Live Like You're Retired!

Have you always wanted to travel and see theHollywood, but those are the moments when you
country? How about just taking a year or two ofdecide to laugh or scream and later end up
time off from your job to reassess yourlaughing about them anyway. It's not your
priorities? Are you sitting at your desk right nowaverage day in the campground. The real RV
and dreaming of retiring twenty or thirty yearslifestyle is all about freedom and time. You are
down the road? Do you really want to spend thefree to go wherever you choose and stay as
best years of your life working for somebodylong as you like. You can explore areas until you
else in hopes of achieving a comfortableknow them better than the locals or you can
retirement in your declining years? Why notblow on through to the next big adventure. The
redesign your life to do what you want to doonly schedule you have is the one you set for
right now?yourself - even if that involves taking a
Stop thinking about a retirement that is decadestemporary job. You are doing it because you
away and start thinking about how you can enjoywant to, not because you have to.
your life right now, day to day! Jenn and I haveThat last sentence is mostly true. Just like
been living on the road full time for two yearseverybody else, you'll still have to pay for the
now and have not regretted the decision to leavenecessities of life. Unlike the average Joe though,
corporate jobs filled with stress and strife for ayour necessities can be incredibly cheap. Most
single day of it. You can do it too if that's whatRVers will tell you the RV lifestyle costs
you want. Living in an RV full time is not for'whatever you can afford.' That is a pretty
everybody, but for people who have simpleaccurate answer, but I prefer 'whatever it takes
needs and an adventurous spirit, it's a wonderfulto make you happy.' What many people don't
way to live.realize is just what they need to be happy. How
Why an RV? With the economy in the shape it isabout a homemade dinner for two next to a
today, you can get some pretty amazing deals ongorgeous stream in the middle of one of the
a used rig if you shop around. There are a lot ofnation's most beautiful national forests? I'm not
trade offs between an RV and van or even asure what the equivalent would cost in San
backpack, but for many people, it's an easyFrancisco, but the campsite is 100% free and the
transition to the nomadic lifestyle from a moregroceries cost 20% of what we used to spend
traditional form of life. You can carry a reasonableeating out.
sized wardrobe, have your own toilet and shower,I won't put a hard number on what it costs to live
and even keep a reasonably well stocked kitchen.like you're retired, but I will tell you that the two
If you're slowly transitioning to a mobile lifestyleof us have been living this way for two years
from a 'real job', you can still take a showernow and have averaged under a thousand dollars
everyday and have a place to have your maila month between us while paying for our own
sent during the transition. In short, you can havehealth insurance. We've been from Florida to
everything set to roll off on a grand adventureAlaska and a lot of places in between. We've had
and leave exactly the moment you can't wait anymore fun in the past two years than we've had
longer without having loads of loose ends to tie upsince they started assigning homework in the 3rd
first.grade. Except when working a temporary job, we
Let's backup for a moment and talk about thecamp for free on public lands and enjoy every
lifestyle itself. Forget all the crazy scenes fromminute of it. I wouldn't trade this lifestyle for a six
movies involving RV's. Oh, there is a basis infigure desk job. Seven figures? Well, maybe for a
reality for all of the goofiness that happens inyear!