Quote:
Originally Posted by gfarmcafe
My wife and I are retired and now ready, we think, to go full-timing but are hesitant to give up our home and belongings. It's not that we have to financially sell it, but that "security blanket" is hard to get rid of. We just want to see the country without worrying about leaving our home for extended periods nor do we want to be landlords. We're both in our 60's, in good to excellent health and enjoy camping and our natural environment. We're also willing to volunteer or work for travel expenses (Workamping) if necessary. If you've done it, how did you get the will power to "take the leap"?! Realistically, my wife is more excited about this than I am!
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Just.Do.It. (Yeah I know easier said than done!)
We developed "the plan" about 2 years ago and started moving forward from there. We still had our son and daughter living with us and attending college, so it was all "in the future." Then, this spring, "it" happened.
Son graduated college with a BSRN and got a job as a Critical Care Nurse at the Medical Center, moved out and has his own place now.
This prompted the daughter (who was making good money as a Manager while still attending University fulltime) to jump ship as well. So, all of a sudden in early May, we were Empty Nesters!
We were still on track with the Coach purchase in July, and then, one Saturday in June as we were spending most of our weekend "Serving the House" doing yard work, we looked at each other and said Enough!
The timeline collapsed, the relator called, the estate agent engaged and, come 12 July - one week after taking delivery of the Coach, we had packed the real "treasures" of our 36 years of marriage into the spare bedroom at our daughter's apartment, held the estate sale, and put the house on the market.
Instant transition: Homeowner to Fulltimer in less than 2 months and @ a year ahead of our planned schedule. Honestly, we drove away from the house in the coach - Jeep in tow - with no regrets, and only the excitement of adventure and a new chapter in our lives.
We still work - until DEC 2017, so we are currently "Camped" at the FAMCAMP on the Army installation where we work. It's great - a 2 mile "Commute" to work, we live in the ultimate 'gated' community (HEH armed guards are a plus
) at night we can sit around the camp and watch the moon rise, have a campfire, and just enjoy life. Every other weekend or so the kids come over for a BBQ and most weeks we hook up with them for dinner or a Brunch on Saturday morning.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Weekends are spent on the golf course, at movies or on bike rides NOT "Serving the House" doing yard work!!
What's wrong with this picture? Nothing! in fact, ever since "the move" we have found out some things:
- We are closer than we were in that 4,00SF house! Instead of going to our respective "dens" after dinner, we play games, watch TV, talk, take walks.
- We are closer to our son and daughter. Now that we are not bumping in to them every day, time spent together is time well spent: gone are the days where dinner was spent in silence with the kids noses in their iPhones; conversation has returned and not once in the past months have the iPhones come out at dinnertime!
The last piece in the puzzle will fall into place on 26 DEC 2017 when we will be retired, have celebrated the holidays with our son and daughter, and will pick up stakes and head to Key West for the winter. Life is good!
Here's to you two taking the "plunge" and joining the Fulltime community!
For more info on Fulltiming, check out the Escapees [
www.escapees.com]
If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM us!