You Think You Can Afford To Do This? SERIOUSLY???

In answer to the question: YES!

There are a lot of skeptics out there, people who have either never considered, or have assumed they just couldn't, make it out on the road. And there are those who are full-timing who aren't sure we'll be able to make on our planned budget.

The first group, I feel I will just have to do it and not concern myself with the naysayers; if you are afraid to take the risk for something you want to do, doesn't mean that I am afraid to take the risk for something I want to do.

The second group, I listen and absorb what they say. I run the numbers in my head and compare it to what they share. I look at how they do things, and compare it to how we plan to do things and weigh the differences in terms of budget. I have great respect for their words and questions, and take what they say to heart.

This post is a follow-up to my last post on budgeting, as some have questioned our budget; their replies will be addressed here.

Either way, though, we will do it. We have run the numbers, and we know it will be tight but not impossible; we will be equipped for what we have been called to do. We have seen others who have done it successfully for years on less than we will have. There is only so much planning one can do, and we have done that (and are continuing to do it); God will see to the rest.

Circumstances change. They can change whether we're in our sticks and bricks or whether we're on wheels. By God's grace we handle them now, and by God's grace we'll handle them then. (Jer.17:7-8)

We have always lived on a limited budget. We live very frugally and live on much less than most people; we qualify for lots of handouts (though we rarely need them and do fine without), such is our income. We will continue to live on a limited budget vita in via. And then, if anything, there will be MORE opportunities for us. Without getting into our very personal financial details (although I will moreso once we're actually "out there"), here is a comparison of our expense now and our expenses later.

First, we live by cash. (Romans 13:8) We don't have credit cards or a mortgage. When we buy something we pay for it. Big purchases we pay for ahead of time by saving up for them, not after-the-fact with interest (higher cost). Were this not the case, we wouldn't even consider this!

Second, we tithe on our income. We hold to the OT 10% law as a minimum. God meets our every need, above and beyond what we return to Him (which is His in the first place!). This is a spiritual concept; it isn't about "I scratch your back and you scratch mine." It is a fact of giving joyfully to the Lord out of gratitude, for the work of His church, and seeing the evidence of His promises in action. (2Cor.9:7) If this is a foreign concept to you, or you don't understand the importance of tithing and faith in our budget, then none of this will probably make any sense to you anyway :).

Third: Our expenses will be more comparable to what they are now. Our property taxes will translate into campground costs. (More on this next paragraph.) Our natural gas and electric bill will translate into propane and gasoline. Our food bill will remain the same, at the worst; at best it will be smaller, as we will be living - and eating - on the same schedule; even one less full meal per day will make a difference in our food costs! We will not have our $100/mo. DirecTv, and our cell phone bells and whistles will be no more; basic cellular service will cost less. The cost for our internet will be comparable (in price, at least!) to what we pay now for cable internet.

Camping site costs - We will take advantage of every possible situation but for the most part, at least for the first couple of years, we will be staying locally, and we do have access to a lot with electric and water. When we travel we will use various cost-cutting means from boondocking and dry camping, to visiting family and friends, sleeping in free lots by night, and parking/walking in areas of interest by day. There are myriad websites and blogs that detail how to do this.

Health insurance is a big question, as it takes up such a large portion of most people's incomes. Between the VA system (Pete is a veteran and his health needs are met through the VA) and Christian-based healthcare ministries (such as this one) it is much more affordable than what most people pay. Our local medical system has a sliding fee scale for those of us with lower incomes, and I use that for nearly all of my health needs. (LOVE my doctor there too!) Other insurance - full coverage of course - on our rig we are hoping will be comparable to our homeowners' now, but if it isn't, we will adjust our budget accordingly.

We won't be going out there without an emergency fund in place, although I trust our Father more than money - which loses value - as He has never failed to meet a need and promises that He never will.

Our income: Pete will be receiving his social security which, since he will retire at 62, will be less than if he waits another 4 years, and will be equivalent to about 80% of his current income. As long as my current seasonal employer keeps hiring me each year, I will continue to have that income; we can allot it so that it is spread out throughout the year. I will simply have to assure that I am always where I can have a strong and reliable internet and cell phone signal so that I can continue to be a reliable employee, and we will plan our travels around those connections so I can work. If the company were to change and/or I were to lose my job, I would seek out similar employment.

There isn't much that Pete can't do. He's worked maintenance in various capacities, done electrical work, repaired various equipment, landscaping, etc. in his years of employment. (He was a cop in the USAF and worked security as a civilian as well.) He will be able to handle many of the maintenance and repairs on our rig, which will cut down on expenses, and also we are both looking forward to the potential prospect of workamping. We've even been studying up on gate guarding and think that actually sounds like it could be right up our alley for at least part of the year, as a potential job! And there are other things, but you get the idea...

Even with all of this, there is always the chance (a pretty good one actually!) that God has a different plan for us, once we get out there, and all of our budgeting and planning will change! It wouldn't be the first time :).

What it comes down to is this: We are led to do this. If you aren't walking with Christ, it won't make sense to you anyway...we don't know the future but God does, and He is leading us into it confidently. Our Good Shepherd doesn't lead his flock over the edge of a cliff, but to green pastures. And that's where we are going.

The Budget

I've already talked about our future setup for full-timing, we will either purchase one after we sell our home, or we will barter our home for a rig of equal value. That is undoubtedly the biggest expense we will face in starting out. Whatever we have from selling our belongings will be our "road egg".

We will be living on my husband's social security checks, he will be able to take an early retirement the end of this year. Where we stay will depend on what we have left over. One of our first expenditures that we will save for will be a solar power system, unless we are comfortable enough with the size of our road egg to set it up at the start - or unless we are blessed with a rig already outfitted with solar! (The Father knows our needs!) This, along with some other things, will open up a lot of options as far as boondocking and free camping.

Right now I work as an answering service for a small pest control company. I don't currently live in the area where the business is located (although I did when I started, back in 2001), and as long as I have a strong and reliable internet connection, a good cell signal, and a reasonably noise-free environment there is no reason I couldn't continue to do what I do. The customers certainly don't know where I am (the assumption is that I sit in an office, I do nothing to dispel that even when I'm propped up in bed in my jammies with my laptop on my lap!), and even the owners wouldn't know that anything had changed from the way things are right now, unless I told them...which I will, of course. If this job were to go away for some reason, I would find another one like it. Anyway, the job is seasonal (April-Oct) but I can spread out the income to last all year, and that will supplement our income.

Hubby is strong, friendly, and experienced in many areas. People like him right off the bat. And he is willing and even eager to do some workamping in exchange for a site (or whatever). I would also be happy to do that Nov-March. For many years I ran a small but very successful niche business; on a much smaller scale, I could also resurrect that, should my physical state (arthritis in my spine, cognitive after-effects from a stroke several years ago) allow it.

And with all of this, we will also continue to tithe from our earnings, and save for our future. I know it sounds ridiculously optimistic - but that's exactly how we live now. When we sit down and list our income and expenses it doesn't seem to work - but it does, it always has, and I'm sure it always will. It is how we live, serving God, living sacrificially for the Kingdom, and honoring Him with our tithes and offerings (not only $)...and He meets our every need just as He promised!

On a day to day basis, when we get "out there" we will have to figure out a few things...

Like groceries! Right now I shop the sales/stock up and keep our grocery budget average to $275/mo. for Pete and I, and our 3YO grandson who is here much of the time, plus my mom who is in a nearby nursing home but here for meals sometimes, food for our monthly church potlock, etc. (We are low carbers, so mainly eat vegetables, meat, and dairy.) My concern is how we'll be able to keep the food budget down so low on the road, with the tiny freezer and limited fridge space. Probably 5% or less of our food is processed (comes in boxes or cans for storage). I don't even know how to shop without stocking up and having a ready store of food on hand, so that will be an adjustment. (I detail my shopping expenses at another of my blogs, Cheap'n'Easy Low Carb.)

We will have pet expenses of course. At the minimum yearly exams and vaccines (or titers) and heartworm for the dogs and the cat. Food. Fresh water that I will purchase so they have consistency. However my personal philosophy of pet ownership precludes huge vet bills for illness or emergency. This isn't the place to discuss that, but my pets aren't a huge drain on our finances.

Probably the biggest thing that will help us is our lack of debt. We have always paid cash for everything, have no mortgage, car loan, or credit cards. And of course we will continue to do so. Rather than keep cash in the RV, one of our options will be to keep it on a refillable debit card. But that's only one option...anyway, remaining debt free will be the only reason we are able to do this on such a small budget.

Lastly, I want to mention that the trigger for this post is a Facebook group that just started yesterday and I joined, RVing On A Budget. So far the discussions are interesting and very informative, and there have been a lot of helpful links and suggestions shared as well. This promises to be a GREAT group, and I'm looking forward to learning and contributing a lot!

There is a lot of planning involved in this. But there is also a lot of freedom. We are never free of expenses but as Christians we are always free of worry about how they will be met.

(To read more about how God meets the needs of His children, here is a wonderful Biblical article the topic.)

Looking at RVs

Well we went to our first RV dealer to look at units on Sunday after church. We were looking at used RVs of course, and looked at travel trailers, a 5th wheel, and several motor homes.

The one thing that stands out in my mind about the experience is that 2 of the units had such a strong mold smell that we could barely get in the door; in fact we turned around and left before we did get fully inside.

This lot is a consignment lot, they also do service there, so it makes sense that they'd have a few duds.

The main reason we stopped there was so that I could once again get a mental image of space. We really are leaning more and more toward a Class A, probably an older-but-in-decent-shape model; we don't expect perfection in an older model but some of them are really well cared for, and it shows!

Something that I figured out was that it doesn't always matter how pretty they are; an RV can clean up pretty nice but still not be in great shape. Checking out every nook and cranny will be essential if we end up buying a used RV.

Anyway, we could manage without a slide in our first rig, but after being in a bunch of them we realized we don't really want to. I can imagine that, in rainy or cold weather when we are both indoors for a while, it would get old if we can't pass each other when walking through!

Something else we decided is that we could build a 2-tiered platform of sorts over the couch for our bird cages. One, we're not couch sitters; we both like chairs, and most Class A's have 3, including the driver and passenger chairs that turn around to be part of the living area. Plus we'll have the dinette. Two, the number of bird cages will decrease with time. In fact, 3 of our current flock are older, and we don't anticipate they will be around for a lot more years; while that is sad on a personal level, it is something to bear in mind when planning for cage space in an RV. We anticipate that, before too long, we will be down to 3 parrots, which is a much more manageable number in a small space than 7 is.

Of course, a bunk house or toy hauler would be the best way to go. But maybe not the only way.

As a side note/followup: We are still talking about a trade, as mentioned in this post. In fact we both feel that this is something we need to put out feelers about, maybe even put up a post on Craig's list expressing interest. We are definitely going to have someone come in and give us an appraisal on our house, probably yet this month, as a first step.

If you have thoughts on the subject, I'd love to hear them!

The Leading of the Lord

As I've mentioned, I've been praying about this whole life-on-the-road thing. A lot. And as I pray I get more and more excited to see it actually happen. Even if we are able to move into our future rig and stay in the area until Pete retires. But that would require selling our house in this slow market...and it needs a few things done to it before we can list it, like replace some flooring, repair a ceiling where there had been a leak, have the carpets cleaned, and do some painting. We are planning to do all of this before fall, while I'm working my seasonal job and we have the extra income...
We live in a mobile home, on a permanent foundation, on a private lot. It is in good shape (other than the few things I mentioned above), is cozy and warm and I really do love it. It isn't a typical "trailer". Even so, with this economy, homes in our town take a while to sell, and values have gone down in line with the economy. It is beautiful here, and if you mention it to anyone in Michigan 9 times out of 10 they will start relaying tales of childhood vacations here, and even express a wish that they could live here full-time. On the largest inland lake in the state (my house is up on a hill, about 1/4 mile from the lake; we have a sliver of a lake view from our mailbox - lol!), Houghton Lake is a wonderful place!
Anyway, a few days ago God very clearly put the words into my heart, something I would have never EVER thought of on my own: There is someone out there who has been on the road and is ready and wanting or needing to settle into a permanent home. We are ready to leave our permanent home, and get on the road. It is time to start looking into a trade of sorts. As things progress I will keep you posted. I don't know where or how they will find us or we will find them but I DO know that God's timing will be perfect! We will continue to make our changes so that this home will bless another couple or family, and will be looking for whomever will be living here next, and for their rig, where we will be living next!
If you are a brother or sister in Christ, I covet your prayers for us :). This seems to be a wonderful option, though, don't you think so? :)