I would like to get input on those individuals who "full-time" vs. "part-time" (which we are currently in). In another topic posted on this site, people were discussing how people looked at them like they were "crazy" if they decided to full-time.
What I want to address is the rationale of full-timing vs. part-timing with some type of stix 'n brix in the US. What I've read on various blogs the reasons differ, from financial considerations, to family, to freedom from possessions, etc.
However, if money wasn't a problem, what's the "downside" of owning a permanent residence even if you only go back to it for 3-6 months a year? Would most of you who full-time own a permanent residence if money wasn't an issue?
After retirement, we may "full-time" for a while (don't know how long); however, we'll still probably maintain a residence.
Let me know your thoughts ...
Gypsy Turtle 2 said
07:43 AM Dec 13, 2010
We would still choose to sell the house. We would worry about that house the entire time we were gone. Then there's the upkeep, yard work etc. We had a large house and if we choose to settle down again, we'll purchase something else-something much smaller and easier to manage.
One of the key reasons we chose to fulltime was the freedom to come and go and not worry about "stuff" - house included. It's the freedom
Jim01 said
07:46 AM Dec 13, 2010
I agree completely with Gail and Rick.
Jim
janni said
08:20 AM Dec 13, 2010
I think if you have a home you have a responsibility to take care of it. I would never ask or expect anyone to take care of it while I was gone either(my opinion but know a lot who do) As others said, the freedom from the stuff is also a big part.
Terry and Jo said
08:41 AM Dec 13, 2010
Tim and Cindy,
Now, I wonder where "Jake62" comes from.
But, back on topic. I have two things to comment on regarding keeping a stix n brix while traveling. We used to have a small home in the Panhandle of Oklahoma in a town of under 500 people. In addition, we have family still living in that community that kind of looked after the house.
1. We tried renting it out a couple of times and renters just do NOT take care of the homes they rent. One guy even stole the storm door.
2. Even though we had family to look after it, and it was in a small community, there were still people who would break into it when it was empty. If they will break in, who knows what they will steal or destroy.
Jo and I have owned 3 homes now, and we are really looking forward to getting out of the one we are in. It is a lovely, energy efficient home that I would ordinarily not move out of. However, in a few years when we retire, we won't be able to maintain the payments OR the upkeep, low as the upkeep is at the present time. Time will work against us in that upkeep will get more expensive. (There are pictures of our present home and our RV home at my Photobucket below. By those, you can see it is a beautiful home.)
We have bought the Mobile Suites to be our future home. Even when we stop traveling, oh, say, maybe when I'm 90, we will either live in it or sell it and rent something somewhere.
We've both experienced the loss of both of our parents and getting rid of all the stuff they accumulate is a nightmare. So, our kids won't have much to get rid of. Who knows, one of them might even want our RV.
Terry
Dreamers said
08:54 AM Dec 13, 2010
I'm in agreement with Terry. It's about Freedom and stuff to look after. No stuff, not even a house gives freedom that you cannot describe.
Also, I do not miss the stuff, and like Terry said, we had to clean out after parents died and we are sparing our children that nightmare.
Judy (& Bob)
Racerguy said
09:37 AM Dec 13, 2010
Ditto's to all the above.Our plan is to full time 2 to 5 years(written in jello)then either find a small lot to park the fifth wheel and live out our lives or possibly purchase a small condo or something to that effect.We don't want anything with excessive maintinance to perform.We are fortunate enough to be able to full time without using our exit strategy money so that is a big plus(unless food and fuel costs keep going up ).It boils down to what makes you most comfortable with the funds you have available.
bjoyce said
10:37 AM Dec 13, 2010
Our reasoning is similar to others. We started as part timers and worrying about the house was a big problem and we found it was justified. Our neighbor chased some people away who were camping under some bushes while we were gone. From then on we had to make sure someone was checking on the house often in addition to paying someone to keep up the yard. We had a bunch of work to do every time we came home and we were not as happy in the house as on the road. That house also seemed to have a giant bungee cord attached to it, the further we got from it the stronger it pulled us back and mostly due to worries. After 7-1/2 years, we have no regrets. We cut our expenses in half by going full time and if we buy a place again it will be something smaller and easier to leave for many months like a condo.
Edit: typo fixing.
-- Edited by bjoyce on Monday 13th of December 2010 12:19:55 PM
H308 said
10:37 AM Dec 13, 2010
I currently fulltime in my toyhauler and it is my fulltime residence. I am currently divorced with no kids, so whenever it is that time to retired and if I remained single. I still got plan to fulltime and call my RV my home. At least in my opinion, there is no reason to owned a home and RV part-time. My interest is to fulltime and experience our great country.
Trabuco said
11:18 AM Dec 13, 2010
I guess I'll be the lone dissenting voice so far. We paln on keeping our current S&B and renting it out. Our fulltime plans go out approx. 5 years at which time we will sell our S&B in Southern California and buy a place in the pacific northwest to be closer to the kids and grandkids.
The Southern California housing market is still way over priced even in this economy. Our S&B will supply another source of income for the period we fulltime.
If after we are fulltiming a few years we decide we want to stay with it we will continue to keep the S&B in Souther Cal for investment and inheritance for the kids.
IMHO the additional income off sets the trouble it will be to keep the S&B.
With that said everything could change in a couple of years. Who knows!!
Bill and Linda said
11:43 AM Dec 13, 2010
We offer a response from both sides of the decision – up close and personal.
As you can see from our sig, we call ourselves “Part-time – Full-Timers.”We have been in the RV world, as a family, for over 35 years.My parents went full time in like 1975 after touring the US and Canada in a 31’ Airstream.They never built another house after selling the S&B.None of this choice was financial; they just never went back to a house although they intended too, just never did.
They had “our” home and two full hookups, one outside and one inside a specially constructed garage to hold the Airstream in winter.My Mom now lives with us most of the year, but still goes back to Florida and the Airstream (actually Airstream number 4 I think) in the winter.Naturally this arrangement works well for the 6 grandkids / great grandkid to visit.But I also add in the past we have had Thanksgiving and Christmas in the RV’s more than once back when our kids were smaller.So we have that perspective as well including how to smuggle a new bicycle to be under the tree on Christmas morning in the Airstream while we were in a 21’ Prowler.
I say all that to say we know full well what it would be like to full-time.We just choose - and that’s what this is all about assuming financial considerations allow - “choosing” to keep the S&B.We have zero “freedom” issues having both the big 5er and a S&B.The house does not cause us to feel “un-free” or tied down.We travel as much as we want.Caring for the house when we are gone is an issue for some, but not for us due to having lived here for over 30 years.We have friends and a support system.Everyone has a different situation.My views always come with the preface: “It depends.”
Our biggest concern with going full-time, if you want to call it that, a concern I mean, is getting back into the S&B game if we wanted to after the sale – especially if we (you) are further along in the life journey.(You have to decide what “further” means to you, but obviously 60 is further than 50.)Selling the house and stuff is actually a lot of work – a least for us. It’s a lot more stress to sell it, for us, then keeping it. The stuff, which honestly we don’t have a lot of as such, isn’t the point for us.It’s all the work selling it and then someday, if we want, getting back in the S&B game.That would be a lot of stress – for us.
All of the above assumes you can afford to travel and keep the S&B. That is sort of the point of an RV isn’t it? At least for most: travel. If that is not financially possible, then the choice is to sell or not travel.If you can afford to keep the house and travel, the choice is simply that, a choice – neither choice is right or wrong.“It depends” on you.
Travel is what you make of it.Miles don’t necessarily mean “quality.”However, we’ve traveled some 42,000 miles in the last 4 years; admittedly that included a trip to Alaska.But the point is, we’ve traveled, seen some of the greatest sites we could wish for, and are just beginning to see this great country.So, for us, living in the RV for months at a time is full-timing. Trust me, almost everything concerning full-timing must be addressed when you live for many consecutive months in the RV. Been there – done that - several times including dealing with my parents needs when they were on the road long before the internet was even thought of outside of universities.But each choice, part-time or full-time, has its own rewards and downsides which are different for different people.Neither is correct or incorrect. Make your own list of pros and cons, based on the money thing (that is the big, deciding deal) and then make your choice.Your choice is the right choice for you.
Our 2 cents and perspective
Bill
Mallo said
03:07 PM Dec 13, 2010
Jake62,
We own a house currently and have both part timed and full timed.
Frankly the house is a burden not something we're happy to have so it's got to go. It's not a question of finances it's a question of what we want to do with the next cycle of our lives and home ownership isn't it.
Mallo
Delaine and Lindy said
04:47 PM Dec 13, 2010
We have experience on both sides. We had two homes when we started RVing. We sold both and went full timing. We had a home base for our 5th wheel when not traveling but for some unknown reason, I think we had a weak moment, we built another stick house . But we were still traveling about 8 months a year. However DW's mom had some medical issues, so we sold 5er and Truck. After one winter we we back to RVing new 5thwheel new Truck.
We are still traveling 8 months or more a year. We still have a stick house. Its always a security issue each time we travel, we do have a security system and cameras. There is always a problem with upkeep, grass cutting, etc in the summer and winter time keeping the plumbing system from freezing. There is really not a perfect answer but we are considering selling the stick house. As for as another stick house really don't want another one. Plenty of rental units all over the country. And by the time you pay for what it cost to maintain a stick house you can lease or rent a place close to were you prefer. As we all know owning a house isn't the investment as in the past. Owning Land is another story. And with taxes and the Death tax comming back????? Cost of owning a stick house is going up, up and away.
I would recomend a person locate a small piece of land, (Check on the Restrictions) and set you up a RV site, sewer elect, etc. Much cheaper and you will have a place to set down for the times you need to. If I do sell the stick house, I will build another RV site and it will be large enought to park the 5er inside along with the truck. A metal type building. Just my opinions and ideas. We have a good friend who just lost her husband and were full timing in a new 2010 Suites. She now isn't able to drive the truck and tow the 5er. And he wasn't that old either. We aren't getting any younger. So I think you will always need at the least a RV site. Good Luck.
53 Merc said
06:29 PM Dec 13, 2010
Delaine and Lindy wrote:
I would recomend a person locate a small piece of land, (Check on the Restrictions) and set you up a RV site, sewer elect, etc. Much cheaper and you will have a place to set down for the times you need to. If I do sell the stick house, I will build another RV site and it will be large enought to park the 5er inside along with the truck. A metal type building. Just my opinions and ideas. We have a good friend who just lost her husband and were full timing in a new 2010 Suites. She now isn't able to drive the truck and tow the 5er. And he wasn't that old either. We aren't getting any younger. So I think you will always need at the least a RV site. Good Luck.
'Zackly my thoughts (and action). We built a metal building and park our RV inside, fully hooked up and functional. We built a 1000 sq ft apartment in the other half so DW could have her "stuff".
One suggestion, fully think out your options and accessibility. Thought we had covered all the bases, but, one thing we found, the black tank gives off fumes every time the RV toilet is flushed. No amount of chemical seems to stop this action. As a result, we use the RV toilet sparingly. Also, make sure the RV is clean when parking inside. Can't properly wash it inside. During the summer, if using the RV air conditioner, water will drip off the roof, gotta have a bucket under the drips. The RV ACs are not used much, only when company comes that likes a warmer environment than we do. The AC noise in the apartment is minimal. These are the only things I have noticed in 2 years. Would do it again, still happy with the outcome.
Jake62 said
08:53 PM Dec 13, 2010
Thanks for all your thoughts on this topic. I understand everyone's perspective and to echo Bill's comments, "It depends" certainly applies to this situation as well. I think Howard uses that term quite a bit.
I believe we'll have the ability to do either, but we may be in a position to sell our residence in a few years allowing us to "full-time" for a while before making the decision to invest in another stix 'n brix or, simply invest the money elsewhere. Since we're moving back to the East Coast this Summer, we've begun the process of de-cluttering our current residence, keeping in mind the potential that we may not have a stix 'n brix in a few years to store our "stuff."
Thanks again for all your comments!
flyone said
12:57 PM Dec 14, 2010
For us the plan right now is to keep some sort of S&B and part time. We plan to down size move to where the kids and grand kids are and buy a condo. Something we don't have to maintain, at least on the outside. Keep a nice small (30/35 Ft.) fiver and travel extensively. My DW is the last in her family and has many heirlooms that she just can't let go of. Far be it of me to ask her to, although I would full time in a heartbeat. As stated above the problem is the expense of doing both. We'll see things have a way of not following my well made plans. Hopefullywe will see you down the road--some day soon. God made this big beautiful country, I'd like to see some of it.
Flyone
-- Edited by flyone on Tuesday 14th of December 2010 12:59:01 PM
Lucky Streak said
03:08 PM Dec 15, 2010
We purchased several acres that had an old house on it. It has a newer well and septic system. I tore the old run down timber frame house down but left several small bldgs. for storage. We intend to return here to "camp" during the summers early fall. Grandparents need to see the grandkids ya know.. Christmas in July...that sort of stuff..
Don't plan on putting a lot of money into it. This way I'll have a septic system, water and electric.. taxes under $150.00 a year and electric around 5 bucks a month..when were not using it as a camp site... should we have to stop traveling due to health reasons or something, we have a lot to build on or sell and go the condo way.
Personally, I sell everything lock, stock and barrel and what I could move into the RV I get rid of it..... HOWEVER.. there someone else involved here and she like/loves her "things" so this is a comprise
janieD said
10:51 AM Dec 16, 2010
I agree with Bill "it depends". Tim sounds like you have the perfect set up to be able to try the full time lifestyle. I think the really good part of selling our house and getting rid of most of our stuff was the act of simplifying. That is not an issue for some people but it was for us. Every situation is different and you need to listen to your heart and do what works for you and your family. Good luck in the future.
laurly said
12:45 PM Dec 16, 2010
We had decided *before* we started the full-time planning to sell the houses, and rent a townhouse somewhere. The only reason I owned a house up to now was to have the tax deduction. Neither one of us really wants the hassle of having a house to take care of when we are through with full timing (if we ever are through!!).
The Bear II said
04:27 PM Dec 16, 2010
It looks like when the time comes that we could be fulltimers, we will end up as part timers. No matter what I offer the DW she wants to have a sticks & bricks to come back to.
Her biggest fear is getting stuck somewhere in the RV if I died....thanks dear, I thought you had always planned on dying first because you couldn't live without me.
Her next fear is our RV will be too expensive to replace once we end up on a fixed income. I try to remind her that we thought we were going to eat beans and canned ravioli for a long time after we bought our first house and yet we only suffered for a few months with little money.
Then she has the fear of once we become to old to travel we won't be able to afford a house or condo to live out our lives in. I would be willing to live anywhere that we could afford but she seems to want to live in the Los Angeles area where real estate is high.
We've been happily married for 36 years due to our ability to compromise. I compromise and she gets what she wants....so it looks like we will keep the house and part time it.
Lucky Streak said
11:09 PM Dec 16, 2010
Bear II... is your wife talking to mine... I hear the same thing.
Try this... when you sell your house don't spend the money but put it into 4 different CD's that come due 3 months apart and then roll them over and over.. That way, should something change, you and the wife, will have the money to purchase another house.
I meet some FT'er in VA and learned alot from them.. That is what they did..They also bought a lot in a AZ campground that they stay at during the winter so they have their "winter freinds" around should something happen.
Also, somewhere I have heard/read of insurance that covers that should something happen to either one while travling.... I was checking into it several years ago when we were traveling outside the US.. As I recall if you had a RV or car the insurance covered the costed to have it moved to you.
Bill
Jake62 said
06:49 AM Dec 17, 2010
Being from Tucson the last 13+ years, Arizona an excellent location to have property whether it's a residence, patio home or condo, along with a 5er or MH. No hurricances to worry about here or the cost to insure your property against them.
Don't know about only having CDs in your portfolio. I believe you're going to need more diversification in stocks and bonds to ensure you don't run out of money. But I guess it depends on how old you retire and how much your expenses are. The old phrase: "It's not what you make, it's what you spend" which I believe Howard follows closely when he budgets to the very penny his expenses.
According to Wikipeda, the average life expectancy for a US male is 75.6 for males & 80.8 for females. This works great for us since my wife is four years and one month older than I ... meaning she'll have about one year to spend the rest of our money with a 20 somthing year-old man before she goes or the money goes!
Ginamar said
05:18 PM Jun 28, 2011
Bear II,
I guess I am a male version of you and Bill however I am a female. I have been telling my husband that we need to move into something smaller for about 6 months now. We have a S and B which we still owe about 27 years on and we are in our middle 50's. I do not want to work till I am 80 something and not to see the rest of the USA (which is only about 10 states).
I am so willing to live in a 5th wheel with 5 dogs and handle whatever I need to while he drives a truck. I still need to work and so does he. I want to spend my money on the joys of seeing the world and not sit in this house forever more.
I can not even mow the yard without getting into trouble because I ran over a wire, or rope and not to mention I did not check the seat for water prior to getting on the thing. So my dearly beloved has banned me from ever thinking about mowing...I wonder why?
We moved to Tenn from Texas to get away from the heat and now we can go to different states without taking more than 12 or 24 hours to get there and we are stuck with this S and B that three years ago we thought we needed this but now we really like the idea of selling out and finding a place for the RV and working and getting a savings built up and plan on spending time with our grandkids and see the world.
My oldest is in the Army and is in Germany right now and we want to go and visit and if we do not do something to cut down on bills and things this will never happen. We have a new granddaughter we have not got to see other than on facebook. Life is to short to sit here and not enjoy life with family and I know how hard it is to see family when you are working and live in a different state or county.
So we are looking at the bills, getting the house ready to list and me find a job and rethink what is the most important to us. Home ownership is ok but I think the RV life is the way to go.
Margina
Jake62 said
05:02 AM Jun 29, 2011
Margina,
As I've observed on this site, some take the immediate steps and sell-out within a short-period of time and some gradually make the transition. Howard & Linda are ones who did transition relatively quickly, but they still took six-months or so. Since I posted this original topic we've downsized considerably and put all our "stuff" in a 10x20 storage facility, rented out our house in Tucson, and are now in Washington, D.C. with the ability to travel on the weekends.
My wife has retired and I will retire in the next 3-4 years. I believe we're in the same age-range so I expect to hit the road full-time when I turn 57 and take it from there. It took another member on this site (Terry) three years to sell his residence to fully transition into his 5th wheel and he still has time before he retires to hit the road. (Sorry Terry for stealing your thunder!)
Bottom line, hang in there and "patience" is a key trait when transitioning to this type of life ... that, and a spouse who has the same dream. One individual on this post completely quit his dream because he could never convince his spouse to travel in an RV and leave her S&B. He left this forum a "bitter" person, harboring ill feelings against his spouse which is a shame.
granny said
08:25 PM Aug 10, 2011
Ok so this is my first post ever.
My husband and I thought that we had this very unique idea to just sell everything and go out on the road full time in an rv. I then proceeded to google rv blogs and was shocked and excited to find out that there were so many people out there already doing it. lol.
So, since May when we had this fabulous idea, we have purged our 2400 sq ft home of so much STUFF and have just listed it. Hopefully it will sell before too long in this failing Florida market and we are looking for our first ever 5th wheel. We are not retirees, and will need to keep working. My husband has a plan doing consulting work with a long time colleague and I am trying to figure out what I can do. I love the workamping idea but sounds like it is kinda competiitve. We are just anxious to get on the road. We have kids and grandkids so that has been my worry about seeing them but I know it will work out.
I love the idea of purchasing a piece of property to have your own campsite to come back to. Thanksgiving is our one time of year to get together so hey, I say that all the kids can just get there own rvs and we can meet somewhere, right?
Thanks for all the input and I look forward to reading more of these topics.
I'll let you know when the house sells and when we actually pull the trigger and buy the rv!!
bjoyce said
09:32 PM Aug 10, 2011
granny wrote:
I love the idea of purchasing a piece of property to have your own campsite to come back to. Thanksgiving is our one time of year to get together so hey, I say that all the kids can just get there own rvs and we can meet somewhere, right?
We don't have a piece of property but we have had family gettogethers at campgrounds with cabins. That way some family stayed in RVs and others in a cabin, plus the cabin was the place we were all together. We did this for New Years in California this year after being at my sister-in-laws house with all three sisters, families and my in-laws (the parents) for Christmas. You don't have to be the one to supply the house. I remember going to my sister's house once for Thanksgiving with my parents.
gypsymaus said
11:24 AM Aug 11, 2011
We have done both and I would love to full-time again someday. We lived in our RV for 18 months and it was one of the best times of my life.
NorCal Dan said
05:04 PM Aug 11, 2011
We up and sold everything and bought an RV and went full-timing for nearly 4 years. We also owned a condo (that we rented, we never lived in it). We recently moved out of the RV and into the condo. We currently plan to live in the condo in the winter and spend our summers workamping.
Who knows how this will turn out. Both the coach and condo are paid off, so I hope that when we leave in the summer that we won't feel a tug from the condo. We love full-timing, but so far, having the condo to fall back on is not a bad thing. I would guess that when the real estate market returns we may decide to sell the condo, but right now is not the time to be selling. And finding indoor storage for the coach really helped seal the deal on moving into the condo for the winter.
We never planned to move into the condo, it just sort of happened. Life is a funny thing. We always tells people that our plans are written in jello and subject to change at any time ;)
Terry and Jo said
07:33 PM Aug 11, 2011
Since this has been revived and Jake62 mentioned Jo an I taking 3 years to sell the house, I thought I would give an update.
Yes, our house finally sold after 3 years and lowering the price to where we "lost" about $4000. However, by being out of that big mortgage (2250 sq ft house on 3/4 acre), we can recoup that $4000 fairly quickly. We are living full time in our Mobile Suites in a mobile home park 2 1/2 miles from work.
Jo has commented a number of times that this is the best thing we could have done, and we haven't even started traveling yet. And, an interesting experience to relate. During a storm the other night, the electricity went off. Here I was, typing away on my computer when "sounds" changed. Our oscillating fan shut off because of the lost electricity. But, we still had lights and I still had my computer going. Thank God for 12V lights and laptop batteries.
In our stix and brix, it would have been dark and REALLY silent.
And, if the storms get bad enough (think tornados), there is a storm shelter 80 feet away from our front door. We've NEVER had one of those available to us in all the years we've lived in Oklahoma.
All said and done, we should have done this 4 years ago before we bought the last house.
Terry
EelKat said
08:40 AM Aug 14, 2011
Jake62 wrote:
I would like to get input on those individuals who "full-time" vs. "part-time" (which we are currently in). In another topic posted on this site, people were discussing how people looked at them like they were "crazy" if they decided to full-time.
What I want to address is the rationale of full-timing vs. part-timing with some type of stix 'n brix in the US. What I've read on various blogs the reasons differ, from financial considerations, to family, to freedom from possessions, etc.
However, if money wasn't a problem, what's the "downside" of owning a permanent residence even if you only go back to it for 3-6 months a year? Would most of you who full-time own a permanent residence if money wasn't an issue?
After retirement, we may "full-time" for a while (don't know how long); however, we'll still probably maintain a residence.
Let me know your thoughts ...
I'm in the "almost Full-Timing" category, as I've not yet bouht a motorhome.
But, how did I rational becoming a fulltimer? Why did I choose to give up stix n brix? I can answer both questions with one word: flood.
I did not choose to leave stix n brix, a flood chose to visit and take my house with it when it left. Likewise, I did not choose to become a fulltimer, it sort of just happened, an evolution of events and was not planned on at all.
Would I own a permanant residance and full-time? Yes. But, let me explain first, before you jump to any conclusions as to what that "yes" means.
In May 2006, I became homeless. The flood left my family dead, hospitalized, and divived out amoung relatives. All that remained was me, 2 dogs, and 9 cats. (The house was attached to an animal shelter.) In spite of my being homeless, living under a 8x6 tarp and telling everyone under the sun the animal shelter was out of business, people continued to bring boxes of unwanted kittens to dump in the yard - in spite of the fact that the building was laying flat on the ground like a pile of "Pick-up-Stix"! People desperate to get rid of unwanted kittens do weird things. The result of which, at one point I had 24 cats/kittens under the tarp with me! *sigh*
I spent 2006 and 2007 living under a tarp on my land, with one goal in mind: getting back into a house.
After 3 blizzards, 2 ice storms and 5 hurricanes, I bought a car to sleep in during our constant wild weather. I spent 2008 - 2009 under the tarp on good days, in the car on bad days, with one goal in mind: getting back into a house.
Along comes 2010 - the goal becomes a reality: I'm back in a house. 4 months pass and I'm practically climbing the walls, and asking myself: "Wait a minute? WHY exactly did I want to get back in a house?"
By this point it was me and 12 cats. We should have been happy to be indoors. We were not. The cats lunged at windows and tore out screens, desperate to get back outside a lay in the green grass...and I wasn't far off wanting to jump through the screens with them!
What had been a dream goal had become a total nightmare. Why?
In my 5 years of "homelessness" I had learned to love living without a house. I had boondocked the whole time: no electricity, no running water, no toilet, pretty much it was like a 5 year camp out - a cold blizzard filled camp out, but a camp out none the less.
I learned to love cooking over a campfire.
I learned to get up with the sun and sleep under the stars.
I got used to my radio station being the ocean waves and the screaming seagulls and the singing songbirds.
I had even learned to love living without electricity, without running water, and without a toilet!
I couldn't believe it - here I was spending 5 years trying to get these things back - I got back into a house and I could not adjust to HAVING these things! 27 years living WITH these things, 5 years without them, than back with them again was unbearable!
All I wanted to do was escape the indoors and rush back outside to be out in nature.
I even got use to dealing with thunderstorms, hurricanes, and blizzards with only a 8x6 tarp for protection! Thunderstoms while indoors became horrid, - horrid because I could not see the light show or watch the dancing trees from inside a house - and I'd rush outside to enjoy the storm full force.
Weird, I know, but that's what happened. The whole time I was wanting to get back in a house, but I got so used to living off the land, that when I did get back in a house, I couldn't fathom going back to house living which now feels like a confining prison to me. I felt like the walls were there on purpose just to seperate me from nature.
I had never lived a normal life, and my house lost to a flood, was a 16'x9' 1 bedroom summer beach cabin, which I had rarely spent much time in to begin with seeing how I was always too busy being outdoors. I basically only slept in the thing. But I didn't realize than, how very little time I spent indoors, how very little I truely used, needed, or even wanted a house.
Looking back, I think I only really lived in a house to begin with, because I felt it was the thing "normal" people did and I was "supposed" to do it. Going into an apartment, showed me just how much I REALLY detested being indoors.
But, yeah, so that's how I came to realize what I needed was not a house, but a motorhome.
Now, you are probably wondering, why the heck I said yes to keeping a permanant residance after saying all that? Well, here's why I said I needed to explain my answer...
When I think permananet residance, I do not think in terms of buildings. Buildings come, buildings go. Fire, flood, bulldozer, whatever. A stix n brix house is only a TEMPORARY residance no matter how you look at it, eventually it is going to fall and be no more. And than what does that leave you with? The land the building was on.
Now that tiny 16'x9' beach cabin I lived in for 27 years? I never really liked the house, but I was not living there because of the house. No. I lived there because of the land, the location, the scenery. It was right on a beach, and me, I love the beach. I live for the beach. I would be happy as a clam in a tent on the sand, the gulls flying over head, the ocean coming in my door-flap, seaweed for air freshoners, crabs scurying across my feet --- oh wait, I did that already didn't I? For 5 years, in a tent made out of a tarp, on my own land, right here on the beach.
And there it is...the answer you seek. Did you see it passing by? No? Let me highlight it:
I may have been homeless for 5 years, living under a tarp, without electricity, without tap water, without a toilet, no house, but guess what? I did it ON MY OWN PERMANANT RESIDANCE. I did it on my own land. And when I get the motohome (this fall) I will continue to live here, as I always have, in the place I love. It allows me to have a warm dry place during rain and snow and still have the option to live at one with nature.
The other advantage of a motorhome is, when the next hurricane, nor`easter, blizzard, or thunderstorm comes ripping up the coast (and one or the other arrives every month of the year) it's a simple matter of starting the engine and driving my home inland to sit out the storm, than drive back to the ocean once the storm passes. No more worries of floods taking out the house! LOL! Plus, if I decide to go on a road trip or a vacation, no worries about who's going to look after the house or cats while I'm away, because, guess what: I can take my house and cats with me!
And so I became a fulltimer/boondocker, with no goal of ever traveling at all. Now granted my fulltiming is not the norm, most fulltimers, get their motorhome with a goal of traveling, me, I'm content to stay in one spot most of the time, I don't move around to much. I don't particularly NEED a house, it's just me and my cats, and there's plenty of room for us in a motorhome. Heck, the 31' motorhome I'm getting is twice as big as the house it is replacing! A house has all sorts of expenses, that a motorhome doesn't have. And with a motorhome, I don't have to stay just on one beach all the time, if I don't want to, I can go from one beach to the next and take my "house" with me. Living in a motorhome just plain made more sense to me, than living in a house.
And as for your other question...if money were not an issue?
If money were not an issue, I would still live here on my permanant residance land in a motorhome, because this is the lifestyle that suits me.
Jake62 said
06:45 PM Aug 14, 2011
NorCal Dan wrote:
We up and sold everything and bought an RV and went full-timing for nearly 4 years. We also owned a condo (that we rented, we never lived in it). We recently moved out of the RV and into the condo. We currently plan to live in the condo in the winter and spend our summers workamping.
Who knows how this will turn out. Both the coach and condo are paid off, so I hope that when we leave in the summer that we won't feel a tug from the condo. We love full-timing, but so far, having the condo to fall back on is not a bad thing. I would guess that when the real estate market returns we may decide to sell the condo, but right now is not the time to be selling. And finding indoor storage for the coach really helped seal the deal on moving into the condo for the winter.
We never planned to move into the condo, it just sort of happened. Life is a funny thing. We always tells people that our plans are written in jello and subject to change at any time ;)
Hey NorCal Dan, Why did you move back to your Condo if you were renting it out? Is is soley based on the terrible housing market? You talk about moving back to the Condo in the winter, but if you were full-timing for four years, I'm assuming you were somewhere in the Southern States during the winters so cold winters wouldn't be the reason.
-- Edited by Jake62 on Sunday 14th of August 2011 06:46:04 PM
NorCal Dan said
10:45 PM Aug 14, 2011
Mostly because the reefer died in the coach and I couldn't get anybody to work on it for 2 months. We were workamping about 30 miles from the condo, so rather than try to live out of a cooler or buy another temp reefer, we decided to move into the empty condo. It needed some work after having renters, and we had been talking about going part time RV'ing, so we looked at this as an opportunity to fix up the condo and use it for a home base.
We spent 1 winter in Benson, AZ. at the SKP park, 1 winter in Long Beach, WA., 1 winter in N. California, 1/2 a winter in Verdi, NV. and 1/2 a winter in Coffeyville, KS. when we worked at Amazon.com. The coach is well insulated, does not eat a lot of propane for the 2 furnaces, has double pane windows, and the basement is heated to prevent freezing. Winter RV living is different and requires more attention than summer living, but no, that didn't impact our decision to come off the road.
Yes, we miss the RV, but we are looking forward to finding a great location to work next summer. And the break gives me a chance to perform some much needed cleaning and upgrades on the coach.
BruceandTrisha said
04:40 AM Aug 15, 2011
EelKat, wow! An amazing story of discovery! Just proves that sometimes, the dream is right in front of us . . . we don't always see it. I love your writing!
I would like to get input on those individuals who "full-time" vs. "part-time" (which we are currently in). In another topic posted on this site, people were discussing how people looked at them like they were "crazy" if they decided to full-time.
What I want to address is the rationale of full-timing vs. part-timing with some type of stix 'n brix in the US. What I've read on various blogs the reasons differ, from financial considerations, to family, to freedom from possessions, etc.
However, if money wasn't a problem, what's the "downside" of owning a permanent residence even if you only go back to it for 3-6 months a year? Would most of you who full-time own a permanent residence if money wasn't an issue?
After retirement, we may "full-time" for a while (don't know how long); however, we'll still probably maintain a residence.
Let me know your thoughts ...
Jim
Now, I wonder where "Jake62" comes from.
But, back on topic. I have two things to comment on regarding keeping a stix n brix while traveling. We used to have a small home in the Panhandle of Oklahoma in a town of under 500 people. In addition, we have family still living in that community that kind of looked after the house.
1. We tried renting it out a couple of times and renters just do NOT take care of the homes they rent. One guy even stole the storm door.
2. Even though we had family to look after it, and it was in a small community, there were still people who would break into it when it was empty. If they will break in, who knows what they will steal or destroy.
Jo and I have owned 3 homes now, and we are really looking forward to getting out of the one we are in. It is a lovely, energy efficient home that I would ordinarily not move out of. However, in a few years when we retire, we won't be able to maintain the payments OR the upkeep, low as the upkeep is at the present time. Time will work against us in that upkeep will get more expensive. (There are pictures of our present home and our RV home at my Photobucket below. By those, you can see it is a beautiful home.)
We have bought the Mobile Suites to be our future home. Even when we stop traveling, oh, say, maybe when I'm 90, we will either live in it or sell it and rent something somewhere.
We've both experienced the loss of both of our parents and getting rid of all the stuff they accumulate is a nightmare. So, our kids won't have much to get rid of. Who knows, one of them might even want our RV.
Terry
We started as part timers and worrying about the house was a big problem and we found it was justified. Our neighbor chased some people away who were camping under some bushes while we were gone. From then on we had to make sure someone was checking on the house often in addition to paying someone to keep up the yard. We had a bunch of work to do every time we came home and we were not as happy in the house as on the road. That house also seemed to have a giant bungee cord attached to it, the further we got from it the stronger it pulled us back and mostly due to worries. After 7-1/2 years, we have no regrets.
We cut our expenses in half by going full time and if we buy a place again it will be something smaller and easier to leave for many months like a condo.
Edit: typo fixing.
-- Edited by bjoyce on Monday 13th of December 2010 12:19:55 PM
We offer a response from both sides of the decision – up close and personal.
As you can see from our sig, we call ourselves “Part-time – Full-Timers.” We have been in the RV world, as a family, for over 35 years. My parents went full time in like 1975 after touring the US and Canada in a 31’ Airstream. They never built another house after selling the S&B. None of this choice was financial; they just never went back to a house although they intended too, just never did.
They had “our” home and two full hookups, one outside and one inside a specially constructed garage to hold the Airstream in winter. My Mom now lives with us most of the year, but still goes back to Florida and the Airstream (actually Airstream number 4 I think) in the winter. Naturally this arrangement works well for the 6 grandkids / great grandkid to visit. But I also add in the past we have had Thanksgiving and Christmas in the RV’s more than once back when our kids were smaller. So we have that perspective as well including how to smuggle a new bicycle to be under the tree on Christmas morning in the Airstream while we were in a 21’ Prowler.
I say all that to say we know full well what it would be like to full-time. We just choose - and that’s what this is all about assuming financial considerations allow - “choosing” to keep the S&B. We have zero “freedom” issues having both the big 5er and a S&B. The house does not cause us to feel “un-free” or tied down. We travel as much as we want. Caring for the house when we are gone is an issue for some, but not for us due to having lived here for over 30 years. We have friends and a support system. Everyone has a different situation. My views always come with the preface: “It depends.”
Our biggest concern with going full-time, if you want to call it that, a concern I mean, is getting back into the S&B game if we wanted to after the sale – especially if we (you) are further along in the life journey. (You have to decide what “further” means to you, but obviously 60 is further than 50.) Selling the house and stuff is actually a lot of work – a least for us. It’s a lot more stress to sell it, for us, then keeping it. The stuff, which honestly we don’t have a lot of as such, isn’t the point for us. It’s all the work selling it and then someday, if we want, getting back in the S&B game. That would be a lot of stress – for us.
All of the above assumes you can afford to travel and keep the S&B. That is sort of the point of an RV isn’t it? At least for most: travel. If that is not financially possible, then the choice is to sell or not travel. If you can afford to keep the house and travel, the choice is simply that, a choice – neither choice is right or wrong. “It depends” on you.
Travel is what you make of it. Miles don’t necessarily mean “quality.” However, we’ve traveled some 42,000 miles in the last 4 years; admittedly that included a trip to Alaska. But the point is, we’ve traveled, seen some of the greatest sites we could wish for, and are just beginning to see this great country. So, for us, living in the RV for months at a time is full-timing. Trust me, almost everything concerning full-timing must be addressed when you live for many consecutive months in the RV. Been there – done that - several times including dealing with my parents needs when they were on the road long before the internet was even thought of outside of universities. But each choice, part-time or full-time, has its own rewards and downsides which are different for different people. Neither is correct or incorrect. Make your own list of pros and cons, based on the money thing (that is the big, deciding deal) and then make your choice. Your choice is the right choice for you.
Our 2 cents and perspective
Bill
One suggestion, fully think out your options and accessibility. Thought we had covered all the bases, but, one thing we found, the black tank gives off fumes every time the RV toilet is flushed. No amount of chemical seems to stop this action. As a result, we use the RV toilet sparingly. Also, make sure the RV is clean when parking inside. Can't properly wash it inside. During the summer, if using the RV air conditioner, water will drip off the roof, gotta have a bucket under the drips. The RV ACs are not used much, only when company comes that likes a warmer environment than we do. The AC noise in the apartment is minimal. These are the only things I have noticed in 2 years. Would do it again, still happy with the outcome.
Flyone
-- Edited by flyone on Tuesday 14th of December 2010 12:59:01 PM
Don't plan on putting a lot of money into it. This way I'll have a septic system, water and electric.. taxes under $150.00 a year and electric around 5 bucks a month..when were not using it as a camp site... should we have to stop traveling due to health reasons or something, we have a lot to build on or sell and go the condo way.
Personally, I sell everything lock, stock and barrel and what I could move into the RV I get rid of it..... HOWEVER.. there someone else involved here and she like/loves her "things" so this is a comprise
Bear II,
I guess I am a male version of you and Bill however I am a female. I have been telling my husband that we need to move into something smaller for about 6 months now. We have a S and B which we still owe about 27 years on and we are in our middle 50's. I do not want to work till I am 80 something and not to see the rest of the USA (which is only about 10 states).
I am so willing to live in a 5th wheel with 5 dogs and handle whatever I need to while he drives a truck. I still need to work and so does he. I want to spend my money on the joys of seeing the world and not sit in this house forever more.
I can not even mow the yard without getting into trouble because I ran over a wire, or rope and not to mention I did not check the seat for water prior to getting on the thing. So my dearly beloved has banned me from ever thinking about mowing...I wonder why?
We moved to Tenn from Texas to get away from the heat and now we can go to different states without taking more than 12 or 24 hours to get there and we are stuck with this S and B that three years ago we thought we needed this but now we really like the idea of selling out and finding a place for the RV and working and getting a savings built up and plan on spending time with our grandkids and see the world.
My oldest is in the Army and is in Germany right now and we want to go and visit and if we do not do something to cut down on bills and things this will never happen. We have a new granddaughter we have not got to see other than on facebook. Life is to short to sit here and not enjoy life with family and I know how hard it is to see family when you are working and live in a different state or county.
So we are looking at the bills, getting the house ready to list and me find a job and rethink what is the most important to us. Home ownership is ok but I think the RV life is the way to go.
Margina
As I've observed on this site, some take the immediate steps and sell-out within a short-period of time and some gradually make the transition. Howard & Linda are ones who did transition relatively quickly, but they still took six-months or so. Since I posted this original topic we've downsized considerably and put all our "stuff" in a 10x20 storage facility, rented out our house in Tucson, and are now in Washington, D.C. with the ability to travel on the weekends.
My wife has retired and I will retire in the next 3-4 years. I believe we're in the same age-range so I expect to hit the road full-time when I turn 57 and take it from there. It took another member on this site (Terry) three years to sell his residence to fully transition into his 5th wheel and he still has time before he retires to hit the road. (Sorry Terry for stealing your thunder!)
Bottom line, hang in there and "patience" is a key trait when transitioning to this type of life ... that, and a spouse who has the same dream. One individual on this post completely quit his dream because he could never convince his spouse to travel in an RV and leave her S&B. He left this forum a "bitter" person, harboring ill feelings against his spouse which is a shame.
Ok so this is my first post ever.
My husband and I thought that we had this very unique idea to just sell everything and go out on the road full time in an rv. I then proceeded to google rv blogs and was shocked and excited to find out that there were so many people out there already doing it. lol.
So, since May when we had this fabulous idea, we have purged our 2400 sq ft home of so much STUFF and have just listed it. Hopefully it will sell before too long in this failing Florida market and we are looking for our first ever 5th wheel. We are not retirees, and will need to keep working. My husband has a plan doing consulting work with a long time colleague and I am trying to figure out what I can do. I love the workamping idea but sounds like it is kinda competiitve. We are just anxious to get on the road. We have kids and grandkids so that has been my worry about seeing them but I know it will work out.
I love the idea of purchasing a piece of property to have your own campsite to come back to. Thanksgiving is our one time of year to get together so hey, I say that all the kids can just get there own rvs and we can meet somewhere, right?
Thanks for all the input and I look forward to reading more of these topics.
I'll let you know when the house sells and when we actually pull the trigger and buy the rv!!
We don't have a piece of property but we have had family gettogethers at campgrounds with cabins. That way some family stayed in RVs and others in a cabin, plus the cabin was the place we were all together. We did this for New Years in California this year after being at my sister-in-laws house with all three sisters, families and my in-laws (the parents) for Christmas. You don't have to be the one to supply the house. I remember going to my sister's house once for Thanksgiving with my parents.
We have done both and I would love to full-time again someday. We lived in our RV for 18 months and it was one of the best times of my life.
Who knows how this will turn out. Both the coach and condo are paid off, so I hope that when we leave in the summer that we won't feel a tug from the condo. We love full-timing, but so far, having the condo to fall back on is not a bad thing. I would guess that when the real estate market returns we may decide to sell the condo, but right now is not the time to be selling. And finding indoor storage for the coach really helped seal the deal on moving into the condo for the winter.
We never planned to move into the condo, it just sort of happened. Life is a funny thing. We always tells people that our plans are written in jello and subject to change at any time ;)
Since this has been revived and Jake62 mentioned Jo an I taking 3 years to sell the house, I thought I would give an update.
Yes, our house finally sold after 3 years and lowering the price to where we "lost" about $4000. However, by being out of that big mortgage (2250 sq ft house on 3/4 acre), we can recoup that $4000 fairly quickly. We are living full time in our Mobile Suites in a mobile home park 2 1/2 miles from work.
Jo has commented a number of times that this is the best thing we could have done, and we haven't even started traveling yet. And, an interesting experience to relate. During a storm the other night, the electricity went off. Here I was, typing away on my computer when "sounds" changed. Our oscillating fan shut off because of the lost electricity. But, we still had lights and I still had my computer going. Thank God for 12V lights and laptop batteries.
In our stix and brix, it would have been dark and REALLY silent.
And, if the storms get bad enough (think tornados), there is a storm shelter 80 feet away from our front door. We've NEVER had one of those available to us in all the years we've lived in Oklahoma.
All said and done, we should have done this 4 years ago before we bought the last house.
Terry
I'm in the "almost Full-Timing" category, as I've not yet bouht a motorhome.
But, how did I rational becoming a fulltimer? Why did I choose to give up stix n brix? I can answer both questions with one word: flood.
I did not choose to leave stix n brix, a flood chose to visit and take my house with it when it left. Likewise, I did not choose to become a fulltimer, it sort of just happened, an evolution of events and was not planned on at all.
Would I own a permanant residance and full-time? Yes. But, let me explain first, before you jump to any conclusions as to what that "yes" means.
In May 2006, I became homeless. The flood left my family dead, hospitalized, and divived out amoung relatives. All that remained was me, 2 dogs, and 9 cats. (The house was attached to an animal shelter.) In spite of my being homeless, living under a 8x6 tarp and telling everyone under the sun the animal shelter was out of business, people continued to bring boxes of unwanted kittens to dump in the yard - in spite of the fact that the building was laying flat on the ground like a pile of "Pick-up-Stix"! People desperate to get rid of unwanted kittens do weird things. The result of which, at one point I had 24 cats/kittens under the tarp with me! *sigh*
I spent 2006 and 2007 living under a tarp on my land, with one goal in mind: getting back into a house.
After 3 blizzards, 2 ice storms and 5 hurricanes, I bought a car to sleep in during our constant wild weather. I spent 2008 - 2009 under the tarp on good days, in the car on bad days, with one goal in mind: getting back into a house.
Along comes 2010 - the goal becomes a reality: I'm back in a house. 4 months pass and I'm practically climbing the walls, and asking myself: "Wait a minute? WHY exactly did I want to get back in a house?"
By this point it was me and 12 cats. We should have been happy to be indoors. We were not. The cats lunged at windows and tore out screens, desperate to get back outside a lay in the green grass...and I wasn't far off wanting to jump through the screens with them!
What had been a dream goal had become a total nightmare. Why?
In my 5 years of "homelessness" I had learned to love living without a house. I had boondocked the whole time: no electricity, no running water, no toilet, pretty much it was like a 5 year camp out - a cold blizzard filled camp out, but a camp out none the less.
I learned to love cooking over a campfire.
I learned to get up with the sun and sleep under the stars.
I got used to my radio station being the ocean waves and the screaming seagulls and the singing songbirds.
I had even learned to love living without electricity, without running water, and without a toilet!
I couldn't believe it - here I was spending 5 years trying to get these things back - I got back into a house and I could not adjust to HAVING these things! 27 years living WITH these things, 5 years without them, than back with them again was unbearable!
All I wanted to do was escape the indoors and rush back outside to be out in nature.
I even got use to dealing with thunderstorms, hurricanes, and blizzards with only a 8x6 tarp for protection! Thunderstoms while indoors became horrid, - horrid because I could not see the light show or watch the dancing trees from inside a house - and I'd rush outside to enjoy the storm full force.
Weird, I know, but that's what happened. The whole time I was wanting to get back in a house, but I got so used to living off the land, that when I did get back in a house, I couldn't fathom going back to house living which now feels like a confining prison to me. I felt like the walls were there on purpose just to seperate me from nature.
I had never lived a normal life, and my house lost to a flood, was a 16'x9' 1 bedroom summer beach cabin, which I had rarely spent much time in to begin with seeing how I was always too busy being outdoors. I basically only slept in the thing. But I didn't realize than, how very little time I spent indoors, how very little I truely used, needed, or even wanted a house.
Looking back, I think I only really lived in a house to begin with, because I felt it was the thing "normal" people did and I was "supposed" to do it. Going into an apartment, showed me just how much I REALLY detested being indoors.
But, yeah, so that's how I came to realize what I needed was not a house, but a motorhome.
Now, you are probably wondering, why the heck I said yes to keeping a permanant residance after saying all that? Well, here's why I said I needed to explain my answer...
When I think permananet residance, I do not think in terms of buildings. Buildings come, buildings go. Fire, flood, bulldozer, whatever. A stix n brix house is only a TEMPORARY residance no matter how you look at it, eventually it is going to fall and be no more. And than what does that leave you with? The land the building was on.
Now that tiny 16'x9' beach cabin I lived in for 27 years? I never really liked the house, but I was not living there because of the house. No. I lived there because of the land, the location, the scenery. It was right on a beach, and me, I love the beach. I live for the beach. I would be happy as a clam in a tent on the sand, the gulls flying over head, the ocean coming in my door-flap, seaweed for air freshoners, crabs scurying across my feet --- oh wait, I did that already didn't I? For 5 years, in a tent made out of a tarp, on my own land, right here on the beach.
And there it is...the answer you seek. Did you see it passing by? No? Let me highlight it:
I may have been homeless for 5 years, living under a tarp, without electricity, without tap water, without a toilet, no house, but guess what? I did it ON MY OWN PERMANANT RESIDANCE. I did it on my own land. And when I get the motohome (this fall) I will continue to live here, as I always have, in the place I love. It allows me to have a warm dry place during rain and snow and still have the option to live at one with nature.
The other advantage of a motorhome is, when the next hurricane, nor`easter, blizzard, or thunderstorm comes ripping up the coast (and one or the other arrives every month of the year) it's a simple matter of starting the engine and driving my home inland to sit out the storm, than drive back to the ocean once the storm passes. No more worries of floods taking out the house! LOL! Plus, if I decide to go on a road trip or a vacation, no worries about who's going to look after the house or cats while I'm away, because, guess what: I can take my house and cats with me!
And as for your other question...if money were not an issue?
If money were not an issue, I would still live here on my permanant residance land in a motorhome, because this is the lifestyle that suits me.
Hey NorCal Dan, Why did you move back to your Condo if you were renting it out? Is is soley based on the terrible housing market? You talk about moving back to the Condo in the winter, but if you were full-timing for four years, I'm assuming you were somewhere in the Southern States during the winters so cold winters wouldn't be the reason.
-- Edited by Jake62 on Sunday 14th of August 2011 06:46:04 PM
We spent 1 winter in Benson, AZ. at the SKP park, 1 winter in Long Beach, WA., 1 winter in N. California, 1/2 a winter in Verdi, NV. and 1/2 a winter in Coffeyville, KS. when we worked at Amazon.com. The coach is well insulated, does not eat a lot of propane for the 2 furnaces, has double pane windows, and the basement is heated to prevent freezing. Winter RV living is different and requires more attention than summer living, but no, that didn't impact our decision to come off the road.
Yes, we miss the RV, but we are looking forward to finding a great location to work next summer. And the break gives me a chance to perform some much needed cleaning and upgrades on the coach.
EelKat, wow! An amazing story of discovery! Just proves that sometimes, the dream is right in front of us . . . we don't always see it. I love your writing!