Lot to think about but it's -25 this morning so.....
Northwoods Mary said
01:33 AM Jan 22, 2013
My husband and I have been talking early retirement (we're 55) now for almost two years. We live in Northern Minnesota, but our four kids are spread across the country. We're fortunate to enjoy good health and have a health plan option through John's employer after he reitres. We have (we hope) enough put aside for retirement, as long as we leave it alone and let it grow. If we sell our present home, we should have enough to move into an RV without dept, and use the rest of the proceeds to live, if we're careful, until regular retirement age. I've been reading this web site and the forums, and appreciate all the information I've gained; it's also comforting to know that many others have considered and solved the same issues we're struggling with right now.
Where we are right now: My job ended about a year ago (long story). I have a professional degree and lots of experience, but to use them I'd either have to move or develop my own business, which takes time and $. If we're making a life change, it doesn't seem worth the effort. In the meantime, I'm going stir crazy inside (I'll repeat it's -25F) today - I feel like I'm hibernating. My husband is still working and makes good $ with good benefits, but work is all he does. i'd like him to have a chance to enjoy life more while we're still relatively young and healthy. He does not have a professional degree and would have a harder time replacing his income, although he does have a CDL and is a great salesman! We love to travel/explore, hunt, horseback ride, hike, fish, socialize, visit grandkids, cook, and do pretty much anything outdoors. We've always enjoyed camping, and done some remote camping with our horses in places where we haven't seen another soul for a week. I also read/write extensively and John is very handy and self-sufficient. I'm more eager to get started than John who is much more cautious about anything unfamiliar/uncertain. We have listed our home and will at least downsize when it sells, but John is less sure about a full time RV lifestyle. I think we should at least give it a try - i also don't want the cost & responsibiity of a home if we're moving anyway and won't be there most of the time. I think, at the least, full timing for a year or two will give us a better idea where we should eventually buy another home.
Concerns I have: So far we have all the same concerns I've read about here - sell stuff vs. store, what to buy, timing, etc. I few more specific questions I have are:
What should we do with large, expensive items we really don't want to/can't give up and don't want to impose on family members - i.e. gun safe/guns & a nice piano? I think everything else will either be easier to store, we can give to our kids now, or we can sell and replace later.
What do I do with a couple horses that we want to use part of the year but don't want to pay to board when we're traveling extensively and it wouldn't work to have them with us? (We have a living quarters horse trailer that we'll keep for the couple months a year we want to have the horses with us camping.)
Is there a forum specifically for guys like my husband - a place to talk over the pros and cons for making this kind of decision? (I don't want to be responsible for talking him into anything, in case he isn't happy with the decision. But he's generally an easy going guy - he just is skeptical about anything unknown, but usually enjoys himself alot once he gets going.)
I'm excited to hear any & all advice/comments! Thanks!
Mary
Jim01 said
02:46 AM Jan 22, 2013
Going full-timing is not easy!!! You'll have to make some tough decisions. You can't take it all with you and you can't always even keep it for the future. You have to deside wheather you are willing to make some serious concsessions.
Jim
WestWardHo said
03:34 AM Jan 22, 2013
Hi Mary,
I'm originally from the Michigan Northwoods and only plan on going back in August. No more of those winters!
A forum for your husband? Not to my knowledge but reading, sharing, discussing the different posts and lifestyles on here and asking questions as you go might help.
About the horses, can't think of an answer for that as you don't want to board them. You either gift to someone who'll let you borrow them back when you want, sell them or board them to my mind but id be willing to bet that a few others come up with good ideas. We give up things, especially those that require a lot of work for the RV lifestyle. There are RV Parks for horses and riders but I don't know if they are only in the west. There are many stables in the west where you can ride for a fee if you choose.
The storage stuff, gun case, guns and piano, I would think you could store them with a good moving company in climate controlled conditions but I seriously doubt about the guns. As the owner you have a liability if stolen and used. Maybe a family member you trust??? Maybe sell them?
What about renting an RV for a month long trip to see if hubby enjoys? Go to any and all RV shows you can and look at units and just imagine living in the different types. You might be surprised. Many start smaller but move up.
You're asking the right questions with the right attitude so I have no doubt you'll work all this out over time.
Sherry
Workinrvers said
04:16 AM Jan 22, 2013
sounds like you are at a crossroads that a lot of us have found ourselves at.
Storing items is certainly an option but consider this. You say you want to go full time and have the funds to support yourselves until "normal" retirement age and you are 55 now. Assuming you mean 65 as the "normal" (I hate that word by the way ) you will be storing your piano and other valuables for 10 years. Figure $75 per month (that is probably pretty low for what you would need) and your storage unit will cost you $900 per year or $9,000.00 by the time you reach 65 years old. You need to figure out if the stuff you want to keep is worth these kind of expenses or would it be more prudent for you to sell them now. You could always sit the money aside to use to help offset the cost to replace the property, if you feel the need, later on.
The horses are another matter but still you need to weigh the pro's and con's. Do you want to have the extra expense to board them and only get to interact with them on a very limited basis or maybe find a loving home for them?
There are some very difficult and emotional decisions that have to be made prior to joining this lifestyle. In our case we sold most of our stuff. We passed family heirlooms down to our kids and I divided my guns up between my son and daughter/son in law figuring they would get them sooner or later and I got the joy of handing them down to them before I was pushing up daisies.
Good luck,
Phil
KellyVA said
08:46 AM Jan 22, 2013
Hi Mary,
We are in the process as well but I wonder if you could lease your horses out to 4-H kids or something like that? They would be used, cared for and there for you to ride when you are in town.
We are buying our towing truck tomorrow...I'm a nervous wreck! LOL Next will be the 5th wheel and then we will have most of the summer to figure most of the rest out...at least that's the plan today.
mesa48 said
04:56 PM Jan 22, 2013
Hi Mary It does make the process easier if both husband and wife are onboard with going fulltime. We both are like a couple of kids waiting for Christmas. We are fortunate in that we are debt free and already have a suitable truck and fifth wheel. We have decided not to sell our home. Our daughter that is a single mom will continue to live in our home so it will not set idle and go to pot. We are selling or giving away most of our household possesions. Along with our car and a small truck and passing alot of stuff down to our kids. It is a little scary sometimes but we are moving forward. We pland to attend the boondocking rally next month and get as much info as we can and hit the road fulltime in April. Good luck and best wishes hope it all works out well
Northwoods Mary said
05:44 PM Jan 22, 2013
Thanks so much for the thoughtful responses already posted. I'm new to online forums (another thing to learn about) but it's encouraging to see there really are people out there with helpful ideas! I'm a planner....I want to have everything settled before our house sells so I know what will happen. My husband is more...."we'll worry about it if/when it happens". (It may take awhile to sell our house.) I'm also willing to sell for less so we can get started, but don't want to foolishly throw away too much of our biggest investment either. We have already started selling larger items (the big toys), though, that would be costly to store and would depreciate anyway.
When we first started talking about this, I wanted to make our whole early retirement about the horses....from trail riding to Cowboy Mounted Shooting to (watching) rodeo to (if I could get in shape for it) endurance riding. We have camped with the horses at horse campgrounds around Minnesota and in the Black Hills and had a great time. One of the problems, though, is that you're really tied down when the horses are with you and your destinations are limited. Having the horses with us also would make it hard to impossible to visit a couple of our kids. And of course anything involving horses costs a lot more. Most importantly, though, the horses are more "my thing" and just pursuing my dream full time wouldn't suit John who wants to hunt, fish, go to Alaska, visit kids and grandkids (me too!) and sit around when he wants to without responsibilities. So I'm trying to figure out a compromise that will work for both of us. I do know people in the horse world who I'd trust, so I'm going to start talking to them about some kind of lease/shared ownership/responsibility arrangement. (For those who've owned horses, renting horses at a typical stable vs. riding your own is really a whole different experience.)
I appreciated the writer who talked about comparing the cost of storing over time compared to what the items are really worth. I NEVER want to be like some (unnamed) relatives I know who build garage after garage to store stuff they never use, instead of letting anything go. But getting rid of EVERYTHING is a really big step in the other direction. Have any of you done this in stages? John thinks we'll only do this for awhile so maybe we need to sell/give away 3/4 of our stuff now, store the really special stuff, then reevaluate in a year or two?
The issue of guns may seem trivial (or even incomprehensible) to some, but it's a big issue for us. John inherited many of his guns so will never sell them, but storing them is an issue for the liability/safety reasons a writer mentioned. Our kids either aren't interested or aren't in a position to take them now, but we have five small grandsons (I'd include granddaughters, but ALAS, none born yet!). We keep them locked in a safe, but it takes a lot of space. Also, we'd like to have a few with us for hunting/trap/Cowboy Action shooting purposes, but aren't sure about the rules for going through different states with guns. I also was wondering if you can get a safe built into a fifth wheeler to store them safely.
Last I thought I'd answer the comments about trying out the RV life on a trial basis. We can't really do this while John is working because he never gets more than a week off at a time. He can't quit working until we sell our house, at which point we'll need something to live in anyway. We know we like to camp and travel, and want to do this for at least a while, we're just not sure how long. And while such a big change is scary, we're the people (when we have time) who don't like to take the direct way home. Where ever we go, we're off on the least traveled road, enjoying the scenery and wildlife. We are each other's best friends, and can spend the whole morning by the campfire drinking coffee, or as easily (especially John) strike up an hour long conversation with a total stranger. And there's so much we want to see out there!
Thanks so very much to those who have written back. Hearing from you makes our dreams seem more possible.
🌲🌲🌲 Mary PS -23F AGAIN this morning. ⛄
nightsky said
07:44 PM Jan 22, 2013
Greetings from a fellow (former) Minnesotan! I decided after 50 years of dealing with the nasty cold in MN that I was done with the winters there, and when I had the opportunity to purchase 6 acres with a single-wide modular home in Tennessee and become a snowbird I jumped at it. I have long been interested in the Tiny House movement and was seriously thinking about building a Tiny House on my 18 acres in MN (there is currently a 2 story farmhouse on the property that's slowing settling into the basement).
The first move towards full-timing came last spring. I have a 28' Class C motorhome, but my SO had muscular dystrophy and getting in and out was a major problem for him, plus there was no room inside for his wheelchair. I bought a very nice 30' travel trailer with a huge slide, and had a handicap lift put on it so he could get in and out himself. We went to Bonnaroo in June (the huge music festival held annually about 10 miles from the house in TN) then moved the TT north to the land in MN. The plan was to clean out the house and outbuildings and have an auction at the end of the summer, then list the land for sale and take to the road. Sadly he passed away very unexpectedly in July, and as the summer went along I realized I had no desire to have such a large TT but I loved living in a Tiny House on wheels! I spent hours in the evenings pouring over websites and looking at floor plans trying to decide which features were "must-haves" and which were things I wouldn't use.
I'm not on the road, and in fact right now I don't even have a functional "escape vehicle"... my "new" travel trailer is an antique that needs a full restoration, and I've consigned the 2012 30' TT with the dealer I bought it from. I'm dealing with a lot of the same issues as you are, (and I think everyone here has), what to keep, what to pass along to family and friends, what to just throw out. I haven't had horses for a couple decades, but I'm an avid motorcyclist and a big issue was trying to figure out how to haul a bike with me. I decided early on that I didn't want a big motorcoach, and my current truck won't pull a 5th wheel, so I keep coming back to a smaller TT as the only viable option, but how to get a bike on one? I didn't find a toy hauler plan that I liked and I also thought the interiors didn't look like something I could live in full time. Currently the plan is to sell the 18 acres in MN but keep a 6 acre bit of land I own there that has no buildings on it, it's on a hard surface road and has a good well and electric along with a concrete pad where the house used to be. I'll park the camper there for a good portion of the summer as a home base and wander on the bike. My Caboose TT has a rear platform that was advertised as being great for taking motorcycles or snowmobiles, so that part of the equation has been worked out.
My biggest issue right now is the antique furniture that has come down through the family for generations. I am planning to keep the place in TN for a winter base, and my youngest daughter is currently living in the house here so that works out well for both of us. I can leave the things here that I just am not willing to part with yet and that the kids haven't expressed an interest in, and if/when I come off the road someday I'll still have them. If my daughter moves out (her BF is 6 hrs away in NC) I'll have to come up with plan B or C or D. lol I've found as I go along that it gets a little easier to part with things.
True confession: I watch the hoarding show, and it's been a BIG motivator for me to part with/throw things away. I find myself asking Why do I want to keep this? If I part with it, could I find another one like it in the future if I decided I had to have one? Yes, the family connection would be gone, but the people they came from are already long gone, and it's the memories not the "stuff" that I'll keep. My kids don't remember most of the "dead rellies" and the items are pretty much meaningless to them in that regard, so unless it's a good functional piece of furniture or something they really just aren't interested.
Terry and Jo said
08:35 PM Jan 22, 2013
Welcome to the forums, Mary.
As it appears, you are already getting good advice and suggestions from some of the others. While I appreciate your wanting to have horses (wife is farm girl and we both have agriculture backgrounds), they are a problem with living this kind of lifestyle. However, that is something that you will need to work out. I think you are already on the right path of making a decision.
You mentioned that you were a "planner." As such, if you choose to go with a trailer of some kind, be sure and address what trailer you want first and then choose your truck. It is awfully easy to find oneself choosing a trailer that is too heavy for a truck that is already owned. It's a lot better to have too much truck than it is to have a situation where the trailer overpowers the truck.
Considering your weapons, keep in mind that RV's have a tendency to be limited in what is referred to as CCC (Cargo Carrying Capacity.) You will certainly want to research the CCC of any RV that interests you because a gun safe will seriously limit your CCC once one is installed.
Good luck with all your research and planning, and we are glad to have you as part of the "family."
Terry
Northwoods Mary said
08:49 PM Jan 22, 2013
Thanks, night sky, for the nice reply! Just curious about where in MN you lived? (We're from Bemidji.) We also have some land, but no electric or well. We have talked about having that put in and building a garage to store our stuff there, but it wouldn't be very secure. Also probably not worth it unless we know we'll live there some day - which we don't know. We do see ourselves back in this area for part of the summer, though, through deer hunting season (of course), then on the road the rest of the time. Eventually, we may tire of full time RV life and will then build/buy a cabin. We'd actually like to do most of the work ourselves.
At this stage of life, so much is unknown but in many ways I think that's exciting. We don't know what we'll like/dislike until we get out there and experience new places. We don't know where our kids will settle long term (they're in Virginia, Colorado, Minnesota and Alaska now). We don't know whether the stock market will go up or down, how healthy we'll be long term, how long our parents will live - all things that will impact our future decisions. Fear of the unknown could cause us to just hunker down and become very self-protective (that seems to be the current philosophy many have), or we can decide to get out and experience life, open to adjusting to the ups and downs we'll surely have, as long as we have a reasonable plan for self-sufficiency.
For many years we put everything into building our "dream home", thinking we'd have the gathering place for the family and provide the continuity that would keep everyone close. Unfortunately, that was our dream - not our kids' plans (our four are 26 to 36). We have had a lot of celebrations here over the years, but more and more it's extended family who attend - our own kids are living in other states and get back once a year at most. And we're maintaining a home much bigger than we need to serve a purpose that doesn't really exist. Maybe in 10 years we'll have a cabin and our kids will get together there every summer....but maybe not. We've had to learn we don't control anything unless it involves only us, and we've learned to be OK with that. (It's not like the days when we grew up, no one moved too far away, and our grandparent's homes were gathering places for huge families.) We've also learned we can have fun "destination get togethers" - like we did in the Black Hills when we rented a cabin/lodge for the kids and their families, and stayed next door in our camper. That worked out great!
I know what you mean about antiques & family keepsakes, though. I've tried giving things to the kids, but for the most part they don't want them, at least not now. (So why do I think they might later! lol) In fact, we're still trying to get a couple of them to take the rest of their own stuff. I've told them we're selling the house, but they still seem to think nothing at home will ever change! So when I decide what to keep and what to store (at least for awhile), I'll try to think about it in terms of what we'll want again, instead of what I think (hope) they might like. (And I have tried asking them what they want, but with a few exceptions, they don't seem to want things enough to actually be willing to TAKE them. "Just keep it for me, Mom.")
This connecting on forum stuff is fun!
🌲🌲🌲Mary
Northwoods Mary said
09:04 PM Jan 22, 2013
Terry and Jo,
I'll write one more reply today (then off to the dentist) because I really appreciate the advice from those who've taken the time to write back already, and as you can see, I'm pretty verbose!
Just from trips pulling our Cimmeron living quarters, I already know what you mean. We went to the Black Hills with this heavy rig, plus two horses and lots of cargo, including full water tanks. Our F250 Diesel, with air bags, was really maxed out and John says he never wants to be in that position again. It can be scarry!
We've spent a lot of time discussing what we think we need to have to live comfortably vs. no more length and weight than necessary. I really want to have a king bed and W/D - otherwise pretty much the basics, but good quality and full season (I don't mean 25 below). But we want to be able to get into some more remote places (John's really good at manuevering tho), and he also doesn't want to be driving a huge rig around in cities, through mountains, etc. We also know we'll use the pick-up for our vehicle when we're unhitched. (We don't want to tow anything.) So we're still discussing the right balance and haven't decided yet for sure. Whatever we get, we'll make sure the vehicle we use is more than enough to pull through the mountains.
Mary
PIEERE said
09:36 PM Jan 22, 2013
I believe the kids don't believe or are in denial that you would do such a thing.......as move away from them. I would just keep keep their things until they see that you are serious and give them a final chance to take it. I am sure you will have a final garage/yard sale. I don't think my brothers and sister, or my own daughters thought I would make such a drastic step either. The only thing different I lost all my worldly possessions after a back injury, and about three years later the wife and I decided to go our merry ways. It took me another five years to be able to much of anything and I had to move from that high unemployed area. That was the decision to get out on the road and start a new life all to their disbelief. We only have one go at this life and sometimes like Nightsky said; If plan A;B;C doesn't work we keep going until one does. It all depends on how much one wants something. I have a setback; I'm working on now and the goal is to get my health back and return to work-camping, which give me an income and allows for me to travel and enjoy the wonders of this great nation. Have met more wonderful caring people and learned much more than I know I ever would have if I had not decided to move forward with my life. Make your plan; write down the positives and negatives; likes or dislikes and whatever. I just had to fight my homing instinct when I first left; but as the miles and hours went by I felt OK; does that every time I go to visit.
Northwoods Mary said
09:57 PM Jan 22, 2013
Pierre, You're probably right about our kids (although they DID move first! lol). In fairness to them too, their living circumstances are still evolving, so none of them have much storage or an inexpensive way to get their things.
You have a great attitude in spite of (it sounds like) some setbacks. Take care and thanks for writing!
Mary
nightsky said
03:30 AM Jan 23, 2013
Mary, the 18 acres is in the extreme SW corner of MN, about 4 miles from Iowa and 30 miles from SD. The smaller acreage is 20 miles from IA and about 20 from SD. No woods or trees in my corner of the state other than what was planted on farms as windbreaks, just the vast, wide-open prairie. My ex and I lived in OR for a few years, and I actually got claustrophobic after a while because I couldn't look out and see for 20 or 50 miles unless we were up on Mt Hood or one of the other mountains. Summers in MN are to die for, at least to me, and I love nothing more than getting on the bike and heading west, roaming through western SD and ND, eastern MT and WY. Very few people, and tons of critters and beautiful places if you slow down enough to see them.
Some people on a motorcycle forum were giving me a bad time about becoming a full-timer, "Without a permanent address how will you even write a check?" (I have a permanent address, it's a PO Box in Sioux Falls, and I can write a check using my bank account in SD) "How will you be able to see your kids/grandkids?" (Probably more often than I see them now, since one girl is in TN, one in SD, and my son is in WA, and since they have kids any visiting means me going to see them) "How will you do laundry? (laundromats) They all seemed to think I would be giving up a lot of things, and I will! I'll be giving up keeping a 5 acre lawn mowed, giving up trying to clear 8 feet of snow off the 1/4 mile long driveway, give up several weeks of cutting, hauling, splitting and stacking 10-12 cords of firewood to heat the drafty old farmhouse every fall, giving up paying property taxes on a property that I spent less than 5 months at last year, along with the associated insurance, electric bill, etc. Oh, and as a SD resident I gave up paying the MN state income tax, and the new TT cost me a 3% excise tax instead of the MN sales tax, lower licensing fees, plus my vehicle insurance dropped from $186 per month to $64. I figure it saves me close to 10K a year to be a South Dakotan. Just a few more things for you to consider.
Caryn
Northwoods Mary said
06:15 AM Jan 23, 2013
Caryn,
We traveled though your part of the country quite a bit when my oldest lived in Sioux Falls, plus John goes to eastern SD every spring for snow geese. Except for the cold, we really appreciate where we live now too. Looking out across our small, picturesque lake where with eagles flying by even in the winter, it truly is God's country. But even though we've only traveled a bit, it's been enough to learn there are so many other beautiful places, so much to learn about, and new people to meet. We'd like the adventure, at least for awhile, while we still can.
Also, as you said, usually seeing our kids and grandkids means going to them. That probably isn't going to change any time soon.
We were just talking tonight about all the stuff we've "collected" over the years, and what we'd even want to have in a smaller place some day. (Not much we have is even important to us anymore.) As long as I have the time, I think I need to get familiar with how ebay works!
Hope to meet you out there some day....John would have fun talking motorcycles with you - he still plans to talk me into one someday!
Mary
PS We are thinking about taxes and all that other practical stuff. I thought it was really good advice on this site to consider all the angles before deciding.
janni said
03:15 PM Jan 23, 2013
Hi Mary and Welcome! You came to the right place as we have all had most of your concerns and questions. Here are my answers and keep in mind it is a little different for everyone.
You can put your things that you want to keep in storage. A lot of people do. Most of the people I know cant remember what they put in there after awhile and others go back and get rid of it later. I tried to give everything to my kids and they wanted none of it. *sniff*
Not sure on your horses. I can't see taking them but I HAVE seen just about every kind of other pet come out of coaches and trailers.lol If you have the finances to board them for future use that would be great.
No gender specific forum that I know of. Everyone has to put up with the guy/girl questions here and they are quite interesting sometimes.
If you haven't found the search bar at the top be sure and use it as a lot of questions you may have been addressed several times and will be again I am sure. Don't be afraid to ask questions either as this is a good group with a lot of experience.
Again, welcome aboard! (BTW, I am from that north country and haven't missed those winters and cold weather one bit)
JayKim-no regrets said
01:27 AM Jan 25, 2013
Hi Mary and welcome to this great friendly forum! Some great advice already here for you to consider. We are static fulltime in a diesel motorhome for now, we stay on the base where hubby still works fulltime, we are almost 15 yrs away from getting any retirement checks, but hubby is retired military so he gets that. We bought our RV in August last year, we plan on paying off the last few debts and pulling the plug on hubby's job...then we are gone...
We will be picking up some casual work (workcamping) along the way, we are both so looking forward to living our dream, we can't wait! After 25 yrs of collecting "stuff" we had a lot to get rid of, it took 3 yard sales and still had a full garage full for charity, we still have a storage unit, but that will be given up when we leave here. It is daunting to think of what you have to 'give up' for this lifestyle, but just think of everything you gain:)
Have you thought about maybe renting a small apartment after you sell the house? that way, you could take the time to rent an RV for a month or so before you go to the expense of buying one, if you find it's not for you, you can go back to your original plan of going the 'horse-fulltime' route instead.
We should really be terrified to pull the plug, we don't have a huge savings account, not a big income either, but we decided that we were done dreaming about what we would do in our retirement and just do it! We are both young/healthy enough to enjoy it and if after 10-15 yrs we want to go back to a sticks n bricks lifestyle, we can do that too:)
Good luck and let us know how everything is going huggs Kim x
My husband and I have been talking early retirement (we're 55) now for almost two years. We live in Northern Minnesota, but our four kids are spread across the country. We're fortunate to enjoy good health and have a health plan option through John's employer after he reitres. We have (we hope) enough put aside for retirement, as long as we leave it alone and let it grow. If we sell our present home, we should have enough to move into an RV without dept, and use the rest of the proceeds to live, if we're careful, until regular retirement age. I've been reading this web site and the forums, and appreciate all the information I've gained; it's also comforting to know that many others have considered and solved the same issues we're struggling with right now.
Where we are right now: My job ended about a year ago (long story). I have a professional degree and lots of experience, but to use them I'd either have to move or develop my own business, which takes time and $. If we're making a life change, it doesn't seem worth the effort. In the meantime, I'm going stir crazy inside (I'll repeat it's -25F) today - I feel like I'm hibernating. My husband is still working and makes good $ with good benefits, but work is all he does. i'd like him to have a chance to enjoy life more while we're still relatively young and healthy. He does not have a professional degree and would have a harder time replacing his income, although he does have a CDL and is a great salesman! We love to travel/explore, hunt, horseback ride, hike, fish, socialize, visit grandkids, cook, and do pretty much anything outdoors. We've always enjoyed camping, and done some remote camping with our horses in places where we haven't seen another soul for a week. I also read/write extensively and John is very handy and self-sufficient. I'm more eager to get started than John who is much more cautious about anything unfamiliar/uncertain. We have listed our home and will at least downsize when it sells, but John is less sure about a full time RV lifestyle. I think we should at least give it a try - i also don't want the cost & responsibiity of a home if we're moving anyway and won't be there most of the time. I think, at the least, full timing for a year or two will give us a better idea where we should eventually buy another home.
Concerns I have: So far we have all the same concerns I've read about here - sell stuff vs. store, what to buy, timing, etc. I few more specific questions I have are:
What should we do with large, expensive items we really don't want to/can't give up and don't want to impose on family members - i.e. gun safe/guns & a nice piano? I think everything else will either be easier to store, we can give to our kids now, or we can sell and replace later.
What do I do with a couple horses that we want to use part of the year but don't want to pay to board when we're traveling extensively and it wouldn't work to have them with us? (We have a living quarters horse trailer that we'll keep for the couple months a year we want to have the horses with us camping.)
Is there a forum specifically for guys like my husband - a place to talk over the pros and cons for making this kind of decision? (I don't want to be responsible for talking him into anything, in case he isn't happy with the decision. But he's generally an easy going guy - he just is skeptical about anything unknown, but usually enjoys himself alot once he gets going.)
I'm excited to hear any & all advice/comments! Thanks!
Mary
Going full-timing is not easy!!! You'll have to make some tough decisions. You can't take it all with you and you can't always even keep it for the future. You have to deside wheather you are willing to make some serious concsessions.
Jim
I'm originally from the Michigan Northwoods and only plan on going back in August. No more of those winters!
A forum for your husband? Not to my knowledge but reading, sharing, discussing the different posts and lifestyles on here and asking questions as you go might help.
About the horses, can't think of an answer for that as you don't want to board them. You either gift to someone who'll let you borrow them back when you want, sell them or board them to my mind but id be willing to bet that a few others come up with good ideas. We give up things, especially those that require a lot of work for the RV lifestyle. There are RV Parks for horses and riders but I don't know if they are only in the west. There are many stables in the west where you can ride for a fee if you choose.
The storage stuff, gun case, guns and piano, I would think you could store them with a good moving company in climate controlled conditions but I seriously doubt about the guns. As the owner you have a liability if stolen and used. Maybe a family member you trust??? Maybe sell them?
What about renting an RV for a month long trip to see if hubby enjoys? Go to any and all RV shows you can and look at units and just imagine living in the different types. You might be surprised. Many start smaller but move up.
You're asking the right questions with the right attitude so I have no doubt you'll work all this out over time.
Sherry
sounds like you are at a crossroads that a lot of us have found ourselves at.
) you will be storing your piano and other valuables for 10 years. Figure $75 per month (that is probably pretty low for what you would need) and your storage unit will cost you $900 per year or $9,000.00 by the time you reach 65 years old. You need to figure out if the stuff you want to keep is worth these kind of expenses or would it be more prudent for you to sell them now. You could always sit the money aside to use to help offset the cost to replace the property, if you feel the need, later on.
Storing items is certainly an option but consider this. You say you want to go full time and have the funds to support yourselves until "normal" retirement age and you are 55 now. Assuming you mean 65 as the "normal" (I hate that word by the way
The horses are another matter but still you need to weigh the pro's and con's. Do you want to have the extra expense to board them and only get to interact with them on a very limited basis or maybe find a loving home for them?
There are some very difficult and emotional decisions that have to be made prior to joining this lifestyle. In our case we sold most of our stuff. We passed family heirlooms down to our kids and I divided my guns up between my son and daughter/son in law figuring they would get them sooner or later and I got the joy of handing them down to them before I was pushing up daisies.
Good luck,
Phil
We are in the process as well but I wonder if you could lease your horses out to 4-H kids or something like that? They would be used, cared for and there for you to ride when you are in town.
We are buying our towing truck tomorrow...I'm a nervous wreck! LOL Next will be the 5th wheel and then we will have most of the summer to figure most of the rest out...at least that's the plan today.
It does make the process easier if both husband and wife are onboard with going fulltime. We both are like a couple of kids waiting for Christmas. We are fortunate in that we are debt free and already have a suitable truck and fifth wheel. We have decided not to sell our home.
Our daughter that is a single mom will continue to live in our home so it will not set idle and go to pot. We are selling or giving away most of our household possesions. Along with our car and a small truck and passing alot of stuff down to our kids. It is a little scary sometimes but we are moving forward. We pland to attend the boondocking rally next month and get as much info as we can and hit the road fulltime in April. Good luck and best wishes hope it all works out well
When we first started talking about this, I wanted to make our whole early retirement about the horses....from trail riding to Cowboy Mounted Shooting to (watching) rodeo to (if I could get in shape for it) endurance riding. We have camped with the horses at horse campgrounds around Minnesota and in the Black Hills and had a great time. One of the problems, though, is that you're really tied down when the horses are with you and your destinations are limited. Having the horses with us also would make it hard to impossible to visit a couple of our kids. And of course anything involving horses costs a lot more. Most importantly, though, the horses are more "my thing" and just pursuing my dream full time wouldn't suit John who wants to hunt, fish, go to Alaska, visit kids and grandkids (me too!) and sit around when he wants to without responsibilities. So I'm trying to figure out a compromise that will work for both of us. I do know people in the horse world who I'd trust, so I'm going to start talking to them about some kind of lease/shared ownership/responsibility arrangement. (For those who've owned horses, renting horses at a typical stable vs. riding your own is really a whole different experience.)
I appreciated the writer who talked about comparing the cost of storing over time compared to what the items are really worth. I NEVER want to be like some (unnamed) relatives I know who build garage after garage to store stuff they never use, instead of letting anything go. But getting rid of EVERYTHING is a really big step in the other direction. Have any of you done this in stages? John thinks we'll only do this for awhile so maybe we need to sell/give away 3/4 of our stuff now, store the really special stuff, then reevaluate in a year or two?
The issue of guns may seem trivial (or even incomprehensible) to some, but it's a big issue for us. John inherited many of his guns so will never sell them, but storing them is an issue for the liability/safety reasons a writer mentioned. Our kids either aren't interested or aren't in a position to take them now, but we have five small grandsons (I'd include granddaughters, but ALAS, none born yet!). We keep them locked in a safe, but it takes a lot of space. Also, we'd like to have a few with us for hunting/trap/Cowboy Action shooting purposes, but aren't sure about the rules for going through different states with guns. I also was wondering if you can get a safe built into a fifth wheeler to store them safely.
Last I thought I'd answer the comments about trying out the RV life on a trial basis. We can't really do this while John is working because he never gets more than a week off at a time. He can't quit working until we sell our house, at which point we'll need something to live in anyway. We know we like to camp and travel, and want to do this for at least a while, we're just not sure how long. And while such a big change is scary, we're the people (when we have time) who don't like to take the direct way home. Where ever we go, we're off on the least traveled road, enjoying the scenery and wildlife. We are each other's best friends, and can spend the whole morning by the campfire drinking coffee, or as easily (especially John) strike up an hour long conversation with a total stranger. And there's so much we want to see out there!
Thanks so very much to those who have written back. Hearing from you makes our dreams seem more possible.
🌲🌲🌲 Mary PS -23F AGAIN this morning. ⛄
The first move towards full-timing came last spring. I have a 28' Class C motorhome, but my SO had muscular dystrophy and getting in and out was a major problem for him, plus there was no room inside for his wheelchair. I bought a very nice 30' travel trailer with a huge slide, and had a handicap lift put on it so he could get in and out himself. We went to Bonnaroo in June (the huge music festival held annually about 10 miles from the house in TN) then moved the TT north to the land in MN. The plan was to clean out the house and outbuildings and have an auction at the end of the summer, then list the land for sale and take to the road. Sadly he passed away very unexpectedly in July, and as the summer went along I realized I had no desire to have such a large TT but I loved living in a Tiny House on wheels! I spent hours in the evenings pouring over websites and looking at floor plans trying to decide which features were "must-haves" and which were things I wouldn't use.
I'm not on the road, and in fact right now I don't even have a functional "escape vehicle"... my "new" travel trailer is an antique that needs a full restoration, and I've consigned the 2012 30' TT with the dealer I bought it from. I'm dealing with a lot of the same issues as you are, (and I think everyone here has), what to keep, what to pass along to family and friends, what to just throw out. I haven't had horses for a couple decades, but I'm an avid motorcyclist and a big issue was trying to figure out how to haul a bike with me. I decided early on that I didn't want a big motorcoach, and my current truck won't pull a 5th wheel, so I keep coming back to a smaller TT as the only viable option, but how to get a bike on one? I didn't find a toy hauler plan that I liked and I also thought the interiors didn't look like something I could live in full time. Currently the plan is to sell the 18 acres in MN but keep a 6 acre bit of land I own there that has no buildings on it, it's on a hard surface road and has a good well and electric along with a concrete pad where the house used to be. I'll park the camper there for a good portion of the summer as a home base and wander on the bike. My Caboose TT has a rear platform that was advertised as being great for taking motorcycles or snowmobiles, so that part of the equation has been worked out.
My biggest issue right now is the antique furniture that has come down through the family for generations. I am planning to keep the place in TN for a winter base, and my youngest daughter is currently living in the house here so that works out well for both of us. I can leave the things here that I just am not willing to part with yet and that the kids haven't expressed an interest in, and if/when I come off the road someday I'll still have them. If my daughter moves out (her BF is 6 hrs away in NC) I'll have to come up with plan B or C or D. lol I've found as I go along that it gets a little easier to part with things.
True confession: I watch the hoarding show, and it's been a BIG motivator for me to part with/throw things away. I find myself asking Why do I want to keep this? If I part with it, could I find another one like it in the future if I decided I had to have one? Yes, the family connection would be gone, but the people they came from are already long gone, and it's the memories not the "stuff" that I'll keep. My kids don't remember most of the "dead rellies" and the items are pretty much meaningless to them in that regard, so unless it's a good functional piece of furniture or something they really just aren't interested.
Welcome to the forums, Mary.
As it appears, you are already getting good advice and suggestions from some of the others. While I appreciate your wanting to have horses (wife is farm girl and we both have agriculture backgrounds), they are a problem with living this kind of lifestyle. However, that is something that you will need to work out. I think you are already on the right path of making a decision.
You mentioned that you were a "planner." As such, if you choose to go with a trailer of some kind, be sure and address what trailer you want first and then choose your truck. It is awfully easy to find oneself choosing a trailer that is too heavy for a truck that is already owned. It's a lot better to have too much truck than it is to have a situation where the trailer overpowers the truck.
Considering your weapons, keep in mind that RV's have a tendency to be limited in what is referred to as CCC (Cargo Carrying Capacity.) You will certainly want to research the CCC of any RV that interests you because a gun safe will seriously limit your CCC once one is installed.
Good luck with all your research and planning, and we are glad to have you as part of the "family."
Terry
At this stage of life, so much is unknown but in many ways I think that's exciting. We don't know what we'll like/dislike until we get out there and experience new places. We don't know where our kids will settle long term (they're in Virginia, Colorado, Minnesota and Alaska now). We don't know whether the stock market will go up or down, how healthy we'll be long term, how long our parents will live - all things that will impact our future decisions. Fear of the unknown could cause us to just hunker down and become very self-protective (that seems to be the current philosophy many have), or we can decide to get out and experience life, open to adjusting to the ups and downs we'll surely have, as long as we have a reasonable plan for self-sufficiency.
For many years we put everything into building our "dream home", thinking we'd have the gathering place for the family and provide the continuity that would keep everyone close. Unfortunately, that was our dream - not our kids' plans (our four are 26 to 36). We have had a lot of celebrations here over the years, but more and more it's extended family who attend - our own kids are living in other states and get back once a year at most. And we're maintaining a home much bigger than we need to serve a purpose that doesn't really exist. Maybe in 10 years we'll have a cabin and our kids will get together there every summer....but maybe not. We've had to learn we don't control anything unless it involves only us, and we've learned to be OK with that. (It's not like the days when we grew up, no one moved too far away, and our grandparent's homes were gathering places for huge families.) We've also learned we can have fun "destination get togethers" - like we did in the Black Hills when we rented a cabin/lodge for the kids and their families, and stayed next door in our camper. That worked out great!
I know what you mean about antiques & family keepsakes, though. I've tried giving things to the kids, but for the most part they don't want them, at least not now. (So why do I think they might later! lol) In fact, we're still trying to get a couple of them to take the rest of their own stuff. I've told them we're selling the house, but they still seem to think nothing at home will ever change! So when I decide what to keep and what to store (at least for awhile), I'll try to think about it in terms of what we'll want again, instead of what I think (hope) they might like. (And I have tried asking them what they want, but with a few exceptions, they don't seem to want things enough to actually be willing to TAKE them. "Just keep it for me, Mom.")
This connecting on forum stuff is fun!
🌲🌲🌲Mary
Terry and Jo,
I'll write one more reply today (then off to the dentist) because I really appreciate the advice from those who've taken the time to write back already, and as you can see, I'm pretty verbose!
Just from trips pulling our Cimmeron living quarters, I already know what you mean. We went to the Black Hills with this heavy rig, plus two horses and lots of cargo, including full water tanks. Our F250 Diesel, with air bags, was really maxed out and John says he never wants to be in that position again. It can be scarry!
We've spent a lot of time discussing what we think we need to have to live comfortably vs. no more length and weight than necessary. I really want to have a king bed and W/D - otherwise pretty much the basics, but good quality and full season (I don't mean 25 below). But we want to be able to get into some more remote places (John's really good at manuevering tho), and he also doesn't want to be driving a huge rig around in cities, through mountains, etc. We also know we'll use the pick-up for our vehicle when we're unhitched. (We don't want to tow anything.) So we're still discussing the right balance and haven't decided yet for sure. Whatever we get, we'll make sure the vehicle we use is more than enough to pull through the mountains.
Mary
I don't think my brothers and sister, or my own daughters thought I would make such a drastic step either. The only thing different I lost all my worldly possessions after a back injury, and about three years later the wife and I decided to go our merry ways. It took me another five years to be able to much of anything and I had to move from that high unemployed area.
That was the decision to get out on the road and start a new life all to their disbelief. We only have one go at this life and sometimes like Nightsky said; If plan A;B;C doesn't work we keep going until one does. It all depends on how much one wants something.
I have a setback; I'm working on now and the goal is to get my health back and return to work-camping, which give me an income and allows for me to travel and enjoy the wonders of this great nation.
Have met more wonderful caring people and learned much more than I know I ever would have if I had not decided to move forward with my life. Make your plan; write down the positives and negatives; likes or dislikes and whatever.
I just had to fight my homing instinct when I first left; but as the miles and hours went by I felt OK; does that every time I go to visit.
You have a great attitude in spite of (it sounds like) some setbacks. Take care and thanks for writing!
Mary
Some people on a motorcycle forum were giving me a bad time about becoming a full-timer, "Without a permanent address how will you even write a check?" (I have a permanent address, it's a PO Box in Sioux Falls, and I can write a check using my bank account in SD) "How will you be able to see your kids/grandkids?" (Probably more often than I see them now, since one girl is in TN, one in SD, and my son is in WA, and since they have kids any visiting means me going to see them) "How will you do laundry? (laundromats) They all seemed to think I would be giving up a lot of things, and I will! I'll be giving up keeping a 5 acre lawn mowed, giving up trying to clear 8 feet of snow off the 1/4 mile long driveway, give up several weeks of cutting, hauling, splitting and stacking 10-12 cords of firewood to heat the drafty old farmhouse every fall, giving up paying property taxes on a property that I spent less than 5 months at last year, along with the associated insurance, electric bill, etc. Oh, and as a SD resident I gave up paying the MN state income tax, and the new TT cost me a 3% excise tax instead of the MN sales tax, lower licensing fees, plus my vehicle insurance dropped from $186 per month to $64. I figure it saves me close to 10K a year to be a South Dakotan. Just a few more things for you to consider.
Caryn
We traveled though your part of the country quite a bit when my oldest lived in Sioux Falls, plus John goes to eastern SD every spring for snow geese. Except for the cold, we really appreciate where we live now too. Looking out across our small, picturesque lake where with eagles flying by even in the winter, it truly is God's country. But even though we've only traveled a bit, it's been enough to learn there are so many other beautiful places, so much to learn about, and new people to meet. We'd like the adventure, at least for awhile, while we still can.
Also, as you said, usually seeing our kids and grandkids means going to them. That probably isn't going to change any time soon.
We were just talking tonight about all the stuff we've "collected" over the years, and what we'd even want to have in a smaller place some day. (Not much we have is even important to us anymore.) As long as I have the time, I think I need to get familiar with how ebay works!
Hope to meet you out there some day....John would have fun talking motorcycles with you - he still plans to talk me into one someday!
Mary
PS We are thinking about taxes and all that other practical stuff. I thought it was really good advice on this site to consider all the angles before deciding.
You can put your things that you want to keep in storage. A lot of people do. Most of the people I know cant remember what they put in there after awhile and others go back and get rid of it later. I tried to give everything to my kids and they wanted none of it. *sniff*
Not sure on your horses. I can't see taking them but I HAVE seen just about every kind of other pet come out of coaches and trailers.lol If you have the finances to board them for future use that would be great.
No gender specific forum that I know of. Everyone has to put up with the guy/girl questions here and they are quite interesting sometimes.
If you haven't found the search bar at the top be sure and use it as a lot of questions you may have been addressed several times and will be again I am sure. Don't be afraid to ask questions either as this is a good group with a lot of experience.
Again, welcome aboard! (BTW, I am from that north country and haven't missed those winters and cold weather one bit)
We will be picking up some casual work (workcamping) along the way, we are both so looking forward to living our dream, we can't wait! After 25 yrs of collecting "stuff" we had a lot to get rid of, it took 3 yard sales and still had a full garage full for charity, we still have a storage unit, but that will be given up when we leave here. It is daunting to think of what you have to 'give up' for this lifestyle, but just think of everything you gain:)
Have you thought about maybe renting a small apartment after you sell the house? that way, you could take the time to rent an RV for a month or so before you go to the expense of buying one, if you find it's not for you, you can go back to your original plan of going the 'horse-fulltime' route instead.
We should really be terrified to pull the plug, we don't have a huge savings account, not a big income either, but we decided that we were done dreaming about what we would do in our retirement and just do it! We are both young/healthy enough to enjoy it and if after 10-15 yrs we want to go back to a sticks n bricks lifestyle, we can do that too:)
Good luck and let us know how everything is going
huggs Kim x