Do you work/live without a net?

[Queen]

Specifically a safety net; meaning living your life as you see fit, without benefit of something secure waiting for you in case it all goes sideways.

This crops up in my head now and then when I read about people having an illness or a financial crisis and being able to rely on someone else (children, family) to help them through.  I guess that is why my wife is so uncomfortable about getting rid of our home base and taking off traveling, we have zero safety net other than each other and some money in savings.  We took care of our parents in their final years, endless hours of care and support, but we have no kids or family to be there for us.  It does give one pause.

Anyone else working without a net?

 

[ilovemyvan]

Morning Queen,

I think the answer will change as one gets older. It did for us. For 25 years or so we didn't have a net. We traveled and skydived and were surrounded by like minded people. We always felt that if something was to happen we would find a way out, and we did.

As time pasted and we aged we came face to face with that reality. We stop winging it and build a net. I'm glad we did. John went to his part time job one day, about 3 weeks ago now, and came back 10 days later after a triple bypass surgery. If we didn't have a net we would have been f*cked big time.

I can understand both, yours and your wife points of view because they are both valid. Is there a way you can do both...part time. Travel some and still keep the condo? This would be a slow introduction to travel for your wife and once you retire you will be able to do more enjoyable, to both of you, traveling? Maybe with a bit more money in your pocket to enjoy it even more.

I know it's eating at you and I hope you can find a solution.

Nicole

 

[Queen]

Thanks, Nicole, we will start out part time and keep the condo. If nothing else it's paid for and makes for a nice bit of money if we decide to sell it later.

What John went through is the exact thing that gives even me pause. My knee (the one that had the replacement last year) has been hurting something fierce lately, there's a possibility that the implant has gotten infected (it can take a couple of months for it to get bad enough to notice), if it is then I'll be looking at 18 months of surgery and rehab, at a minimum... and I'll lose my job. Cannot imagine having to deal with that out on the road.

I look at so many of the people out there, like Bob, and see strong independent people, just like me. So I'm not sure how they stay our full time when things happen... or maybe stuff hasn't happened yet?

 

[Goshawk]

you need to have some kind of catastrophic medical insurance. 35 year old friend just died of a heart attack (bad cholesterol he never checked or controlled).

1) Heart attack is common. triple bypass surgery is the cure. Rehabilitation and surgery are going to cost major dollars (maybe $50,000 to $100,000). You could have a second or a third one while you are trying to correct lifestyle or other issues.

2) get Cancer and chemo/surgery/radiation all will cost $100,000 combined. and then you need to do it a few times.

3) You mess up your hips and knees or ankles and need surgery, thats going to cost big money.

just look around at all the clueless walking dead, with no insurance saying the state will pay for it. Sure they will, and it will be the minimal quality they can afford to claim the state did something.

 

[Queen]

It's not even so much that, what do you do while you're recovering? Where do you stay? Can't really imagine recovering from open heart surgery in a van while pooping in a bucket; seems like having kids to take you in is the best option, but without them you're a bit screwed.

 

[Gunny]

I've worked ' without a net' for so long I feel like one of the Flying Wallenda's or whatever the name of that high wire act was. I'm not sure when one feels they have a big enough nest egg to live the life out here, I think we overthink it. I've got a bit of cash now from a malpractice suit but prior to that I sold everything of value to keep my two youngest in college without them graduating with a huge debt.

I have to do the part time thing myself, I am tied to Dr.'s for the time being.

Start small, acquire the skills and decide if you want the life.

Whatever you do... Be Safe and have fun.

 

[Patrick46]

It's not even so much that, what do you do while you're recovering? Where do you stay? Can't really imagine recovering from open heart surgery in a van while pooping in a bucket.

If I had to recover from some sort of surgery, then enjoying my time relaxing in a van camping down by a lake, is the way I'd wanna do it!

Otherwise, I'd be sitting at home doing the same thing, but wishing I was at least out enjoying my down time.


I think the whole security and stealth thing are both illusions, and should be taken in moderation.

 

[AltTransBikes]

  Can't really imagine recovering from open heart surgery in a van while pooping in a bucket....

Heh, agreed, an unseemly image.

Everyone's situation is different of course, for me traveling is something I do when I'm not home so I'd never give up my home base.
It's paid for, is low maintenance and on cruise control when I'm away, plus I happen to really like spending part of the year there.

 

[speedhighway46]

I think there are two distinct stages in one's adult life:

1) The kids are grown and gone (or there were none); you've worked 30 years and have managed to sock a little away. You realize you got 20-25 years of "enjoyable" life ahead of you (probably) and you wake up one morning, look in the mirror getting ready for work, and the light comes on; "I need a change!" You go to work and sing the Johnny Paycheck song to your boss, "Take this job and shove it."

All options are open to you: pick as many as you want: sell the house; buy a van or motorhome; get a domicile in Nevada; hit the road full time; do what makes you happy; make new friends; discover CRVL and learn about all the joys you've only dreamed about; yadda, yadda, yadda.

2) One day you're cooking dinner over an open fire. Your life is perfect in every way except one: you've noticed some pain in your knees - hips - back - shoulder - or you are concerned about your heart - brain - diabetes - high blood pressure - cholesterol - and you haven't been able to drive for long periods - take long walks - remember things - work as hard - do physical labor, etc etc etc.

You suddenly realize you might not be able to enjoy your free lifestyle "forever" and you start thinking about Plan B; except there is no Plan B because you haven't needed one for the past 20-25 years.

Sooner or later EVERYONE needs a Plan B!

If you're 50, selling the sticks and bricks is an okay plan; when your 70 or 75 selling the S&B may not be such a good idea.

Until Bob starts the "CRVL Home For Old Coot Vandwellers" so we have a place to go, formulating our own personal Plan B is a bridge we must all cross, even when we don't want to.

Sorry I got so long winded . . . I think about this a lot now . . .

 

[Queen]

...Until Bob starts the CRVL Home For Old Coot Vandwellers" so we have a place to go,

Made me hoot here at work!!  

 

[Bast]

Hello:
What would people consider an adequate safety net. I will have a small - very small- pension and health insurance. What else do I need.
Bast

 

[ilovemyvan]

I think there are two distinct stages in one's adult life:

1) The kids are grown and gone (or there were none); you've worked 30 years and have managed to sock a little away. You realize you got 20-25 years of "enjoyable" life ahead of you (probably) and you wake up one morning, look in the mirror getting ready for work, and the light comes on; "I need a change!" You go to work and sing the Johnny Paycheck song to your boss, "Take this job and shove it."

All options are open to you: pick as many as you want: sell the house; buy a van or motorhome; get a domicile in Nevada; hit the road full time; do what makes you happy; make new friends; discover CRVL and learn about all the joys you've only dreamed about; yadda, yadda, yadda.

2) One day you're cooking dinner over an open fire. Your life is perfect in every way except one: you've noticed some pain in your knees - hips - back - shoulder - or you are concerned about your heart - brain - diabetes - high blood pressure - cholesterol - and you haven't been able to drive for long periods - take long walks - remember things - work as hard - do physical labor, etc etc etc.

You suddenly realize you might not be able to enjoy your free lifestyle "forever" and you start thinking about Plan B; except there is no Plan B because you haven't needed one for the past 20-25 years.

Sooner or later EVERYONE needs a Plan B!

If you're 50, selling the sticks and bricks is an okay plan; when your 70 or 75 selling the S&B may not be such a good idea.

Until Bob starts the "CRVL Home For Old Coot Vandwellers" so we have a place to go, formulating our own personal Plan B is a bridge we must all cross, even when we don't want to.

Sorry I got so long winded . . . I think about this a lot now . . .

What a wise man you are. I think you called it like it is.

We never had kids, so we played and contented our little hearts out for a long time. When I left the corporate world after 15 years, in my mind I was going to play for 10 years while I was healthy and physically able to enjoy things. Well the 10 years stretched and more than double. I have no regrets.

I'm glad things turned out the way they did because I am forced to be housebound now a days. We do short trips and it's sufficient for both of us.

My husband didn't want to completely retired because he likes what he's doing. He just wanted more time off. He started jumping again and loving it. He will be able to returned to all of this in a couple of months.

We didn't really planed for things to work so well for us. We were just very lucky. I'm glad we had health insurance and that the surgery happened early in the year so we didn't get nailed with 2 years worth of deductible.

In all honesty Patrick, I'm very grateful we had a S&B for the first 2 weeks after the hospital release. A van by the lake would have not caught it at all.

Nicole

 

[Hippiechk]

Other than the free joke of Canadian medical I am fully without a net.

I just did that recovery thing over the last 2 years, crashed my van & wow...the bits of stuff I kept mostly went. Turns out, it is just stuff & quite replaceable.

I'd go along with others & say I'm happier doing this bad health thing out in nature.

You and your wife are quite lucky to have the condo... that is a pretty secure net. Nice bit of rental income once you do make the shift & as you said, a good chunk down the road.

You have sooo many close options to you there for doing nature to get you started.

Sent from my Z850 using Tapatalk

 

[ilovemyvan]

Hello:
What would people consider an adequate safety net. I will have a small - very small- pension and health insurance. What else do I need.
Bast

Hi Blast.

I would be comfortable with one year worth of health insurance deductible plus some money for unexpected repair . No need to go nuts since you have a regular pension income. But every one is different.

Nicole

 

[mockturtle]

I would rather recover from surgery in my small RV than in a S&B. Closer to everything I need here. Sure, I might have to stay holed up in an RV park somewhere during my recovery but at least it would be temporary. If not, I guess I could live in an RV park like a lot of other people do.

 

[Queen]

I would rather recover from surgery in my small RV than in a S&B.  Closer to everything I need here.  Sure, I might have to stay holed up in an RV park somewhere during my recovery but at least it would be temporary.  If not, I guess I could live in an RV  park like a lot of other people do.

I think it depends on the surgery, after my knee replacement there is no way I could have recovered in an RV, I needed a lot of bathroom space for the transfer bench and seat riser for the toilet.  And had to move around a lot for PT... probably could have done it in a large Class A, but not in anything we could afford.

 

[Wanderer]

you need to have some kind of catastrophic medical insurance.  35 year old friend just died of a heart attack  (bad cholesterol he never checked or controlled).

1)  Heart attack is common.  triple bypass surgery is the cure.  Rehabilitation and surgery are going to cost major dollars (maybe $50,000 to $100,000).  You could have a second or a third one while you are trying to correct lifestyle or other issues.

2)  get Cancer and chemo/surgery/radiation all will cost $100,000 combined.  and then you need to do it a few times.

3)  You mess up your hips and knees or ankles and need surgery, thats going to cost big money.

just look around at all the clueless walking dead, with no insurance saying the state will pay for it.  Sure they will, and it will be the minimal quality they can afford to claim the state did something.

1. The heart attack also debilitates you, you're not going out dancing after one of them....
2. If they catch it in time.  Many times it's stage 3 before they know a thing.
3. That can happen to anyone....

Problem is, that those plans cost money. Just a quick look says $245 a month. Now take someone who has got 2 choices, food on the table or a medical plan they may or may not use...Yeah it's like that. Not everyone can land a $50K a year job...

Now then look at the $65K a year earner...Oh yeah they got the insurance, and more as they can afford it...They don't worry that they "may or may not need it" they make enough to not care.

I have medical insurance, but to do the work on my hip (Which I suspect may be in 4 years) will cost about $35-50K and I'm going to have to pay about $6-$8K of that upfront....Thing is, just because you pay a boatload for insurance, doesn't mean you get a guarantee of the results.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Until Bob starts the "CRVL Home For Old Coot Vandwellers" so we have a place to go, formulating our own personal Plan B is a bridge we must all cross, even when we don't want to.

Funny you should mention that.

I'm not a member of Escapees, but I've been doing a little research on them to see if joining would be a good idea.

Turns out they actually have an "Escapees Home For Old Coot RVers".

Details are here:

http://www.escapeescare.org/

If you have a conventional RV, this might be a viable Plan B for you.

 

[Hippiechk]

I was invited in to spend an evening with the Escapees group in Quartzsite... nice bunch of folks. Lotsa' bucks crowd!!

Sent from my Z850 using Tapatalk

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

I guess I am a unique situation for a couple of reasons. First I worked and saved very hard from a very early age. My grandmother always preached the importance of savings literally since I was around 7 years old. She opened up a joint savings account and anything I deposited she would deposit the same. It stuck with me when I was older and I bought my first house at 22 and paid it off by the time I was 30.
Secondly, I became disabled at 31 long before most people have to worry about their health. Had I not had a house paid for and some savings the last four years would have been extremely difficult to make it through financially and I am very thankful for my grandmother preaching as much as she preached.

So personally, I think if you can have a decent cushion it's def worth working towards as it's always better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
I am also young enough where I had a pretty good support group of friends, family, my mom, girlfriend, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.

I'm not 35 and hadn't ever planned on having kids, but now I wonder what it will be like when I'm older and maybe not having someone to rely on. I was there for my Dad, my grandparents, and my uncle when they were in need and was very glad I could be there to help them. It's kind of changing my views on wanting kids, although not totally for my own selfish reasons!, just seeing them as something that I think I might like to fit into my life. I cherish the time I had with my Dad growing up.....traveling, camping, fishing, etc. But if I don't ever have kids, i'll make sure to treat the nieces and nephews extra good on Birthdays and Christmas time and hope that buys me a little insurance!