer is not a wise idea. It's a lifeline on so many levels.

I like Bobbys experience. She is doing as I am contemplating, but on a different schedule. Darwin, thats good info too. I won't be between states tho.. only counties...

Hi Gina! You generated some interesting input here. We are holding good thoughts for corporate enlightment and a favorable decision on telecommuting. This would ease the burden of so many, starting with you.

Yeah, you gotta hold onto the McMansion, since you waited so long to find your dream rig, and it fits so well into your game plan to RV-it for those last few working years before "hitting the road". With your nest egg to cushion you, you'll have the best of all worlds. Take care, L 'n D

Seems like each option has some negatives here. But, if it were me I wouldn't consider staying in the trailer during the week something that would diminish the fun in my "real" camping, but that is a very personal thing.

I would not trade away my 7-second commute to my shop, but that is just a circumstance that now has even greater benefits than before.

IF you do not want to give up your house, your trailer, etc. the option not really explored is a career change.
Doing something that does not require commuting is the ultimate solution but obviously a major and drastic change.

It's easy for me to say, being "retired" and all, but working from home would obviously solve the problems.
I have a son (programmer) who currently works for a Silicon Valley outfit and flies down there now and then on their tab to shake hands and so on. His attitude is that moving from Portland is non-negotiable, and they seem quite happy with that. Fortunately he has never had to apply for a job in his life (we should all be so lucky).

Wish I could come up with the unexpected bright idea, but I can't, so all I can suggest is maybe a trial period of putting the Burro in a convenient spot but not committing to a long-term situation that can't be quickly dropped (gotta treat the "kids" right though).

Career change is definitely in the future. Personally, I have insurance issues to deal with still, so staying with Fender is a requirement at the moment. I have surpassed my "5 year mark" and am technically cured of my lung cancer now, but that landmark is still fresh and it will take a few more years for that to be morally credible and believable to the masses... such as future employers that don't understand that this is possible. Saying I "had" the cancer 8-10 years ago makes it easier for folks to believe its done with than a short 5 years is, especially with this type of cancer. (Offside... unfortunately, most of the world is uneducated on the subject and it is rare to find anyone that knows it's curable under certain circumstances, just like it's rare to find a breathing specimen of it) "Cured" means nothing when trying to purchase private insurance. No one will cover me for this condition.. only an HMO will through an employer, or through a state risk pool, and that is spendy premiums.

(I am not whining.. it's my own doing and I need to take my licks)

Those extra few years are going to be used to set myself up financially to go full time. I am still on schedule with that. Right now, being where I have been for nearly 1/4 century with all the benefits one would expect to go with that... it would not be smart to leave now.

Like most Americans, I still have the standard major financial obligation from better times.. the mortgage, the car payments, the CC bills..yada yada yada, so scaling down on income is also not an option right now. I know I am not alone...

Also, since I have so much seniority and am on the higher end of the financial obligation scale for my employer.. this makes me quite vulnerable if "downsizing" is required.. the trailer would be my lifeline if that happens. If nothing else went right, I would still have a roof over my head.. thats why getting rid of it is a bad idea.

I am working on arrangements for my animals. The cat is not an issue, he goes where I do and is happy and adaptable. Day care for the dogs is a must, and I have a few offers that need to be worked out. One is leaving them here with my neighbor during the week who could use a few extra dollars, another is a commercial day care, or a combo of both.... bringing them home with me on weekends.

Gina-

Don't most of the folks who live in Crestiline work off the mountain? If you could organize a carpool group to get you to work during the week and leave your Jeep at your worksite for travelling between jobsites then you could offset your transportation costs. You could then take your Jeep home on the weekends.

Another possibility is try to get your employer to provide an efficient vehicle for you to use while on the job. If they won't do that then your employer should reimburse you for transportation costs that you incur on the job. While this will not help you get off the mountain-- your greatest expense-- at least you won't be using your Jeep on the job. I also believe that work related travel expenses are tax deductible.

Finally, you might be able to get the County Board of Supervisors or the local transit authority to approve a few morning and evening shuttles up the mountain to a few select parking lots in some of the mountain communities like Lake Gregory and Lake Arrowhead. You could provide the push for a Park and Ride system servicing the mountain communities. It would take a lot of work generating petitions but it is not unheard of! As fuel prices go up, communities like yours are going to be hard hit. Recognizing that you are not alone in this hardship is the first step to getting a petition drive started. Communities will need to work together and pressure our local governments into finding solutions to the transportation and global warming crisis. You can be the driving force behind such an initiative! Go to the city council meetings and broach the subject. Talk to your local newspaper. Set up a website that interested parties in your area can contact you with regard to organizing carpools and a petition drive. Get the word out that while everyone in your community is suffering from the gas crunch, together you can find a solution.

Good luck!

Lisa, there is a park and ride in Hooterville now. Not many folks seem interested in using it, or carpooling, which seems weird to me. I have posted on community boards, used the state of California Carpool website and gone through my employers programs trying to find a carpool partner. I am pretty sure most So Cal folks are still in a state of denial about having to pool resources. And the way this area is built, as you know, makes it almost impossible to survive without a car.

The train schedules for the Inland Empire do not favor those remaining in the area for work. They are all geared towards going into LA. This also seems weird to me, coming from Portland where crosstown routes are as common as routes going INTO downtown. So Cal has a long way to catch up to the public transport groove. Unfortunately, most folks don't have time to wait for it. If it ever happens at all.

We do have a company car and we do get paid for mileage. If the trip is out of town, it's a plane and rental, or just the rental. I use all those resources when possible.

Pushing for telecommuting seems the most likely "relief" for a lot of us. Once again, the lawyers need to be involved to justify the sure complaints of those that don't get to do it.

My schedule is SO irregular that it makes it hard for folks to rely on me to maintain any kind of reliability for sharing as well. It's hard to get partners. All want a regular pedictable schedule.. I can't blame them.

As far as being subsidized by my employer, that wouldn't happen.. it was MY choice to move here, and it's not their problem, really.

You are absolutely right. I was not suggesting that your employer subsidize you for your trip to and from work. . . only when you are "travelling between facilities" as you mentioned earlier. It's great that you are taking advantage of the mileage reimbursement that your employer does offer and have a company car at your disposal when you are "on the job."

It's too bad that more people in your area are not interested in carpooling or using the Park and Ride. I guess when they reach the realization that the commute is taking such big bite out of their disposable income that they can no longer afford the lifestyle they've grown accustomed to, only then will people make the hard choices that you are considering now. I hope you find a solution that allows you to keep your pups with you full time. Best of luck to you!

I think you're doing the best you can with the circumstances you have.

My question to you is how is this situation any different from the Full-timing you plan to do later?


Robert and I had a little setback, too. In January, a hit-and-run collision totaled our 2nd car which was parked in front of our house. The insurance paid a fair settlement, but finding an adequate replacement for a 1992 Geo Metro (40 mpg) is proving to be more expensive than we can handle. I have turned over the Odyssey to Robert for weekday use. He drives me to work on Monday mornings and I bring a company truck home for my 3 mile commute during the week.

Transfer to Phoenix with Fender. Sell your house for whatever, cause you'll make it up on the buying end right now. Tons of foreclosures you can name your deal on right by work. Even though we don't escape traffic issues here like any big city, it is not anything comparable to where you are at. You can buy the right situation where you eliminate the commute entirely.

Negotiate with boss for four-day work week -- Cut commuting by 20% and get some long weekends.

Given your experience, start your own business and get re-hired as an incorporated consultant. Then offset part of your own fuel costs as tax deductions by using them as company expenses.

Be careful about that one -- IRS doesn't want to pay commuting costs and is fussy about home offices. Driving from home office to job site may not be deductible. Get professional advice.

I recall relative who worked for InsCo as investigator and got miles paid for on his personal vehicle. If he was going to drive to incident site, he would always stop at office for something, even if in opposite direction, because from his house directly to site would be out of his pocket. Stopping at office made it two trips, one his and one reimbursed as deductible expense by company.

Ah, the difference is... location, location, location.

Fulltiming will involve working, yes. The day to day logistics are no different in this situation. I will be less "pet" heavy, but will still have a dog to think about.

The difference will be in hours worked, places worked, and WHEN I want/ need to work.

The money from the sale of the house is intended to do one major thing. Pay for my medical insurance. Once I have that cloud over my head taken care of, I can live pretty cheaply, such as how Leslie and Dave are doing, sans the frequent moving. I stay somewhere long enough to collect enough side cash to take time off.. you get the idea.

This current situation will not change my financial obligations, it will only help me bide the time until housing prices rise again, and provide relief from the impending doom of the gas pump that will make it much harder to clear my obligations so I CAN leave.

The social implications that are different is that I will feel like I am on the road for fun.. even if staying somewhere for a period of time. Staying "down the hill" will feel like I am in a hotel room for the week.

I don't know tho. I HAVE done this for up to 3 weeks at a time, but that has been infrequent and was with the knowledge that it was only temporary. Even tho I had all the comforts of home as set up in my 13, and recently the 17, all I wanted to do was go home.. the vibe may change if I know it's for a longer term. ????

Interesting topic, I noticed you mentioned the possibility of a motorcycle? If you have the experience and feel the traffic situation is ok to do this when weather allows it might be a good solution. I have a 250 Ninja that gets between 60 and 70 mpg and has no problem hauling me around and I am sure I weigh a lot more than you do. Also even though it has a small engine it will easily keep up with traffic. Also is easy to ride, handles very good and even buying new is not too expensive. New is about $3500 and should be able to find a low mileage used one for a lot less than that. I would strongly suggest anyone considering something like this to take a motorcycle safety course and be very carefull out there.

I used to commute on my bike long ago. Don't have one anymore and rarely get on one anymore either. I would need to try it again.

California is crazy.. I would have to balance (Excuse the pun) the safety aspect. If you are the least bit scared or nervous, you got no biz on a bike.

I'm the other way around -- Like Clark Kent getting in phone booth to emerge as Superman, I get on bike and become Damn Fool! And I have the scars to prove it

Many years ago I did what you are contemplating, Gina - except it was with a tiny little apartment near my job, and my "real house" about 30 miles away. Going home on the weekends did become my "vacation/holiday getaway." Occasionally, I would stay in town for a night on the weekends, if there was some good music (or other) offering, but basically, going home was recreation enough. The logistics of living in two places involved carrying an overnight bag with toiletries and etc., having lots of duplicates (which you probably already do, as much as you've already lived, short term, in your trailer), and a big basket for transporting the perishable groceries on Monday mornings and Friday evenings.

I would say you should try it and see how it goes. You can always revert to what you're doing now, if you don't like the "part-timing," and come up with an alternate plan B.

But, yes, to answer your question, if you do this, I think you will, indeed, lose interest (for the time being) in camping as recreation. You (and the beagles) will appreciate home as your respite from the trailer... except for your favorite rallies, of course!

Gina,
I agree with Mary F that your desire to camp might diminish but I don't see that as "loss of interest" exactly. I suspect you will feel more content in your house on weekends because your camping "need" will be (at least partially) satisfied by your weekday lifestyle. I doubt that your travel "need" will be fully satisfied, however. That might be the factor which motivates you to pack up and hit the road some weekends.

Maintaining doggie happiness sounds like a larger hurdle. If you can work that out, this could be an exciting and enlightening experiment; the best of both worlds. Best of all, if you don't like it, you can be home in an hour.

Now on the motorcycle idea, here are my thoughts:
PROs
cheaper gas

CONs
cost of bike
cost of insurance
cost of excellent quality helmet
cost of protective clothing (jacket, gloves, goggles/eyewear, boots, chaps or kevlar pants...)
finding a way home when the weather turns nasty in pm
cost of jumbo box of Band-Aids

...and the most important question: Is riding a bike something you really want to do??

Hi Gina: How flexible is your company on work hours? Could you talk them into 4 ten hour days and reduce your drive by one day?

Have you asked your fellow employees if someone might have a room to rent? If you came to work early Monday AM and left late Thursday PM, you would only need a rental for three nights a week.

Most large companies have local "newsletters" for their employers. That might be a way to advertise your needs.

What about joining with someone who also lives uphill and works downhill to go together on a small rental for the week. You can't be the only one up there having second thoughts about your commute.

You should be comfortable however it turns out. And I think it would be to your company's advantage to help valuable employees like yourself any way it can. It has to be less costly than training someone to your level of expertise.

Good Luck.

4 10s have been kicked around for the production folks, but since I am staff, we generally are exempt from that nicety. (We deal with foreign countries who work 6 10s LOL!)

I am a construction worker a pipefitter apprentice I will become a journeyman pipefitter in 3 months. At that time, I will travel to work and make much more money. I joined this forum to get information and insight on small rvs. Here is my opinion. In the long run, you need to cost compare. Is the amount of money you save from living in an rv worth it to you? If you think you would dislike it then of course not. But if you would not mind it then it is actually an incentive. A shorter commute and you would still have access to your house on the weekend. I dabble a little in the real estate market. Have you thought about instead of selling your house just renting it to someone? With all the foreclosures there are many people that still need housing. This is because they got kicked out of the one that they were in. Think about that. Find out how much you could get on average for renting out your house. But don t jump into it that quick. You have your house and you have the rv. I say give it a whirl. Plan on getting setup to live in the rv during the week for the next week or two and if you like it then fine. If not then you can make a decision after coming to that conclusion. You always want to test the waters before you take that plunge.

Very good insights Chase.

Knowing Gina a little, the animals and fresh air location are a big factor to her house. The work location has some of the lowest quality air (pollution) in California so living in the mountains high above that is big.

Now, if renting it out were an option, a friend of mine has come upon a good insight. They use CraigsList to advertise for renters. The people that respond are of much higher integrity and they have had NO problems with their four renters.

I don't want to be a landlord

Often what I would tolerate in my own home (Hey, it's an old cabin with basic amenities) is NOT what a renter or average person would want.

I can live with the 15a electrical service, small bedrooms and un landscaped yard. Most folks couldn't. I would have to spend some hefty money on upgrades before i could, in good conscience, rent it out.

Mike is correct, overall, where I live is what most folks would kill for for a weekend jaunt to get away from it all. The "town" I live in is a resort (Tho it's a slum resort LOL!) destination for a lot of folks. Ever go rent a cabin and as you are leaving think "Gee, it would be so nice to live here all the time"?.. well, I do.

I have worked with my employer and am now "at homing" for a day or two a week. This is a pilot program based on popular request. I am the first, but we have added one more in the month I have been doing it. It has worked out well.

I even worked at home yesterday.. my day off. It's a good deal for the boss, and for me.

That's what happened to me when I got my first IBM-clone computer and could take work home in a disk and hit the mainframe with a modem.

I considered going to work for myself but realized that I would be putting in a LOT of overtime...

One of the reasons I bought my Escape was so that I could "live" closer to work. For me work is seasonal and 7 hours away. My new (and fabulous) trailer fits under the covered parking at the office. I can plug in, use the office "facilities" and spend the rest of the time living in my trailer.

I tried this last year in the back of my pickup - didn't work. 4-dr Nissan Frontier with a short box (I'm 6' even).

Our office is in a slightly seedy area, so co-workers are happy about the extra "security" of an egg under the office.

The only thing that beats the 32 second commute is the drive home. This allows for summers in North Van (working) and winters in the Kootenays (not working).

You are thinking about doing exactly what I plan to do. Only I hope to sell my condo before I take off. It's scary, but it might result in some other positive changes. I am a "seasonal" employee for the federal government. I will camp near work for the time I'm working. Then, during the furlough months, I plan to just take off for parts unknown.

As a former and frequent cross-country commuter, having my home nearby and not driving through all that traffic offers lots of peace of mind.

New member, Carol

Saves fuel and wear and tear on both vehicle and self, but also saves TIME and gives you more life.

how about trying for one month living in the trailer at work? see how it goes... then a month at home....



a good compare and contrast?

How about option f...find a room with an elderly person who needs a companion at night...trading free room for companionship? Put an ad in the paper...if you have had clearances for your job, or weapon carrying, or whatever reason, you can share that. (You know, approved by so and so...), or perhaps a disabled person that needs help at night? I am not talking about nursing, I am talking about cooking a meal and cleaning a little. Could get housing real cheap!!