Very good, Liz.
Off topic posts split from "How do u live on $700/month, truly?"
- Thread starter Calaverasgrande
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Help Support Van Living Forum:
Thank you all for keeping this discussion civil. Now I don't have to remove anything! 
For anyone who missed Bob's Rules of the Forum, here it is again. Rules of the Forum.
A snippet:
Vision Statement:
Hi, my name is Bob Wells and I’m the owner of the site and forum. I post as “akrvbob”. Let me tell you how this forum came into being. When I was living in my van in Anchorage, Alaska, I woke up one cold fall morning and there was a car parked next to me and through the frosted windows I could make out a mom and her two kids trying to sleep in it. My heart leaped out to her because I knew intimately the kind of despair she was feeling right then. At that moment cheaprvliving.com and this forum took root. It was many more years before it was born into the world and grew into what it is now but it still reaches back to the seed that was planted that day. This is my vision for us:
1) To teach people (especially people in need) how to be reasonably comfortable living in their car, van or RV.
2) To inspire others to follow their dreams and live mobile. We’re specifically oriented towards living cheaply and most often in vans, but all are welcome. Vandwelling is an attitude and not a choice of vehicle or residence.
3) To create a tribal community of like-minded people to support and care for each other.
Spirit of the Law:
Every post should somehow make members's lives better. We are here to be helpful, kind and supportive. If you need help, we want to hear from you. If you have help to offer, we want to hear from you. Sometimes we do that with technical or how-to information; sometimes we do that with a kind word, a good story or even a good laugh. But every post should make someones life better and easier.
If your posts make other members lives harder or unpleasant you are forcing the moderators to make a decision between the whole forum and you. Please understand, we will choose the forum every time!
For anyone who missed Bob's Rules of the Forum, here it is again. Rules of the Forum.
A snippet:
Vision Statement:
Hi, my name is Bob Wells and I’m the owner of the site and forum. I post as “akrvbob”. Let me tell you how this forum came into being. When I was living in my van in Anchorage, Alaska, I woke up one cold fall morning and there was a car parked next to me and through the frosted windows I could make out a mom and her two kids trying to sleep in it. My heart leaped out to her because I knew intimately the kind of despair she was feeling right then. At that moment cheaprvliving.com and this forum took root. It was many more years before it was born into the world and grew into what it is now but it still reaches back to the seed that was planted that day. This is my vision for us:
1) To teach people (especially people in need) how to be reasonably comfortable living in their car, van or RV.
2) To inspire others to follow their dreams and live mobile. We’re specifically oriented towards living cheaply and most often in vans, but all are welcome. Vandwelling is an attitude and not a choice of vehicle or residence.
3) To create a tribal community of like-minded people to support and care for each other.
Spirit of the Law:
Every post should somehow make members's lives better. We are here to be helpful, kind and supportive. If you need help, we want to hear from you. If you have help to offer, we want to hear from you. Sometimes we do that with technical or how-to information; sometimes we do that with a kind word, a good story or even a good laugh. But every post should make someones life better and easier.
If your posts make other members lives harder or unpleasant you are forcing the moderators to make a decision between the whole forum and you. Please understand, we will choose the forum every time!
Lizmccal
Member
Someone had a spreadsheet of how they do $500 a month here too. Thank you! Yes we can live on what we have. We can find a way.
Not trying to get in a pissin match as this is just to inform u of my situation. This doesn't apply to anyone who is doing the best they can and because of disability or some other life changing events have too be very conservative financially.
Some of the van dweller websites seem to promote just getting by, working seasonal jobs etc. and having fun. That is all well and good until it is time to retire and are dependent on SS to fund retirement. I believe I am qualified to comment since I have had 21 jobs in 40 years and received a lot of 1099's and as such minimized my tax burden and only contributing the minimum to SS. This all ended 14 years ago when I decided to apply myself and secured some high paying work. By doing this I am now at full retirement age and will receive my first SS check next month and will be quite comfortable.
In closing: Have fun but remember to pay the Piper if u can. But what the hell do i know. Best wishes to all.
Some of the van dweller websites seem to promote just getting by, working seasonal jobs etc. and having fun. That is all well and good until it is time to retire and are dependent on SS to fund retirement. I believe I am qualified to comment since I have had 21 jobs in 40 years and received a lot of 1099's and as such minimized my tax burden and only contributing the minimum to SS. This all ended 14 years ago when I decided to apply myself and secured some high paying work. By doing this I am now at full retirement age and will receive my first SS check next month and will be quite comfortable.
In closing: Have fun but remember to pay the Piper if u can. But what the hell do i know. Best wishes to all.
A Wing and a Prayer
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If you find that van life isn't for you and you miss having a home base, come here to Florida. A lower cost of living and you can still use your van for trips. I enjoy this forum, even though I don't live in a van because of the helpful tips on reducing expenses. I sold my home and moved into a park model in an rv park so I guess that would be considered an alternative lifestyle. I tried out the nomad life and figured out that it wasn't the traveling I was looking for, it was living simply that attracted me to van life sites.
RearViewMirror
Well-known member
You and I seemed to have the same goals originally. We had a 27' travel trailer before my daughter was born and out of all of the things that I have owned in my life, that was one thing I can look back on and say that I never had "buyers remorse" about. My wife and I used it all year long each year we owned it. When I was in my mid 30's the goal at the time was to buy a medium duty truck and a large 5th wheel to tow behind it when I retired. Camp out in all the National Parks and live in it full time. But over time that goal kind of faded away as it was just going to be too much trouble to deal with. That changed as we found out about "van life". That is something that we can do since it requires so much less work than towing around a large rig. Plus it will allow us to camp out on BLM land, national forests, etc.. since it is completely self contained. And over time, it will allow us to save money we wouldn't have normally saved due to reducing our cost of living and letting the money we make off the sale of our house along with our other investments to make money for us. And you are correct... Living a minimalist lifestyle appeals to us. That is where the van suits us most I think?
Florida is nice and I have been many times. But in the end Colorado has always called my name. I've been going there since I was 9 years old and I fell in love with the mountains. I grew up in Hawaii and California until my parents got divorced when I was 16. Then I got stuck in this state once my mother and I moved back here after their divorce. I grew up on the ocean and although it is nice no doubt. The mountains are calling me. Everytime we travel we point the vehicle West. I just can't point it East for some reason?
As far as cost of living goes? It really won't matter too much. I don't pay State Income tax because of my retirement. But I do pay personal property tax which sucks. For those that aren't burdened with Personal Property tax, it is a tax that is levied on items you own. So basically you are paying taxes just for the "privilege" of owning something that you have already paid taxes on. But, states that don't have Personal Property tax "generally" make up that revenue by charging a higher amount to license your vehicles. So in the end it is kind of a wash. So for as long as we can, we will use my parents address as our home address. We can take the interest off of our van since it is treated as a second home (the same way we could take the interest off of our travel trailer when we had it). So you can almost think of it as a second mortgage. In case someone hasn't taken advantage of that on your taxes. It is definitely something to look into. It only applies to a vehicle that is registered as an actual RV though. But if you fall into that category it will help out when the tax man comes calling.
Dingfelder
Well-known member
I live in an estate community, but as a poorer helper thereto.
One fellow used to want to give his old torn and stained underwear to goodwill. Another his old stained and torn wife-beater t-shirts and hole-y socks.
I used to work for Food & Friends, our local version of Meals on Wheals, as a volunteer.
I contacted several Missions etc. when as a Guardian/Conservator I had to clean out the houses of people who became wards of the State.
A lot of their foodstuffs were not acceptable for donation.
Anyone can, and should, try to donate. But don't think your stuff will always be accepted.
Dingfelder
Well-known member
Just talking about my experience. I live in a gated community as its poorest by far helper by orders of magnitude. Some tell me they want to commit their stained underwear and torn socks. The outdated pumpkin mix is not just a Marge from the Simpsons reference, but the real thing.
When I was clearing out the kitchens and pantries of clients I had as a guardian/conservator, I found it was a lot of trouble even to get rid of canned goods to charities. At the end, some went in the trash and some went to an impromptu, for instance, room where present residents of a trailer park could pick up what was left by those who passed.
It's actually implausibly hard to give away good food.
And I say that as someone who used to work in a supermarket, too. It's safer and more in keeping with proper insurance and government regulations to just throw massive amounts of perfectly good food away. I'm not saying I approve. It's disgusting. But that's the way it is.
Until and unless you vote it different. But almost certainly not even then.
Why anyone would want to donate torn, stained clothing of any kind speaks rather poorly to them, when every Goodwill or other donation center I have ever seen specifically asks for clothing and other items in good condition.
Those who shelter the homeless in my community specifically ask for donations of new packages of socks and underwear, as these are items of constant need, and churches/other organizations who do clothing drives always have these on the list of wants and needs.
Those who shelter the homeless in my community specifically ask for donations of new packages of socks and underwear, as these are items of constant need, and churches/other organizations who do clothing drives always have these on the list of wants and needs.
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Morgana
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Hear, hear.
Unusable donations can be a big expense -- in storage and volunteer time, for example. This is one area where it's really good to check, and respect, what the organization says it wants, or you could easily be taking resources away from the cause you'd like to support.
RoamerRV428
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Goodwill is not just local sell ever. It is a big corp.
just a blurb: What doesn’t sell at the outlets is then sent to Goodwill Auctions, where huge “mystery” bins full of items are sold for as little as $35 each. Finally, what clothing remains gets sent to textile recycling centers where they will be cut into rags, processed into softer fiber used for filling furniture and building insulation, or sent overseas.
just a blurb: What doesn’t sell at the outlets is then sent to Goodwill Auctions, where huge “mystery” bins full of items are sold for as little as $35 each. Finally, what clothing remains gets sent to textile recycling centers where they will be cut into rags, processed into softer fiber used for filling furniture and building insulation, or sent overseas.
Our Goodwill locally does a booming business, with donations and shoppers.
They do charge for items, tho I also know that people in dire need can apply for vouchers with which to “shop”.
Our agencies which work more directly with the homeless also take donations, and provide their items free of charge.
This is a very well organized and coordinated endeavor, these days, which is a good thing.
They do charge for items, tho I also know that people in dire need can apply for vouchers with which to “shop”.
Our agencies which work more directly with the homeless also take donations, and provide their items free of charge.
This is a very well organized and coordinated endeavor, these days, which is a good thing.
LargeMarge
Well-known member
.
We workkamp a small organic teaching farm near the outskirts of Eugene, Oregon.
We share the acreage with a couple-three dozen other workkampers in various versions of home-built rigs and RecreateVehicles.
.
We actively work with our local food-bank -- 'Food For Lane County' -- with organizing and dispersal.
.
We see tons -- multiple truck-loads -- of canned goods and boxed supplies approaching/past the date printed on the container.
We have consistent problems with only two 'beyond sell-by' products:
* canned tomatoes
* canned pineapple.
Based on the hundreds of years of collective experience of Food For Lane County volunteers, we are reasonably certain most foods could be nutritious and tasty for decades.
.
In other words, a 'sell-by' is a scam.
.
.
Disclaimer:
Storage conditions are important.
Foods kept in a cool dry cellar could last decades longer than stuff in a Conex (shipping-container) sitting in the sun.
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Edited to return to thread:
Although we donate, some of our workkamp chums are right on the edge financially.
At Food For Lane County, volunteers often score some exception goodies...
RearViewMirror
Well-known member
As far as donations go. We donate a lot of clothes (especially from my wife and daughter). As my daughter was growing up we would donate her clothes that didn't fit her anymore. My wife will donate things that she no longer wears but are in perfect condition. I generally only buy clothes that are outdoor oriented (my wife does also to some extent) so I don't donate many clothes since they tend to last for years. We have donated to Goodwill over time but we also donate to Civitan as they can often use appliances that have been replaced. We have donated a clothes washer that was in good working order when my wife decided she would like to have a different brand. We have donated two dryers. One which worked perfectly and one that a belt that had gone out on the tumbler. We notified them of the one that was broken and what needed to be replaced and they were more than willing to accept it as they said they could repair it. We don't have garage sales as I feel the items could be better served for those that actually need the items.
I have mixed feelings about Goodwill. I don't know if it is the same nationwide? But the Goodwill we have down here tends to sell items that are marked up more than I expect. Maybe it's just the local Goodwill we have here. But it kind of left a bad taste in my mouth about donating to them. Civitan has been much better for "us" as they employ people that need a job and they do not mark up prices. So pretty much everything we have that is something they could use, we donate to them.
Food items that we donate are either food items that we specifically buy at a grocery store to donate or food items that we have in our panty that are not out of date but we are unlikely to use before they do go out of date. Mostly canned goods.
I'm curious if any have noticed a price increase in Goodwill or not? I just noticed the one down here marked up the prices which I personally thought was unreasonable.
I have mixed feelings about Goodwill. I don't know if it is the same nationwide? But the Goodwill we have down here tends to sell items that are marked up more than I expect. Maybe it's just the local Goodwill we have here. But it kind of left a bad taste in my mouth about donating to them. Civitan has been much better for "us" as they employ people that need a job and they do not mark up prices. So pretty much everything we have that is something they could use, we donate to them.
Food items that we donate are either food items that we specifically buy at a grocery store to donate or food items that we have in our panty that are not out of date but we are unlikely to use before they do go out of date. Mostly canned goods.
I'm curious if any have noticed a price increase in Goodwill or not? I just noticed the one down here marked up the prices which I personally thought was unreasonable.
Morgana
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This
is something I didn't know and it puts the pricing scheme in a different perspective.
You may need an agency referral, I simply don’t know, but do know for certain they are available.
And at Goodwill, one can purchase all manner of household goods, not just clothing.
And at Goodwill, one can purchase all manner of household goods, not just clothing.
Dingfelder
Well-known member
Oh I agree. By way of example of more volatile ingredients, I've left eggs out for a month and still eaten then, and found unopened milks still fresh for weeks beyond the expiration date. Unopened vacuum-packed cheese, it often doesn't seem to matter. Except for the shredded stuff, that swells up and goes bad really quick sometimes.
But sour cream, cottage cheese, cream cheese, properly packed cold cuts, countless freezer goods, etc,, have in my personal experience been fine until you open them up and expose them to oxygen. That's when the countdown begins. But until that point, lots of this stuff has been pasteurized etc, packed with an inert gas, and it's good. And I've eaten terrifically expired canned goods without worry. Dried things like pasta, and rice, especially if you have some dehumidifying packs in there, it's almost irrelevant how old it is. Just IMO.
Yes, I've noticed that and some things are marked higher than what a new item would be. I think it may be because they don't have people that can invest time to price check tons of items. The GW where I live now (Sierra Vista,AZ) gives a 10% discount to seniors one day per week.
Where I used to live, the Salvation Army store gave 50% off to seniors every Wednesday.
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Goodwill has been focusing more on "visual merchandising" to attract a larger market segment (cough), as resale becomes increasingly on-trend. In Dallas, "Tim Heis, 43, joined Goodwill as CEO just before the pandemic, and he came from Neiman Marcus, where he was vice president of strategy."
Where I am, linens are now neatly bundled/folded and taped closed, which keeps the shelves neater, but makes it a pain to check for holes and spots!
(How to you like SV?)
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