Did you sell your house to purchase a van for full timing (2 Viewers)

[Puddleduck]

Three weeks away in the USA was long enough, although there was the strain of not having our own territory. Next year, after "R" day, I think we will do a couple of weeks away and then home for a couple of weeks and see how it goes - at least to start with. The two weeks may expand to longer, especially over the winter (I hate the deep cold of Jan / Feb).

We did think about selling up and buying somewhere smaller but after a lot of thought it just wouldn't work for us. We love where we live and are settled into the community. Our house was designed and built by and for us. When we want we can just go off for a spell but we need to have a home to come back to.

 

[Puddleduck]

I think we will do a couple of weeks away and then home for a couple of weeks and see how it goes - at least to start with. The two weeks may expand to longer, especially over the winter (I hate the deep cold of Jan / Feb).

That's the two weeks away.....

The options are all there - go south with the motorhome, go on a cruise or even rent a place for a month or two.

 

[buttons]

Never understood the 'old with ill health' scare stories with regard to full timing.

How many people with the exact same ailments are trapped in high rise flats, or on estates? A thousand for every single fulltimer!? Are they better off? How? Given a choice to be old and ill in a house like that, or even in a chocoloate box cottage in the middle of nowhere, then the motothome isn't as bad a choice as it at first might seem.
At least a fulltimer with ailing health can get to choose which hospital they are treated at, their partner as I've witnessed a few times now can live on the grounds (as a friend at the Radcliffe hospital Oxford did recently) or at least very nearby. They can move closer to family or friends, witnessed that also. There are plenty of disadvantages to fulltiming in a motorhome compared to a house, but I don't think that old chesnut is one of them.

I think like most things in life it is dependent on your bank balance. When you are young then you only need enough for your next meal. As you get older on a budget then living like this is far more stressful.

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[Jim]

I think like most things in life it is dependent on your bank balance. When you are young then you only need enough for your next meal. As you get older on a budget then living like this is far more stressful.

Why do you assume full timers are 'living like that' Given similar pensions a fulltiming couple would likely have far more disposable income than a couple in a house paying rent.

 

[Puddleduck]

I think like most things in life it is dependent on your bank balance. When you are young then you only need enough for your next meal. As you get older on a budget then living like this is far more stressful.

It also depends on your attitude to risk. As you get older the attitude to risk changes - as does your outlook on life. Well mine has!

 

[buttons]

Why do you assume full timers are 'living like that' Given similar pensions a fulltiming couple would likely have far more disposable income than someone paying rent.

True but motorhomes have a limited lifespan, unlike houses. Replacing a motorhome will eat up a large amount of disposable income. I did say the size of your bank balance will be the deciding factor in how you enjoy any way of life but I think more so if full timing in a motorhome. Besides most retirees don't pay rent they just pay council tax, their home are already paid for. Not the case on a camp site.

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[thehutchies]

With four relatively young children, our outgoings are a small fraction of what they would be in a house.

Fortunately, we don't do this for financial reasons - we've been both poor and wealthy in a house, and poor and wealthy in the van.

Loaded at the moment, though!
Much less stressful

 

[buttons]

With four relatively young children, our outgoings are a small fraction of what they would be in a house.

Fortunately, we don't do this for financial reasons - we've been both poor and wealthy in a house, and poor and wealthy in the van.

Loaded at the moment, though!
Much less stressful

Well there you go....... but you must be a young whipper snapper, the sky is the limit.

 

[thehutchies]

We are currently spending well under £250 a month for accommodation and utilities through the winter.
A house wouldn't even come close.

But, as I said, we don't do it for financial reasons but because we love the lifestyle.

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[scotjimland]

under £250 a month for accommodation and utilities through the winter.

Eight quid a day ! .. wow .. that's cheap .. best we ever found in the UK was a CL @ £12 inc. EHU .. and that was five years ago.

 

[thehutchies]

Eight quid a day ! .. wow .. that's cheap .. best we ever found in the UK was a CL @ £12 inc. EHU .. and that was five years ago.

Even less than that, actually, Jim - I added a bit for possible LPG use.
The kids like to do a lot of cooking and baking

 

[scotjimland]

Even less than that, actually, Jim - I added a bit for possible LPG use.
The kids like to do a lot of cooking and baking

well, wherever it is, I suggest you keep it to yourself..

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[thehutchies]

well, wherever it is, I suggest you keep it to yourself..

Get this - they are very RV friendly as well.
Haven't found the catch, yet!

 

[buttons]

We are currently spending well under £250 a month for accommodation and utilities through the winter.
A house wouldn't even come close.

But, as I said, we don't do it for financial reasons but because we love the lifestyle.

Possibly that will just about cover the vans depreciation.

 

[thehutchies]

Possibly that will just about cover the vans depreciation.

Pocket money compared to maintenance and rent/mortgage payments.

Could buy a new van every few years with what we are saving.

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[buttons]

Get this - they are very RV friendly as well.
Haven't found the catch, yet!

Pocket money compared to maintenance and rent/mortgage payments.

Could buy a new van every few years with what we are saving.

You are obviously still young enough to believe that.

 

[thehutchies]

You are obviously still young enough to believe that.

What would it cost us to rent a house or pay a mortgage?
Then utility bills and maintenance, decorating and furnishing, gardening et cetera.

We must be saving £1000 a month.
Five years later, £60,000 and the old van to trade in.

 

[scotjimland]

We must be saving £1000 a month.

indeed.. but how many full timers can save that each month ?

Obviously we don't know, but I'm guessing not many..

Just out of interest..how many years do plan to you live in your van.. is it open ended or do you have an end plan ?

When the kids become age to attend secondary school, will you still home school.. ?

Sorry for all the questions.. but not many people of your age group full time with kids.. I only know of you, ourselves and one other couple, and they gave up a few years ago.. I think you know them.. BillyM

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[2657]

Interesting reading other points of view and experiences. We are sort of full timing in that we no longer have a UK base or any bricks and mortar property.
We sold up in 2008 in a declining area, we loved our house, lived in it for 30 years, but the time was right for us and we have had no regrets.
At the moment we have a static caravan in Southern Brittany which we use for three months, the fiver which is now sited in Portugal which we will stay at for six months this winter and a touring caravan for moving around and trips back to the UK. All depreciating assets but I think our financial planning has taken this into account with pensions etc. We have no intention, or the assets, to purchase property in the UK again and when the time is right, for whatever reason, we will rent in the UK

A lot of planning and thought went into changing our lifestyle, we could afford to retire and live comfortably off pensions and savings which makes a tremendous difference and we do have a thought out plan for the future, but everything has to be adaptable!! I would not contemplate full timing on a very tight budget and we could not do it in a small motorhome but that's us and everybody's needs are different.

 

[thehutchies]

No plans at all, Jim.
We will live like this until we decide to do something else, whatever that may be.

The kids might go to school (but probably won't).

We have met a few more families doing the same over the last few years. Most just don't go on the forums.
We know one family who home ed and permanently wild camp.

 

[thehutchies]

indeed.. but how many full timers can save that each month ?

Obviously we don't know, but I'm guessing not many..

Just out of interest..how many years do plan to you live in your van.. is it open ended or do you have an end plan ?

When the kids become age to attend secondary school, will you still home school.. ?

Sorry for all the questions.. but not many people of your age group full time with kids.. I only know of you, ourselves and one other couple, and they gave up a few years ago.. I think you know them.. BillyM

The last reply was a bit rushed as we were just preparing to go out for a family bike ride.



Home now and warming up.

To elaborate:

We said we would live like this until we no longer enjoyed it or decided to do something else. (I fancy renting a house in Cambodia for a year but I'm having trouble selling that idea. Now that's a cheap way to live).
Effectively, no plan.

Two of the kids are already high school age but don't show any interest in going to school so we will carry on with home ed until they decide they want to go to college or university or get a job. Then we will arrange suitable qualifications to let them do that.

Yes we've known the BillyM family since the early days of Facts and your own RVFulltiming. of course.
We know several families like us who live conventional(ish) lives, doing everything most people would do from a house but choosing to do it from a van.

For us, for now, it's not a bad life

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[Fletton]

....or a public sector pension

Like moi.... ( tho mine's not strictly PS but is mirrored ) Due to tap into it this coming March - at the ripe old age of 55 ... and that's when I'll be using my lump sum to pay off the mortgage, purchase a MH.. and still leave 10/15k in bank for that rainy day and enough monthly income to see us through the next 12yrs - then state pension kicks in ( fingers crossed) Ha!.. and SHMBO retires at 60...

And then perhaps downsize and travel lots n lots n lots - if we take to it

Sooo ... Life is looking better after my 4 yrs of treading water and living off redundancy; but not for the want of trying to gain meaningful employment during that time!..

 

[Coolbeanz]

An interesting thread. I have only been 'retired' since April so early days yet but we are struggling being back at the house after 19 weeks away and we've only been back 6 weeks. Only 2 more weeks before we leave again ( albeit 3 months in Goa with the Motorhome left on the drive). It will be interesting to see how we feel in a year's time. We will head down to Spain/Portugal when we get back in February and I can't wait to be back on the road. Not once did we miss the house but is that because it's all new and exciting? I don't think so, I think we have found a lifestyle that suits us but time will tell. Maybe I should bookmark this thread and update in 12 months! Having purchased a 10 year old Hymer in superb condition I don't anticipate it needing replacing for an extremely long time and we are spending a fraction of what we did before and leading a much healthier simple life with the minimum of 'trappings' that went with 'normal' life. Each to his own I say and what works for one doesn't always work for another. It's nice to share our personal views but it's even better to do it in a knowledge sharing rather than a judgemental way.

 

[ArcticKris]

This is a question to thehutchies,
Hi,I think its fantastic what your all doing and i wish you all the best of luck in your chosen life style,,i am just curios as to what sort of teaching qualifications you and your partner have,and do you think that your children miss out on the company of other children which they would get by going to a conventional school,

Kris

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[thehutchies]

This is a question to [you]thehutchies[/you],
Hi,I think its fantastic what your all doing and i wish you all the best of luck in your chosen life style,,i am just curios as to what sort of teaching qualifications you and your partner have,and do you think that your children miss out on the company of other children which they would get by going to a conventional school,

Kris

No teaching qualifications are required for home education - teachers are for schools!
Every parent home educates until the child starts school. Some of us just carry on.

Our kids have lots of friends, of all ages, all over the place. They don't miss that strange school based society where you are expected to socialise with a gang of other kids of just the same age, being told what to do by a much older person.

It isn't for everyone but it's the best thing for our family at the present time

 

[BreweryDave]

We fell into full timing just over 3 years ago - my blog on here tells the story!
It was a hobby, turned into a lifestyle, and we both love it. Fortunately we are financially ok and will soon have a decent pension too which will see us through till we die !!! We always have the option of retuning to rented bricks and mortar should we choose too as that's where we came from. Never a homeowner since divorces for us both!!!
Anything that can happen to a van can happen to a house. Anything that can happen to you in a van can happen in a house! It really is no different except we get to enjoy a fab lifestyle, move and go where we like when we like, and mix with who we like when we like - it really is that simple! It can only better in 15 months time when I retire!!!
When we get too old or lose the enjoyment - we will either go back to rented or more likely a park home or appartment in whatever location in whatever part of the world we have fallen in love with whilst travelling about.
Granted it's not for everybody - but it really isn't much different from the 'norm'

 

[Jim]

This is a question to [you]thehutchies[/you],
Hi,I think its fantastic what your all doing and i wish you all the best of luck in your chosen life style,,i am just curios as to what sort of teaching qualifications you and your partner have,and do you think that your children miss out on the company of other children which they would get by going to a conventional school,

Kris

Hi Kris,

You certainly don't need qualifications. I never even took the 11 plus, yet we have sent one to university, another could have gone but chose to join the army, and we are presently home edding our youngest Katie aged 13. If the parents are only half interested then the kids do MUCH better than those at school. And if you need it there is lots of help out there.

I must have heard that socialising question a hundred times. People genuinely concerned that kids might be missing out. But one of the reasons we home ed'd was precisely because of that socialisation which somehow is considered the norm and can be so damaging. We didn't think 13 year olds swapping porn on their phones was good a good social activity Most problem kids at school are a direct result of over socialisation, forced to spend far too much time in the same vicinity of other kids where all they have in common is they were born in the same year. One maybe two adults and 40 kids of the same age is not the 'socialisation we wanted and IMO its certainly not the best option for any child.

But home edders do socialise but often in much more positive atmospheres than a poorly supervised class or playground, in clubs like running, judo, drama, horse-riding, climbing, and dance etc I doubt many have more friends than our kids, even though they never went to school as teenagers Over the years we've met lots of home ed kids, I can normally tell them straight away, they are often the most confident and social ones the in the group and surprisingly (for some) interact with kids of all ages and adults much better than many other kids.

It's not for everyone and it's hard work but if you really want to get to know your children then time spent together learning is wonderful.

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[Carol]

WOW seen this thread but never read it before real interesting read, and off the top of my head I can think of quite a few more funsters doing it that have not posted, but I am sure they are enjoying it.

If we were younger would have loved to have gone full timing .

 

[Puddleduck]

Both my parents were teachers and the worst thing they could have done for me would have been home ed. I would also have been unable to home ed my own children for the same reason - by the time I was 14 my science and maths was way above my parents knowledge and I was taking other subjects in which they had no knowledge whatsoever. My children had all sorts of other interests and I lost pace with them when they got to about the same age.

For me and my own children home ed might have worked until late primary but no further.

 

[thehutchies]

Both my parents were teachers and the worst thing they could have done for me would have been home ed. I would also have been unable to home ed my own children for the same reason - by the time I was 14 my science and maths was way above my parents knowledge and I was taking other subjects in which they had no knowledge whatsoever. My children had all sorts of other interests and I lost pace with them when they got to about the same age.

For me and my own children home ed might have worked until late primary but no further.

Home education isn't about teaching. It's about facilitating learning.
I don't believe that two teacher parents couldn't have pointed you towards suitable learning environments, whatever the subject or level.

I hated history at school ( still do!) but if one of the kids wants to study it , we will learn together or I'll point him towards appropriate facilities.

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