Category: Retirement Life

Learn about retirement, early retirement, traveling in an RV fulltime with dogs, downsizing, tiny house living, adventures, campgrounds

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We Bought an RV – Now What?

When we ended up purchasing an RV sooner rather than later, how did we set it up?

Our original plan, of course, was to move from our house to our RV.  However, we fell in love with Ruff Road and ended up with a house and an RV.  So now, we need to set up our RV as our second home since we will be taking some trips in it.  There are many RV lists on the internet to help you in this process and that’s exactly where we went to research what we would need to set up Ruff Road.  Here is the process we followed to outfit Ruff Road and some of the items that we purchased.

Our Moving in Process:  Before Retirement

  1.  We measured every bin and cupboard to find just the right storage containers and baskets.  These measurements were added to rough diagrams I’d drawn of Ruff Road, inside and out.  This helped us to decide what would be stored in each area.  Be flexible- We made changes as we went along.
  2. We watched other RV You Tubers and poured over Pinterest to learn about the best, lightest, most efficient items for our new home.
  3. We made our own list of what we needed.
  4. We took inventory of what we already had on hand.  For example, I had 20 year old plastic baskets from my early days of teaching and they fit perfectly in our cupboards.  No purchase necessary there.  Many items, such as our bedding, pillows, pots and pans, we already had so we used them to stock Ruff Road.  Bonus!
  5. Then we got to shop!  Amazon Prime was our primary source.  Below is a list of the items we purchased.  Coming Soon-Check back to our Resources page for links to these items.
  • Correlle Dinnerwear Dish Set for 4- It’s lightweight and is resistant to chipping and cracking
  • Silverwear and cooking utensils
  • Cotton Bandanas- great for hiking, cleaning, dries quickly
  • Turkish Towels- lightweight, quick drying
  • PetMate Dog Crates- They have since outgrown!
  • Fabric Storage Cubes for storing clothes, they work like drawers in our closets- Walmart, inexpensive
  • Plastic containers for the basement
  • Spill-proof Water Bowl – from Lazy Days Store
  • Pet Food Storage and Feeding Station
  • Pet Playpen Fencing
  • Large RV Mat for the under awning area
  • French Press – fail, we couldn’t get it right
  • Sharp Steamer Mop – we had on hand but ordered extra pads
  • Go Pro Hero 5- Got to take pics!
  • Replaced our cheap toilet seat with a better quality one
  • Water Bandit- excellent little gadget to use when connecting to water at a campground, works on stripped faucets
  • Dehumidifier- listing details here, it worked so good!
    Powilling 1500ML Portable Quiet Dehumidifier for Home, Basement, Bedroom, Bathroom, RV, Garage – For Single Room Approx 300 sq.ft – This worked great for us but just recently took a flying leap from its home and sadly is toast.  Now we have to purchase another one.  We recommend it!
  • Command Hooks, Command Shelves – this is how we personalized our new home and hung pictures.  Be careful of wallpaper but so far we have not had any issues.
  • Rugs- memory foam rugs feel great!
  • Water filter
  • Toilet Sealant
  • Water Hoses- a grey one and a white one at first but then we found easy collapse hoses that saved space
  • Sewer Hoses- a necessity
  • Electric Plug- 30 Amp and 20 Amp adapters, not cheap!
  • Grass Mat for dirty paws!

6  Finally, we organized it all.

This organization was for Ruff Road as our recreational vehicle for trips.  We were pleased with our organization.  On our March trip to north Georgia, in freezing cold weather, we were able to welcome my daughter and her family into Ruff Road for a couple days.  We had four adults, three children/ teenagers, and FIVE dogs!  It worked.

At this time, we were still living in our home.  However, in just a few short months, we would be making the transition from 2,000+ square feet to full time living in our Ruff Road with our dogs!   Follow along and see what our process was to downsize.

Comment to share positive suggestions, experiences, or even lessons learned to help others outfitting their RVs.

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Why We Chose a Class A Motorhome

Our new home!

How did we end up actually purchasing, moving in and living in a class A motorhome?  Did you know it was last on our list of favorites? Well, if you are planning on plunging into this lifestyle and are shopping for an RV, here’s our story of what worked for us.

We made the decision to move forward into RV living in December, 2016.  I was in love with Class C motorhomes.  That was my focus.  We looked at several, several times, different places.  I kept “trying it on”  by sitting in the driver’s seat, passenger seat, any and all areas of the motorhome.  No matter when or where I tried, it just didn’t feel right to me…or Gary.  Then I stumbled onto a 5th Wheel and wow!  Tall ceilings…fireplaces…real furniture…ahhhh.  I learned though that many were not functional with the slides in and that in order to pull a 5th wheel, we would need to purchase a 3500 series pick up truck.  The cost of the 5th wheel plus the truck now was in the Class A price range.  Another 5th wheel con for me was I wanted access to the bathroom and kitchen while traveling.  So slowly, the possibility of a Class A was born.  We even looked at a couple of Class Bs but they just wouldn’t do with the size of our family.  If you think of it as a race, Class C was in first place then was edged out by 5th Wheels because of the claustrophobic feeling I felt in the cab area and layouts.  Many people are perfectly happy and love their Class Cs and we tried to, but it wasn’t for us.  5th Wheels were slowly edged out as the possibility of Class As came into focus.  Again, this is personal preference and I would love to have a 5th Wheel in the future, but for now, that wasn’t the one for us.  So Class A took the finish line and we love, love, love our class A.  We wrote our pros and cons for each RV type, that helped.

Did you know that many RVers end up in a different RV than they started with?  Once you get moved in and really live in one, your perspective of what you need changes and that’s ok.

Our Process for RV Shopping

Step One: is to RESEARCH and learn about the different RV types and what they have to offer.  As part of this research, go try them on.  You learn so much by physically seeing and sitting in different RVs.  Talk to people.  Check out the wealth of information about used and new RVs on You Tube and the various blogs available.  You will also get a general idea of how much money is needed for different units.

Step Two:  It was with all of this research and studying that we came up with a set list of criteria that we expected in our RV, including what we were willing (and able) to pay for it.

Our criteria list:

  • 35′ or less for flexibility in campgrounds – especially for state parks, forests
  • No carpeting – We have dogs.
  • Separate bedroom – meaning not just a bed but floor space, storage
  • Bathroom and shower together and large enough to maneuver
  • Storage
  • Diesel -we were flexible on this one but really preferred diesel
  • No dinette- We aren’t the handy couple who can just remove it like so many can.
  • Double slide out- Or large slide, we wanted roominess.
  •  Less than ten years old -We later learned that financing may be difficult for older units.
  • Lower mileage
  • Ability to use the unit when the slide(s) were in
  • Kitchen with work space
  • Fit for our budget
  • One that would feel like home

This list will be different for everyone but it helps to know exactly what you are looking for.  Be prepared for this criteria to change and evolve as you become more knowledgeable.  Ours did.  Be flexible.  We didn’t get our double slide out but the space available with our one super slide works.  Our unit met all the other criteria.

Final Thoughts

Some might say we purchased our RV quickly.  I’ve read that it takes some people years to find what they want, others months, and we took just a few weeks.  The truth is, we planned to take much longer.  We were in no hurry, but we found the one that just felt right sooner rather than later.  Our advice, follow your gut.  When you find your RV, you’ll know it.

What was your RV shopping experience?  How did you or would you choose your RV?

 

 

 

 

 

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Hello all who wander…or want to! The beginning…

 

Have you ever wondered what’s around the bend, over the mountain, through the trees?  We did so we set off on a retirement adventure in our RV, Ruff Road, and our three dogs.  This has been a journey already and we want to share our journey with you, just in case you ever wandered what’s around the bend, over the mountain, and through the trees…

Retirement…

This all started as we were nearing retirement age.  Gary had recently retired and retirement was in sight for me.  Like so many others, we had worked long hours in demanding jobs for years while raising our children, being there for others when needed as much as our jobs would allow, and helping my mom and Gary’s aunt as they aged.  Like so many others, we had a large house and yard to maintain and of course, our animals- We’ve always had dogs, but sometimes we had fish, cats, and even chickens.  I am the wanderer and Gary is the fisherman so we had to squeeze in these recreational preferences as best we could over the years.  I’m overwhelmed just thinking about how busy our lives were for  so many years.  Also, we had several passings within our family and with each loss came the realization that life is precious and we should make the most it.   Gary was able to retire early in 2016.   I wanted to join him.  But what could we do?  I wasn’t quite retirement age yet. Fortunately, we had financially planned for retirement and with some number crunching and MUCH discussion, I decided to take the plunge.  My wish is that we had been more frugal and started REALLY planning much earlier.  Life happens.  Word to the wise:  Start now to plan for your future.

Tiny House Living, RV Living, Travel?

I knew I wanted to retire but we had no set plans on what we would do once we retired.  Our original retirement plans were all over the place:  stay in our house of 34+ years, buy property and build, buy a house in the mountains or on the river…But, what about what’s around the bend, over the mountain, through the trees?  Would we be happy looking at the same view for the …rest …of …our …lives?  In all of my researching for houses, cabins, property, I stumbled across tiny house living and that appealed to me.  I watched video after video of living in tiny houses or even on a houseboat.  The truth is, we had a large house and only really lived in a fraction of it.  Living in a smaller space was a doable possibility.  That still left the problem of where and how.  Then, in all of YOU TUBE’S wisdom, videos started popping up about RV living.  Hmmm…I was interested.  I wanted to learn more.  Could we afford it?  What were the pros and the cons?  Would Gary like this idea?  I listened to more RV living videos.  I shared the videos with Gary.  He liked it!  We both loved this idea of living and traveling in our own RV.  So the decision was made in December 2016 to just start looking for our RV.

Shopping for an RV…

We could just start looking, right?  We knew I had 6 months, one year, or heaven forbid, four years before I retired- no set retirement decisions had been made at this time.  So I set my preferences in my RV Trader App:   https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.DWS.rvtrader&hl=en

Gary and I started visiting RV dealerships in our area.  We educated ourselves on the different types of RVs and the pros and cons of each.  I really wanted a Class C RV which is the box type RV built on a truck chassis with an overhang over the cab, like a UHaul.  Then we fell in love with Fifth Wheels.  Fifth Wheels connect to a receiver in the back of a truck and are more roomy and maneuverable than a travel trailer.  Some even have kitchen islands and ceiling fans.  Class Bs, extended vans, raised roof vans, conversion vans, were just too small for the two of us and three dogs.  Class As, motor homes that are larger, rectangular units were ruled out thinking they were too expensive to even consider.  The more we looked, the more confused we became.  Each class of RV had something to love and something that we didn’t like.  Within a class we found the same like this but not that situation.  But it’s ok.  After all, we were just looking, doing our research- no hurry.

Then, one day during our looking blitz, we headed to see RVs at Tampa RV after talking to the owners at an RV show.  They were great people but we never made it to their lot.  On the way, we stopped off at Lazy Days in Tampa.  I’m pretty sure I heard an angel choir.  Gary says the same.  I had that feeling that “this is it!”.  How could that be?  After all, we were just looking.  We met with our salesman, Anthony, who created a list of units to view based on our criteria- cost, preferences, fuel type…  Now most RV lots will take you around in a golf cart but here you had to have a golf cart because the site is over one hundred acres!  The inventory was huge.  It is a great place to just look.

I love how we found Ruff Road!  We had just looked at a unit that we liked a lot, but I wouldn’t say loved.  Anthony had to move the cart further away to make room for other golf carts.  This caused us to have to walk past several RVs that were not on our list.  As we were walking, we both stopped at the same time.  One RV caught our eye.  The price was over our budget, but we asked to view it anyway.  We heard the angel choir the second time that day.  THIS unit had everything on our list.  We were able to negotiate a price that was more in our ballpark and that day we put a down payment on our Class A Fleetwood Excursion, Ruff Road.  There is no harm in looking, but beware of just looking.  You just might find the one that calls your name.  And so it began…

We were just walking to the golf cart…