A Plan Coming Together

After the initial rush of thinking about resigning from my job, buy a RV, pack up and leave ...  a plan is finally starting to develop mentally. This is after 3 solid weeks of reading for hours and hours, asking a lot of questions here and on forums and looking at RV's from a Class C to a Class A. I have not test driven one yet.

#1  What I would like to do, is buy an RV soon, pack up just what I need and take off. That would mean resigning from a job, leaving my house full of my stuff without downsizing. Then come back within the year to downsize my assets, put the house on the market if I decided that full timing was for me. (no doubt it will be). I could live on my savings during this time and I wouldn't mind workcamping part-time.

#2  The best plan is to wait 2 years 7 months until my retire date. During this time downsize all of my assets, buy an RV after test driving with some weekend trips. A training period for me and my hounds. Also the real estate market here is slow but my house could be a fast seller for those wanting to downsize or a starter home. It's priced right and a good location.

#3  Start the action plan NOW with plans to start the journey as soon as my house sells. Start downsizing immediately, furniture, cars, an old truck. Place the house on the market now and then give my 30 day resignation letter at the time my house sells. With May 2014 as being the date I leave even if the house is not sold.

#4  Do the same thing I am doing now, until May 2014. Read, study, enjoy my "virtual" RV trip through the different blogs I read and wish I was doing that right now. Look and look at RV's, take weekend trips with them by renting or make a purchase.

Decisions, decisions....at least to put this plan in motion I think I will start listing things on eBay and Craig's List and start to see some movement. Put a plan with dates together and start checking things off as I go.  I want to turn my important files from paper to pdf files, my cd's to digital, my books to ebooks and my movies to electronic media.  Looks like I have a lot to get started on.

Enjoy your day on the road, it's a beautiful day here in the "tropics" of southern Indiana.

Normal House Maintenance has Hit Me

Wrapping up my coffee, caught up on emails and blogs ... so now its to some of those stiks and bricks things that take time and money. Ill have a good view but not good as some of the RV pics I see on other blogs.  What is it I am doing this morning before my college football addiction starts at noon?  Hanging a new storm door. Oh fun fun. Of course it's Saturday for the hounds and they are already back to sleep for the day.

My Bloodhound Makes Me Wonder about RV's

Guilty

First of all the title does not mean I am thinking about giving up my bloodhound nor my plans of RVing fulltime. All it means Sadie is having "one of those days". Our daily routine is getting home from work, letting them outside (today was beautiful), by the time they are finished dumping their tanks they are use to having their food and water poured and ready for them to eat. They come back in, eat while I check my email. Then about 30 minutes later we take our daily walk through the hayfield and back, usually about 30 minutes. Today must have been heavy rabbit scent because all three went crazy with their noses to the ground pulling me as I held their two retractable leashes. If I would have had been on skis they would have been pulling me across the grass at a pretty good speed. Winston is leashless here but will no problem using a "dually" on one leash with the other basset.

Well today, Sadie the bloodhound seems to have a little cabin fever, she wants out, then wants in. A little obnoxious. Anything from checking to see what's on the counter to eat, trying to get the bassets to play with her and giving every place in the house an inspection with that nose of hers. She is a smaller size bloodhound due to poor breeding I think, yet is she 73lbs and does not know how strong she is. Winston can hold his own, standing 13" high and packing 57lbs. Heidi is just content to hang out on her pile of mexican blankets next to my desk while I am on the computer.

Today was one of those day's that Sadie felt she didn't get enough to eat .... or the food is so good she can't get enough of it.  Not 10 feet away from me while Im on my computer, she is trying to get the lid off the container I keep the dog food in. She HAS BEEN successful before at this and ate so much one night when I didn't know it, I was concerned she was going to bloat. She has been known to slide open closet doors to get to my spare food that is in bags, chew open the bag and make it her own disposable dog dish. So to say the least, she still has a lot of puppy in her at the age of 3.

An hour later both Winston and Sadie find a place to sleep. It is that hour of being obnoxious when I wonder about a Bloodhound / RV mix.  Are they made for one another or will it be a problem? It is usually just that first hour or two after I get home from work where she is pretty active and excited. On weekends when I am around, she is a little different. Based on all three hound's daily schedule, I have no doubt they will work in an RV. The majority of their days, 7 days per week, they love to sleep. The times I am home during the week, they sleep all day, a little food in the afternoon, a walk and they are good to go. Of course it might be different for her since I will not be gone 9 hours per day once I make the transition to the RV.

It's days like these if an RV will be right for the bloodhound. 22 hours per day, laidback and a couch potato, but at times 1 - 2 hours can make you wonder.

There is a good discussion going on about the difference of Class A and C's on the RV Forum, linked to the left side of my blog.  A lot of good information in there from people that have been on the road a long time to the newbie such as myself.

I'm still "feelin" a small Class A (30'-32').

I am planning on next Friday driving up to the Indy area to look at different RVs and hopefully test drive some.

I was thinking today....RVing and Workcamping as an option if I didn't want to wait the 2.6 yrs to go fulltime.  I will spend some time this weekend reading about workcamping. In the meantime I have a bunch of new websites/blogs to read in a few minutes that I find from reading other blogs or ebooks. I have made folders within my "RV Info" folder, to keep any ebooks I like, or blogs or websites that have good reference material.

I think it might be time to start downsizing and just for fun try selling somethings on ebay or Craigs list.  I am familiar with eBay but have never tried Craigs list. I thought Craig's list might be better for selling some desks, chest of drawers, bookcases, mowers, tools .... things I was wanting to get rid of anyway even if I stayed here.

Have a great Friday night where ever you might be.

Today it's a Class A....go figure

An interesting day to say the least. My DishNetwork installation didn't start until about 4pm, was scheduled for 8am till noon. I didn't care, I understand those guys have jobs that run into surprises.  I am going to tell you what I got for free through them, because it can be used by RVers that have internet connection and a tv.  It's like the old WebTV years ago, only with a lot more modern features. The fact is you can bookmark different websites on this program and use your tv as a monitor. I am Wifi mine from the living room back to my computer modem in the opposite corner of my house it works well. So I am sure it will work with your Verizon air cards and you can use your TV as a monitor instead of your laptop screens.  Just an idea.

I spent all day again today while I waited for them to show up, reading blogs, looking at RVs for.....I must admit, I like the C's but I really get good vibes when Im looking at A's. Now I have progressed so much that I have almost changed my mind on a diesel engine instead of gas. My friend is pulling 37' feet and said she use to slow to 40mph going up the mountains with their gas powered C but no problem with a diesel powered A. She and her husband do not boondock but they do stay in state parks in florida and eastern states at 37'. I am still thinking 30-31' though.  It would give me more storage than a C. I want to bring my bicycle with me to ride when the opportunity presents itself. It's a road bike that I use to race many years ago.

I know I probably wont go deep into the forest but I can get far enough away from traffic and have bigger tanks, more storage and more room for long stays.  Of course if you have been reading my blog from day one....I am all over the place on what type of RV to buy....daily.  So today its an A and after I post this I am going back to look at pictures.

I am reading two things I found today, on is "Fulltiming 101' from the RVforum.net, newbies corner.  Then an ebook called "Answers to the Common Excuses" to not to RV.  A lot of new blogs to read. I spent way too much time with the tv installation and got behind on my "new addiction".

Blast away with comments if you think I am making a wrong decision going for the A.