Hi, ya'all!

[bonnienclyde]

Hi! My husband and I are finally in the planning stages of our freedom! We have been "civilized" for the last 18 years, and time to get back to where we belong. We travelled a lot in our younger years, but had to buy a house and get a normal job to get our kids raised.

Kids are grown now, and hubby is almost able to retire from his job. We are buying a RV and live life the way we love!

We don't have a lot of money. But with hubby's retirement, and careful spending, we can do this. I'm hoping to be able to pick up some temporary work here and there, also.

I hate waiting! I just wish I could drive away this minute and never come back! LOL.

This is a great site! So much information!

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the CRVL forums Bonnie! Congratulations! You've come to the right place to get started on this new phase of your life. Jump in and ask questions about anything that's puzzling you.

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips & Tricks" post lists some helpful information to get you started. We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[akrvbob]

Welcome, we're Glad you're here!!

Down-sizing takes much longer, and is much harder, than most people think. If you start now the timing might be perfect!

Also, if your finances allow you may start looking for a great deal on the RV now. The longer you have to look the more likely you are to find a killer deal on just the rig you want.

Something to consider, is finding the rig and putting it into an RV park while you are still working. The savings over the house payment can go into your retirement fund. Then take the RV on trip on your vacations and learn RVing before you actually retire.

Also, I'd think about setting down and writing out a timeline. It's easy to do nothing and the time slips away. Plus seeing goals set and then met is encouraging and gives life and vitality to your efforts. For example, if you have a 4 bedroom house, set a date that you have each bedroom completely emptied out. If you have a garage set a date for it to be empty.

Of course we are all different sand our situations are all different so these may be terrible ideas for you, but at least they are something to consider or modify to meet your needs.

You are going to love your new life! And if you don't, it will be a grand adventure you always treasure. It's a win-win situation.
Bob

 

[bonnienclyde]

Thanks for the replies! Great ideas, all ya'all!.

Oh my gosh, how have I accumulated so much STUFF? We downsized from a huge 2 story house to a small house 2 years ago. I'm STILL unorganized from it! Had no idea how much junk I truly had. I swear sometimes, I'd just like to set out a sign, and say "free stuff, help yourself" and just walk away with my kindle, my dog, and my hubby!

When we used to tramp around in our younger years, I'd often have no more possessions than I could carry. Of course, I don't think I could (or want to) do that now, but it's really ridiculous how many "things" we accumulate.

We are definitely buying used. My husband actually has had a decent side business of buying cars cheap, fixing them up, and reselling them. It's a family thing he and his brother and father do. I've been very lucky to marry a gear head. At least that's one thing I think I won't have to worry about too awfully much. And being married to him all these years, I've learned quite a bit myself. I can change my own OIL, brakes, tires, etc. I've spent many days being the "assistant" to his tinkering! And he is having a ball exploring all the new things that a RV presents, versus cars and trucks.

We''ve never bought new cars, and probably wouldn't even if we could, honestly. We are going tomorrow to look at a class c. Which is probably what type we will wind up getting. Definitely gonna take our time, and find that good deal!

Our biggest decision right now, is whether to tow a car or not. We are seriously considering just a motorcycle(another love of ours). We have just now got to the point that we''ve decided on a actual RV instead of a fifth wheel or other towable. We based this decision mostly on how much we will be moving around. We want to go, go, go!

 

[akrvbob]

Some thoughts about a Toad.

1) Most people when they first start out drive and move constantly. That's normal. But eventually most settle down and move progressiely less and stay in places longer.
2) If you are going to be in one place for long, you will probably want a toad. If you get a Toyota Tacoma pickup, it can carry the bikes also.
3) You can save huge amounts of money by boondocking. I also think you will have a much better experience but everyone is different. If you're going to boondock, being able to get water, dump the tank and get groceries without moving the rig is very, very helpful. Your very limited with just motorcycles.

Just some things to take into account.
Bob

 

[bonnienclyde]

Thanks, akrvbob! I'm going back and forth on those things!

We are also keeping our home place (for now) so, the first year or so, we are going to use as a training/testing/experimenting. We are staying flexible!

We definitely want to spend the majority of our time boondocking. The places we want to go, and see are ,for the most part, out of urban areas. We love camping and nature. Plus, we are true "country folk".

We were planning on selling a Trans am we have, to put the money in our "pot". But, now we are considering either trading it to something suitable, or using some of the money to buy. Our everyday drivers that we use now are already planned for. Those are going to pay for the RV, so we have no debt. And neither would be suitable for a "toad" anyway.

 

[akrvbob]

Have you figured out what kind of RV you are going to get yet? That kind of determines if you have a toad or not.
Bob

 

[bonnienclyde]

Probably a class c, for now. We just went and looked at one that sounded promising, but was not once we actually looked at it. That's ok, though. I know I will probably have to look at several to find the right one.

We are flexible, though. Part of the fun, I think! If we come across an amazing tricked out school bus, well, we may just buy it! Lol