“I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving: To reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it – but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor.” ~~ Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
The end of our “old story” is written and we’re primed for the beginning of the next.
First, a brief recap for those who may be following.
This major life shift for Bonnie and me, selling everything and becoming full time travelers and RV dwellers, began as an idea mentioned over lunch in late September, 2014. After these seeds of possibilities were planted we began exploring the financial possibilities and were pleasantly surprised to learn that under the right circumstances it could be possible.
At this point our discussions were about what we imagined this new future looking like and it wasn’t long before we began looking at RV’s. We soon settled on a RV 5th Wheel trailer and truck combo. Both trailer and truck were purchased in October, 2014. It was also during this time we began getting rid of some of our easier to sell or trade assets…two cars, my Nikon Camera gear and a small collection of guns.
We knew the key to the success or failure of our plans was the selling of our house and the disposal of most of our other assets in a timely manner. Since we had already done substantial upgrades/remodeling we felt our house would sell. It went on the market in late November — I did the reality photos myself to ensure it was well presented. To our amazement and relief we received multiple offers and it sold within two weeks. All of this could only confirm our feelings that this was meant to be.
Disposal of the majority of our worldly goods could have been a nightmare except for our contracting with Caring Transitions of Charlotte, NC. We can’t say enough good about this company and the folks who did such an outstanding job. They sorted, set-up, sold and cleaned out all our “stuff” with style and grace. The estate sale took place over three days this past week and went extremely well. A couple of hours of cleaning afterwards and we had the house ready to close.
We closed on the house today and our final automobile is being sold tomorrow. Thursday morning we pull out on the first true leg of this new lifestyle and continuing journey.
So, here we are–a little less then 4 1/2 months from conception to completion. The proceeds from all our sales has us beginning this next chapter debt free and paying back almost all of what we borrowed from our retirement funds to get this party started. We have a budget in place that we need to stay within for the next few years until we both can draw our social security. Sure, there is a lot that could still go wrong, but an awful lot has certainly gone right!
Bravo zulu on selling the house and life’s accumulations. Now it’s time to hit the road!
Thanks, Steve. Yes, hitting-the-road sounds like a grand idea! :-)
Just an amazing story, Brooks. And you’re leaving tomorrow? I’d guess you’re heading south and maybe west? I don’t know if you’re heading that way, but the weather around Arizona looks great at the moment! Anyway, enjoy the ride and be careful.
Paul, thanks. Yes, we leave in the morning. I think we are going to swing over to the Atlantic coast and then work our way south. We need to go to Florida for a short while to take care of changing our residency to FL so we can take advantage of no state taxes and no annual vehicle inspections — bot will save us money and time in the long run. Once that’s done and depending upon the weather we’ll start working our way west.
Congratulations,to you guys. Four and a half months is a short gestation period but I think that’s how you’ll live this whole adventure. As we had 4 inches of snow yesterday, I’d wait a while before venturing out my way. Again, enjoy.
Hang in there, Monte. Each day Spring is a little closer! ;-)
Thanks.