S U M M E R 2 0 2 1 S P E C I A L S E C T I O N
7 9
by MARY BERUBE
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G E T T I N G C R E AT I V E
I N A C O M P E T I T I V E M A R K E T
H
E PROPOSED OVER TACOS. We were sitting at the fold-
down table in our newly purchased 1996 Tioga Montara RV
in the middle of December 2019. We had purchased the RV from
a family friend. Somewhere along the way, we stumbled into an
animal shelter and adopted a puppy.
Dog? Check.
Engagement ring? Check.
All we needed now was a home to call our own, and we would
officially be living the American dream.
Our rent had been increasing dramatically every year, and
there was no way we could afford a house in Missoula, our de-
sired city, without a hefty lump of change saved up. We made a
plan. We would live in the RV for one year to save enough mon-
ey to buy our first home. My 89-year-old grandparents kindly
offered us a spot on their two acres of property to park the RV.
Flash forward three months: COVID-19 had hit, and shut-
downs were in full swing. We were plugged into electricity
with a long extension cord, and Ryan (my fiance) and I were
working from "home" in a living space no bigger than 10' x 15'.
My grandparents were now the only people we socialized with;
because of their age, we assumed the role of grocery courier, bill
deliverer, and chauffeur extraordinaire.
