I know that many FTers have some sort of fixed income, but certainly there must be those who still have to work their way over the roads.  It is you all that I want to hear from most.  Are you making ends meet?  And is "making ends meet" enough?  What is "enough" to you?

I have been only marginally employed for the last 3 years and I have somehow managed to hang onto the S & B and keep the lights on.  (Man, have I learned to "do without!") Employment opportunities here are limited to nonexistent and I expect this to only get worse as there is no plan for economic growth in this area.  There is no "career sacrifice" involved in moving away from here.

I plan to go FT after my home sells and I will enter the lifestyle with a humble but reliable rig and toad, a tiny savings, and no debt.  My plans are to Workamp and to look for other temporary positions around the country as I travel and work on some writing projects.  I believe that any opportunities I may have to work would only be increased by my flexibility to relocate and accept temporary assignments.  I may even try to continue my education online.  I do not expect to live every day like I am on vacation and I know I cannot travel every single week.  I'm OK with that. 

The future?  I have no idea.  But Ihave no real plan for it HERE either--not anymore...

Friends and relatives warm that getting out there on the road with no guaranteed income is risky.  However, I don't really see that it would be any more risky than what I have been doing.  I suspect that what these folks are really responding to is the illusory security and status that owning a home implies.  I'm not "supposed" to want to give that up, right?  The very idea is ... well ... unstable, not to mention ungrateful!

Can this be done or am I just nuts?

Comments?

Nikki,

I certainly don't think you are nuts.  While I can't directly answer your question as we are "Static" full-timers, not traveling full-timers, have you ever passed up an employment opportunity because it was in a town/city other than where you lived?  Wouldn't that lost opportunity disappear if you had the option of just moving right on down the road to that job opportunity?

Workkamping is an option, but unless it is a position where you are working 40 hour weeks, it might not be really feasible.  Without getting those kinds of hours on the job, there might not be enough income.

But, you will have options even beyond that.  When choosing a site to live, look at mobile home parks as a possibility instead of RV parks.  Jo and I are currently in a mobile home park in Oklahoma City and will be until she works long enough for her to retire.  Then BOTH of us will retire and do something else.

Some mobile home parks are setting up to accept RV's.  In Oklahoma City, I know of at least 3 or 4 that do.  In addition, their rates may be less than the RV parks for a month.  Ours certainly is as we have a lot with water and sewer included (water is on a well, not city water) and costs less than $200 a month.  Others that we looked at ranged from $250 to $350 a month.  What utilities would have been in those spots, I don't know.  But, one of them would have had an office, complete with post office boxes for mail, thus also having an address for dropping off UPS and FEDEX packages.

By comparison, the RV park that is located immediately across the fence from us costs $575 a month.  A long term resident like we would have been might have had to be on a metered site so as to not incur extra expenses for the RV park for that site.

While I know NOTHING about these, what about employment options like Scentsy, Mary Kay, and others that work off of the internet.  I've seen signs/decals on the backs of SUV's for both Scentsy and Mary Kay.  Could one have those options without having to have a stix and brix for "storing" product, or could the products be delivered to you via UPS and FEDEX and then you deliver to the customer?

Now, for me, I think I want to be a "traveling" WalMart greeter.  You know, travel to some town where the greeter there is going on vacation and they need a replacement for a week.  (Just kidding, Folks.)

Good luck, and I'm sure you will get a LOT better answers than mine has been.

Terry

Bottom line, it is usually much cheaper to live full-time in the RV over a s/b even if you stay where you are after your house sells. 

We just moved into our motorhome and are basically static until the DH retires in 2-3 years, and I figure we are saving over $1000/month. Granted, we are currently living in Southern California, and housing is very expensive so it may not be that big of a difference where you are living. We also find that people seem to be more friendly in the RV parks so to us that has been another plus. 

Good luck to you, Karen

We have sold our home and are living in our RV full-time. We're currently driving back from Florida to our home base in Las Vegas, to run our school-related business, till June. If I could sell that business tomorrow,I'd start work camping tomorrow. We've talked to workcampers at just about every park we've stayed in,recently, and over the years. Many have been working for some years. We've met others who do Amazon,as well as seasonal retail.Today, we are at a lovely place where we just happened to mention that it is our wish to begin workcamping. The manager, who with his wife has been workcamping 13 yrs, said,"can you start tomorrow"?He said he'd hire us both, on the spot,and that the owners of this RV/Park/Hotel/Fuel Stop had other opportunities,as well. Sadly, we have to go home and get the business sold or run-out, 'till June, or I might have taken him up on it. He was interested in us because we told him we had owned our own businesses for almost 40 years. However, what he wanted most was a positive attitude and people who are self-starters,will take direction well, and are customer friendly.. I think there is lots of reason to be optimistic.

 Everyone has anxiety of some sort in connection with trying to make a living, these days.We've cut our expenses by being rid of the house.We're both 64 and need Medicare (June-2012),or whatever is left of it,. as we currently pay almost 14K a year in health care premiums/co-pays.After that, we are confident we can supplant our SS with workcamping. We will (and do) live simply. And we will have no debt.Our anxiety is more age related,we're healthy and hope to remain that way, but who knows? Like most things worth doing,finding work will require persistence and a positive attitude. Thousands of folks are doing this,so can you.

Nikki,  Welcome to the "crazies!"  That's how many friends and family view our lifestyle . . . but we kind of do the same thing when we view their houses with the big yard and the 3 car garage and all the stress that goes with living a "normal" life.  It all comes down to living the life YOU desire, not what others desire for you.  

We are workamping at a small campground which allows us free rent & utilities.  It's been the perfect setup for us.  I am still employed full time and drive about 10 miles to my job every day.  Bruce works from home - on the internet.  There is opportunity everywhere to make money from home - you just got to find the right one for you.  And then, you must be willing to do the work . . . it's not a push-button, get rich quick business, although much of what you read when searching for ideas leads you to believe it is. We are grateful we've found the right business with leaders who have been through the trenches over the last 20 years and who care more about your success than padding their own pockets.  

In a few months, I'll be able to walk away from my job and we will hit the road.  The internet allows us the freedom to work from anywhere.  Workamping has provided a great base for us - providing the free site in exchange for taking care of campers while we spend our extra time building or own business.  

This is what has worked beautifully for us.  It's different for everyone - you just gotta find your place - your niche - your passion.  

You can do anything you set your mind to . . . you're already on your way!