sometimes as the dream grows and we get closer to it.....we begin to worry and start with the "What If's" worries.

those worries are healthy but like any worry become amplified just with our thoughts.........you cant cover all the bases.......life in most ways is no different on the road as in a S&B. Money is an issue a savings has to be in place and some type of financial support means has to be there.

the best way is to draw up a basic list of incoming and outgoing finances and see what is normal .......then remove the outgoing money that no longer will be an issue and take your basic budget left........do you have enough?

the only thing on the road that really changes is......Space.....the view.....finances

I feel that we all find our way to make it work.....whether your on the road or in a stick & brick the basics are the same

You're not alone. We planned for 6 years, went to rallies, projected budgets, looked at 5 'ers, studied towing data, projected budgets, went to rallies, looked at motorhomes, did the diesel vs gas thing, projected budgets, researched toads, looked into health insurance, calculated our social security, bought a motorhome, projected budgets, sold our house, gave all our stuff away, retired and moved into our HOW, (House On Wheels). Lived in the HOW and workamped for four months where we had a seasonal site, and then spent another month in a nearby state park. 

You'd think we had our homework done and our dream all planned out. Nah! A month into our living in our HOW, I (Paul) almost bled to death from a medical condition I have. The procedures to mitigate further bleeds are ongoing. So many things went wrong with the HOW, our toad, and the things we use to prepare for travel that we began to think maybe this wasn't the life we were supposed to live. We ask God to tell us, in no uncertain terms, if he was trying to speak to us through these circumstances, and if so, could he be clearer since we're pretty much deaf. Guess what? More things went wrong. We gave up. We were convinced we were being actively prevented from leaving.

We went as far as to look at some stix n brix to live in and actually put ernest money down on a place. Good thing we projected a budget. Turns out we couldn't afford to do anything other than live the dream. Not for five or six years anyway. So we left, and here we are, on the road. It's worth all the changes, delays, emergencies, failures and doubts.

Life is nothing if not a series of transformations. Do what you have to. Bend like a reed in the wind and you'll find your way. 

 

PS, I grew up with a cousin with DS, and I've met some others likewise afflicted. I truly believe that God uses them to teach the rest of us what love looks like.

Thank you for starting this thread. Lots of great advice and shared stories here.

My dream is also constantly transforming. We started the dream in 2011. I can quote Paul up until the point of buying his HOW for everything we researched and continue to research. #1 is that we can't buy our HOW until we sell the house, and in order to do that, we need to make a lot of cosmetic repairs to make it marketable (we did explore selling as is, and wouldn't be able to make enough to pay off the mortgage).

Every time we got a little closer to getting another project finished, one more obstacle would get in the way, making us have to rethink the plans.

Even as I write this, yet another wrench has been thrown into the fire. I am about to lose my full time corporate job (which is a blessing because I started a business that I can take on the road with me, but haven't had time to devote to it). Simultaneously, my husband, who has been a freelance field consultant (and whose work has been very unreliable) was offered a full time position. Another blessing because we wouldn't have to worry about the loss of my income while I built my client base, although it would mean postponing getting on the road, as his job could not travel with him.

But now, as I write this, there is a chance that this job offer may not go through after all. This means 2 people with no income. The money we have saved to fix the house will pay the mortgage for only 2 more months. We may be faced with having to sell as is in order not to face foreclosure. And with no jobs, where could we find a place to rent? We can hope that from the sale, we can scrape enough together to find an old, rusted out (ok, maybe a little better condition) Class A, B or C -- that means transforming our dream of a condo on wheels (43' Mobile Suites with separate office space) to something with a bed over the cab, just so we have shelter.

Downright scary, but here again, I agree with Paul - I think everything we experience comes from God. I just wish we weren't so deaf either and knew what was truly meant for us. I hate having to keep changing the plans!

I am (was) the consummate planner. I have been known to plan our vacation down to the hour and list each day on a three by five card.

I planned our retirement and going full time to the finest detail. Amazing enough, not 1/10th of all that planning came to pass. All other changes actually turned out better. So I say plan, but stay flexible. It will come true, but probably not as you planned.

Our retirement has turned out nowhere near as I planned. It turned out much different, but all in all---Better.

This lifestyle is always changing and evolving. It not static.

My wife often asks: "If i told you we would be in_____________ (Location)
doing ______________ (activity) two years ago would you believe me?" No I would have never guessed.

Plan and try to relax, it will come.

Thanks Pieere, will do! And, you are in our thoughts and prayers that you should be back on the road again. Maybe we'll all be at the same campfire some night in the future.