OUR ROAD TO FULLTIMING
October 15, 2000: MORE HURDLES CONQUERED
Another two week period has passed, and we have conquered many more hurdles on our way to our fulltiming adventure. Ron has only two weeks left at work because he is taking his last two days, October 30 and 31, as vacation days, in order to prepare for our estate sale and to move the minimum essentials into the SunnyBrook. We anticipate our departure for Indiana around November 6, where we will take delivery of our Travel Supreme fifth wheel.
The biggest "hurdle" was the sale of our Dodge Ram pickup last week. Out of the blue, we got a call on Saturday, October 7, and this time, the person making the inquiry actually showed up. Not only that, but he actually gave Ron a $100 bill as a deposit. The transaction was completed the following Wednesday. This truck had been listed in the Truck Trader for three and a half months, and we were really beginning to wonder what we were going to do because it had to be sold. It was in excellent condition, but I'm sure the high gas prices were a factor. It's a done deal now; that's all we care about!!!!
We've also signed the escrow papers on our house, including instructions to have the proceeds from the sale deposited into our savings account. By doing this, we do not have to stay here until escrow closes. I also obtained our SKP address for mail forwarding, and I've started to take care of some of the changes of address. That process, in itself, is a monumental one, at best!!! Do any of you really know how many people and companies need to know where they can reach you by mail????
As for the estate sale of our furniture and other belongings, we interviewed people that handle these situations and decided who would handle it for us. They will actually start going through everything next week in preparation for the sale on November 2, 3, and 4, a Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Before they come, we still have much to go through this weekend and pull out what we want to pack away or store.
During these two weeks, I also spent the better part of two days taking pictures off the walls and either packing them for storage or for later use in the fifth wheel. The walls of this house look very "naked" right now, so I really look forward to hanging some of them in our new home.
This past Sunday was a very busy and tiring day because we moved some of our furniture to two of our daughters' homes. Fortunately, Ron had the help of our son-in-law, Gene. They transported a piano, five bookcases, a triple dresser, a chest of drawers, and a cedar chest plus I transported various pictures and silk plants in the Dodge. In another two weeks from now, we will move the refrigerator and the washer and dryer to our third daughter's newly rented condo. In retrospect, I really wish that they would have taken more of what we had!!!!
One other preparation toward fulltiming that we took care of this past week was buying a membership in Fort John Riverfront Resort and Coast to Coast Resorts. We had been thinking about this for quite some time, but when Paul Cox sent us an email telling us of his $6 overnights at Coast to Coast resorts, from Oregon to Texas, that was the clincher!!!! I made the call right away!!!
My office has been one of the last bastions that I wanted to tackle. Basically, the question is what to do with all this "stuff"!!! All along, I have been tossing "stuff" and shredding "stuff", but there was still much more "stuff", just sitting there and staring at me!! I've made a great deal of progress, leaving only the "stuff" that is necessary for these last two weeks, before moving into the SunnyBrook.
One last thing, that I truly would like to advise anyone that is considering this lifestyle to do, is to see your doctor for a complete physical, see your dentist for a complete check-up, and see your optometrist for a complete eye exam. But most importantly, don't wait until the last minute to get these appointments!!! Six or seven months prior to the anticipated departure is definitely not too soon, especially if dental work is needed. We started in May and just finished up in early October. Don't forget that having an extra pair of glasses is also a very good idea.
These next three weeks are going to be very, very busy for us, so I really don't anticipate being able to get the final "Road to Fulltiming" articles written until after we have taken delivery of the 5er. I will, however, try very hard, even if they are very short installments. Until next time......
November 1, 1999 THE BEGINNING January 25, 2000 THE DOWNSIZING BEGINS February 6, 2000 RECEIPTS AND TAX RETURNS March 12, 2000 THE FIRST "DENT" April 27, 2000 DUMPSTERS, DOCTORS, AND TRUCKS May 24, 2000 OUR TRUCK DECISION July 2, 2000 BITS AND PIECES July 21, 2000 MEDICAL CONCERNS July 27, 2000 STEPS TO A FULLTIMING BUDGET August 8, 2000 OUR TRUCK DELIVERY SAGA September 15, 2000 AN UPDATE ON OUR PROGRESS October 2, 2000 SIX WEEKS TO GO!!! November 14, 2000 ALMOST THERE!!! December 21, 2000 ELKHART.....FINALLY!!! December 21, 2000 LET THE COMEDY BEGIN!!!