Excel Owner featured in not-so-happy fuel story

[Rick_CO]

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/news/0805/gallery.r...ion=money_topstories

[Rick_CO]

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/news/0805/gallery.r...ion=money_topstories

[rockintom]

Thanks for sharing Rick.

I hate the fuel cost situation as much as anyone, but I just can't understand why someone chooses a lifestyle like this (his choice of rig set up, and life's fees in general, ect.) and expect it to be cheap. We did a work up on projection and it costs as much or more to do this lifestyle as it did in the stick and brick before retirement. We have been close to budget, but not quite made it just yet. We don't live large, but don't try to see how cheap we can live either (IE stay at every Wal-Mart across the US). If we workamped we could be cheaper still. We may do that one day when we get out of this vacation mode!

Jim Wright seems surprised by all of this. He must have not figured it right when projecting the cost the FTing lifestyle.

[ChiefJohn]

Thanks Rick -- don't know the gentleman, but wish him the best. Agree with Tom, he needs to either get on down the road or find a workkamping gig and wait for the fuel prices to come down.

[Endeavor2BnC]

Being very new to the FT life style I'm kind of perplexed about the concern of fuel costs. Maybe my calculations are wrong but the way I look at is this:

I get approximately 10 mpg overall, being conservative. Actually 15 - 17 mpg w/o towing and 8 - 11 mpg towing. I'm estimating probably 12,000 miles / yr. That's 1200 gal /yr. If fuel goes up by $1.00 then my costs go up by $100/mo. I'd better be able to adjust to that or I'm doing the wrong thing. It just cuts into my discretionary spendiing or the number of miles I travel each year. The cost of staying somewhere shouldn't change because I'm still paying for the space each day. I guess I'll have to eat at home a few days more per month. More Walmart days is not an option.

Less miles, less fuel, less dollars, more time to play golf.

[rockintom]

Tim,

IMHO, you are gnats a** on the money. I think way too many folks are not taking a logical approach to this touchy topic. Simply do the math...HELLO!!! The easy way to deal with it is to get all emotional and not really analyzing the situation. This post brought to you by rockintom at no charge!

[Bruce and Jenna]

"Retirement dream shattered."

Plueese. Tell that to the people choosing between heat and food, or facing eviction.

This guy has a home and vehicle paid for.

Shattered!

[HB Phil]

Jim Wright, the author just said he'd have to scale-back like many other FT'ers he was mneeting on the road, maybe do some work camping.

It was CNN which editorialized with the "Dreams Shattered," headline.

Anything to spin the current economic to appear worse in this election year... consider the source...

[Bruce and Jenna]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by HB Phil:
Jim Wright, the author just said he'd have to scale-back like many other FT'ers he was mneeting on the road, maybe do some work camping.

It was CNN which editorialized with the "Dreams Shattered," headline.

Anything to spin the current economic to appear worse in this election year... consider the source... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Absolutely correct you are. Then the reader continues on with that slant in mind, projecting it onto the subject of the article.

Reminds me of the quote, "If it bleeds, it leads."