RE: RV Resorts Membership Costs
We bought into Outdoor World and into Thousand Trails.
I would go listen to what they have to say, and DO NOT BUY from them.
That way you can find out if that would be for you.
If you find out that is for you, then check out e-bay, that is where we bought ours. We bought ours years ago, we have more than gotton our money from them. Go to their web pages to see where their resorts are located.
Since we went full timing 4 and a half years ago, we are already further ahead.
RE: Thinking of fulltime RVing to stretch retirement funds
Fez-
Not all of us full timers are rich, but we learned how to make our money go a little further.
My wife and I have been full timing for 4+1/2 years, but we sold the house only 3 years ago. We knew when we were empty nesters, that we would have to get a smaller place anyways, so thought we would try out this full time thing to see if we would like it. We did, so we went back and sold the house, the children took what they wanted and we sold everything else off. We have not regretted it. What you will find out is, what ever your bills were with the stick house, it will be a trade off in full timing. We save from taxes, house insurance, house upkeep, electric, water, sewer, but we pay for campgrounds and fuel. We belong to a couple of rv resorts, like Thousand Trails, and PassPort America. We bought Thousand Trails from ebay and saved, PPA costs $44.00 a year and you get 50% off of their campgrounds, not all campgrounds are in their system.
If you deceide that you would like to try it, live in the rv for at least 5-6 months to see if it fits you. Remember also, if the weather is nice, you will spend more time outside then inside.
As I said, your expenses won't be any more than you paid in the stick house. As for the internet, you can pick up a good but used unit for $600.-$700.00. We learned that we stay longer, and save on fuel, we also can travel further later.
Last year we left PA, headed south, across the south west, up thru CA, OR, WA, Canada, Alaska, stayed all over up there. Back to PA, thru UT, WY, ND, SD, etc. Expensive, yes, but thru saving money we budgeted, was paid for easily. We did a lot of boon docking, along the way, and in Alaska. Sometimes we stayed in campgrounds, sometimes not. We stayed in fed land in AZ, the only cost was to go to a campground once a week to dump, which usually costs $5.00-$10.00 for, or to stay a day or 2, and then dumping was free.
There are a lot of ways to skin a cat.
For a singlr guy, a class C all the way, and 1 without the window at the top bunk, less likly to have water damage.
A friend of mine has it without the window, he converted it to a tv and hugh storage there.
RE: Retracting Jacks Procedure
I first bring in all slides, then start engine, push store for jacks.
That way when bags are full, jacks are up and away we go.
I have been instructed to bring in slides first or else could cause binding. Others have different ways.
RE: Flying J alienating the RV customers!
Don't blame flying j for all of this, there is a lot of others doing the same. There are a couple of gas stations here that are't even taking any credit cards. It seems the credit card companys don't charge the gas stations a set fee, but is a varing fee, and as a gallon of fuel increases, so do their charges.$$...So not only are they making money from the customer buying fuel, they are doing well from the flying j's as well. If this means that I will have to get a flying j credit card to save the money, then I will do that...After all I won't carry that much cash on me. When I fueled up last in Ohio, the bill was $375.00, and if I travel that much in 3 or 4 days, I would have to keep a thousand or more cash on hand.
I thought that they wanted us to use credit cards, now the credit cards are making as much as the fuel carriers are making.
Maybe if enough of us would stop using the visa, mc, etc, they would get the idea.
RE: Uh - Slip Sliding Away????
Sorry for the abbreviations, post above this was correct.
Outdoor World is only in the east coastal area.
I bought both of them on e-bay and for what I have spent, I have saved more. I do some dry camping as well, but we do like the water, sewer and electric. Usually we don't pay any electric as that is figured into the campgrounds fee.
Elmer
RE: Uh - Slip Sliding Away????
Just wanted to add my 2 cents worth also, well maybe 4 cents
We started full timing 4 and 1/2 years ago, costs were lower then, much higher now.
We kept our house, so we did have bills with that, sold that 2 years ago.
You figure, now, no property tax, no oil heating costs, no electric, water, sewer, trash removel, no snow to shovel, etc, etc, etc.
Phone costs more, cell phone, trade off is fuel costs.
We bought an ODW, TTN memberships, also PPA. So far this year, our average costs per night are under #12.00. We also stop on the way to another campground over night at Wal-Mart.
There is also another way to help off set the costs for fuel, is to get a small job for a couple of hours a week, and that helps. We have not had to do that yet.
We have found out that most campgrounds charge for 6 days and you get the 7th free. Stay 2 weeks get 2 days free, 3 weeks get forth week free. We are just staying in the Lanc PA area, staying 2 weeks free with ODW, then move 30 miles to a TTN free, when I say free, we do have to pay for fees associated with the resorts.
Last year we went to Alaska, so everything was higher, here is a break down.
2007
15,940 miles
MH fuel - $ 7,485.00 monthly cost $ 624.00
Propane - $ 252.00 monthly cost $ 21.00
Campground fees & stays - $ 5,840.00 monthly cost $ 449.00
Per daily cost of all three - $ 37.20
2008
2,917 miles
mh fuel - $ 1617.00, monthly cost $ 231.00
propane - $ 146.00, monthly cost $ 21.00
campground fees & stays - $ 3,113.00, monthly cost $ 263.00
Per daily cost of all three - $ 25.00
Elmer
RE: S.O.S. S.O.S. Need help SOON...
I'm going to try and stab at this.
On my car we have a pin that goes to the emergency break away, do you and is there a place for a missing pin.
You should be able to disconnect the hot wire for the disconnect, and that I believe will be the only thing affected by it.
BUT, BUT, BUT, before you drive off, check breaks and lights.
RE: How often to exercise....
When we had purchased our 1st mh, we were informed to run motor for at least a half hour or drive 30 miles once a month, gen also.
I do this by hopping from 1 campground to another once every 2 weeks, and everything is good.
RE: Best Price For Alcoa Wheels???
bagman,
I bought 4 used from Tiffin in Red Bay.
I took them to where Tiffin buys theirs, (Kimbrough's Automative)for their new chassis they build, and had them polished, mounted balanced and put on my rid.
I paid $100.00 each for the rims and $350.00 for the polishing, mounting, etc.
This helps if you are going to Red Bay.
RE: Class A snowbirds are we going south this winter?
Well since we are homeless, yes we will be going south again.
4 and a half years now, and will continue.
From PA to FL, about 1100 miles, then west later again.
RE: MPG& Mileage spreadsheet
Johno,
As othertonka was explaining here is something like the spread sheet would look like.
Col A, B, C, D, and E would be where you would put in the information.
Col F and G would have the formulas.
row 1 - Col A - Col B - Col C - Col D - Col E - Col F - Col G
- miles - gallons - cost - $ gal - mpg - $ per mile
row 2 - Trip #1 - 885 - 116.041 - $375.58 - $4.669 - 7.6 - $0.42
row 3 - Trip #2 - 200 - 25.000 - $112.48 - $4.499 - 8.0 - $0.56
row 4 - Trip #3 - 1000 - 75.000 - $367.43 - $4.899 - 13.3 - $0.37
row 2 - Trip #1, 885, 116.041, $375.58, $4.669, =SUM(B2/C2), =SUM(D2/b2)
row 3 - Trip #2, 200, 25.000, $112.48, $4.499, =SUM(B3/C3), =SUM(D3/b3)
row 4 - Trip #3, 1000, 75.000, $367.43, $4.899, =SUM(B4/C4), =SUM(D4/b4)
RE: LED or CF--Which is Cooler?
I just put all LED's in my unit, not the fluorsents.
They are not cheap, but I can touch them with bare fingers and not get burned. The power used is mili-amps, great for dry camping.
RE: Monoco Diplmat vs Tiffin Phaeton
Both are very good manufactures, can not go wrong with which ever one you pick.
Both service your rig, no mater how old it gets.
A good friend of mine owns a Monico, I had a HR, before getting this unit. Why did we change, liked the floor plan better.
We are full timers.
RE: Mail order pharmacies (not online pharmacies)
We have been full timing for 4 + years now and use Express Scripts, they send it to my personal mailbox, when we send for the mail the meds are sent also. We get a 3 months supply and as soon as I can, we order another 3 months worth. Right now we have 6 months supply, as soon as we get down to having 3 months left, we order the next supply.
Elmer
