RVSue blog announcement today

[Tbaldwin]

21399[/ATTACH]QinReno pid='416517' dateline='1540502647']Wow, he must have written "This is the End" (1966) in honor of his father's deed (1964) - looking up the dates. Brains fried in (1971), buried in Pere Lachaise in Paris. Hard rock and amplified guitar and the European bohemian lifestyle will do that to you, I remember the warnings, ha.

Said Son was also an Eagle Scout whose said scouting shirt hangs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next to said lyrics above.

 

[QinReno]

  Sue will be very lucky to be able to afford housing in Arizona.

JFTHOI, I did some checking on home prices in the area. Not sure which town she lives in but somewheres near here,
- https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-search/Whetstone_AZ

My quick calculation says a $150,000 mortgage at 5% interest for 20-years costs about $1,000/month.
IE, 1.025^20 = 1.64 --> $245K / 240-months. That's much less than a small apartment in most cities anymore.

 

[GraceinMotion]

But that's pretty depressing (to me, anyway) considering she used to pay an average of about $1500 A YEAR for camping and had the freedom to move around on a lark.

 

[travelaround]

Maybe she got tired of mobility. There's something inviting about sticks and bricks, that can derail us from travel life.

 

[QinReno]

But that's pretty depressing (to me, anyway) considering she used to pay an average of about $1500 A YEAR for camping and had the freedom to move around on a lark.

Yeah, my real point was that real estate in that area is "extremely" cheap as compared to most other places. Most people can afford $1000/month for rent or a mortgage like that, unless they've gotten totally creamed financially. And if 2 people are sharing it, that's really cheap housing.

Sue had 7 years of full-time lark, decided time to have a home base. She makes her own choices. She can still travel with the Casita and knows how to pay very little for campgrounds, so all in all, I don't see it as very depressing. Just have to keep adapting.

Likewise, when I travel in the van, my only "extra" costs are really for gas. Otherwise, I still spend about the same as if living at home ... food, etc.

 

[QinReno]

I had another idea. Maybe Sue is now looking for a new roommate. Preferably female. Preferably another traveler. Similar interests, good match.

 

[bullfrog]

Sue's income originally when she started out was a little over $ 1,500 a month. She has been an innspiration for many to live a simple nomadic life and not only survive but save and make money through her web site. One of the few that made public her bills and income each month. In a lot of states retired teachers of her era did not qualify or got reduced Social Security ( some up to 90% reduced) and average retirement was a little as $1,000 a month. A lot of teachers that follow Sue's web site learned a lot, me included thanks to her openess and have nothing but best wishes for her in the future.

 

[QinReno]

I have no idea how much Sue spent on the house or her financial situation in general, but the fact the bank gave her a mortgage means she qualified given the current rules, which aren't all that loose. I don't think they do many Sub-Prime loans anymore like in the early 2000s.

Heck, living so cheaply for the past 7 years, she may have saved up a bundle. Let's see, $1000/month for 7 years is .... a bit.

 

[bullfrog]

It really is a story worth reading for someome with a small pension or social security that is living in a house, that even if or almost paid for, is too much for them to handle, either physically or financially, that loves the outdoors and wants to travel that is still able to do so. Sorry for all the all the comma splices! We all as we change or no longer are able to travel need to have a plan, goal or idea of how to deal with it. I hope Sue continues her posts as she has done such a wonderfull job of making her life work for her and giving others the details they need to make it work for them.

 

[ByeBye]

Yes...been in the back of my mind all along. Think about grabbing a small cheap, AZ/NV/NM off grid, no zoning restrictions acreage w/ a small down & monthly payment making it sustainable over time. Then, one day I'll limp back there and stay if I need to.

 

[QinReno]

Sue may have been living the CRVL lifestyle before Bob popularized it. If having a small pension, but being able to live on just $500/month, you can save a lot of money over a few years. Good lesson there, plus you get to do all that fun traveling, and stay where the temperatures are always mellow. Win, win.

Living on the road full-time is probably not so desirable once you get into your late 70s and 80s. So, good course of action.... Travel for a few years, save up on your pension, build a nest egg, then find an inexpensive S&B place where you like the area. Sounds like a plan.

 

[bullfrog]

MaTaLa I know Bob and others have bought property with that in mind, what I don't know is how that worked out for them. Tioga George, which is where Sue started posting, in his 80's was not happy off the road after having medical difficulties which caused him to total his RV, and is now back on the road. He is really determined to live life his way and working on building out a box truck but he seems to be getting beat up doing it. I have seen lots of posts questioning if there is even land available that will meet the needs of a home base for someone currently living on the road. All sorts of tax, zoning, laws, whether to rent or allow someone to stay on it, vandelism, when to buy it and etc. It would be nice to have some real life complete stories from someone like Sue that is doing it. If you find any please let me know.

 

[WanderingRose]

Lots of speculation as to why RVSue is coming in off the road, so let me add mine to the mix.

She may have some health issues needing attention, and requiring a fixed residence for many possible reasons that immediately come to my mind.

Some health issues develop slowly, some in a heartbeat, but we all either age or die.

Much less toil and trouble to activities of daily living with a S&B, vs being on the road.

It may be, too, that she is just ready to have a home base for awhile.

We have traveled over four months at a time, and always, always appreciate having a small house to come home to.

I hope Sue is healthy, just wanting a change, but if she is not may she recover steadily.

 

[GraceinMotion]

I was recently thinking about how to achieve a home base with the potential for minimal loss. For instance, Youtuber Rusty78609 in TX, is in his 70s and has a small plot of land with an electrical hookup, a pad with what looks like a substantial carport, and a TT. He used to travel more and live out of the back of his truck. This appeals to me, but maybe in a different tax friendly state. That way if nature or the govt decides to wreak havoc, I'm not stuck with losing much.

 

[QinReno]

There is such a large migration of people from the inland empire to the cities, that over time, there should be increasing opportunities for cheap RVers to find reasonably priced places to settle in small towns and rural areas, if so desired. That's exactly what Sue found, as I see it.

 

[rosiemartinez1211]

My sister and I just bought a pop-up camper. Our plan is to travel west from TX starting December to CA then back to AZ where we will anxiously await the WRTR/RTR.

Once that is over, we will decide if we need to come home or will continue on. We both have our houses that we will keep so we'll know we can come "home" whenever we want. Knowing that will help us feel a little more relaxed, I think! But since we do have home bases to maintain and both live on retirement income, our finances will be limited.

Is this lifestyle for us? We don't know. That's what we want to go figure out. I hope it is. I know we both want to see more of our country. But I think we'll stay away from bear country.....

Looking forward to meet many of y'all at the RTRs!!!

 

[QinReno]

Is this lifestyle for us? We don't know. That's what we want to go figure out. I hope it is. I know we both want to see more of our country. But I think we'll stay away from bear country.....

Rosie, that is the way to go ... test the alternate lifestyle without breaking all the existing bounds. Keep your options open while you try things out.

If your popup camper is the kind with canvas walls, then best not to cook bacon in bear country. And stay out of grizzly country completely. Yellowstone to Glacier park is the "Grizzly Highway".

 

[ByeBye]

Increased security always has a higher cost in freedom to pay. In my scenario I'll not have something as large as a tradition home owning me (stuff owns us, we don't own it) again. My need for unencumbered freedom is greater than my fear of no place to go.

I'd be glad to do some kind of co-op with a small number of kindred spirits on some wilderness property but I've never really had much success at "partnering" with anyone I didn't live with but I would surely be open to ideas.

Kind of property I'm talking about can be had for a couple of thousand down and couple of hundred, or so, a month. I've been looking at this type of thing for a few years. It would probably be high desert terrain, approx 5500 ft in elevation, ideally w/ reasonable water access but trucking it in is a low priority choice. I plan on looking at some when I 'get out' on the road.

 

[rosiemartinez1211]

Rosie, that is the way to go ... test the alternate lifestyle without breaking all the existing bounds. Keep your options open while you try things out.

If your popup camper is the kind with canvas walls, then best not to cook bacon in bear country. And stay out of grizzly country completely. Yellowstone to Glacier park is the "Grizzly Highway".

Yes, canvas. Hoping not to do too much cooking inside the camper to keep it from retaining smells. No bear country for me until I understand the lifestyle MUCH better!
And yes, I've read up on their keen ability to smell so that's been enough to make me keenly cautious. Ah hell, who am I kidding -- scared!!

 

[QinReno]

Yes, canvas. Hoping not to do too much cooking inside the camper to keep it from retaining smells. No bear country for me until I understand the lifestyle MUCH better!
And yes, I've read up on their keen ability to smell so that's been enough to make me keenly cautious. Ah hell, who am I kidding -- scared!!

Bear attacks happen, but road accidents are much more common. And probably being bit by scorpions and rattlesnakes in Texas too!! 

Look up various websites that talk about traveling in bear country, especially on the National Forest and Park service websites.

I have a van, and as they say, you live "out" of the van and not "in" it. A lot of people cook inside their vans, but the most I ever do is boil water in mine, and do the cooking outside on a table. I plan to spend a lot of time up in Montana in the future, and don't want the van smelling like food, .