Jack Hall
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Posts posted by Jack Hall
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We just returned from the Albequerque Balloon Fiesta. We went with the FMCA, and paid $500 for five nights camping with no hookups, just a piece of (mostly) level asphalt. The price included a breakfast, a dinner, daily happy hour with hors douevres supplied by members, and a season pass to the Fiesta grounds. The balloons were fantastic, and we will probably do it again next year. Some things are just worth the high price.
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On 3/26/2021 at 12:28 PM, sandsys said:
Also some power companies own campgrounds; like the former Northern States Power Co. Check out the Tennessee Valley Authority if you are in their territory. Some Corps of Engineer sites offer free camping as well; we stayed at one overlooking a dam which was not a campground per se but did allow overnights. And there is always moochdocking where you stay with friends or family but overnight in your RV.
LInda
I can vouch for that. In Modesto, CA, there are two lakes (Modesto Reservoir and Woodward Reservoir) that have full hookups for $20 per night if you are 65+. Up near Mt. Ranier, there is a campground on Alpine Lake that is $25 per night if you are over 65. I am sure that there are MANY like this if one only knew where to look. Does anyone know of a web site or list of where these power company campgrounds are? Thanks for your help!
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On 10/17/2018 at 1:17 PM, sandsys said:
We traveled in both a Class C and a Class B and I would not own a cassette toilet. Black tank all the way. Although I wish I'd had a macerator on the last one. I would even choose a port-a-pot with a bag in it over a cassette. Yes, I have experience with the port-a-pot, too. In fact, we still own one of those.
Linda Sand
Something I have always wondered is: If you have a Port-a-Potty, what do you do with the bag? I suspect that it is illegal to put it in a trash bin, but maybe it is not, and that is the answer.. Emptying it in a regular toilet seems like a messy job. and you still have the plastic bag to deal with, and I simply cannot imagine reusing it. I suppose you could bury it, but you are now burying plastic which takes hundreds of years to degrade. I have never used one, but I have wondered.
Waiting to 65 to retire - death risk versus finances
in RVing on a Budget
Posted
As has been said over and over here- Every person has to find their own path. That said- here is my story- I am a retired Optometrist. I LOVED doing what I did, mainly because of the many interesting people I met. I once told my wife "I know a lot of stuff that is really true, because I have been taught by experts- my patients". I was self employed, and because we have simple needs and a paid off mortgage, it was not necessary for me to work full time. I recruited other O.D.'s (optometrists) to work for me, and reduced my work week to 4 days a week at 62 or so. At about age 58, we started taking diving trips to foreign locations- Grand Cayman, Galapagos, Indonesia, Australia, etc. etc., and I simply got other O.D's to cover for me while we were gone. At age 67, I reduced my week to 3 days per week. Between 67 and 70, I tended to work around 150 days per year. I did not take Social Security until age 70-1/2 because I did not need the money- I was still working. In 2012 (I was 64) we bought a used travel trailer and started doing weekend and 4 day trips. We also took multiple 2 week and 3 week trips. We sold the trailer for salvage in 2018 because water damage made it unusable. I also sold my office (for very little) effective Jan 1 2018. In 2019, we bought our current Holiday Rambler trailer and have been running the tires off it. We probably have over 6 months of nights in it this year, mostly as 5 to 10 night trips, but one as a 30 day trip. I do NOT regret waiting to retire, but I loved my work and I also semi-retired to a 4 day work week at 62, and we took probably 5 to 6 weeks vacation (one to two weeks at a time) beginning when I was 60. By continuing to work (and continuing to fund my SEP at the max), I was able to increase my retirement fund and my SSA benefits grew at 8% per year for the years between age 65 (when I was first eligible) and age 70. This was at a time when a GOOD investment was returning 4% to 5%. Now, I am fully retired and able to live on my SSA benefits alone, with my retirement income being extra money to spend on trips and the kids. I am VERY lucky, and my wife and I both recognize it. But again- we do not live an expensive life, except for our expensive trips. And I have a life expectancy to something in the mid-90's if the insurance quizes are right, Dad finally quit driving at 92, so there is a good chance that I wil get there. I go into such detail, because others younger than me may read my story and find it informative and useful.