Creative Single Senior Living
- 22 hours ago
- 3 min read
After being a single parent for nearly two decades with a lot of responsibility on me, I long for less. Don't get me wrong I loved (and still love!) being a mom but it wasn't easy parenting alone. I know I've earned the right to choose what the rest of my life looks like.
I've been writing a book about my experiences of empty nesting alone and talking to a publisher about it but it will take some time and I have rewrites to finish. I wanted to start sharing some of the info I've been gathering as research. So here it is. Some of the living options for older single parents entering their new world alone on a tight budget.
Option 1 - The park life. Park volunteers who want to be hosts, can request to live in the park for free. There are different caveats. Apparently you can only stay at a park for a designated amount of time. You would have to be proactive and select another park and arrange another volunteer living situation to follow. Obviously you'd have to be qualified in one of the volunteer positions available as well. Not to mention, you would have to own an RV. Although, I'm told some parks actually offer housing too. That's all I know about it so far. I happily added this possibility to my list of alternate living solutions. If you want to know more or submit an application click in and change your world:
Option 2 - The boat life. Driving to Chattanooga one morning I crossed a bridge and entered a world that looked like a secret. From that day forward I needed to know that secret. Both sides of the bridge and highway were dotted with lakes and splotches of land. Almost like a checkerboard of both. I never forgot how it took my breath at first sight. There was what looked like an island of RV's on the left and all I knew was I wanted to be there. I took an exit and started asking questions. I learned that island was actually a state park and peninsula so you couldn't live there. However, one of the volunteers at a visitor's center shared her nearby living experience with me. She was an older single who bought a houseboat and restored it. She rented a boat slip at a nearby marina and lived on the cheap. I was enamored by her life and put it on my list as a possibility. She did admit that the boats are cold in the winter and she couldn't seem to get warm enough. But maybe a small price to pay for a simpler life as a Live-a-board at Hale's Bar Marina. Looks amazing to me!
Option 3 - The tiny home life. A 70-year-old lady named Robyn used part of her retirement to start an all-women tiny home community in Texas called The Bird's Nest. I watched a documentary on YouTube and they actually vet all of the women who get the privilege of being selected to live there. How cool is that? Unfortunately, there are only 14 lots but maybe more of these will spring up or are already hiding around the country. I am addicted to the idea of tiny living and added this on my list of possible future outcomes as well. The details of her story are here:
If you have an interesting low-cost living alternative to share, drop me a line. Who knows, maybe I'll post your inside scoop in a blog!
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