Women Only: Input on retirement income welcome

[maki2]

Maki that’s cute!  Is that a Trails west camper?  I had a couple of Playpacs. Love the little eggs.

Yes it is a Trails West "Campster", circa 1971. They were made in Oregon in 1969 thru 1971. Easier to find them on the West Coast and also in Idaho as that was where the dealers of them were.
Here is a photo with the pop-up top raised. I had to sew new canvas for that section. There is 6'3" headroom under that popup top section! The original layout of these trailers has a King sized bed that converts from the dinnette setup. Pretty remarkable for a fiberglass trailer that weighed in at just under 900 lbs.

 

[Cammalu]

Let’s see what you did with the inside. My little playpacs were the same size and even had a bathroom with shower. It was the cutest.

Looks like you did a fabulous job with the outside! I love it!

One of those campers would certainly be doable for the OP

 

[maki2]

I will post a thread on the interior sometime this summer with I am finished with the interior renovation.

 

[Element Gypsy]

Hi Ladies,
All good info. I am pretty much an expert on SS, SSI, housing, and still have a hard time with the red tape. I really feel for those who are ill, uneducated, or can't read...and have no idea what all the income limits, various state, fed , city and county housing programs are. I can barely keep up. So I gave up.

The social workers know less than I do! They say go to a shelter, or SRO...no way, rather camp and couch it off and on.

that said, I gave up with all the housing lists for a while and need to get back to it soon... I was just beaten down by the system,years of dealing with this because we do not have a national health care system when I moved they cut off my medicaid and CA still has not given me it!

the misinformation, doing things twice, getting denied...press 1 for...press 2 for...press 3 for...**** it.

Abby, take the advice from the other ladies and get on lists. read all you can ... I applied in Boulder but they replied, months later , that I had to be a resident for a year, so....read the fine print. There are income limit lists for each county of the state you are looking in. obviously 12K a year would qualify but they want decent credit, no evictions, basically your DNA! Like they are making you beg.

one thing you need to know is that if you get any mail from a housing list that you have been waiting for and need to fill out a form, reply CERTIFIED or Signature.

I was on a list in CA for years and really wanted to live in the apartment complex.. They sent me a letter saying I was getting toward the top of the list (could still be months and months) and was I still interested. Mail back the form .... Hell yeah!

So I filled out the form they sent updating my address, phone income, all the same, and mailed it back.

When i didn't hear from them, maybe 3 weeks or so, I called and they said they never got it and removed me from their list.

This is how people become homeless. Confused, frustrated, yad ayda yada...

I'm really liking your little camper Maki ? Now I will research them!

I have been looking a lot at small ones. do not want to tax my 4 cyl Element...

Those new $$$$ small A frames are lite. I think there is an older one that may be 1200 #. I would love to keep my Element.
The other option I thought was a truck and slide in camper. Same concept. You can take it off and just have the vehicle.

That said, Thanks for the Idaho info. I know there are some places that have available senior and disabled housing readily available.
Just need to figure out where they are and if i would want to live there and the type of community.

1/3 of my income would work for me with food stamps, medicare, medicaid. done it before, rural areas, but left me broke and could not travel, go to a concert, movie restaurant, no clothes, and if you need tires or repairs or anything SOL.... etc...stuck at home isolated getting depressed in bad weather.

So for now I will re apply at a few places and start that over. I cant take the cold weather at all anymore. Used to ski and skate..just can't do it.

I want to go to Idaho this summer. Maybe my little trailer is sitting someplace waiting for me. I am saving and have already gotten rid of my storage unit and have few possessions. What a great feeling after owning a house and having so much stuff!

Will keep looking for a pull behind, tear drop scamp something under 1500 pounds. When the weather warms up, stops raining here in CA, awesome we have rain! I can go on trips with the Element and a tent, cabana as I have before. I am grateful I can stay at my son's here in LA, although cramped and on the couch I have been working a little doing uber eats and instacart.

I tried to plan for all this for years .It is taking a lot longer and probably for a reason, no worries but eventually I need a bigger rig, camper.???

.. Hope to pick up some more work and save save save...I get so tired and in pain when I work , even a little , I do not last long at a job.

and yes, a guy to share my life with would be fun. The last one made me broke and ruined my credit. Maybe switch teams? so it goes...

Hope we can all meet one day. Didn't go to RTR or womens RTR this year as I was trying to earn money after my Baja trip...(another great place i want to go back next year!) and I can't camp in the cold. I was watching the weather in Q and just needed to rest and be warm and work a little.

best E

 

[crackedpan]

I have been looking a lot at small ones. do not want to tax my 4 cyl Element...

Those new $$$$ small  A frames are lite. I think there is an older one that may be 1200 #.  I would love to keep my Element.
The other option I thought was a truck and slide in camper. Same concept. You can take it off and just have the vehicle.

Will keep looking for a pull behind, tear drop scamp something under 1500 pounds. 

check out the nifty trailer in this video, called a 'runaway'.
   

very light, 700 pounds if i remember correctly, and base model $3000/4000
hope the link works, if not it's called 'Dani's Little Runaway' by slim potatohead.

 

[Beetle]

In addition to Slim's review check out Bob's interviews with the builders of WeeRoll and Runaway trailers. I have a weeroll that I can stand up in.

 

[Element Gypsy]

yes, slim potato head is great!

 

[Element Gypsy]

This one is too much, $2.500 but I am experienced in carpentry so I have thought of getting a cargo trailer and do it over time

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/rvs/6818794967.html

I'm kinda leaning toward getting a truck and slide in camper, but I LOVE LOVE my car.

 

[Element Gypsy]

I feel I need to figure this out soon. I need to travel. Love the cities, love the country.
Right now i am in a city and it is starting to drive me crazy.

Too rural I get isolated and depressed.
After time the city makes me have anxiety.

Thus I am a nomad.

 

[Element Gypsy]

Thanks everyone. All the input is really appreciated. good info. I'm doing my research. Saving my money.
been watching van dwellers for years.

Matching a new rig to my current situation and finances and looking to the future, a few years.I have out grown my E, so don't want anything small again. but a class c may be a money pit and leave me with no car to tow...$$ the nice cleaner older class c's that are cheaper yet?
that;s why I was thinking little trailer or truck camper.
it's all about money.I;m trying .....hum....

 

[Cammalu]

I’ve had two Playpacs. The ceiling was pretty thin and I’m wondering about that door in the photo.

Some of the interior actually held the little trailer in place and when they gutted it the door could have warped. Lots of the little egg campers have had to have their doors redone.

Where is the door on that one anyway?

 

[Beetle]

In the planning phase remember to include an emergency fund.  Living with one is as essential as food and shelter. I think the amount suggested  by Bob and others is around 3-5k.

All the best in your travels: I'm 3 weeks into mine.

 

[maki2]

This one is too much, $2.500 but I am experienced in carpentry so I have thought of getting a cargo trailer and do it over time

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/rvs/6818794967.html

 I remember that person showing up on the Fiberglass RV forum trying to find a new door for it. Of course they simply don't exist, there is no choice but to make one for it. Looks like they jacked up the price and gave up trying to fix it. It is absolutely not worth their asking price.

 

[Element Gypsy]

Yes, thanks I have an emergency fund. Will just keep saving so as to not deplete it further.

Wonder how the OP is making out?

 

[RoamerRV428]

yea it is all about money in the bitter end of it all on what you can hit the road with in your life.
thing is you have time, time means you can plan. Planning is a good thing

 

[maki2]

I did forget to mention. If you have good credit and you need a loan but you don't have a huge income then belonging to a really good credit union is a lot better than looking for a loan form other banking types of sources. You can also set up a loan with a set amount of money that you can borrow from instead of using a higher interest credit card. That way the line of credit is there if your really need it in an emergency. I have belonged to a really good credit union for more than 40 years. They have always treated me well. If my emergency fund is not enough to cover a major repair or the cost of a used replacement vehicle then I can turn to my credit union for help and get very reasonable interest rates and payments. Remember they are member owned which means if you join then your are one of the owners.

 

[maki2]

You could sign up with an internet site that offers house sitting. You might need to pay for a criminal background check to sign up on the list. That kind of job will give you an break from the couch now and again. The ones that are easy to get jobs on are the ones where they don't pay you to sit. But the homeowners know that you are not getting paid and they will tip you and perhaps even provide you with food and maybe even some gas money too.

If you apply to some of them where they want someone to do things like feed cats, walk dogs, water the plants or lawn it is easier to get than jobs where you do nothing in the way of chores.

Once you get some positive feedback references built up on the non paying sites you can then sign up for the house sitting services where you do get paid for house sitting jobs. It makes a difference if you build up your resume and references if you have not worked in a long time or have never done that job before. It is worth doing some non paying jobs just to get those references.

As I have the need for being plugged into shore power for the design and production work I do now and again I recently realized that signing up for house sitting jobs, even if I don't get paid for them, would still be a good deal for me as I would likely have use of the internet as well as the electricity. When I don't need shore power then I will boon dock. I do have solar but not enough room for a lot of panels and large battery bank. So if I saw a job that looked good in a location I want to be in then I might take it and then launch into a design mode phase for creating new products to sell. Win/Win for me with or without a paycheck for house sitting. Bonus points if I did get paid.

 

[Element Gypsy]

Thanks for all the great ideas. Looking into all the options. It is stressful. I looked at a few 4 window school buses. I can pull a small cargo trailer with the element. I can put my seats and stuff in storage again, not much stuff. Then the element is do able for car camping. I have stove, lights, small solar, battery, tent etc. I am in s. Cal and the weather is nice. Looking into jobs at ntl parks etc.

I feel I need some time in nature to decompress from all this stress

 

[maki2]

So many people in this forum are stressed out with decision making. The truth is you won't know if something is good enough to meet all your needs until you are actually living in it and driving it.

Aim for 80% of what you want, that is how businesses make their decisions when designing products. They know 100% is not a cost effective goal because you will often spend a fortune trying to achieve that last 20% as the easy stuff comes easy but that last bit takes too much time and money and it might torpedo the whole project. If they do get a little further towards it by doing the easy stuff that is great too. It is not giving up, it is not failure. Obviously we are not talking about making a defective product, just one that does not have every whistle and bell that can be thought of.

Write you list of everything you want. Circle all the easy stuff. See what percentage that is. Look at what is left, see if any of it is moderately easy to get, work on that. See if any of it has to be crossed off as too hard to obtain. Then work on the last section, by now you will have gained some skills for analyzing what matters most and what does not. If you can't live without the things that are too hard to obtain then you need to revise your dream and expectations until you have the ability to achieve them.

 

[MsLeah]

It makes 3 years I've been living in a station wagon.  I sleep well in the back, parked at DSHS parking lot at night only.  Still have to pay for a storage room $71, and my gas bill is more than when I had an apt.  It averages $200 a month. On the good side, I've lost 30 lbs and kept it off. Joined a gym so I'd have a place to shower, turns out I'm working out too $55 a month.  Side jobs help for auto maintenance, my SS is $750 a month and no landlords will accept that.  After all, I'm better in my car, no dominant neighbors that want to take over the apt building with loud music.  No favoritism by apt mgr as to who can smoke in their apt.  No inspections every 3 months.  No notices that the rent went up.  And best of all - no one is ripping off my rental deposit.  I just worry about the time I become really sick and can't walk, that time when you get closer to death. Tthe only way out, would be ……..   Yes, and I've already collected the pills for when it becomes necessary.