2 Adults 2 Kids » fulltime rv

Quotelove #16

KJ — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:00:06 +0000

When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money.

~Susan Heller

Quotelove #15

KJ — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:00:45 +0000

I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.

Robert Louis Stevenson

Day 1 Part 2 (KJ)

KJ — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:00:27 +0000

I think I am going to try and keep track of our finances on this blog. I will admit that after we left Bed-Stuy we parked in Williamsburg for a few hours and I bought some t-shirts for everyone….and some shoes for myself. I spent almost $300, but I’m not including that since we hadn’t officially left NY yet. CM is always on my case for not “including” certain expenses.

Besides that, the majority of our money was spent on food today. We didn’t stop for gas at all, so our numbers are relatively low:

Snacks = $3.87
Dinner and Breakfast groceries = $24.25
1 Dozen Dunkin Donuts (because we went shopping on empty stomachs) = $5.69
Camp site = $20
Total spent today = $53.81

Cable TV, The Internet, and Other Conveniences (KJ)

KJ — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:00:00 +0000

This topic has been on my mind for quite some time now, but I didn’t know how to address it. Like I said before, we are not simply moving into an RV, we are supposed to be changing our lives. That being said, next week we are turning in our cable boxes. When we do that, we will also lose our main internet connection. The only thing crazier than not having cable and the Internet is how much it will cost to get them in the RV.

There’s some receiver thingy that costs $1500 which supposedly allows you to order data plans through any cell phone company for about $90 a month. We can get an airport card instead for $25 dollars and $50 a month, but the signal won’t be as good. That’s just the Internet. If we want to get cable while we are driving, it will cost us $2500 for the satellite and $90 for Dish Network service.

Now that I see these numbers on the screen, I’m really starting to think that all of this is bananas! I don’t want a bunch of new bills. I think cable is out of the window. We have an antenna that will allow us to get broadcast HD channels, so that will have to do for now.

It’s a little harder with the Internet connection. I use the net a lot for both work and play, so I would like to have something that gets good reception, but $1500 is a deal-breaker.

This whole experience is teaching me how to minimize spending and conserve funds. We don’t always need professional level products and services. I would like to try to go with the cheaper options first, and if I’m unsatisfied then upgrade. So often, we buy more than we really need.

Besides, we should be focusing on the sights and sounds from our environment, not the television!

Reader Question #1 – Show Me The Money (KJ)

KJ — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:26:09 +0000

Question: I am curious to know how you will finance the RV trip if you are skint. Do you plan to work along the way? If not how will you manage financially?

Answer: I have been at the same job for 10 years and I have built up 3 months of paid vacation. I plan on taking all of it. I also have the option of flexible scheduling at my job until December. So as far as finances we should be pretty well covered.

CM and I joked that after December we might have to rename the blog 1 Adult 2 Kids. In all seriousness, we are doing everything we can to make this work while still keeping my job. I move a lot and I regularly travel. Having the RV will allow my whole family to go where I go.

I have been contemplating what will happen when I go back to a 9-5 schedule. We’ve decided that we’ll find nice RV or state parks and camp there during the week and as soon as I get off on Friday, we’ll hit the road and not be back until Sunday night.

We are committed to maximizing our family time. Gone are the days where I skip vacations and work late. I will never hoard vacation time again. I’m going to be with my family at every opportunity.

I hope that answers your question, if you have anymore, ask away!