Tag: schoolbus. bus

Is Tiny House Living For You?

Is Tiny House living For You?

There are many factors in knowing whether tiny house living is for you.

These are two personal lists of pros and cons after almost 3 years of tiny house living.

Pros:
Extra money each week.
No stressing over paying bills.
Flexibility of starting new business ventures.
Flexibility of traveling with my husband while he works away.
Flexibility of choosing new scenery as often as we want.
Bringing animals with you on trips.
The ability to leave with everything in the case of a hurricane.
The cool factor.

Cons:
Clutters very easily.
Constantly gets dusty.
Constantly cleaning.
Limited space for extra junk. ( actually may be a good thing)
Have to rearrange things before travel.
Not as much privacy.
In the case of having a Skoolie… if the engine breaks that will be a real issue of not having the money to fix it.

My experience comes from living in a 20 foot camper to now living in a 37 foot Skoolie.

Having financial freedom is worth it for me.
Having the freedom for me and my husband to leave the mundane 9-5 is a blessing. I have my own business as of now gabbysnaturalcreations.com . Even though it is slow we still can easily live off of my husband’s $600 to $1200 weekly pay check. But we have no credit cards and own everything that we have out right. Hopefully within the next year my husband can have his own business venture.

Our Skoolie The Ark.

Quit your 9-5 in 3 to 5 Years

What do you think of when you picture a Skoolie? You would maybe think it would be an awesome project to work on to go on some awesome vacations during the summer. Maybe to just be a free spirit with no plans and no care in the world. What if I told you it can be your ticket to a debt free lifestyle, retirement in three to five years. No rent, no mortgage, no utilities within the next 5 years.

MORTGAGE AND RENT

In the US the average mortgage on a home is right over $1500 a month. The average rent for an apartment is around $1000 a month. Which many times will put people in positions where their lives revolves around working until they reach retirement age.

STARTUP OF A SKOOLIE

An affordable Skoolie will cost you anywhere from $8,000 to $30,000. A small loan can be an option that will cost you a fraction of the payment you would have on a house note or rent. Which if you choose wisely you can pay off the note very quickly. Buying out right or building a Skoolie yourself will be the best option costing you nothing monthly in the long run.

ABILITY TO SAVE FOR LAND

If you go the loan option in owning a Skoolie your Skoolie is payed for within the next year or two so you now have up to $1500 in extra cash that would have gone to your rent or mortgage payments. That is up to $15,000 a year of extra cash total after paying rent on a lot of land while living in your Skoolie. In one to three years that is $15,000 to $45,000 saved up to buy a piece of land out right in cash. So no mortgage on a house or land. Within 1 to 3 years.

NO MORE UTILITY BILLS

After paying for your Skoolie and land, the next step is saving up for solar equipment and a water well. These things may run you around $10,000 or less depending if you go the DIY route. Solar equipment and a well can be purchased within the year in cash since you will have an extra $18,000 a year that you aren’t having to pay on a mortgage or rent.

FREEDOM

We can go so deep down into this rabbit hole. You can produce your own food and never pay for food again. You can literally set yourself up to not pay another costly major bill again in your life within the next 5 years. Its possible, there are limitless options in living a mobile life. You can stay put or you can be able to afford to travel the world. You can have true security knowing that everything you have can be payed for. Happy traveling ❤

What To Look For Before Purchasing A Bus For A Skoolie Conversion

There are many things to consider before making a purchase on your next home. A good foundation is always a great start. A place that will keep you secure while riding down the road is a must. I will explain the 5 most important things to look out for in purchasing a School Bus for a Schoolie Conversion

CORROSION

Corrosion is the process of deterioration of materials as a result of chemical, electrochemical or other reactions. In other words extreme rust. If a bus has extreme rust stay clear away. It is important to check underneath the bus for Corrosion and also around any hatches or windows inside of the bus that can be prone to leaking. Some surface rust is normal and can be treated.

THE LOCATION OF A BUS

You would think that the place that you purchase your bus is irrelevant but knowing the place is very important in the questions you ask the seller before you make the trip to see the bus. Northern State busses are known for having more rust because of the salt applied to the roads that can cause rust underneath busses. You can definitely buy a bus in cold climates but just take extra precautions when it comes to rust.

AGE OF THE BUS

When deciding on a bus that is right for you, age is always important. The newer isn’t necessarily always better. It will depend on how much you will will work on your bus when needing to be repaired vs a mechanic. Newer busses 2004 and up are nicer and there will be less rust and most likely less mileage which is great. The thing about these newer busses are the newer you go the harder it is to fix any mechanical issues yourself. They are more electronic so more electronic tools are needed to fix them. If you were to break down this is where a mechanic usually will need to step in. 1990 to 2003 can have more rust and mileage but there are for sure great things about them. This year range is less electronic so its is able to be mechanically fixed by your average person that will do the research without having to worry about certain specific electric tools. 1989 and older can have a more unique vintage look to them which can make them appealing, but this would for sure come with a cost to your wallet and also your time. This year range is not electronic but there will be many things that will need to be considered. Corrosion and high mileage can be almost certain for busses in this year range unless it has been stored indoors and hasn’t been driven much.

DIESEL VS GAS

Diesel Motors are highly coveted in a Skoolie. They are more fuel effecient and will last for longer mileage. 12 Valve Cummins and DT466 are great motors to come by.

TIRES

A good set of tires on a school bus is something to look for. Good grip, no cracks or dry rot is very important because a new set of tires will run you at least $1000.

There are many things to consider in buying a school bus to convert into your new home, but these are just some of the things that are very important to consider in choosing the perfect bus that you will not regret. I want you to have the best Skoolie experience as possible. Happy traveling.❤

Why A Skoolie?

Hi my name is Gabby and My husband’s name is Ramsey. We have two dogs, a mini pig and 16 chickens and we are proud owners of a 1997, 37 footer Thomas Vista that we live in fulltime. You may wonder to yourself. “Why would someone live in a School Bus ment for transportation of children when there are plenty of houses and apartments to live in?” Well I will discuss the reasons we left our rent home in Lafayette, Louisiana to live a mobile life.

MORE FAMILY TIME

You are probably thinking “yes of course you are in a smaller space so obviously you will have to spend more time together. The answer is yes but that isn’t what I’m talking about. I’m talking about my husband coming home to me every night. He travels often but we don’t have to spend those weeks apart anymore because we bring our home with us.

LESS LIVING EXPENSES

When we were renting at our old home we we paying close to $800 a month plus electricity, water and gas. Which was about $1000 every month. Living in our Skoolie only costs us on average $350 a month to rent a piece of land which includes all of our utilities. We only pay about a third of what we use to and the great thing is that we always have a place to lay our heads that we own out right.

SECURITY

As a woman I want security to feel safe and taken care of. I’ve rented at different places but I’ve never felt the security that I feel now that I have a place to lay my head that is payed for out right. A bank can’t take my home away from me for any reason and that makes me feel secure.

FLEXIBILITY AND OPTIONS

Have bad neighbors? Move to the other side of the yard or Just move to another city. Hurricane is coming? Just drive somewhere else and pickup your friends on the way out. Need to make a quick move to a new job? Just leave and don’t worry about renting a U Haul because you have everything already. We have done many of these ourselves and we love the flexibility of our Mobile home.

FREEDOM

Building a Skoolie is one of the most freeing things we have done. Unlike some other tiny homes. Busses are ment to move and carry weight they are ment to travel distances. They can take us on exciting adventures to different places all without worrying about paying high hotel prices and leaving our beloved pets at home. They were made for missionaries and ministers that are constantly on the road. Also musicians and public speakers. Children and spouses won’t be left behind any longer. They are made for family vacations and visits. Didn’t book the hotel in time? Just pull up to the nearest RV park or search for lots for rent on Facebook. We travel with my husband’s work. Every couple of months we move to a new city. We aren’t limited in our freedom to go.

BOUJEE ON A BUDGET.

There are so many things that I could say about living in a Skoolie. There are limitless options on designing your own bus. Buy that expensive floor. Get those cool wall panels. Get those light fixtures that you always wanted because the price of your Skoolie will be only a fraction of the cost of a regular home.

If you haven’t been convinced yet to convert over to the Skoolie life I’m going to have to ask you to check your temperature. There is a limitless life out there waiting for you and your Skoolie to explore.