Something to think about

I sometimes wish I did this way earlier. I'd be well along by now if that was the case.
I know it's bad thinking about all the wasted paychecks paying landlords when I could have been RVing from the time I was 30.
But hey, this education and eventual realization came late.
It's ok. I know NOW.

Some people find all this out when they are about to retire.
Lucky to have realized all this now while I am sort of still young.

Now for the thought of the day.

Just imagine if your income annually was 80k... and you sacrificed for 15 years and lived frugally and in an RV... by the time you are 35, you'd have close to a million dollars. It staggers me now the sheer amount of money that goes to landlords and banks.. not to us.
Sure, flipping a home is the only way you can actually make money with that investment. Some people are happy doing that. But for the rest of the people? They fritter away what would have been a fortune renting and paying for things they think they need so that society would accept them.

A million bucks by the time you're 35. Imagine that.
No 401k will ever do that for you.

Homeless?

Been watching videos today of the homeless across America.
While technically, this applies to me, I consider myself fortunate still.

Here's why...

I chose to go homeless, it wasn't forced on me.
By doing so, I have freed myself from monthly expense of maintaining an apartment.
Many people I know have apartments, but are just a paycheck away from complete disaster. That won't happen to me. By removing the millstone around my neck, I have essentially negated a huge burden on my financial situation. If my paychecks stopped tomorrow, I'd actually last 2 years on what I have.
2 years!
Can many people say that when they are saddled with all these expenses each month trying to maintain all that space?
I just needed a place to crash and sleep for the night since I am a workaholic. And the van works really well for that.

So, I am homeless... but far from helpless or wretched.

It's almost like being prepared for death anytime it happens. I ain't gonna be caught unaware by life's curve balls.
To me, it doesn't make any sense to keep continuing to pay for a place when you lost your job. Some people wait until they can no longer afford to pay for the place they stay in... but by that time it is too late. Your bank account is tapped out, you got no options.
"The Man" has you once again over a barrel.

Well, aint' happening to this homey.
Houseless for now, but do have a plan.

This is my first fully paid home without a huge overhead.
This is stage one of my mission for total off grid independence.

It begins today.

all purpose disposal

I bought this oil filter disposal unit as an emergency pee bottle at night just in case I am out on the road.

first trip out!

Just got back from the Gulf of Mexico riding on Great White. Performed like a dream... It really is sweet to be able to travel without bothering to pack at all... whatever I needed was right there... no more of the "Darn, I left it at home!" realization... Even when I checked into the hotel room... all I needed was to pack a small bag upstairs... if there was anything I needed... well. it was just there at the carpark.
I came down here for a conference so the hotel was taken care of.
What a weekend! I can get used to this!

the finished rig

Ah, the van is done! Well, almost. :) All we need is a few more tweaks... we'll see.
I've taken advantage of the ever useful shower rod.  I bought 3. 2 of them go at the back and the front. The third becomes my clothes rod... fastened to the seatbelt metal loop by plastic ties. Very useful those.. plastic ties... and bungee cords. I bought some window curtains from wallyworld to cover the sides... I strung a tight line from front to back using the ever-available seatbelt bolts to secure them on top... then threaded the curtains all along the length of the van... I gotta say... this setup sure warms the vehicle! I really want to go up north and test out this setup... but for now, I'm still burning down here in Texas.

Never one to throw away anything, I made good use of the plastic packaging the curtains came in... they had a small hook on top and they zipped up so you can see a couple of shots here where I placed some bath and shaving gear... pretty soon, those will be filled with various things maybe like pens, coins... etc... easy reach and in clear plastic containers so I know what's in them... and they hang high so they are out of the way. I like it so far!