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Class of 2015


ezdays

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Hello Janet and Kevin, welcome to the class of 2015!

 

DW and I plan to hit the road no later than mid-2015. Like you, we've been reading up on the fulltime lifestyle. We haven't put a lot of thought yet as to where we will travel to or how we will get there although we have a few destinations in mind to start. Sorry we can't be of much help to you there. Mostly, besides working, we are focused on getting our son into college and downsizing in prep for selling the house.

 

In my spare time (is there such a thing?), I've been trying to gather what knowledge I can on the workings of the typical DP motorhome we plan to buy. Complicated beasts that they are I am having fun learning what I can (what can I say, "boys and their toys" as the saying goes). DW is focused on the financials of full timing. Can't say it is a fun thing for her, but it does give her peace of mind knowing we will be able to afford the lifestyle. We have a ways to go, but we feel like we are making progress in getting ourselves ready to hit the road.

 

I took a look at your blog. Looks like you two have been dreaming and planning for some time just like us. It also appears you two are here in the San Diego area as are we. I think Highway Ranger is also somewhere around here in Southern California. My brother thinks I am crazy wanting to leave San Diego. "You have the best weather in the US and not a lot of weird bugs flying around!" But, we want to escape the over crowding and high cost of living. Besides, being mobile we can always come and visit any time we want. ;)

 

Let us know if you figure out your trip planning. It's something we'll eventually have to tackle as well.

 

Mike

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Kevin and I have a daughter that has to graduate Kaplan college in San Diego for RN school. She is living at home and going to school so we are waiting for her to graduate and find a job . Its tough to wait but will be worth it when she is settled.

 

My brother's just look at me when I tell them I'm going to retire with Kevin and travel. They have no retirement plans. But Kevin and I planned to retire early so we looked into what we will do in retirement. :)

 

My sister is excited for me and would like to RV travel to Alaska with us one day.

 

Trip Planning well its :blink: I will learn it eventually :rolleyes: I'll keep you all posted :)

2014 Tiffin Allegro Open Road 31SA

2016 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk

RV Blog: http://seizethedayrvadventure.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I have pulled all my junk/treasures out of storage and sorting it out. Picked out the stuff that will go to family and talked to a second hand store to come look at the rest. I would do better having a yard sale but my home is out of the way and I'm not into taking it to town and site all day.

 

I haven't told to many people about my plans to go full time but most of the ones I have, love the idea and others say things like where are you going to live?(I stop it right there with them)

 

So much to do why didn't I finish this house years ago. Still chopping away at it good luck to the rest of you.

 

Scott

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  • 3 weeks later...

hi everyone....although I'm still a member of the class of 2014, as I look at the finances it seems like July 2015 is more realistic, so I figure I'll join this class too! One thing we are going to attend is the May workshop in Sieverville TN that the folks from RV-Dreams run, its geared for campers interested in the full time lifestyle. We won't be 100% full time, since hubby doesn't want to give up our Double Wide MH in a 55+ community in Central Florida. He figures that the home is paid for (it was only $40K, less than our RV!) and the lot rent is about $500 per month, which is what it would cost us to camp for the month...so this will be our winter home base, and we will travel April-October. I'm still in favor of selling it, but after 30 years of marriage I respect that we both have to be on board for major decisions, so this is our compromise! We are pushing back because this year we bought our new truck, new 5ver and RV lot in the mountains...so no surprise that we need to work a bit longer to pay it all off! I don't want any debt when I retire, and its scary, after 25 years of working for a large company with a good paycheck to think about intentionally cutting our income by more than 50%!....but I am committed to embracing this life while we are young Im currently 54 and hubby is 56....we are very lucky in we will have low cost health insurance (we hope) thru the previous employer....anyways, if anyone makes it to central Florida, give us a shout, or we will be at our RV lot in the N GA mountains for most of the month of October...see you on the road!

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Elenkb Welcome!

 

Whether you begin your fulltime journey in 2014 or 2015, please feel free to participate in the Class of 2015. Although we plan to begin full timing in mid-2015, there are so many variables and so many things that need to fall into place I would not be surprised if our plans don't alter over the next year and a half. Hopefully though we'll stay on course and meet our goal of mid-2015.

 

We are probably going to get an RV lot in Texas sometime in 2015 and use it during some of the winter months. At least that is the plan right now.

 

Here's hoping everything works out for you as planned. Keep coming back here and let us know how things are going.

 

Mike

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  • 2 weeks later...

Something's are moving along but others have seamed to stall out. Today was a Craig's list day got lots of my better stuff put on we will see how it goes. Wish me luck and I will do the same for you.

 

How are all your plans going got any good tips. I need a bank full of money and a good construction company to get this all done on time.

 

Best of luck to you all Scott.

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Scott, sounds like you are doing the right thing. If one thing doesn't move forward, go on to something else. Progress may be slow, but it is progress.

 

Progress has slowed a bit for us with DW having gone back to work recently. Not that our plans have changed. In fact that extra income will help us realize our 2015 goal. We are still scanning documents and getting rid of...well..."clutter". Amazing the stuff we've collected. We are also beginning to scan/digitize our old photos.

 

A buddy of mine, who had to downsize a few years ago, said it helped him to take a picture of the stuff that was tough for him to get rid of. That way he had a picture/memory of it he could take with him.

 

Hang in there and good luck with your efforts.

 

Mike

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  • 4 weeks later...

If all goes according to the plan,early 2015 we hit the road. Just worried about this government of ours, and this new health care. We have state insurance with the wife's job and can keep it, just not sure if any company will keep their health plans???

Happy Trails

Cary :rolleyes:

2014 Ram,4x4,dually,CC Cummins

2011 Carriage Cameo 37KS3

full body paint, Most options except Generator

SKP# 123923

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Hi Cary and welcome to the Class of 2015!

 

I will be retiring the end of next year. I will have a "retiree" medical plan from my place of work for both DW and I. At least for now that is the plan. Like you, I don't know what the next two years will bring as far as health care. However, I figure that whether we are in a S&B or an RV we will still have to deal with whatever this new Health Care policy brings. Therefore, we don't plan to let it keep us from hitting the road. It's been a dream for too long.

 

You say your Wife has state insurance and you plan to keep it. Does that mean you plan to domicile in your current home state?

 

Good luck with your fulltime plans. Hope to see you on the road in a few years.

 

Mike

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Hi Mike,

At this point we are not sure about the domicile yet. We are reviewing several different states. It starting to seem like money wise it all evens out.

We are in SC, and they have property tax, but have some retirement benefits. We will keep the state health insurance regardless of our domicile. That being said, I still like Texas, especially the attitude of some of the Texas politicians.

we will need a mail forwarding service so we will see.

Cary

2014 Ram,4x4,dually,CC Cummins

2011 Carriage Cameo 37KS3

full body paint, Most options except Generator

SKP# 123923

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At first we were looking at the Pacific Northwest to domicile, but for various reasons it doesn't look like a good fit for us. So, now we are looking at Texas. We like the looks of that Escapees mail forwarding service. Florida and South Dakota look good as well for all the many reasons people on this and other forums give. If one thing is certain for us, it's that we are tired of California and look forward to retiring elsewhere.

 

Mike

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  • 2 months later...

Hello Fellow Classmates!

 

I've read references to "class of" full-timers in various forums and blogs and just assumed (oops) that they became a "class" when they actually went full-time. But since that event is logically the graduation I am delighted to find that classes develop and grow in advance of hitting the road. Connecting with others on the same time-line but in different circumstances has to be a valuable opportunity so I'm jumping in here and hoping for lots of great insight and support.

 

Bill and I were high-school sweethearts who spent twenty years completely out-of-touch with each other, another 8 or so years as keeping-in-touch good friends, 4 years living together, and one year as husband and wife. We are blissfully on the same page to purge, sell, pack and go as soon as our youngest graduates high school in 2015. I retired early in January of this year and he will do the same just as soon as the house sells (plan to put on the market May 2015).

 

Mostly we love to travel, especially together; love nature, especially deserts and oceans; love our independence, especially debt-free; and love to be spontaneous, especially when following the road less traveled. We are flexible but have to work on patience when it comes to waiting for our "graduation day".

 

We live in Southern California where five of our six boys currently live. Unlike many of our fellow-Californians we don't hate the state (no-one is a fan of traffic and crowds of course) so we will likely find ourselves back to visit for holidays without complaint. Lots to do in the next 14-20 months and we're on track with some specific goals (ontheroadabode.blogspot.com) but most days we wish we were having to rush to go in a couple months!

 

I look forward to getting to know you and then seeing you out there post-graduation!

 

Jodee

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Bill and Jodee, Welcome to the Class of 2015!

 

Like you, our youngest graduates High School in 2015. Then its off to College for him and the Fulltime life for us.

 

We're Californians too, but I wouldn't say we "hate" California. For that matter, DW and I were both born and raised in San Diego. We can't hate our hometown :) . However, we do recognize that California is an expensive State to live in. Once DW and I are retired, we want to move to a more affordable State. So, starting in 2015, our domicile will be in Texas and our home will be wherever in this great country we are parked :D . We are both anxious to get on the road more because of the adventure rather than anything else. But like you, we will be visiting SoCal often for the Holidays with friends and family.

 

Come back here often and let us all know how your plans are coming along. We are still in the midst of downsizing (will we ever get through all this stuff!). But our plans are firming up and everything is looking good.

 

BTW, I am so glad you posted today. I was beginning to wonder where everybody was. Hey Folks, are you all still working away at your dream?

 

Mike

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We love the Pacific Northwest and will likely spend our first summer there. With one of our sons in Seattle we thought about domicile in Washington but the lack of state income tax alone isn't enough to make it more desirable than South Dakota for us. Of course we could change our minds a few times before we go for it :) . And yes I agree California is just not a good match for retirement income! We are fortunate to have a decent pension plus healthcare including dental and vision but we will have to watch our pennies to be sure we can take care of the inevitable issues that will arise on the road.

 

Most of the kids will be home for Thanksgiving and we're already pulling stuff out to see what they might want to keep..... :D

 

Here's to keeping the dreams alive!!

 

Jodee

 

 

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I was so excited to see this forum, we are excited to join the full timer world in 2015! We will be empty nesters when my daughter graduates in 2015, we plan to put the house on the market January of 2015 and set out in the fall of 2015! We will not be retired and in fact will be early 40's and working full-timers. My husband owns his own truck and has the flexibility to work wherever we go (Midwest in the spring/summer/fall and south in the winter)! I hope to workkamp to also help out! We are so excited and love the dreaming and planning and can't wait for the simpler life together with flexibility to stay near each of our kids at any point.

 

We are excited to be a part of this forum and look forward to learning from everyone!

 

Happy dreaming!

 

Stacy & Derek

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Welcome Stacy and Derek!

 

It's exciting to see our class growing in numbers! How great that you can take your work on the road. There are several couples out there now making it work in their 40's and having a wonderful time doing it. You may already be following them, but if not I recommend: wheelingit.wordpress.com; technomadia.com; and gonewiththewynns.com. Nina and Paul (wheelingit) live on investments but the others are working. Technomadia also has a series that highlights dozens of other young fulltimers who are living their dream on the road.

 

One other resource I recommend for all fulltimers is rv-dreams.com. Howard writes a daily journal and the forum is also a great location for asking questions and meeting like-minded travelers. They do two rallies each year that cover many critical topics for those of us wanting to follow the rv dream. We are hoping to get to one before we make the big move.

 

Happy Thanksgiving to the Class of 2015 - we all have much to be thankful for as we continue to plan and prepare for our great adventure!!

 

Jodee

ontheroadabode.blogspot.com

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Stacy and Derek, welcome to the Class of 2015! Come back here often and let us know how you are doing with planning, downsizing, etc... It helps to keep us motivated when we hear how other people's hard work is paying off. We still have a lot to do to prepare to hit the road in 2015. Some days it just seems overwhelming. But payday is going to be sweet!

 

Mike and Lorraine

 

Jodee, Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours as well.

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  • 4 weeks later...

2015 looks like the year for us. We will use 2014 to shake out the bugs and set sail full time in 15. Have purchased the trailer but it hasn't been delivered. Still need to mod the truck for towing and stowing the Smart car. Figure a few weekend trips will help us decide what to put in the trailer. Have some maintenance to do on the S&B and begin the downsizing.

 

Looking forward, it looks like an eternity to retirement. I'm sure the time will pass quickly.

Mark & Jackie

Visalia, CA

USAF Ret

2011 Smart convertible

2014 Trilogy 3650 RE

2004 Volvo VNL780

Cummins ISX 530

13 speed

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Hi everyone,

 

We had joined the 2014 group but found a few months ago that we were not going to be able to make it in 2014 so now our plan is to hit the road at the beginning of the summer of 2015 so we would like to join this the 2015 group. Since September of 2012 we actually live full-time in our 2006 36ft Alpenlite 5th wheel. I guess technically we could call our selves full-timers, now, but we will not feel that way until we quit our jobs and travel full time!

 

We have gone through selling the house, downsizing our stuff and living much more simply, but still feel there is much to learn and do. The closer we get to 2015 the more excited we get, but also nervous! This forum has helped a great deal with answering questions, reading from like minded people, and, when things get a little overwhelming - putting everything in perspective and giving some much needed confidence.

 

I look forward to being a part of this group.

Diane and Michael
The "kids"; Tatonka and Penny (Pomeranian mixes)and Buzz (the cat!)
36 ft Alpenlite Limited 5th Wheel
2011 2500HD Silverado
Fulltime in 2015 - It's gonna happen!

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Happy New Year Class of 2015! In just a couple days we will be able to say "next year" we will graduate and hit the road - woohoo!!!

 

We had a wonderful Christmas holiday with family. It was fun to share our plans for traveling as everyone listened to our request to limit gifts to items for the new life. Our kids are very supportive and excited for us. They've started "tagging" things they want around the house.....could be a contributing factor in their enthusiasm?!

 

We took another step toward preparation when we traded in our truck for a Jeep Cherokee. It is an older model trail rated 4x4 we can tow four wheels down. It is big on the inside and small on the outside and meets all our needs. In addition it will be paid off before we go so fits our desire to be debt-free (we will have a motorhome payment).

 

Like the rest of you we have a year ahead to finalize our dream......seems like forever and very soon all at the same time!

 

Jodee

 

 

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Happy New Year class of 2015! I love what you said Jodee.....we can now say next year we will be full-timers!!! The research and planning continue! I asked my husband this morning what he was most looking forward to this year and his response was getting closer to our goal (debt free and living a simpler life)!!

 

Here is to health and happiness!

 

Stacy

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Mark and Jackie, Diane and Michael, welcome to the Class of 2015. And Happy New Year to everyone! Today does mean one more year to go until our "graduation" year, and it also means 10 more months for me until I retire from my work! That will definitely be one more big step towards our goal of starting the full-timing life in mid-2015.

 

Here's wishing you all the best for 2014 as you work towards your full-timing goal.

 

Mike and Lorraine

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Thanks. We are certainly looking forward to planning and prepping this year and next. We have 630 days to go. I have to modify the truck, shrink the contents of the house, use long weekends to shake down the rig and learn what we want in it, and prep for our new lifestyle. We are so looking forward to making the transition.

Mark & Jackie

Visalia, CA

USAF Ret

2011 Smart convertible

2014 Trilogy 3650 RE

2004 Volvo VNL780

Cummins ISX 530

13 speed

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