We both retired and our "plan" was to sell our lovely home in Denton, Texas (we lived there for 16 years) and move into something smaller. We joked that we had bedrooms and bathrooms no one used or even walked into except to clean!
We agreed to focus on a condo—something smaller where we would not have to deal with time-consuming, constantly-recurring maintenance, yard work, and "house" stuff that keeps you busy. We simply wanted to get rid of the minutia, schedule, and structure that ties you down as a result of home ownership. This was not a financial decision (we didn't have to sell) but a change-in-lifestyle decision—we just wanted to do something different other than take care of a house and yard.
Plus, we had purchased a motorhome and wanted to do some extensive travel. Since we were retired, all this was possible, and we planned to use the new condo as a "home base"—a place we could come back to. What a great plan! So, we put our house on the market.
Our house sold and the buyers wanted possession in three weeks—non-negotiable! So, after some soul-searching, we agreed. We temporarily moved into our motorhome, packed and stored the sentimental "family" stuff while shedding an occasional tear, and turned our daughter and three grown grandkids loose on everything else (take anything you want… canned goods, furniture, pictures, tools in the garage). We had one giant estate/yard/garage/junk sale with whatever was left. There was plenty left and we made multiple trips to Goodwill and the dumpster. We turned over the house to the new owners on time.
It was three hectic weeks of whirlwind packing, sale, and move and we were worn out. So, we decided to reward ourselves with a leisurely cross-country trip before we started looking for that condo—after all, our plan included lots of travel. That made sense so off we went in our motorhome.
Now, seven years and two motorhomes later, we are still on that first trip! It worked for us. We still haven't looked at a condo! We haven't looked back. We love this lifestyle! One of the biggest problems affecting major lifestyle-change decisions is your health. If you delay (for all the good and poor reasons) and you have one serious issue (stroke, etc.) then the decision is no longer yours to make. Plus, the longer you put off the decision, the more it is a gamble for something to happen (health-wise).
I said in my book that full-timing is never a permanent decision because you will have to quit sometime. This means you can possibly go back to how you were living but can't always go forward into something new.
In our seminars, we are constantly asked when we will stop full-timing. My consistent reply is that my last drive will be up to the nursing home door where I will hand them the keys and they can help me inside.
Questions??? Contact Ron Jones at info@rvstuff.org or visit his website www.rvstuff.org.
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Ron Jones has been camping on wheels since 1962. He and wife Sandy are full-timers and have traveled extensively across North America in their RV. They have presented seminars on the RVing lifestyle at rallies, shows and other gathering nationwide. Ron has written eight books including co-authoring "All the Stuff You Need to Know About RVing," the recently released "Fulltiming for New and Used RVers," and is awaiting the first printing of "RVing Alaska." He also was collaborator with Sandy on "Wrinkle-Free RV Laundry." Ron's articles and columns have also been featured in all major RV magazines, including Highways, Motorhome, and Coast to Coast. He is a regular contributor to the Good Sam website, providing weekly RV tips.