Retiring, full timing and (very) early planning

my Dad told me when I was 25 to read everything I could about retirement planning. To listen to people who were trained in these things. Then realize that they can only plan their own retirement not yours. I figured out everything I needed to live on and to cover the bills, doubled it. Paid off all debt and am enjoying my 1st year "out of work" this Friday. Have had some surprises. Have had to cut back on a couple of projects, but enjoyed it. As they say at Nike...Just do it!

gbopp wrote:
It's never too early to start planning.
My only advice is, live your dreams and travel while you can, you don't know what life will hand you tomorrow.

I agree. That's why I'm retiring as soon as I am eligible and don't have to take a large tax hit. Those 3 years are 3 years I'd rather spend camping instead of working.

It's never too early to start planning.
My only advice is, live your dreams and travel while you can, you don't know what life will hand you tomorrow.

Thank you all. That gives me some great places to start. While 13 more years sounds like a long time, the fact that 14 have vanished in the blink of an eye made me realize that I need to get on the ball.

You can get some flavor by spending time in the Escapees Forum as well as reviewing full timers' blogs. A couple that come to mind are Kirk and Pam's RV Adventure and previously mentioned RV-Dreams by the Paynes. Both have been very open with regards to their expenses. But, just as importantly, their blogs reflect different interests and lifestyles they've enjoyed within the parameters of their costs. You'll also notice the difference in age between the two couples.

I'd also be remiss if I failed to mention that "People who say it can't be done are constantly being interrupted by people who are doing it." A young lady and member of this forum, in her late 20's, writes a blog, Interstellar Orchard on her full time experiences. Enjoy the research and good luck.

Moved from Lifestyle

Take a look at RV-Dreams dot com

There are several books out there on fulltiming too. Complete Guide to Full-Time RVing: Life on the Open Road by Bill and Jan Moeller is one.

Our basic formula (and it varies according to your situation and desires) was:

House Paid Off. Bills Paid off. Debt-Free.
Financials - what will your income be and how your expenses will be met - including rv, auto, and health insurance.

Started downsizing our belongings five years out. We didn't need all that stuff. Yard Sales every year. Donations to charity. Gifting to relatives. De-Clutter - it helped when we put the house on the market. In fact, we moved out and only had furniture and a change of clothes left. Since it sold in 5 days, all that prep work paid off. Had a furniture sale the weekend before closing and we were ready.

Also about 5 years out we shifted our bills to email. Got on all the do-not-call and no junk mail lists. Closer to freedom day we canceled any magazines we had left. We examined all our incoming mail with a view to getting it in email or getting it discontinued or sent to our po box.

Formulated an "exit" plan. In our case, we knew we wanted a retirement house out west and needed to buy before the real estate market took off again. We banked the money from the sale of our house and added to it as we traveled.

The first year you will probably put the most miles on. Dream trips should be taken sooner not later - who knows how long we have on this planet?

If you are wanting to augment your income, investigate "work at home" jobs and workcamping. If you are into volunteering, state and national parks give an RV site for seasonal volunteers.

Save as much money as you can. That advice is good no matter what age or circumstance you are in.

:-) ok - there is my brain dump.