Community Forums

bgsc · 05-29-2014, 06:52 AM

As others have suggested it is not necessarily cheaper to full time than own a house, it is a life style you both have to enjoy. We have been full timing for 4 years and still enjoy the lifestyle,what pushed us was when we got our property tax bill for our new house (under 2000 sq.ft. On 2 acres with our own well and septic) the tax bill for the year was over $7,000.00 and for that kind of money we can stay at the best RV parks in Canada and the US the money we sold our house for is invested and is giving us a good return and will be there for us to use to buy a house when we have to hang up the keys in the mean time we are enjoying all of North America Canada for the summer months and the southern US for the winter months

Grandpere · 05-29-2014, 07:48 AM

Me? I wanted to be a full timer, my dw? wanted a place to call home to satisfy her nesting instinct. So we bought a 12x60 mobile home and put it on our oldest daughter's property. Now we have the best of both worlds, I get to travel and she gets a place to get off the road and to call home. For us, this beat the S&B way of life by a big profit margin.

pumper9x9 · 05-29-2014, 09:23 AM

You first have to figure out why and what you want to do when you go full timing. Are you going to travel around the country and see all there is to see? Are you going to go somewhere and park your coach and live out of it in one or two places a year? Are you going to work camp? Are you going to be staying in high end RV parks with all the bells and whistles or are you going to boondock?
We have been full timing for the last 4 yrs in the gypsy mode traveling around the country boondocking when we can, staying in Federal CG, State and local campground, and RV parks when we had to. We have put on about 20k miles. Our cost averaged out to $30797.38 a year. However for the last 12 months our cost have been $20962.73. These cost do not include food, clothing, docs, dentists, medical issues. These are just the cost we have had related to the RV and Full timing.
If you are really thinking of doing this I would strongly suggest that you go to RV.ORG pay what they are asking and read everything. This will be the best money you spend on your RV. You will then have a pretty good base of understanding what is involved in RVing. After you've read the information consider going to a large RV rally and attending classes. FMCA has a big on in Bend, Or. in August and these are a great place to learn about coaches and the lifestyle. Good luck and happy hunting

Gordon Dewald · 05-29-2014, 09:41 AM

Going RV'ing to save money is an oxymoron. Perhaps if you buy a used park model or TT and park it in a trailer park.

RV'ing should be about getting out and visiting the country around you. There can be a new adventure just over the next hill, or two, or three. Best part - if you dont like the weather, the view or the neighbors you can move in a couple of hours.

dvmweb · 05-29-2014, 01:23 PM

I could be a homeless person pretty easily. Back pack and tent. Walk, hitch hike, or bicycle. DW definitely NO! So, normal people want a home.

Financially, as many have said,

Unless you get a really good deal on a well maintained used MH you will lose money. You still might.
Fuel is expensive, gas or diesel. So, short travel distances from one place to another. As mentioned work kamping. Meh?
If you don't eat out, you'll be even up for food and groceries.

Say, you sell out and take off in your rv and don't like it, you will not be able to cash out and return to a similarly appointed home for the money you will end up with.

In the end it is a choice of doing what you would like to do and being able to afford it.

Good luck.

holdren · 05-29-2014, 03:22 PM

Our plan in a couple of years is to sell the house an invest the money . The MH will be paid for and we will live off our SS and some stock dividends. If we can no longer FT it or decide we don't like it we will buy a Mobile Home with the house money to spend the rest of our time. For us living in CA it will be cheaper Full Timing it then owning a home here.

CampDaven · 05-29-2014, 03:46 PM

We looked at our household budget next to our proposed F/T budget, and it was elementary. And it is what we wanted.

Now F/T for 2.5 years, our F/T budget was low by 10%, but still a bunch below having the house. And NO shovel, mower, R/E tax bill, OR paint brush have touched my hands.

We will F/T until we cannot, or change our minds. In the mean time we keep an eye out for the perfect landing spot.....just in case.

Dave and Nola - RVM1

Bamaman · 05-29-2014, 04:18 PM

When my parents retired, they moved to the Tennessee River and built a vacation home. They kept their home for the last 32 years in Nashville.

When my parents got old, they wanted to have first class healthcare available and a place to stay.

I've noticed many semi-full time campers in our membership campground still have their original homes to (1) have a place to keep their stuff and (2) so they have a place to go when they get sick/old. Except December through February, you cannot get them to go "home" more than a day at a time, however.

WheelingIt · 05-29-2014, 04:27 PM

Totally agree with everyone who said that finances should never be the only reason to go fulltiming. Your RV journey should be something that excites you...not a savings plan.

That said we DO use less now than we did in our fixed home, but that's because of the way we choose to drive and camp. We never really drive more than 2500-3000 miles per year. We like to volunteer so we do that all summer and pay no park fees. In winter we boondock (park for free) on BLM land. So, our expenses are low and very adjustable.

You'll have to figure out how you like to travel. Everyone is different and fulltiming is not for everyone.

holdren · 05-29-2014, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WheelingIt

Totally agree with everyone who said that finances should never be the only reason to go fulltiming. Your RV journey should be something that excites you...not a savings plan.

That said we DO use less now than we did in our fixed home, but that's because of the way we choose to drive and camp. We never really drive more than 2500-3000 miles per year. We like to volunteer so we do that all summer and pay no park fees. In winter we boondock (park for free) on BLM land. So, our expenses are low and very adjustable.

You'll have to figure out how you like to travel. Everyone is different and fulltiming is not for everyone.

Just remember your only going to live once. And today could be your last.

Bamaman · 05-30-2014, 03:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by holdren

Just remember your only going to live once. And today could be your last.

You're absolutely right. I've seen too many people work until full retirement age and then start to camp essentially full time.

Many have heart attacks or serious physical issues that cut their dream retirements short.

Grab all the gusto you can the first time around, as it may be your only chance in this lifetime.

reubenray · 05-30-2014, 04:03 AM

We are in the middle of this decision now and full-timing is leading. We have no family close by nor have a great love for the house. It is just a building that is to big for us. After working away from our homes for 20+ years we are travelers and get bored after a while in a particular spot. After working and living in a particular location for a year we are waiting for the next job to come up. We I retired we thought we would want to stay at home and do nothing, but we are bored. Plus the yard work is killing me. Our S&B will be 9 years old soon and stuff will start breaking down.

The expenses for fulltiming will just about equal what we are paying now being the S&B is paid for. Depending on what we upgrade to will decide if we will have a MH note or not. We will have to get into the full timing mode and not vacationing mode. But we want to see the country. We figured if we could do one trip a year vacationing and the rest of the fulltime this may work.

holdren · 05-30-2014, 07:26 AM

Another option is a cooperative rv resort. Where you buy a lot and then pay a small monthly fee. Then when you decide to leave the cooperative you get your money back that you originally paid.
So then you have a place as your main base.

ElJefe · 05-30-2014, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 336muffin

There is a BIG differecnce in fulltiming and being on vacation continually.

Elaborate more on this if you don't mind.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bamaman

You're absolutely right. I've seen too many people work until full retirement age and then start to camp essentially full time.

Many have heart attacks or serious physical issues that cut their dream retirements short.

Grab all the gusto you can the first time around, as it may be your only chance in this lifetime.

We had kids late in life. We'll be 59 & 57 when the last kid leaves for college. We intend to sell the house, go full time for a few years & see the country while we still can. We intend to see what we want to see, when we want to see it. Everglades? There. D.C. Monuments? There. Every NP in the country? Yep. South in the Winter & North in the summer? Yep. If/when we grow tired of it, we'll buy another S&B house in the mountains, and keep or sell the MH as we decide then. (Likely keep it for shorter duration trips to see the kids/etc)

Due to massive RV depreciation, I plan to buy a gently used MH, knowing it will still depreciate while we're in it, just not all of the depreciation will be ours to eat.

We live on a few acres now. One of the things I'm unsure about is the proximity of others when Full Timing - times I've rented in the past, the 'base camp' is not where you want to hang out - often a bare gravel parking lot with other RV's 20' away. When we vacation now, we rent cabins in the mountains & are not near neighbors. This is our preferred environment. I'd like to know other's opinions on the 'too close to neighbors' part of Full-Timing...is it an issue? We're not really into the "RV Lifestyle" thing - we just want to go places & see things while we still can. Other people are OK, just in controlled doses.

We're in the process of setting up a 2-week trip in a rented DP to test out the theory. Pretty dang expensive to rent, but it's cheaper to make mistakes now than after a purchase. I have no issue with the size/space of a large DP - I served on submarines. Wife lived in a TT during college, so she's cool with it. We both love adventure. We'll likely have a rented storage unit to keep things like the large tool collection, important furniture & mementos, etc & get rid of the rest. (Another thought is to build a barn on a purchased piece of property in the mountains & just store our stuff there, but that's another discussion)

I don't intend to save money or spend more - we'll plan that accordingly. With the size of our place & property taxes in Texas, I can't see how we'd spend more going FT, but it could be the same if we're on the road a lot.

Y'all are a wealth of information. What am I missing?