Full and Part Timing it

[Colliemom]

I've been reading the various adventures of you ladies out there and wishing I were able to get on the road even if for just s short time. I'm thinking og selling my home down the road here and maybe getting a smaller place so I have a "base" so to speak. Or perhaps not doing that, but spending some time full timing for awhile. What are some things that I should be considering while I am thinking about this. You need to keep a "home base" someplace for tax purposes don't you? What about mail forwarding services etc. Any singles without family out there doing this? What do you oo about banks, doctors, dentists, etc. that you are established with?

[Bethers]

I'm a single out here doing it full-time. Started out quitting my job and planning to travel for a year. Used a friends address then. Well, that was in 2005, and in another month I'll be starting my 6th year. The hardest part - was having 2 senior dogs when I started out - have lost both of them - one while in PA, the other while in TX - both due to age. Picked up Peaches from a shelter in GA while I was staying in AL). Last year I moved my residence to SD - as well as changing to a mail service there. My friend probably would have done my mail for a long time, but for various reasons - 1st being financial - I decided it was a time to look at options. What state is your residency makes a difference as to what taxes you pay.

I had sold my house - and kept only a few things which I put in storage. After one year out I sold/gave away everything in storage except mainly some pictures (big ones from on my walls) and boxes of family pictures, etc. This summer I'm starting to go through all those boxes. I've just ordered a new scanner and when it gets here I'll be scanning them onto thumb drives and getting rid of those pictures/boxes. Still deciding what to do with the paintings. Those are the only things I'd want to have if I ever were to have a "home" again not on wheels.

Many people 1/2 time it - keep their home for part of the year, and travel the rest. That's definitely something to consider if you have a reason to want to keep those roots.

As to doctors - many keep a doctor somewhere and have to travel to that area. I just find a doctor where ever I am. Chances are if anything were to happen, I wouldn't be anywhere near where "my" doctor was. Now, if I had certain illnesses, etc - I'd do that differently.

If you don't already do your banking and bill-paying online, then you need to start. I have very little real mail - do almost everything online.


Good luck with what you decide - and if I can answer any specific questions - aks.

[Cedar518]

I do almost everything online too,... but still have my home and have no intentions of giving it up and even "part-timing"... I'm a "camper", not an rv'er. That means I use my camper for weekends and bluegrass festivals in the summer. I love my home and my job and will keep my life as it is for into the future as long as my health holds.

[retiredhappy]

You need to start now. I use a UPS store for my mailing address cause it gives me a real "address" not just a PO number. I live in Texas and that is my home base (no state income taxes). I leave some money with them when I leave and they forward my mail. I pay everything I can on line and have also set up some auto payments for things that are exactly the same amount each month. Check out Ally bank, its a completely on line bank that pays some interest on both checking and savings. There are also no bank fees to use their ATM card. I, like Beth, had a storage unit. After the 1st year, I got rid of a lot of stuff and put what little remained at my daughter's. I originally had boxes of kitchen stuff but found that I got along just fine with what was in my RV. I kept my house and rent it out - turned it over to a realtor to handle so I didn't have to worry when I was gone. I have decided that when the market improves a little more am going to sell the house. If I decide to come off the road I will live in my RV at an RV park that has a pool, garbage pickup, etc. The only thing I miss a little is having my own laundry. I am a diabetic and have to see my doctor once a year to get my prescriptions renewed. I go home in the winter and do all my doctor/dentist/vet appointments then. A cell phone is a must - I have Verizon and seem to get better coverage nationwide than Sprint or AT&T. I also have an aircard to access the internet. RV parks wifi is notoriously unreliable and often costs to use and its not as secure as an aircard. Before I went fulltime I had already dropped my landline and used my cell phone exclusively. I also have a magic jack computer phone to use on local calls (restaurants, etc) when I'm workamping somewhere and don't want to use up my minutes.

Well, just a few hints. Feel free to ask anything else that occurs to you.

[ali1257]

We have been living full time in our rig since 11/06 but didn't get on the road except for short trips till this past Spring. We are from WA state and have a PO Box. A friend of ours picks up our mail a couple of times a week and then sends it to us every three or four weeks. She sends me an email "Mail Call" letting me know what we got.

As far as banking we use two different credit unions and just use shared branches while traveling. We pay bills over the phone and via the internet. The only bill I can't pay that way is the PO for my PO Box - they want a check so I send them one every six months.

Doctors ~ we have our doctors in Whatcom County and got all my prescriptions renewed and filled for three months at a time. Due to having problems with low blood sugars, I am a diabetic, I have had to call my endocrinologist a couple of times. In an emergency I would just go to a local hospital or clinic depending on the problem.

Hope this helps, like others have said, ask your questions, someone will have an answer.

[carold]

We've been fulltime for 5 years and sold our house after the first year or so. We do just about all our business/banking online. We had a mail service in Tampa, our home town,and still maintained our residency there, until a month ago when it went out of business. So now we use Good Sam-it's "located" in Pensacola, so we now have a street address we use (that was a problem with our banks) and it's still in FL so we didn't have to change our residency. We just call when we want our mail sent. Still have storage, but a smaller one now. Hope that I can get tGM to get rid of even more stuff next winter. We may eventually get a "stick" house again-right now we continue to live in that jello bowl. Have fun planning-carold

[Colliemom]

Gee, thanks everybody. Lots of good advice out there and this is an interesting thread, reading about how everybody got started and are handling fulltiming, part timing, camping etc. Hope more of you add to it. I'm enjoying this. And yes, I do a lot of my business on line, the only thing I don't do is have my bills sent online at the moment. Most people I know who still own homes will pay online but not get billed on line. Some of the reason is that if computer goes down, then you have to call utility companies and make arrangements to have bills sent by mail unti computer is repaired or replaced. Happened to my cousie and she said it was a big pain. I have a feeling that I will keep a "home base" here in Michigan. It's been my home ever since I was born and I guess I am just comfortable with it. Time will tell.

[Bethers]

If my computer goes down, I replace it - Or go use one at a library, etc temporarily. I personally decided on SD over TX for a few reasons - the top one being that TX has a vehicle inspection annually - which means to keep your vehicle legally up-to-date, you have to make sure to make it to TX to pass the inspection. SD - I only have to go there once every 5 years - and that's for my driver's license. My address service even takes care of renewing my license plates, etc for me. I highly recommend them to anyone - but if you want to use them (www.americas-mailbox.com), please tell them I sent you (Switching to SD saved me over $2,000 the 2009 tax year - and that includes what I pay them for the service).

Much of what we've said has been said before many times - in answers to other questions etc. So if some don't go into it again - searching the forum might find more info from others.

[CanineCaravan]

Wow, this is a great thread. I'm learning so much from all the different posts, too!

[bikerchic777]

I started out snowbirding with my husband a few years ago. We decided to sell out house last summer and go full time. Unfortunately, we have decided to divorce, but we are both sticking with the full time lifestyle. We now each have our own mh and each took a dog. I'm enjoying my independence again and work camping in IA for the summer at a lake (DXH is helping me on the weekends this year, but will be searching for someone else to help me next year). I will be looking for a winter job, hopefully in the Palm Springs area, so I can spend time with some very good friends of mine. I am a Certified Optician, but enjoying doing something different for a change. I claim SD as my residency. I like that it is a tax free state and my insurance is much cheaper there. The sales tax is only 3% in Madison, SD so helped a lot when I bought my mh. My mail forwarding service is called "My Dakota Address" and I love it!!! Terri is great and she will even open, scan, and email me anything that I want to see (at no charge) if I'm not ready for her to send my mail. She takes care of all my paperwork for driver's license and plates, etc. It is a very small town so the court house is down the street and they all know each other. If you use their service, please tell them I referred you I use my bank's bill pay and set up my bills to be paperless (email). I don't have utilities, etc. so makes life much easier. I pay for my health insurance and can use it anywhere. I take care of my yearly appts while I'm in IA, but have gone to doctors wherever I am if I need to. It's really not as complicated as it sounds. I took care of a lot of it after starting the RVing thing. You don't have to do it all before you go if that's what's keeping you from going FYI...I've never met a full-timer who has regretted doing it!!!

[snowball]

Small World! we use the same service and Terri is great!
And yes she did everything to get us started. Wondering what I need to do though when
I renew my license my birthday is in Jan. and SD is not in the works at that time of the year
Sheila

[bikerchic777]

Hmmm...Email Terri and ask her. If you have to go there, maybe you can renew early? I'm just upset that the judge there is making me appear in court for my divorce He needs to talk to Terri to find out more about full time RVers. I shouldn't have to go to court if it's not contested. I plan to take Myrtle, just in case he needs proof that I stayed in SD. What a pain!