Randyretired

The post office has a service to accept deliveries from UPS and FedEx for PO Box holders without charge. This was started to remedy a problem when Amazon deliveries were shipped by UPS but the post office completed the local delivery. If we used our street address the post office couldn't deliver it and if we used the PO Box the others couldn't complete the delivery. We encountered this a couple of times and there wasn't a way to know what shipper would complete the delivery. So we were able to sign up for the post to accept all of our shipments, regardless of the retailer. Np charge. We use it often. Accepting General Delivery from UPS and others seems to be a lot the same. Sometimes company goodwill can payoff more in the long run.

We drove up to the top of Grand Mesa about a month ago and the snow was more than 10 feet deep. Grand Mesa is 10,000 feet high and the snow is expected to hang around into July in a lot of the Colorado high country.

This also happened to us but a number of dishes fell on the tile floor. The broken pieces flew everywhere and many were in the carpet. Even though it has been years we still occasionally find little pieces. We still use Corelle but we STRAP the cupboard closed.

Awhile back I moved an IRA to Fidelity. They were very helpful and guided me. It was easy with their help. I would bet other large and experienced companies such as Vanguard would offer this service.

Thank you for the post! We saved $40 and our son saved $40. Also a friend was headed out to Sam's for a couple more batteries.

We bought roll up shades from Lowes to replace our blinds. These were cheap but don't have the day shade capabilities. The quality pretty much matched the price but if one goes bad it is easy and cheap to replace

I use my phone. There are weather forecasts on the internet and there are numerous apps that will send warnings. Gave up my weather radio a few years ago.

Many times a larger down payment can mean a lower interest rate. That might be something to check.

A few years ago we met a camper next to us that was full time in a tent. He had his tent set up for TV and a recliner. He also had a stove next to his bed so he could start coffee without getting out of bed. Spent summers in Colorado and winters in Arizona. We showed him our 5er and he said it was to big but he was contemplating a small travel trailer.

RV's will depreciate and the value in 5 years will be only a fraction of today's value. Park models also depreciate. Years ago we purchased a used mobile home and fixed it up. Mobile homes also depreciate but by buying used we were able to avoid most of the depreciation. A mobile home for a stationary dwelling is more comfortable than an RV. About the only way to avoid depreciation is a quality built home but that sounds as if it is not possible now.

I extended the frame, changed the lights and built a bumper pull hitch. I am not aware of any hitches that can be purchased for an HDT but custom building one is fairly simple. Having a shop build one would probably be the easiest.

We are part time and sometimes long times. We usually stay out for a few months but have stayed as long as 18 months. Occasionally we only stay a week or two. We have a S&B and some properties where we spend most of our time. We also boondock but rarely stay in parks.

Some how the vent has clogged. First make sure the vent pipe has not slipped down onto the tank. A quick check on the roof to make sure the pipe is still in the vent should work. If you are sure the tank emptied I would try a hose down the vent. Carefully! You don't want the vent to suddenly fill and shoot stuff all over and pressure water around the vent roof exit. If that fails maybe a sewer snake down the vent?

Often times the differences between post offices are startling. We have a PO Box at a place we frequent and had a problem with Amazon packages. After taking to them about it they told me about a new service we could sign up for. This service allows us to receive shipments from multiple carriers at the post office. This included a new address (the post office address) along with some additional numbers that identified our PO Box. It's great. However I was in another post office a couple of days ago and overheard the counter person tell a customer that service isn't available. When the customer inquired about Amazon deliveries the counter person suggested adding their PO Box number as an apartment number after their street address. She said maybe the carrier would figure it out. After all of the trouble we encountered when the post office took over the local part of some deliveries this certainly sounds like a wreck waiting to happen.

Forwarding mail has frequently caused us problems. We often forward our mail for a few months each year and we are to the point where we just expect trouble. Some years we come home to find our mail box full of mail that should have been forwarded. This year we called the post office to hold our mail and sent in a card. The mail was delivered instead of held. Often mail that should have been forwarded is returned to sender. For a number of years our house tax bill was returned as undeliverable. One year after we returned home and stopped the forwarding the mail resumed for a week but then stopped. The carrier mistakenly thought our mail was still forwarded. When we met him at the post office he accused us of not removing the forwarding until another person at the post office showed him the order. Our bank sent the statement with some instructions not to be forwarded. It was returned along with a second notice. When the second notice was returned the bank froze our account. We changed to online statements to get around that. We have had some other serious problems with mail but we are learning to deal with it. Delivering mail day after day seems to be their strength but changes can be problematic.

Some friends bought a new Mobile Suite a few years ago. From day one there were problems. The kitchen sink fell into the cabinet. The Lipert never lube bearings failed on an a wheel. The wheel came off and the damage was massive. Some of the trim just fell off on the outside. The water tank was never secured and it shifted flooding everything. There was a number of smaller issues that I don't remember. They traded after 4 years and were happier to see it go than when they bought it! I don't know if this is common with some DRV products or a limited experience but they would never consider another one and I can't imagine buying one.

It is good your problem is going away. This is an ongoing problem that is made worse by hard water like what is often found in the Southwest.

When mine starts leaking down I spray a bunch of liquid Bar keepers Friend in and let it soak. Then clean with a toilet brush including twisting the brush down the opening. Usually holds for awhile. If the water is really hard may have to repeat more often.

So far index funds have been good to us. Our primary fund is a S&P 500 fund and it has grown more than 7% a year. Add in dividends of around 2% and it has doubled in value every 7 to 8 years or so. The volatility of course makes it feel like a lot more at times and a lot less at other times.

I guess I am old fashioned as I have most of our investments in index funds and just hold them. I have been in these index funds for years, long before the last recession. Before that I tried a lot of different stocks and even options but nothing consistently performed like these index funds. This is a big part of our retirement finances and the market volatility concerns me but it has always come back and I think it will be back sometime and growing again. Until then we will not make significant withdrawals if we can avoid it. Our investments are mostly in taxable accounts and at this point changes would have serious tax consequences.

Used mobile homes are cheap and many put these on acreage until they can afford to build. Some just keep the mobiles. Something you might think about sometime in the future. Many more areas accept mobiles than RV's but there are requirements that need to be researched. Good luck.

Sorry to point out the problems but better to hear about them now. In a few years the plans that you have may be easier to do and I think there are some positive things about your plans. Our building on acreage has been positive not only financially but a great place to live. Our next adventure if we continue on is a home in the mountains on 140 acres adjoining public land. We already own it. One problem we have is we know how much is involved and we are not sure our energy at this age will meet the effort required. It would be a great place for us but...

The travel trailer you mentioned is probably one of the better insulated units available but RV insulation doesn't begin to measure up to home insulation. Saving money is something that I understand and the draw to RV's is a thought that comes to some. My Grandson is in the military and we had a like conversation. He is stationed in California where the weather is warmer so the cold was not as big of a problem as the heat. However both are a problem for RV's. These units aren't built for it. While staying in a RV for a short vacation a little cold or heat is easily tolerated but it can get pretty old and expensive after awhile in cold or very hot climates. The insulation in a RV doesn't compare to a house. Many RV's have wall insulation of R1 to R8 whereas a house or most mobile homes built today are R19 or more. The roof and floor numbers are similarly less in a RV. Double pane windows and 87% or more efficient furnaces are pretty standard in a home but not RV's. The furnace in most RV's are not very good and are maybe 50% efficient. Condensation on single pane windows and walls is also a problem. We stayed in our RV's while building 2 homes on acreage and we are considering doing it again. Many areas have very strict rules regarding this. The last home we built a few years ago would only allow it for 6 months. We were far enough out on 35 acres we kinda just did it for the 2 years it took us to build it. We were not challenged but in a more populated area I doubt it would have worked. In the county we live in now they will not even issue a permit to plug in a RV and staying in an RV even up in the mountains of Colorado in this county is limited to 2 weeks. I don't like it and we have cheated some but if caught we have options. There are some counties here in Colorado that allow it but not many and the closer to a big city one gets the less likely it is allowed.

Finding a travel trailer that is sufficiently insulated to comfortably stand the cold will be a challenge. A decent mobile home will be less expensive to heat a likely more comfortable. There are more choices for better insulated 5th wheels but none that I know of have the insulation of a home or mobile home. The furnaces in RV's are not very good and terribly inefficient. Many use electric heaters but these are not cheap to run and the lack of insulation makes it worse. Drafts in RV's are common and moisture buildup is usually troublesome. Often times due to problems during cold weather an apartment or rental doesn't cost anymore than a RV and is significantly more comfortable.

Just read an article the other day about secured channels already in use and more changing over. This will stop the use of scanners for the departments using these. Some counties are using secured channels for everything and more are considering or planning on it.