Terrified!

[cleanheart]

Hello all! I've been lurking and reading for a couple of years and finally joined and continued to lurk and now find I can no longer do that.&nbsp;<br>I bought (on a loan) a 2005 Chrysler Town and Country Van, traded my little Saturn Ion for it. I decided on this van because I clean houses and a couple of business' and needed to be under the radar as I don't want anyone to know I am living in my Van. I'm not yet but this is the first step.&nbsp;<br>I have acquired some lumber for shelves and flooring and will get some insulation next. I am renting a trailer in rural central Illinois at the moment about 10 miles from town where all my work is. Gas is going to kill me with it going up but I felt I needed to do this or I would never make a decision.&nbsp;<br>I will have a place to park on the outskirts of town that won't be a problem.&nbsp;<br>My problem is my fears of leaving all the comforts I enjoy now. I have a wonderful dog who would be fine with the move so that won't be an issue either.&nbsp;<br>I am a 57 yr. old female, single with family in the area. My family probably will have a cow when they eventually find out but I think I can deal with that.<br> I'm just so afraid of the changes I guess.&nbsp;<br>I would absolutely love to be "on the road" and travel but that is not possible since I now have this van to pay off. I could pay it off quite early if I'm not renting and making double payments but I'm not very good with money. I think living in the van having to stay in one area would really be a motivator to save money tho.&nbsp;<br>Okay, well, it's out there now.....just have so much fear. I've read so much here and will continue to read. Would also like to hear from anyone in a Town and Country so I could figure out how to make it comfortable for me and the dog, it's kinda small.<br><br>Thanks....Marsha<br><br>

 

[Mortisha]

Embrace the fear and get excited about your new adventures! Think of the positives and just love life and all it has to offer! You will be fine... in fact better than fine... you will be absolutely wonderful in your new life HuggZ and Welcome!

 

[cleanheart]

Thanks Mortisha! I'm trying.....everytime I try to downsize here I end up just moving stuff from one room to another.....****sigh****

 

[HoboBerg]

Welcome to the group CleanHeart. I had a great fear in the beginning as well, but once I made the leap I love the freedom its created in my life. First few months were a bit frustrating, but it went away fast, as far as downsizing goes I dont remember any of the junk that I owned. Good Luck on your adventure!

 

[cleanheart]

Thanks Hobo! I'm thinking that with spring coming I can probably sell quite a bit of "stuff" and give away even more. lol&nbsp;<br>I have way to much stuff and really want to get rid of it ALL!&nbsp;

 

[dragonflyinthesky]

I think if you can keep your confidence up and remember your own quote<BR><SPAN style="COLOR: #800080">"I would absolutely love to be "on the road" and travel but that is not possible since I now have this van to pay off. I could pay it off quite early if I'm not renting and making double payments but I'm not very good with money. I think living in the van having to stay in one area would really be a motivator to save money tho."<BR><SPAN style="COLOR: #000000">You say volumes about what you need to do in these few sentences. You won't have room for things that you feel you must have so you will save money and pay off your bills.<BR><STRONG><SPAN style="COLOR: #ff00ff">Dragonfly</SPAN></STRONG></SPAN></SPAN>

 

[cleanheart]

Wow...just wow Thanks for that! You just gave me new confidence for sure! going to start taking pictures out of frames today and pack them up and give away the frames. Boy, freecycle is really going to love me! LOLNo time like the present to begin.......yikes!!!!

 

[Pikachu711]

Welcome to the group Cleanheart!

 

[cleanheart]

thanks Pikachu and everyone for the welcome!<br><br>Got a little overwhelming looking at things to get rid of. I did pack up frames took pictures out and will put them in an album. I took out my camping gear got all my kitchen things together, it's going to be hard to give up the nice plates and bowls and cups, glasses. Wow! My cupboards are full. Wow! This is going to be a long process. I have plenty of time tho....I haven't set a date yet tho for beginning this, I suppose I should.

 

[blueberry]

Welcome, cleanheart! I'm getting rid of stuff in preparation for my 'escape' too. It was daunting at first, until I gave away and sold a few things and saw how easy it really was -- and how freeing. I've also set up a van-sized space around my bed, where I'm gathering everything I plan to keep. If it doesn't fit there, it's gotta go. <br><br>I'm planning a 'dress rehearsal' (complete with poop bucket and sponge baths in my faux-van) next week when my son and daughter-in-law, who live here too, will be out of town. Should be interesting!

 

[cleanheart]

Hi Blueberry! That sounds like a great idea. Problem I have is I have a big ol' queen bed. lol I am going to have to really downsize to fit in my van. but I like the idea of doing a practice run!&nbsp;&lt;br&gt;I did go out and lay down in my van and I figure that there's much more room than I first thought so it's doable. I hope. lol Thanks for the welcome!

 

[Guest]

really big warm hugs to you both ladies. i admit i am jealous! shame on me but i'm sort of stuck where i am for a little while. <br><br>now, with that in mind, an idea for you, just a suggestion, is that you might start outfitting the van now. and pack away keepsakes you want to keep. store those wherever you are going to. then look around the trailer at whats left. make double sure you give it the once over again, and then leave. have a friend come in and spend a day selling/giving it all away for you. they keep part of the profits. then its done. i did that once years ago, it made it so much easier on me emotionally. just a suggestion is all for what its worth..2 cents and all..<br><br>ps: i had a hasty trip south last year, 900 miles each way. all i brought was some clothes and my laptop/cell phone. on the way back i stopped at goodwill and spent $20.00 on some camp items, then dollar store for food, etc. <br>since i knew i only had a certain amount of room, it was amazing what little i bought that was needed. i was so content those few days of stolen respite. and i realized i could live just fine like that. <br>while i was at one of the state parks, (both actually), there were big signs at park asking for people to work there, like the work kamp thing. cool..<br><br>

 

[cleanheart]

Hmmm....interesting Aunt Meg. I must admit that idea is tempting. not a bad idea at all. I'll have to give that a thought. Thanks and Thanks for the welcome!

 

[Guest]

there are so many wonderful people here, i promise. i made a true friend here. everyone will help and can relate to all you write. for myself, i sometimes feel anxiety that i won't be able to do this. i have a bad injury right now (rotator cuff tears) and no way to treat them, so i am now limited in what i can do. which is hard because i've always been a hard worker. i cleaned houses for awhile way back when too. i enjoyed it. worked alone and no one bothered me and it was good therapy *grin*

 

[cleanheart]

Sorry about your injury Aunt Meg! I relate completely. I'm FULL of anxiety and so overwhelmed with all the information I've been reading! I haven't left the site for 2 days except to sleep. lol I'm getting all sorts of ideas and feel that maybe just maybe I can really do this. After all, I did get the van. Hahaha!&lt;br&gt;I too, enjoy working alone. We're an odd sort aren't we? Most people crave the presence of other people I crave the presence of my dog and my God.&nbsp;

 

[vokus]

I must warn you!<br><br>If you try it, you will fall in love.<br><br>Once you taste the freedom of not being tied down, and waking up in any place you choose, you will never want to go back. <br><br>And if you are forced back in to the accepted social standards, you will always keep coming back to that experience of freedom. <br><br>This is not something you can explain to a person, they just cant picture it, this can only be experianced by you. <br><br>

 

[yesican]

Welcome cleanheart....you'll get that van paid off soon since you won't be paying rent.&nbsp; Don't forget you'll have bumps in the road, but having friends on here will act as your shock absorbers.&nbsp; There are so many smart people here there's probably not any question that can't be answered.&nbsp; Knowing where to get answers can help alleviate some of those fears.&nbsp; Good luck to you...and just think of how gutsy you really are for even thinking of taking that leap!&nbsp; You go girl!&nbsp; <br><br>Rae

 

[cleanheart]

thanks for the encouragement Vokus and Rae! I'm very excited and apprehensive at the same time. I could barely sleep last night, all that I've been reading kept going through my mind and then I dreamed about it all. LOL Oh My What a hoot! I did get some good ideas from my dreams tho. ~~~shakes head~~~ ha!<br>I've got time to pull this all together so that's one thing I don't have to worry about.&nbsp;<br>Thanks again to all for the great encouragement!<br>Marsha

 

[blkjak]

<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>welcome .... blkjak</strong></span>