travelnutz wrote:I buy anything I want today, 10 years ago I would not. I don't want a 40 or 45 ft. RV I did once it is not the price, I just don't want to use one that size anymore, I don't like to fly like I once did, yet will if I have to. our house is 1/2 the size as when we had the kids home. I'm seventy, I will never run out of money based on what I spend now, only the gov. and the tax man can hurt me now. I learned young don't let the zero's scare you. Just make more money than you spend.
Most people or couples who have accrued large portfolios or just large bank accounts built them by being smart with their incomes etc and by making wise decisions. Sure, some won lotteries or received large inhertances but how they handled the windfall makes huge differences.
We personally know two disaster scenarios with two married couples. One couple in their early 60's did win nearly a million after taxes and already had a large retirement account savings waiting for them in about 2 years and their very nice home was finally paid for so they early etired since they were now 62. Rich now and spent like a drunken sailor and bought an over $400,000 big top of the line class A and acted like there was no end in sight for their new found wealth. DUH! by the time they were 68 they were totally broke and filed bankruptcy. Both their nice home and their class A were gone as was their retirement accounts exhausted! Now were down to their S.S. Pension and told us so many times that they really blew it. That goes without saying! Being smart about money for 30-40 years and squandering it away in only a few years is maybe stupid at best.
The other couple both worked their behinds off since they got out of college and were very frugal but still enjoyed life camping with their kids in their 27 ft Nomad TT pulled by an older Ford Van. Their home was average but well kept and they were a very nice pleasant couple to have around. They saved and saved and had built a nice big nestegg for their retirement. Retired normally and bought a new 29ft class C and would only stay in the fancy and expensive CG's and resorts saying they owed it to themselves as they had played it so close to the vest for so many years. Yup, broke last summer after only 4-1/2 years of retirement and wasting their retirement funds. They both use the word of having wasted what they had worked so long and hard to get! The class C is now sold and they are also enjoying their S.S. checks at home and back to being frugal again! Also, they are now blaming everything else and the high cost of fuel and insurance and living etc for their woes and have managed to lose their long time friends maybe because of it. Others didn't spend their money, they did with their choices! How much money saved is enough if you don't use it wisely? Many find out the hard very painful wayb and that real pain just doesn't go away!
It's simple: Always remember where you came from and how you got to where you are today because you may return to your roots faster than you think!
The only couple we have to worry about is US and how we choose to live our remaining years of breathing left using commonsense. That may well be 28+ years as our plan is to live to at least 100 and then we'll reconsider our future.
Snowman9000 wrote:I agree, but times, age, health, can make a big different. If you have 5 dollars or 5 million.NinerBikes wrote:
Huh... guess I am just somewhere in the middle. Bought a 2012 Touareg TDI diesel so I could go travel trailering and get reasonable MPG... Did a 2700 mile trip, and 1050 of it was at around 18.7 MPG, 700 of it was as 33 MPG with the TT in the RV park @ $200 for the week, and coming home was a bit of a head wind, down to 17.6 MPG. About $460, I think round trip, in fuel. My first major trip. 21 feet is comfortable, and cost effective. I guess it's the Dutch in me, feels almost worse than being Scottish. Montana, ID, Yellowstone, and the Grand Tetons never looked so good or felt so comfortable before in my life, as a former dirt camper. I will always watch the pennies, but at this stage of my life... I've earned it. Nothing like going fly fishing after a good nights rest and a good breakfast whipped up in comfort in the travel trailer, with a good cup of hot coffee, and the smell of pine trees, with the runny nose from the Pine pollen blowing everywhere when it's almost summer time. Then there's the neighbors, that in itself while camping, you meet some of the nicest, neatest folks in a RV park, every one has a story for the campfire... fascinating.
This is a fascinating thread, as you see all the differences in people's attitudes on money. I feel about the same as NinerBikes above, and a couple of posters with similar attitudes.
If you read the book The Millionaire Next Door, a lot of this is explained. Some people, particularly some nationalities or cultures, are more likely to be good with money, for lack of a better term. Not simply frugal or cheap, although that is part of it. :)
Those of us who are "good with money" probably wish we could be a bit more free-wheeling. I know I do. But mostly we just can't, it's not our nature. OTOH I would guess that some people who are a lot more carefree about money have occasions when they wish they were more "good with money". Like most things, there is a healthy balance somewhere in the middle. I try to imagine myself fueling up a MH that gets 7 MPG, and I can't do it. I'd be unhappy. I just would. I can completely afford the MH and the 7 MPG. But I can't bring myself to do it. I'm much more attracted to NinerBikes' approach of 17 MPG towing, 30+ non-towing. It just feels right for me.
To thine own self be true.
:)
NinerBikes wrote:
Huh... guess I am just somewhere in the middle. Bought a 2012 Touareg TDI diesel so I could go travel trailering and get reasonable MPG... Did a 2700 mile trip, and 1050 of it was at around 18.7 MPG, 700 of it was as 33 MPG with the TT in the RV park @ $200 for the week, and coming home was a bit of a head wind, down to 17.6 MPG. About $460, I think round trip, in fuel. My first major trip. 21 feet is comfortable, and cost effective. I guess it's the Dutch in me, feels almost worse than being Scottish. Montana, ID, Yellowstone, and the Grand Tetons never looked so good or felt so comfortable before in my life, as a former dirt camper. I will always watch the pennies, but at this stage of my life... I've earned it. Nothing like going fly fishing after a good nights rest and a good breakfast whipped up in comfort in the travel trailer, with a good cup of hot coffee, and the smell of pine trees, with the runny nose from the Pine pollen blowing everywhere when it's almost summer time. Then there's the neighbors, that in itself while camping, you meet some of the nicest, neatest folks in a RV park, every one has a story for the campfire... fascinating.
JnJnKatiebug wrote:
Just because I have the money to drive 75mph and waste fuel does not mean I am going to do so. I save everywhere I can.
Lantley wrote:bmanning wrote:Lantley wrote:bmanning wrote:
I think it's an individual's personal economic state that's going to determine if they care about fuel costs or not.
The guy with 25 years on his job, making a nice salary, a couple of investments, and a paid-off truck & trailer isn't going to give a hoot if fuel is $3.50 or $3.75 or whether his truck gets 8mpg or 11mpg.
The (likely younger) guy with 2 years on the job, a moderate salary, and a couple of kids at home is probably going to have to do some calculations to have a grasp on how much that weeklong trip is going to cost to ensure that it's in the budget.
I think, when you're passionate about something, you find other areas to cut back on before you ax what you enjoy most. I'm sure many less-than-affluent RVers have cut out the Starbucks stops or went with basic cable without the movie channels in order to have camping funds!
I guess that's true but in the end. If you are struggling financially you should not buy an RV regardless of your job tenure or point in life.
If you own an RV you are going to spend a decent sum on fuel.
Kind of like taking up swimming and hoping you don't have to get wet.
Once you've committed to the RV you've committed to buying fuel for a low MPG vehicle. No way around it.
Other than staying home. Although you could get a seasonal spot.
Totally agree that RVing, in general, is not for the economically challenged...however I do think it can be done on a somewhat tight budget. I've seen many older pop/ups in campgrounds that were towed there by minivans, small SUVs, or even sedans, so I don't think taking up camping as a hobby necessarily means biting the bullet on owning a huge pickup getting 9mpg.
You make a valid point camping does not have to be with a dually and a fiver. It can be done with a pop up or even a tent.
However with the exception of a pop up or a hi lo trailer. Any towable RV is going to use a lot of fuel. I imagine 90% of us on the tow vehicles forum are using some sort of pick up to tow a high sided RV.
My current dually fiver combo gets the same bad MPG's that my Excursion/36' TT combo did.
In the end RV'ers burn a lot of fuel as a whole. Sure there is the pop up exception. But there is also someone in a 45' Provost.
bmanning wrote:Lantley wrote:bmanning wrote:
I think it's an individual's personal economic state that's going to determine if they care about fuel costs or not.
The guy with 25 years on his job, making a nice salary, a couple of investments, and a paid-off truck & trailer isn't going to give a hoot if fuel is $3.50 or $3.75 or whether his truck gets 8mpg or 11mpg.
The (likely younger) guy with 2 years on the job, a moderate salary, and a couple of kids at home is probably going to have to do some calculations to have a grasp on how much that weeklong trip is going to cost to ensure that it's in the budget.
I think, when you're passionate about something, you find other areas to cut back on before you ax what you enjoy most. I'm sure many less-than-affluent RVers have cut out the Starbucks stops or went with basic cable without the movie channels in order to have camping funds!
I guess that's true but in the end. If you are struggling financially you should not buy an RV regardless of your job tenure or point in life.
If you own an RV you are going to spend a decent sum on fuel.
Kind of like taking up swimming and hoping you don't have to get wet.
Once you've committed to the RV you've committed to buying fuel for a low MPG vehicle. No way around it.
Other than staying home. Although you could get a seasonal spot.
Totally agree that RVing, in general, is not for the economically challenged...however I do think it can be done on a somewhat tight budget. I've seen many older pop/ups in campgrounds that were towed there by minivans, small SUVs, or even sedans, so I don't think taking up camping as a hobby necessarily means biting the bullet on owning a huge pickup getting 9mpg.
