One step Forward and Two steps back

 

Well as I stated last week “We have a contract on the house”, Oh boy lots to do and little time to do it. Where to begin? We found a 5^th. Wheel we could agree on at a price we both liked. Put down a deposit so they could start checking it out for us. Of course this was all dependent on the sale of the house. Started looking for an Extended stay hotel that would accept pets. We also took Maggie to the Vet's for her shots. We began looking for a campground that we could live at until Barb retires in November. OK, plans are starting to fall into place.

BUT WAIT, hold the phone. Not so fast there mister. It seems as if the soon to be home owner of our current residence has gotten cold feet and decided to pull the rug out from under us and our planning. How dare he. So much for making a plan. To brighten my day my Mom likes to say “It will happen when it happens”. Well that's great, just when is that suppose to take place? I mean I'm ready to go now. I've heard the expression Patience is a Virtue. My dad used to like telling me that one. But I can stand here and openly admit, I HAVE NO PATIENCE. This house needs to sell now.

Oh well. There really is no rush, at least we aren’t in the position a lot of people are finding themselves in. We don't have to sell. We could stay right here for a long time. It's just I DON'T WANT TOO. I'm ready to hit the open road and see some sites and enjoy myself. But if it's not my time what choice do I have but to wait. At least we can continue having our moving sales and get rid of even more treasures so we can pad our emergency fund when we finally do get on the road. I guess I'll continue being a RV Dreamer for a little while longer. Until next time keep your fingers crossed for us.

              Safe Travels And I Hope To See You Down The Road

How much does it take?

OK, so we have a offer on the house. We're moving forward as if we will close the deal on August 22^nd. As planned. Because the glass is half full as my wife Barb tells me. But isn't it half empty also? Oh well, not starting that discussion again.

Barb retires in November and I stop working about that same time so we will be staying where we are until then. We need to sell the house before buying a 5^th. Wheel to live in. Our plan is to stay in a Extended Stay Hotel for about one month so we can buy and have it moved to a campsite (no we don't have a truck yet). So this past week we started looking for one to stay in. SHOCKED at the prices is all I can say, but still cheaper then paying a mortgage, water, sewer, and electric. Oh but don't forget the $150.00 per week for our little 8 pound dog. $150.00, are you kidding me? That is if they even allow pets to begin with.

Let me say a little about monthly campsite fees. Holy Cow. Full hookup back in site with sewer, water, and electric $640.00 a month. But get this, you can only stay one month. Why? Because it sits on a lake controlled by the Corp of Engineers and they say one month in and at least one month out of the site. Also all campgrounds around the lake are the same because the Corp controls the lake.

Camping World has a book with just about everywhere to camp with cost. If you're old like me you remember the huge phone books that got dropped on your front porch. The ones that you could use as a booster seat. That's how big this camping book is. Hopefully we can find a spot a little less expensive. 

I've read hundreds of RV blogs and looked at about the same number of budgets on RV'ing. I'm not doing it yet but I believe the RV lifestyle is a lot less expensive then living in a non-moving house. I'm beginning to think getting there is a whole other story. Oh well, just one more hurdle to jump over on our way to a new lifestyle.

             Safe Travels And I hope To See You Down The Road

Don't get your hopes up

As you know Barb and I are planning to become fulltimers sometime this year. The house is on the market and we keep selling everything we think we won't or don't need. Well we made a trip to Florida to see family over the 4^th. Of July weekend and of course stopped at a Camping World in Ocala to look around. 

We found a 2009 Heartland Big Country 5^th Wheel on the lot that we really liked that seemed to be in really good shape for a five year old RV. We left there and looked at a few other RV lots. Nothing compared to the Big Country in cost and condition so we headed back to Camping World to take a more in-depth look and ask some questions.

Turns out this unit was there on consignment and had been there 60 days already. The original asking price was 37,999.00 marked down to 24,999.00. We offered 20,000.00 and told the salesperson not a penny more. Of course the owner could not be reached that weekend, and I can understand that. So we left town and told the sales guy to give us a call Monday.

The owner said he would take 21,000.00. I agreed as long as the owner agreed to repair or replace anything that was not working after a Camping World tech checked out the rig from top to bottom and front to back. I also emailed our sales guy Sunday afternoon telling him if there was any water damage at all the deal was off since we found some water staining right at the base of one of the slide-outs.  

Monday another guy from CW calls me and says CW or nobody for that matter would ever guarantee there was no water damage. I explained he needed to talk to my sales guy and have him explain to you what I said about water damage. He told me he was just trying to help. He said he would have a tech take a look at it and call me back.

About three hours later I get the call. Seems the entire slide out is water damaged and they estimate it will would cost about 8,000.00 to repair with no guarantee it would be right. Well long story short I said thanks but no thanks. I guess we will just keep looking.

As my mom likes to say “If its meant to be it will be”. I guess it wasn't meant to be, at least not on this Big Country. So we keep looking till we find the one that is right for us. And not get our hopes up again.

On a good note, We have a contract on the house.

       Safe Travels And I Hope To See You Down The Road

Our American Dream/Independence Day

 

What is the American Dream? Since we are only a few days past

July 4^th. (Independence Day) I thought I would talk a little bit about the preconceived American Dream. You know the one where you go to college, get a good job that you will be able to retire from. Find your partner and get married, buy a house, have a couple of kids. And Live Happily Ever After.

If that's the dream you have go for it, don't let anything stand in your way. I believe that was the dream we all had at one time in our lives. That's just not the dream I see for Barb and myself anymore. We've had the house, raised the kids, all of which are doing great by the way. We have decided there is a better way and we intend to find out.

In just a short time we will become fulltime RV'ers. We have been downsizing and getting rid of everything we don't think we will need so that we can live in a RV and travel this great country. You see I was downsized back in 2008 when the economy went down the tubes. Which I think was a blessing in disguise because it got us thinking there has to be a better way.

After quite a bit of research we feel fulltime RV living is the way to go, at least for us. We intend to buy a camper and travel, seeing the sights all across the country while working for our campsite and a little wage. A little different yes but doable all the same.  

We intend to work a season in one place and move on to another, moving 2 or 3 times a year or as the jobs present themselves.

As of now the house is up for sale and the downsizing continues. We are hopefully only about 131 days away from our launch date. Its getting exciting and a little scary at the same time. They say “If Your Dreams Don't Scare You... They're Not Big Enough” We are looking for our Independence Day. I hope you find your Independence Day soon.

               Safe Travels And I Hope To See You Down The Road    

Being RV Frugal or just Cheap

  What's the difference between Frugal and Cheap? Some people say there is no difference,while others will say there is a world of difference. I tend to agree with the world of difference people. You can be cheap just for the sake of being cheap or you can spend wisely so you have the funds you might need for something special you've been wanting or for that breakdown we all know is just around the next curve in the road.

  I like to think along the lines of being Thrifty. Do we really need to eat out four times    a month? Maybe not. Could the money we spend eating out be put to better use? I'm sure it could be. I'm not saying we should deprive ourselves of something fun like eating out now and then, I'm saying we don't need to make it a habit. Make it special and really enjoy the times that you do eat out or whatever it is you do.

  Ways to save or be frugal when we become fulltime RV'ers are plentiful. Discount Camping Clubs are one of many ways people can save money while living on the road. Passport America will save you 50% on camping fees. You do need to check with each campground because there is a limit to how many nights they will honor. Currently at a cost of I believe $44.00 a year you can earn that back by the discount only a few times.

  Most privately owned campgrounds will give nice discounts if you plan on staying monthly instead of nightly and bigger discounts if you stay seasonally. Of course this is not always the case but all you need to do is ask. Campgrounds in high tourist ares may not give discounts.

  If you are a Boondocker there are many ways to save a buck. The biggest way is to not pay for camping. I mean you can stay on Bureau of Land Management property. Or BLM land. Mostly you will find these areas out west. The latest information I found says you can stay on BLM land for 14 days before you have to move at least 25 miles away. Of course you will not have water, electric, or sewer while camping here, so your rig needs to be self-contained. Casinos are now starting to allow campers to stay in their parking lots. Obviously they want you to come in and part with some of your money. If you are strong willed you might be able to leave there with more than the shirt on your back. If you are traveling cross country and just need a place to lay your head for the night you might try pulling into a Walmart for the night. Check with the manager first because in some towns they have a no overnight parking ban.

  Another way to save or be frugal is to workamp.  There are several different ways to do this. You can work at a campground and get your site and hookups free plus a small salary. Or you can work some hours and stay for free while site seeing around the area. You could also volunteer a few hours a week and get your site and hookups free while filling a service to state or national parks that are understaffed.

  This is just the tip of the iceberg as far as ways to be frugal and still enjoy your life on the road. There are plenty of blogs and facebook articles on the subject, just goggle what you want to know and you'll have tons of reading material.

               Safe Travels And I Hope To See You Down The Road

Tools

Two weeks ago I wrote about my tools and what needed to go on the road with us and what could be purged along with tons of other things. I'm struggling with what to take and how much it all weighs. Well last week I took the scales down to the garage and weighed everything. It seems I'm already at 260 pounds and I'm still not done. Guess I need to take another look at what all I'm taking.

From the many internet sites I've looked at here is a list of tools you might find helpful when traveling in your RV. This is by no means a complete list and you might want to delete or add some other tools.

Screwdrivers, Phillips and slotted several sizes of each.
A good selection of Robertson and Torx Bits
Cordless Drill/Driver
Nut Drivers
Adjustable Wrenches a 6”, 8”, and 10” should do
A set of Open End/ Box Wrenches
Vise Grips small and large
Pliers regular and needle nose small and large
Socket Set
Soldering Iron
Assorted Connectors
Fuses
Multi Meter
Several 120 Ext. Cords
Replacement Bulbs, think about switching to LED
Water Heater Element and Deep Socket
Teflon Tape
Plumbers Putty
Utility Knife
Hack Saw
Small Hand Saw
Small Pruning Saw
Wire Brushes assorted sizes
Wire Strippers, some spools of 12v and 120v wire
Ty Wraps
Duct Tape
Gorilla Tape
Elect. Tape
A/C Duct Tape
Silicone for sealing leaks
Caulking Gun
Rivet Gun and assorted rivets
Flash Light
Level 6” and 2'
Shovel
Axe
Rake
Assorted Nuts, Bolts, and Screws

Remember only you know what you'll feel comfortable traveling with and if you'll really need some of these things. I like to follow the Boy Scout Motto “Be Prepared” but you also have to be aware of weight. That's where I'm at now. Like I said earlier, my tools weight 260 pounds at this time so I'm not sure to purge some or just go with what I've got. Anyway I've added two really good videos I think will help anybody make up their mind.

I will say two very good videos I've watched about tools on the road is Tools and Maintenance Items for the Full Time RV Life by Ray at Love your RV  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmAJXK8Gwt8
and An RV technicians guide to the Best Tools for an RV by Chris Dougherty.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy9ozNqG6m


                        Safe Travels and I Hope To See You Down The Road

God made Life a Gamble

This past weekend Barb and I went to a concert in the park to see Joe Diffie. If you're not a country music fan then this might be lost on you. He played all of his greatest hits and then some. Everybody there had a great time in spite of the rain.



Joe Diffie

Anyway, (an this might be a stretch) one of his songs is called “Ships that don't come in”. It's about the struggles service men and women can have when they return from duty. Drinking, drugs, not able to find work, mental health issues.

A line in the song goes “God made life a gamble, and we're still in the game.” Barb and I are still RV Dreamers but we plan to make it to Fulltime RV'ers before the end of the year. Now I'm not trying to compare our struggles with any service person. No struggle could come close to what they might have gone through.

We all struggle in one way or another, plenty of unanswered questions still ring in my head every day. The biggest of course is can we do this financially? All RV Dreamers have unanswered questions and worry about making the right choice when faced with one of a hundred problems that we all know is going to pop up as we try our luck in exploring this country or whatever your idea of fulltiming will be.

I've read hundreds of blogs and forum entry's about RV'ing to know there is NO right answer for everybody. Some folks say they need $5000.00 a month to live this lifestyle, while others post they live quite comfortably on $1500.00 to $2000.00 a month. So who's to say which ones are right and wrong. God sure did make life a gamble.

But isn't life suppose to be a gamble? Who can say staying in a house that never moves is the right choice in life. We've played that game, and honestly. I'm tired of it. I'm ready for something new, something to inspire me, something to make me want to get out of bed in the morning. Every Morning. We're still in the Game. We just want a different game to play.

I'm not so naive to think life will become a bed of roses when we get on the road, even roses have thorns. Just because we will be living in a recreational vehicle doesn't mean we won't have struggles, of course we will. I'll still need to work somewhere, just not as much as I am right now. And as long as I'm able to be in the game, I feel the gamble is worth it.

As a kid growing up my dad seemed to have a saying for everything about life. Yes I remember most of them. Especially, “Can't never did do anything.”
Well I CAN and I Will some way, some how. And I hope you Stay In The Game and take your Gamble along with us on the road.

Safe Travels and I Hope To See You Down The Road