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[james54ono]

My name is Dave or David and my wife is Rebecca or Becky and we are both 54 years old. We are thinking about doing this because we live from month to month and want to see the world for as long as we can but we are scared , because it is a big jump for us and i am worried about her health. She gets ssi i get nothing and lost my last job because of the stor i was working at stopped the night shift and had tp put night shift on days and that cut me down to 1 day a week because i was the last hire so i got my time cut bad , so we so Bob on youtube and she was like we can do that. This is my question , what and how should we start to do to prepare for this?

 

[AMGS3]

Hello Dave and Becky and welcome to the forum. I'm hesitant to recommend what you should do first because I don't know your current living situation, what you have now as a vehicle and how reliable it is, what your goals are long term or short term, and what your resources are.

I suspect you are on a very limited budget, like myself. I am on social security disability. I can tell you that my stress levels were so much better once I was able to live comfortably month to month on my limited income than my stress was knowing I was spending more on rent/heat/electric/food than my disability check was every month.

Please only share information you are comfortable sharing, I'm not pressing for info. And again, welcome.

~angie

Sent from my VS501 using Tapatalk

 

[wagoneer]

Welcome at 54 I had no problem bending over in na regular van but at 71 I am a bit more needy and would like to stand fully erect to dress and such. These seem like simple needs but you need to address these to make a good first start I can say for sure you will want a comfortable sleeping arrangement cook outside OK get a Coleman or whatever build a fire. In the southwest carry enough water (it's cheap enough). The rest will come naturally.

 

[[email protected]]

Hi Dave and Becky,
Ken Coons here, I’ve been going through the exact same thing with not making it through the month with my money. I’m convinced that being a VanDweller is the only reasonable solution to my dilemma, so I put in my thirty day notice, and will be getting on the road March first. I’ll be joining one of the coed caravans for the rest of the winter. (cheaprvliving.com/caravans).

I’m a certified assistive technologist, and have been noticing that a variety of disabilities are represented in the full timer community, and they are adapting cargo vans for wheel chair use, and so forth. I’ll be using a cane and walker. It’s likely that your disabilities can be accommodated in the lifestyle right up to the point that a doctor admits you to a skilled nursing facility. 

Meanwhile, please email me if you want to discuss modifications and for caring and sharing.

Hope to meet you on the road, all the best,
Ken

 

[highdesertranger]

Welcome Dave and Rebecca to the CRVL forums! To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started. We look forward to hearing more from you. highdesertranger

 

[james54ono]

I thank all that replied to my post. To give more info on our situation , I do not mind doing that. We have a Dodge truck 4x4 1500 hemi and i know right off the bat WOW how much gas does it use? It uses around $80.00 for every 350 miles , not bad in my book. My wife is on ssi from her x-husband that has passed away and is around $800.00 , I have no income but was thing about hosting or doing the beet thing or delivering RV's to begin to bring in a little extra money for us. She wants to live life to the fullest while we can instead of looking out the appartment window and watch the world go by as we get older and do nothing because we do not have the funds to do anything and we have no savings to buy a camper but maybe we could save a little for a year and try to get a cargo trailer and fix it up but that also would take a while. So it seams like we are caught between a rock and a hard place , any and all suggestions a appricated. Thank you all.

 

[james54ono]

Oh and we are not asking for money. I am old school and still have some years left in me that i can work but i want to be around her more and work less so we can do things together for as long as we have time together because you do not know the day or time when your time runs out. I want to make the best that we have together for as long as we can have it together.

 

[Cammalu]

James. There are a lot of older campers that you get can for very little money. Perhaps even less than it would cost you for a cargo trailer and you would already have all the basics set up for you.

 

[james54ono]

Hello Dave and Becky and welcome to the forum. I'm hesitant to recommend what you should do first because I don't know your current living situation, what you have now as a vehicle and how reliable it is, what your goals are long term or short term, and what your resources are.

I suspect you are on a very limited budget, like myself. I am on social security disability. I can tell you that my stress levels were so much better once I was able to live comfortably month to month on my limited income than my stress was knowing I was spending more on rent/heat/electric/food than my disability check was every month.

Please only share information you are comfortable sharing, I'm not pressing for info. And again, welcome.

~angie

Sent from my VS501 using Tapatalk

Thank you

 

[james54ono]

James. There are a lot of older campers that you get can for very little money. Perhaps even less than it would cost you for a cargo trailer and you would already have all the basics set up for you.

Thank you

 

[james54ono]

Welcome Dave and Rebecca to the CRVL forums!  To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started.   We look forward to hearing more from you.  highdesertranger

Thank you

 

[james54ono]

Welcome Dave and Rebecca to the CRVL forums!  To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started.   We look forward to hearing more from you.  highdesertranger

Thank you for the info

 

[james54ono]

Welcome at 54 I had no problem bending over in na regular van but at 71 I am a bit more needy and would like to stand fully erect to dress and such. These seem like simple needs but you need to address these to make a good first start I can say for sure you will want a comfortable sleeping arrangement cook outside OK get a Coleman or whatever build a fire. In the southwest carry enough water (it's cheap enough). The rest will come naturally.

Thank you

 

[james54ono]

Hi Dave and Becky,
Ken Coons here, I’ve been going through the exact same thing with not making it through the month with my money. I’m convinced that being a VanDweller is the only reasonable solution to my dilemma, so I put in my thirty day notice, and will be getting on the road March first. I’ll be joining one of the coed caravans for the rest of the winter. (cheaprvliving.com/caravans).

I’m a certified assistive technologist, and have been noticing that a variety of disabilities are represented in the full timer community, and they are adapting cargo vans for wheel chair use, and so forth. I’ll be using a cane and walker. It’s likely that your disabilities can be accommodated in the lifestyle right up to the point that a doctor admits you to a skilled nursing facility. 

Meanwhile, please email me if you want to discuss modifications and for caring and sharing.

Hope to meet you on the road, all the best,
Ken

Thank you

 

[james54ono]

James. There are a lot of older campers that you get can for very little money. Perhaps even less than it would cost you for a cargo trailer and you would already have all the basics set up for you.

Thank you

 

[james54ono]

Thank you everyone for your imput we are now trying to figure out if we want to trade the truck in on a van or just try to get a pull trailer and fix it up. Any and all info on that would help also and again thanks to all

 

[AMGS3]

For me, the biggest two factors that informed my decision on what type of rig to get were my finances and the "cold weather livability" of the rig. For you, depending on where you are in the country, those biggest factors may be other things.

Where are you planning on traveling most? Old, affordable trailers aren't well known for their insulation. Insulation works to keep you living space cool in the summer, too. Sometimes people forget that. However, lack of insulation in a trailer that's otherwise mechanically sound isn't something that's a deal breaker if you are handy and willing to do the work.

Another factor that I considered was if I needed engine work done, did I want my whole house in the shop? This would apply to any "one piece" rigs - motorhomes, vans, cars, etc. With a tow vehicle + trailer setup, if you are having mechanical work done to the tow vehicle, you can arrange to park your trailer and live in it while the work is being done.

Also, right from the start I knew that a fifth wheel wouldn't work for me. I needed to be able to navigate around my interior space easily, and my mobility issues sometimes make stairs practically impossible. If either of you have limitations that would make one rig or setup too hard, don't feel bad or try to "force it" to make it work. This is your home, it should be at least moderately comfortable.

I agree with Wagoneer's above suggestion that standing up straight is important in a living space.

~angie

Sent from my VS501 using Tapatalk

 

[JD GUMBEE]

If you know your truck, go bumper tow trailer.
Some are less than 3K.
Before you do that, go spend 8 hours in your local WalMart parking lot with a tablet.
Make sure it does not drive you nuts.
If you cannot handle that, be careful about giving up your sticks/bricks.
There is no section 8 for nomadic people...

 

[simply lesa]

Welcome Dave and Becky!
Simply know that this lifestyle is a viable option. Your income can be okay if you are careful. Please do begin saving an EMF ( emergency fund) as soon as possible.
I encourage new people to try to think outside the box and see if you can start off using what you already have with minimal purchasing. Life changes considerably during your first few months.
Try to distinguish between your true needs and wants. Wants can be added along the way.
Congratulations and happy travels!

 

[james54ono]

THANK YOU