What’s the reason for alternative housing? Simply, to save money, to live creatively, to travel - there are numerous reasons why individuals decide on living in tents, cabins, RVs, rental rooms, underground homes, and any place else that's less popular than condos, houses, and apartments that many people call home. The following are few of these housing choices and their advantages.
Alternative Housing That Moves
Camping at a hot springs area, we were seated around the campfire one evening with some young men who live in the desert in their old converted school bus. It cost them absolutely nothing to park and stay in the desert (though on BLM land you have to travel every two weeks), took bath for free in hot spring tubs that were very nice like those in nearby costly resorts, and played guitar around the fire every night. Not such a sad life.
In Arizona for example, there are whole communities that spring up every winter, full of people staying in their RVs. Benefits of RV housing are clear and include relocating with the seasons, not paying property taxes and trying out different places, I've spoken to people living in RVs that cost $200,000 and the ones that cost just $600, so the choice of accommodations is different, to say the least.
My wife and I lived for close to a month in our conversion van as we moved from Arizona to Florida and then to Michigan. Benefits of a van include good mileage than an RV, and being modest. We realize that we could park almost anywhere and sleep.
Other Alternative Housing
In most areas where rents are high, renting rooms has become common. This makes sense for single people. Just pay a set amount each month or week, and (if it includes utilities) you have a predictable and lower cost of living. I rented out rooms in my own home for years, and even put carpet and lighting in a shed so I could get $50 per week for it in summer.
A friend of mine lived in a shack he built for $3,000 on a small piece of land he bought for $7,000. Eventually, he ran into problems with the county because he had no occupancy permit. Apparently, you can't live on your own land in the woods if your home is too small. But, you can camp on it, so a $2,000 used RV parked on your land makes for an inexpensive and legal housing alternative.
Most people live on houseboats and evade paying property taxes. Some live in the jungle close to the beaches in Hawaii, thus they can afford to be in paradise. I know most people who stay in a basement while gradually building the house above for money. People stay in cabins built in the national forest wilderness, moving every few years as they are seen. Actually, your mind is the only obstacle to your alternative housing options.