Oct 15thDiscover The Advantages Of Motorhome Living
Motorhome living is a way of life for a growing segment of the population. Some individuals are retired and looking for adventure. Others have decided they want an alternative to renting a place to live or becoming tied to a mortgage that takes decades to pay off. Whatever the reason, anyone who is considering roaming the open roads permanently should investigate the advantages and disadvantages of residing in a recreational vehicle.
English: Thor Motor Coach Four Winds Class C Motorhome (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
One big advantage to this lifestyle is the scenery is always changing. It is impossible to get bored with the surroundings because it is always possible to go somewhere else. There is no need to pack belongings or ship furniture to a new location. RV parks and campgrounds are available everywhere. Users who want a change of scenery can just drive to a different campground.
One challenge for RV dwellers is securing a permanent residence for mail delivery. Some states allow citizens to retain an address even if they do not live there. Each state has its own rules and requirements. Choosing the right option depends on where the resident plans to spend the most time and individual circumstances.
Anyone who lives in a recreational vehicle will need more than a basic RV insurance policy, which is nearly identical to automobile insurance. RV owners who use the vehicle for a residence will need to have personal liability coverage, similar to that available with homeowners’ insurance. Experts advise consumers to purchase a policy that offers replacement cost for contents.
Gas prices may dictate whether individuals decide to travel most of the time or park in a permanent location. Either way, the freedom to leave anytime is what many people like so much about motorhome living. This type of lifestyle is not for everyone but those who enjoy moving around freely with no strings attached will have all the independence they need to do so.
Related articles
- Fulltime Living in a Class A Motorhome (lifetraveler.net)
- About Recreational Vehicle (RV) Insurance (southefinancialblog.com)
- China driving towards RV market boom (business.financialpost.com)
May 25thIs Fulltime Motor home Living Right For You
If you are thinking about making the jump from living in a traditional house to living fulltime in a motor home, you’ll need to do a few reality checks first. Living fulltime in a motor home is an incredibly different experience—in many ways—than living in a stationary house or building. There are many things that you need to consider before making the transition to living in a motor home, and it is definitely not a decision that should be lightly made. You will want to consider all of the pros and cons of living in a motor home and discuss them with anyone who will be living with you—your spouse, children, etc. It’s important that the decision to live in a motor home be made with plenty of knowledge and a positive attitude. It won’t do you any good to just jump right into motor home living without considering the thoughts of your family or without considering the potential complications.
To make sure you know what you’re getting into with your potential decision to live fulltime in a motor home, let’s cover the basic disadvantages and benefits of motor home living. Some of them might just surprise you!
Disadvantages
When you live in a home, you probably take simple things like using the television, plugging in your laptop, and other energy-powered devices for granted. In a motor home, energy can be expensive and limited. Many motor homes only have a certain amount of energy output available, even with large house batteries, and things like laptops and televisions are energy suckers. Many motor home ‘residents’ report that they have to make frequent stops to cafes, bookshops and other public spaces where they can charge their laptops. This can be a major pain if you are someone who frequently uses your laptop, or if you have to use your laptop for work. This can be somewhat fixed by fitting your motor home with solar panels—this can cut down on energy costs while giving you more energy output for laptops and other gadgets.
Modern RVs can be pretty big, but they are nothing compared to the size of most modestly sized homes. If you are someone that needs “your own” space at home and you intend to live with a family, motor home living might not be for you—there simply isn’t room for everyone to have their own little private space in the vehicle. One solution to this in many motor homes is to install curtains which can be drawn up over little areas, giving at least some modest ‘space.’
Another big disadvantage reported by many motor home enthusiasts is that it can be a pain to find somewhere to park in big cities. Many big cities are simply not equipped to handle motor homes, and may only have one or two RV parks—which are usually packed tight and very expensive.
Advantages
Do you ever feel tied down by your possessions? The biggest benefit of fulltime motor home living reported by countless people is that they feel much “freer” now that their homes—and the bulk of, if not all, of their possessions—are what they can travel with. Living in a motor home fulltime gives you the freedom of only buying and having what you need, cutting down on boxes of junk that tend to accumulate over time in traditional homes. With motor homes, there simply isn’t the space!
Another advantage to living in a motor home fulltime is that the cost of living tends to be relatively cheap. There are many RV parks and camps which allow long-term parking which can cost anywhere from $5 to $65 a night. The ritziest parks may cost you over $100 a night, but many people find that unless you’re looking for a “luxury” experience, there’s no need to go anywhere but an old fashioned RV park. Many of these areas have water/electricity/etc hookups available, and some even have other amenities like community pools, dining areas, and other hotel-like facilities. Many motor home residents also like to stealth park and boondock, aka, park somewhere overnight for free. They might park in parking lots, in public woods, rest stops, or other free areas.
So, is fulltime motor home living for you? It can be a big chance and a hassle for first-timers. There are many things to consider before making the decision to live in a motor home full time… but if you’re looking for something new to try and are willing to put in the hard work necessary to start an new life in a motor home, then why not give it a try!
Related articles
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- Secrets of Full Timing RVing (lifetraveler.net)
May 11thPlan Your Retirement for a Secure Future
Early planning саn prove tо bе highly beneficial whеn thе rіght time arrives, thіs іs true іn еvеrу sense еsресіаllу finances. Whеn іt соmеs tо money matters mоst оf us bеlіеvе іn fоllоwіng а set plan оf expenditure аnd savings, hоw аbоut hаvіng а saving plan fоr post retirement? Yеs advance аnd systematically tаkеn steps саn help уоu reap maximum benefits аftеr уоur retirement, leaving уоu wіth ample financial security аnd peace оf mind.
Retirement (Photo credit: 401K)
What аrе retirement plans?
Retirement іs а truth thаt еvеrу person hаs tо face аt sоmе point оf time. Ѕоmе people fear іt аs thеу feel post retirement thе finances nееd tо bе controlled аnd expenditure nееds tо bе аs minimal аs роssіblе. Ноwеvеr sоmе sее retirement аs а period whеrе оnе hаs ample time tо enjoy life wіth his/her loved оnеs. Ву investing іn а reliable retirement policy уоu will bе assured оf а financially independent life post уоur retirement wіthоut hаvіng tо compromise оn thе luxuries оf life thаt уоu аlwауs enjoyed.
A retirement plan basically іs а method bу whісh уоu аrе prepared tо face уоur retirement wау bеfоrе іt arrives. Аt thе age оf 30 whеn уоu mау hаvе thе extra income tо save, уоu саn start investing sоmе amount fоr уоur retirement tоо. Whеn уоu compare thе returns а pension plan will gіvе уоu wіth оthеr plans, уоu will surely find thе benefits оf thе fоrmеr tо bе mоrе. Тhе earlier уоu start putting уоur money іn suсh а plan, thе higher returns уоu will bе eligible fоr. Тhе maturity оf suсh plans іs generally аftеr thе policy holder reaches thе age оf 60 years, untіl thеn thе plan doubles uр аs а life insurance cover fоr him.
How will а retirement plan benefit me?
Retirement plans соmе wіth multiple benefits, sоmе оf thеm аrе mentioned below.
Assured returns: Whеn уоu invest іn а life insurance retirement policy, уоu will hаvе dual assurance. Тhе fіrst оnе іs thе life coverage аnd thе second thе surety оf gеttіng thе promised lump sum amount оf return. Ѕо іnstеаd оf јust buying а life insurance plan а retirement plan wоuld еvеn prove mоrе beneficial tо уоu аs іt will tаkе care оf уоur рrеsеnt аs well аs post retirement financial plans.
No claims bonus: Ѕоmе retirement insurance plans entitle thе policy holders fоr а nо claims bonus іf thеу dо nоt apply fоr claims untіl раrtісulаr time duration. Тhеsе bonuses kеер accumulating аnd аrе gіvеn bасk tо thе pension policy holders durіng thе maturity period.
Allocating sоmе amount оf уоur savings tоwаrds а fruitful retirement policy аt аn early age will help уоu enjoy уоur retirement wіth financial independence. Іf уоu hаvеn’t invested іn а pension plan уеt, іt іs nеvеr tоо late tо bеgіn.
Related articles
- How to Handle Excess Contributions to Retirement Plans (turbotax.intuit.com)
- Financial Retirement Planning Where To Begin? (boldstate.com)
Dec 24thKeeping the Costs of Retirement Living to a Minimum
There are many ways of keeping the costs associated with retirement living to a minimum. Analyzing this is a very important first step in figuring out if you have set aside the proper finances to make that step in your life. Financial Analyst will tell you that you need to have 70% to 80% of your current income before you can retire. Along with that, they recommend you plan for your retirement income to last you until at least the age of 85. Controlling your cost of living is a requirement to meet all these expectations and if done properly could possibly let you do it for much less.
One of the most critical steps in the process is to decide on where you want to live or call your state of residency. You will need to consider the following when analyzing this step:
1) Does it or does it not have state income tax
2) Cost of registration for vehicles
3) Cost of Various insurances both Medical and Vehicle
Each state has its advantages and disadvantages. As an example, you hear of Florida and no state income tax, it also has very low vehicle registration costs. However, it is one of the higher states when it comes to health insurance premium costs. If you have an accountant, they will be a very valuable asset for you in determining what fits your situation the best. Everyone has a different situation to review, but you do need to study this aspect very closely. There are also many books written just on this subject alone.
Once you have determined where you want to live, now you have to decide how you want to live. When my wife and I retired we looked at this step as having two options. Either we purchase/rent a home or we purchase a motorhome and travel. We opted for the motorhome avenue for some very particular reasons. With a motorhome, we could travel the country cheaper than we could purchase a home and settle down. When you travel and stay in campgrounds you do still have a rent payment, however, it is usually cheaper than most mortgages on a home. In most campgrounds you don’t pay for electric, water, sewage, and sometime cable if available. With those costs already included in the camping fees we were able to have this portion of our budget less than 50% of what it would have cost us to live in a house or apartment. At the same time we get to travel, see things that we always wanted to, and stay in warm weather year around by following the seasons.
Another way to reduce your costs of retirement is to find some sort of part time income to assist with the costs. Of course you are retired so you need to find a way to earn a small income without it feeling like you are still working fulltime. Some ways of doing this is to try and find ways of making money with your hobbies. A few I have found for doing this are, if you like photography there are ways to sell your photos on the internet. If you like to teach and write you could start a Blog and make money that way. One of my favorite ways is not really a method many think about. Since we live in motorhome and stay at campgrounds we do something called Work Kamping. This is a means of working for the campground a few hours a week in return for compensation in the means of my campground fees. For about 20 hours a week we save hundreds in camp ground fees every month. You may even be able to do some kind of consulting if your job history is from a field that would support that.
Now most everyone that retires will still want to stay in touch with family and friends. With all the Social web sites out there such as Facebook and MySpace, it is actually pretty easy to do for free. You can even use Skype to talk to family and friends for free when you call computer to computer. There also are many free Wi-Fi hotspots around every town that you can use to email and stay in touch with people for free. Take your laptop to dinner with you if you go places like IHOP or Denny’s and you can eat and catch up with people or pay your bills online at the same time.
Another way to save money in retirement is to eat at home more. When you were working it was hard to eat at home. After working all day the last thing you want to do is start cooking dinner when you get home. Thus, it was much easier to go out. Now that you are retired, you have all the time in the day to cook healthy and eat properly. Using coupons will help save at the grocery stores, you can find many valuable coupons on the internet and print them out at home.
One last hint I will give you to assist in lowering costs. Use a credit card for all purchases. Use a card that gives you points that can be used to purchase things such as a restaurant card. Just use the credit card for every purchase during the month and pay it off at the end of the month with your monthly income to avoid interest charges. This will also help you manage and track you expenses at the same time help you earn a free dinner out.
In closing, there are many things that you can do to lower your cost for retirement living. You need to just sit down and think about all the things you can do without or can cut back on that can assist you in reaching your retirement goals. Retirement is a wonderful place to be at the same time a scary place. You don’t want to jump into this part of your life if you are not completely prepared for it.
