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Old 10-29-2014, 10:56 AM   #1
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My budget plan for full time RVing

My husband is worried that we won't have enough funds coming in every month from just his retirement checks and wants to wait till we get my retirement check also. But we are 10 years apart on that. I want to be full time RVing by 2019(when his checks start) not 2029(when I can draw mine too).

So here is my plan:
Right now we have 125k saved for a rig. We don't want a rig payment so buying a used class A or 5th wheel and truck paid with cash is our goal.

In spring of 2019 Gary will get his 2 retirement checks est at 3000 a month. And then in 2021 he will be able to draw early S.S. check est at 1200 a month. I won't get my checks till 2029 but est that at 2500 a month.

I think we wont always be driving. I like the idea if staying some where for a month and exploring. Then drive to our next spot we chose.

We don't need high end RV sites. Just ok with hookups.

We cook at home alot and maybe eat out once a week, so we won't go crazy on food.

Gary has drove big equipment for years and I'm a diesel mechanic, so we will do a lot of our own maintenance.

I think we can make it on just his checks since we won't have a rig payment. We still have 4 more years to save and will sell our house when we hit the road.

Do you full timers that have been doing this for a while think my plan is good? The most I have ever learned while turning a wrench is from advice that others gave me. I know that advice from people who are doing it now is that way to make our dreams come true.
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Old 10-29-2014, 12:11 PM   #2
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I agree.......you need to be driving down the road in 2019. DONT WAIT! You never know how many years of good health you have.

I have read too many stories of people that had some sort of calamity or health issue occur months or years before they retired. Don't be one of those statistics....enjoy life while you can, because none of us knows when it's over.
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Old 10-29-2014, 12:15 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by pasdad1 View Post
I agree.......you need to be driving down the road in 2019. DONT WAIT! You never know how many years of good health you have.

I have read too many stories of people that had some sort of calamity or health issue occur months or years before they retired. Don't be one of those statistics....enjoy life while you can, because none of us knows when it's over.
TRUE!!
Get out there while you can!
We had planned on going full time when we were both 62, my parents got worse and need me (only child) to take care of their stuff (health care etc), then they needed more care so had to find new living arrangements within the budget. The home care couldn't do (by law) everything they needed so I did it. Then they died one month apart. Wife was one WEEK from putting in her retirement papers when her daughter died, leaving us with two grandkids to raise. Oldest has left now but the youngest is 14 and just started high school. Then the DW started vomiting blood, shes' been in the ER, ICU and recovery rooms 14 times in three years although three of those were hernia repairs. Went to her gastroenterologist yesterday and now they are testing to see if she should go on a transplant waiting list. They keep looking for cancer but haven't found any yet although her last colonoscopy had three polyps removed, two were OK but the third is a type that can go into cancer.
OK, enough of this but my "conclusion" is ti GO FOR IT while you can!! You never know what life is going to throw at you!
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Old 10-29-2014, 12:22 PM   #4
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do it now

One thought that jumps out to me is the skills you both have. Some people do what I've heard as "work camp". You two could go out and when you find an area that interest you for awhile ( this could be a area of opportunity work wise, or an interesting area to explore) -- look for a job in the area of your interest and settle in for a while. When you have saved a little money and are ready to move --- do that. Travel again for awhile till again you find an area of interest to you and work some more. What you may find is that you don't always work in the area of your strength --but a area that happens to be there and you choose to do it just for the experience. Now in my mind this is what it's all about to try new things that are interesting to you and provide an opportunity to learn something new-- This to me would be a powerful magnetic pull to go as soon as possible!

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Old 10-29-2014, 12:42 PM   #5
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My wife retired last year and I retire in 2020. If there was any way to start now I would. It sounds like you will have a larger budget than many on this site. The only thing I'm not sure about in our situation and yours is; Is it better to pay cash or let someone make the payment for you by renting one of your houses?
When I retire one of our rentals will be payed off and the rent would easily pay for a nice MH. Unfortunatly I have many years to figure it all out. We do have a nicely equipped Class C in the meantime. I've installed solar and it's great for trips to Amusement parks and dry camping or boondocking.
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Old 11-03-2014, 11:34 AM   #6
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The biggest surprise we had when we both retired is how much longer our pension checks lasted than our salary checks. When you are working you incur many expenses that you don't when retired. Things like work clothes, increased car repairs for commuting and all the extra costs of high mileage car usage. Also after working all day we would eat out more often than we do now. Get retired as soon as you both can and start enjoying your life. With your skills you will do well with a high end used coach, especially one that doesn't need a lot of software to run it.
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Old 11-09-2014, 03:01 AM   #7
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Your big expense will be health insurance.
Volunteering can cut your expenses considerably and you can stay at some very interesting locations. Check out the volunteering & workcamping forum.
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Old 11-09-2014, 07:53 AM   #8
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Your big expense will be health insurance.
Volunteering can cut your expenses considerably and you can stay at some very interesting locations. Check out the volunteering & workcamping forum.
I have been reading a lot about health insurance, and if we didn't have the benefits we have, the cost would be scary. At 800-1000 a month I don't think we could do it. So with Gary's federal retirement benefits we can keep our current health care plan (where the government pays a big portion of the cost) and pay the monthly premium of about 250 witch covers both of us. We can also change the plan during the yearly open enrollment so when we hit the road full time we and pick a plan that works best. He will also get his army reserve health benefit's at 60, so we are researching what Tri-Care will cost and cover. There is so much info out there I get over loading on researching stuff.

I bet after a while I will find something that brings some bucks in. Since Gary and I are years apart in age, I wont get my retirement checks for a while, so I better turn a wrench while I still can. Someone always needs some thing fixed.
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Old 11-09-2014, 08:01 AM   #9
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I agree.......you need to be driving down the road in 2019. DONT WAIT! You never know how many years of good health you have.

I have read too many stories of people that had some sort of calamity or health issue occur months or years before they retired. Don't be one of those statistics....enjoy life while you can, because none of us knows when it's over.
Gary is really warming up to the idea of doing it in 2019, not 2029. After he started seeing that we can make it on his retirement check if we not go crazy, he is more on board with the summer of 2019 goal.

I think when the snow starts to fly here soon, he will be full steam ahead with the plan.
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Old 11-09-2014, 08:06 AM   #10
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There are a couple of members who are full timing and have a blog which goes into all aspects of full timing including budgets.......That's probably a good place to start.....I also think that your day to day expenses reduce when you are retired. I've been off work injured the last 5 months and am amazed at how little I am spending....I couldn't drive for the first 3 months and I would walk around with a quarter in my pocket for a week.....just not spending any where near as much as when I was working.
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Old 11-09-2014, 08:06 AM   #11
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Welcome to the forum.

Add my vote for hitting the road early. Lots of folks full time on a lot less so just go into it with open eyes and you'll be fine.

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Old 11-09-2014, 08:07 AM   #12
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The biggest surprise we had when we both retired is how much longer our pension checks lasted than our salary checks. When you are working you incur many expenses that you don't when retired. Things like work clothes, increased car repairs for commuting and all the extra costs of high mileage car usage. Also after working all day we would eat out more often than we do now. Get retired as soon as you both can and start enjoying your life. With your skills you will do well with a high end used coach, especially one that doesn't need a lot of software to run it.
So many times we come home from work and are just too tired to cook, so we go out to eat or grab fast food. But on the weekends where we have a lot of time, Gary is always grilling something and we eat at home.
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Old 11-09-2014, 08:14 AM   #13
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Gary just asked what our adult beverage budget would be in the RV, because when we don't have to go to work anymore there is a whole lot more time to enjoy our favorite drinks. I didn't even think of that and almost died laughing.
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Old 11-09-2014, 08:22 AM   #14
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There are a lot of full-timers that wish they had $3000/month to live on, me included. My wife and I have full-timed for over 3 years on $2200 and still have about as much in the bank as when we started. We do volunteer about half the time (check volunteer.gov). I also joined the VFW, Moose, American Legion, and Eagles. Some of them have RV hook-ups and will almost always let you park overnight in the lot. I also installed 4 125 watt solar panels and 4 6 volt 225 amp hour batteries. In good sunshine, we can use everything (including the microwave for reheats) and not worry about hookups until we need to dump. Fuel is our biggest expense and we keep it down by traveling slowly, 200-250 miles a day, when we are on the road. That spreads the cost out and we see a lot more. We have seen 30 states and one Canadian Province.

It is doable on your budget. I have had more fun in the past 3 years than I had in the 66 prior to that.
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