We would like to take a moment to wish all of our readers a happy Thanksgiving.
We appreciate your support and taking time to follow our journey.
Joe
Lifestyle Deflation
Recently some of my fellow bloggers have written some excellent posts about lifestyle inflation and the impact it has on savings and finances over time. My friends over at moneyonfire.blog have a great write up on the subject which you can find here.
This got me thinking about the subject and I came to the realization that over the next year we will be entering a period of significant lifestyle deflation. This has always been the plan as you can’t live full time in an RV and have a lot of stuff. However, the fact that we are now within a year of making this dream a reality is very surreal.
This realization is already starting to impact our decision making and spending habits. Several times this past week we passed on purchases because it wouldn’t fit our future lifestyle. We have had more discussions about things that we need to figure out how to make work in the RV, like computer equipment, as well as things we are going to need help getting rid of. Continue reading “Lifestyle Deflation”
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This and That……
It has been a few weeks now since our RV was damaged in a incident at a truck stop. You can read up on that here if you missed it. This has been a major bummer for us as we have had to cancel two trips now and have been stuck at home on weekends. The good news is that we finally got word this week that the repairs are completed and our RV is ready to be picked up.
The worry however, as with any vehicle, is that there will be additional issues that need to be worked out or that some things will not work the same as they did prior to the accident. I guess we will cross that bridge when we get to it. Also, our insurance waived our deductible so we are not out of pocket for any money. In the end, we got the best results out of a bad situation and we are grateful for that. Continue reading “This and That……”
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College Road Trip 2020
This past Summer we enjoyed a wonderful family adventure. We visited Yellowstone National Park and a whole host of other states and campgrounds. It was our assumption that this trip would be the last time our son would join us in the RV as he would be heading off to college next Fall. Well, it looks like we will be doing a little family road trip next year after all.
Now that our son has accepted admission to a big east coast U we started discussing the logistics of getting him and his stuff across the country. Our first thought was for us to fly there and ship all of the necessary items to him. This was going to be very expensive as flying is not cheap and neither is shipping. Our son is also a student athlete so we are not just talking about shipping some clothes and some bedroom items. We need to bring his gear also, which is a big and heavy bag. Continue reading “College Road Trip 2020”
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October 2019 Financial Update
Another month down and it feels like the year is flying by. October was an exciting month right up to the point that our RV got smashed by a trucker that apparently doesn’t value the use of his mirrors.
The month started out slow after I left my job. As I wrote about in my blog post titled “Two Weeks In” I didn’t get any work or even a single phone call for the first two weeks. I was getting kind of worried that I might be stuck without any income for a long time and that wasn’t going to cut it. Luckily I was able to get a connection with a company and they started sending steady business my way. It’s not paying me a lot at this point, but it’s a start and also gives me something to build on. Continue reading “October 2019 Financial Update”
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Milestone Reached And A Huge Bummer
Today I was expecting to write about how exciting it was to finally see our portfolio cross the seven figure mark, at least for now. But on Friday, as we were in line to fuel our RV for a weekend getaway, our joy and excitement took a pause when a trucker backed up into our coach and caused some significant damage.
Now, I know the natural reaction from people will be that it was an accident and accidents happen. Or that it’s just some damage that can be repaired and it’s more important that we are ok. And I agree with these sentiments. They are true and correct. However, the feeling we have goes beyond a vehicle repair because this is not just a vehicle to us, it’s our home. And when you are sitting in your home and see a truck coming and then hear and see your home being destroyed before your eyes the feeling cuts a little deeper than a car accident. It was a very upsetting moment for us. Continue reading “Milestone Reached And A Huge Bummer”
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What A Difference A Week Makes!
In our last blog update, read it here, I discussed that two weeks into our new business venture we hadn’t had a single job come our way which was a little disappointing. I also discussed how I have been working a side gig job to try and see if it was a viable way to earn some cash while building some business relationships. This past week everything changed.
After spending time going business to business, meeting people and handing out business cards I decided to do a cold call of a large agency. The response I received was the usual “we will have someone contact you about getting your business set up in our system” which I agreed to but didn’t think much about. About two hours later my phone rang and it was an associate calling to take down my business information. Again, I didn’t think much about it because I’ve already been down this road many times in the last two weeks. But this time, as we grew close to ending our conversation, the associate stopped and asked “do you want your first assignment right now?” My stomach sank and I paused because I couldn’t believe what just happened and I didn’t know if I was ready to answer yes at that very moment. So in a complete haze I answered “sure”. Continue reading “What A Difference A Week Makes!”
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Two Weeks In……………………
I never thought for a minute that this transition would be easy. I also didn’t think it would be this hard.
Here I am, two full weeks into my new business and I have yet to land a job. Now, I wasn’t naive to the point that I thought a sudden avalanche of business would just magically flow my way from the day I opened the doors. However, I did think that within two weeks I would have landed at least one job. Not a big job, but something small to at least get me moving in the right direction. But so far, zero, zip, nada! Continue reading “Two Weeks In……………………”
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September 2019 Financial Update
September was a month of change and closure. Once the month ended so too did the third quarter of the year, along with my full time employment in the corporate world. I’m not sad to see either one of them go.
As we start a new month and a new quarter I am also officially self employed. That has a great ring to it, and it makes me proud to be able to say it. However, saying it and doing it are two separate things and it didn’t take long for this new reality to set in. Continue reading “September 2019 Financial Update”
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A Fresh Start
That’s it! For the first time in my professional life I am not employed by someone or relying on an employer for a paycheck. I don’t know that it has fully hit home yet as my last week of work was a whirlwind that ended with an awesome gathering with my now former co-workers. I wasn’t expecting anything except the usual goodbyes and good luck that comes with being in management. What I got was a full blown celebration that lasted the whole day and continued after hours and late into the night at an offsite location. It was a very humbling experience that I am still in shock over.
My new venture is off the ground and I’m officially open for business. I’m still working on my final certification and should have that wrapped up in the next day or two. The next step is to make sure all of my lose ends are tied so I can spend some time getting out and networking with other businesses. I’ve never been in the position of having to network and hustle for business. The old adage of “fake it until you make it” keeps coming to mind as I will have to portray confidence in doing something that I really don’t have any experience doing. I think my years in the business world will help me with this process, but I can’t help but feel a little nervous about the thought of walking into businesses and trying to connect with folks. Continue reading “A Fresh Start”
