Schedule and budget

Stix n Brix: Clayton NC

Ahh...the end of a work cycle. It's different for me. I work a 28 day cycle. It's basically 3 weeks on and 1 week off. Sure, I get a few days off during the 3 weeks (about 5), but I get a whole week off every month! It's like a vacation. I work long hours and flip days and nights when I'm working so it's tough on the body and sleeping, but it's worth it. I got some good news from the office. If I'm really good and don't use any vacation time or sick leave, I'll be able to retire a month earlier than I thought. That'll be a great 50th birthday present! Now I just need to stay healthy and use my overtime wisely.

This past year is the first time that we have kept a written budget or at least kept up with the actual dollar amount spent. We did this because we wanted to know if our regular expenses would be under our target amount for full-timing. We learned a great deal from rv-dreams about the costs of the full-time RV lifestyle. There are many different budgets to fit your individual needs but as Howard summarized it, you'll spend about the same on the road as you do in a stix n brix. A comfortable amount is $3000 a month if you don't have any RV or car payments. You can easily stretch a buck by volunteering for a few months at a park or putting less miles on the road. It's quite a flexible lifestyle in so many ways. It's also a great way to appreciate nature with the comforts of home close by. That's what we look forward to.

We have been blessed by virtue of my work schedule, to take RV trips that last longer than just a week-end. It's great to see families enjoying quality time that only camping can provide. I believe that a kid that is fortunate enough to grow up in a loving family that enjoys RVing and nature, has a better understanding of their place in the world.

The opening ceremonies for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver BC Canada are on right now. Perhaps in the years to come, we'll get up there to see the beauty of their wildlife. We hope it'll be during the summer however.