Our campground was host to “Spaghetti Fest 9”, a 3-day music event, which was attended by hundreds of mostly college aged hippy style fans. The music was really quite eclectic, with sounds of blues, funk, rap, indie and some other stuff that I really was not sure of what they fall under. It was a very cool experience, kind of a modern day Woodstock, but without as many people. The kids were very well behaved; most of them stayed in tents on the other side of the lake, and didn’t keep us up all night. What was interesting was that it was nothing like a festival from up north. There were no police, ems, blocked roads and other types of red tape and bureaucracy that you would expect from something as large as this.
Our campground host Dennis with dog Joey and Lulu doing her housework in the RV.
This blog is dedicated to answering questions that we get about our journey. I was surprised by how many people did not know how we are getting this done. Although I did a lot of research before we embarked on our journey, I assumed that most people knew how full-time RVing is done. I was wrong. In fact, many of the questions asked are usually the same one by different people. How can we afford to do it? How do we get our mail? How do we know where to stay? And some other very good questions.
Let me start off by telling you what we have. The “Free-Spirit” is our previously used RV which is a 37- foot long 1997 Holiday Rambler Imperial Deluxe 5th wheel has three slides that gives us about 12’ wide when opened. “Free Spirit” totals about 300 square feet and has a queen bed, washer and dryer, oak cabinets throughout, tiled floor bathroom with a shower, 8-foot countertop kitchen with stove, oven, fridge and microwave. We have a 4-person dining room table and an 8x10 living room with reclining loveseat and chair, 19” color HDTV in an entertainment center with a working fireplace. It also has two 10,000-btu air conditioners, a hot air furnace and an 8-gallon hot water tank.
Our rig is self-contained which has a 45 gallon waste holding tank, another one for fresh water, and two others for gray water, such as kitchen and shower. We have a solar panel, two-rechargeable batteries, two-30lb. propane tanks and a 3,000 watt generator. So, although we stay in campgrounds that provide full hook ups, we can stay just about anywhere for about a week, before having to empty out and refilling fresh water. Our RV is made for 4 people, but only holds 2 and a dog. Get it?
We pull our rig with “The Beast”, also previously used. It is a 2004 Ford F-350 diesel dually, with a tow package. It had 84,000 miles when bought nearly a year ago, and we are now approaching 101,000. She still runs well and loves to pull our 14,000 pound RV.
The most common question asked is; how do we get our mail. Although there are several different companies, we use RVMail.com. Before leaving, I changed my mailing address over to my new RVMail address, which is in Florida. You can even use it as your residential address, since it is a privately owned mail forwarding service and not a post office box.
RVMail works quite simple. All mail goes to our box and they can either hold it or forward it to me, wherever I may be. I decide whether I want it sent on a steady basis and I control how it is done, either by calling them, or by going on-line to their web site. There I can see what I have in my mailbox, and decide whether to forward it or shred it. They list all my incoming mail, by return address, on my secure web site account. I can even ask that they open it up for me, scan it and email me the contents. I can also chose how I want it sent to me, such as first class, priority, over-night or fed-ex. The price is reasonable, about $10 a month, plus postage, which I add every once and a while, depending on how often my mail is forwarded.
Another question we are asked is; how can we afford to do this. Doing this is actually cheaper than living in a home, which is the secret behind this entire endeavor, we had to give up our home. Although some people can, we could not afford to keep a home and do this at the same time. In fact, we took a cut on our income of about $4,000 a month. But, we also cut lose a home, a second car, paid off most of our debt, including car payments and credit cards. We also made some major changes to our lifestyle, which included how often we dined out, how we spend our money and how and where we buy our groceries. In other words, we have become much more frugal with our money. We don’t have much room in our RV, so we don’t buy many THINGS any more. And, since we don’t go to a steady job any more, we don’t need to keep buying clothes. We also have to be more selective in grocery shopping, by looking for bargains, shopping at discount stores and only buying what we need.
Although my pension is enough to get by, we continue to find ways to make additional income. Lulu continues to entertain, which I play a big part in by being the promoter, sound engineer and road crew, but we no longer do this four nights a week like we used to in Florida. We do offer entertainment in exchange for free rent at some of the campgrounds we stay in, but not all will do this. But when they take us up on the offer, it helps us out with rent, and will get us some other gigs too.
We continue to look for other ways to make some extra cash. We have tinkered with Ebay, buy buying items at yard sales or thrift shops, and reselling them on Ebay. Our latest item was a talking ALF doll from 1986 that we bought for $5.00 and sold for $36.00. Not a huge sale, but if we can do this a few times a month, we can add a few hundred dollars to our budget.
There are other opportunities out there that we know about, but have not gotten involved in, yet. There is workamping, which is where campgrounds will hire you to do various tasks in exchange for free rent. There are hundreds of opportunities across the country, and I constantly keep an eye on them by subscribing to the web site at www.workamper.com. And there is also the caretaker opportunity where you can stay at someone’s property for free while they are away. So, there are many ways to make ends meet, should you decide to do the journey.
That leads us to our banking. My pension check is automatically direct-deposited into my bank account. So, I never get an actual check. In fact, my money is usually available a day or two sooner than using a regular check. We chose a bank that has free on-line banking, so I take care of my bills on-line. I have not written a check, or been inside a bank lobby in a very long time. Deposits and cash withdrawals are made at ATMS and any bills are paid automatically by the bank on the dates that I tell them to pay. I just go to my secure web site and fill in the payees info and the bank sends them a check. I can even have them pay the same amount every month. Most of our purchases made are on a VISA check card, so it is the same as cash. And whenever we need cash, I just get it at my bank’s ATM when possible, to avoid fees.
I have also signed up with PAYPAL, which allows me to shop on-line, and not have to put in my credit card information. PAYPAL also allows other people to send me money, without having to get involved in credit card transactions. It is a great system for buying and selling things on EBAY or AMAZON. It’s like having my own yard sale, but not having to lug things outside. And the buyers will usually pay the shipping. I also find better deals on line, so I don’t have to drive all over town looking for something I can have delivered to me in a couple of days.
My final topic is how we choose where to stay. This is also budgeted. I try to stay at places for a month at a time, since it comes out much cheaper than if I were to stay for a few days or weeks. I find these deals through different camping clubs that we belong to, such as, Passport America, Recreation USA and CampClub USA, to name a few. Through them, and the help of the internet, I can find several locations to stay that are within my budget of $300 to $500 a month. Most places have full hook ups, swimming pools, rec halls, and beautiful scenery. And, the price usually includes all that plus sometimes cable, electric, water and sewer.
We have decided to head South from New England, and take the I-78, I-81 South route. We will end up in Mississippi in December, and then head West to Arizona, New Mexico, etc… I just look for places that are about 5 hours distance from eachother. We try not to drive longer than that. An example of our first trips were Christmas Pines Campground in Auburn , PA,. exit 29 off I-78. Our next stop was Stoney Creek Campground in Greenville, VA. Located off of Exit 217 off Rte 81. I haven’t booked the next stops quite yet, but you get the idea. About every 250 miles or so, is a stop, whether to stay for the month, or get some shut eye before moving on, is usually the game plan.
There are many other topics to full time RVing. Such as getting our medication through the mail, satellite TV that goes with us, internet through a cel phone, and the list goes on. It could take a book to write. In fact, there are many great books already written, and I have read a few. www.RVBookstore.com has more information than you can handle. www.RVNetlinx.com and www.rv.net are also great places to get lots of information. You just have to do the research according to your budget and lifestyle.
It is not an extravagant lifestyle, but, we both have been there and done that, and it really does not make you any happier. In fact, less is best!! And, of course, having God in our life surely makes things easier, because we know that we are blessed and that God will always guide us down the right path. We pray daily and we read the bible and attend church whenever we can. We also try to live the way Jesus would want us to live. To be kind, to respect ourselves and others, to love everyone for who they are and whenever we can, to take care of those that are less fortunate. We don’t decide if the person asking is really in need or just being lazy, we give what we can, and when we can, and let God deal with that person’s needs and honesty. And more people should be this way, taking care of our poor. Our country would be in better shape.
I hope I answered some questions, or at least put some ideas in your head. Good luck to you. Lulu and I hope that you may find happiness in whatever you do and that your life is filled with love, joy and good fortune. Don’t forget, you reap what you sow, so be sure to spread your love, joy and fortune and you WILL get it all back in abundance!! Just do it willingly and unselfishly. Don’t keep it all to yourself. And lighten up. There is plenty of good in the world. Stop reading the newspapers, watching the news, and ABOVE ALL, don’t believe everything you read on the internet. There are a lot of people that spend a lot of time digging for things to write about that will stir up controversy, gossip, rumors and hatred. Instead of adding to the problem, do something about what you believe in. Get out and physically do it. It will make you feel better, and maybe you have the answer to an underlying problem that we cannot figure out.
See you all very soon.
LIVE , LAUGH and LOVE!!
Lulu and AL
