Checked another one off the list today. I have been very ambivalent about getting some kind of storage set up or just sacrificing everything at a yard sale then donating/trashing the remains. My friend has a farm in the country and told me I could move in a sea container. Sea containers are those big metal transport units you see on the railroad cars. When I first inquired about them three months ago, they could be had for about $1700. Given the fact that they are air-proof, dust-proof, weather-proof and I had a free place to store it, it seemed like an ideal situation. Last Friday, I went to two places that sell them and called several other places inquiring about them, only to find out the very best price I could get was $4500. Sea containers didn't seem like such a good idea, now. I inquired around the city about storage units. Smaller, not hardly adequate units, rented for $100 a month. Another disadvantage was they didn't allow garage sales out of your rented garage. So that was $1200 a year to store stuff. Which means in a years time you have $1200 more on top of the original cost of stuff. Does it ever end? I think it does. I think the old proverb"out of sight-out of mind" comes into play here. I did rent a storage unit today and I think it was a pretty good deal. It's 15' x 25' and probably 12 feet high. I got the price and then negotiated it down to a one year lease paid in advance. The good news is it was only $600 for the whole year. So I get to keep my stuff for half-price. I feel good about this. It's not far from here I live, and it's in a safe location. I can also do some sales out of it which will help. It's hard to sell anything at the last minute especially when you're desperate to get moved out.
I got a phone call from the local RV dealership. They had a new model toy hauler arrive, and wanted me to look at it. It was very nice and I asked for the price. I was told it was somewhere between $58,000-$62,000. We have three RV dealerships here and I visit each on a regular basis. One of the things that puzzles me, is how they are not ashamed to ask almost full retail price. If you've ever shopped for an RV, you owe it to yourself to get on the Internet and comparison shop. There are several true wholesale dealers. I found the exact same model in Danville, Virginia for $42,000. That's about 1000 miles from here. It's also a $16,000 savings. I have asked the local dealers about this and showed them where I could save from $8-$10,000 by going to an out-of-state dealer. I see the same units every time I'm looking on their lots. Occasionally they get a new unit, for which they ask full retail. Seriously? They had rather pay interest on their inventory, that just sits there through the winter, then to try to match another dealers price? Thank God for the Internet. I've talked to the place in Virginia several times and have been informed that they sell 800 toy haulers a year. I can see why. When push does come to shove, of course I'll drive 1000 miles to save $16,000. If I haven't told you yet, I'm frugal. Not cheap, frugal. Or, as I used to say,"My tastes are simple, I want only the best".That makes a lot of sense. I learned a long time ago that the higher-quality product is most times less expensive. Simply because you don't have to replace it as often.
A friend of mine proof-read my blog earlier today and pointed out some glaring errors. Funny how you can read something over a time or two and not see them. I would ask you, my readers, to gently call it to my attention when I have either misspelled, erred in grammar, or left my participle dangling. Thank you.
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| MICHAEL and TR going to OURAY, COLORADO |
Having patience. I've heard it's a virtue. I've learned not to ask God to give me some (patience). I know that good things come to him who waits. It just seems different now. The days seem different now. Time seems different now. My goals have changed and my outlook is somewhat askew to what it was before. And some days really just drag by, while others flash by. I have found it helps to make checklists to keep track of your tasks as you trudge toward your goal. But who would've thought I would ever downsize from 4000 ft.² house to a rubber-wheeled palace? I did, that's who. I have been fascinated by the full-time RV lifestyle from the first time I heard about it. When I told my friend TR what I was going to do (get a toy hauler, etc.) his answer surprised me. He said "You've just been talking about it for the last 10 years. When are you going to do, wait until you're 70, or dead, before you start?" He is very supportive of my plans, of course he would be owing to the fact that he has a big diesel truck, a Harley, and a 40-foot toy-hauler. He also has a wife. He stated that's the one thing that keeps him from joining the ranks with me. I can understand his point of view.
Checked another one off the list today. I have been very ambivalent about getting some kind of storage set up or just sacrificing everything at a yard sale then donating/trashing the remains. My friend has a farm in the country and told me I could move in a sea container. Sea containers are those big metal transport units you see on the railroad cars. When I first inquired about them three months ago, they could be had for about $1700. Given the fact that they are air-proof, dust-proof, weather-proof and I had a free place to store it, it seemed like an ideal situation. Last Friday, I went to two places that sell them and called several other places inquiring about them, only to find out the very best price I could get was $4500. Sea containers didn't seem like such a good idea, now. I inquired around the city about storage units. Smaller, not hardly adequate units, rented for $100 a month. Another disadvantage was they didn't allow garage sales out of your rented garage. So that was $1200 a year to store stuff. Which means in a years time you have $1200 more on top of the original cost of stuff. Does it ever end? I think it does. I think the old proverb"out of sight-out of mind" comes into play here. I did rent a storage unit today and I think it was a pretty good deal. It's 15' x 25' and probably 12 feet high. I got the price and then negotiated it down to a one year lease paid in advance. The good news is it was only $600 for the whole year. So I get to keep my stuff for half-price. I feel good about this. It's not far from here I live, and it's in a safe location. I can also do some sales out of it which will help. It's hard to sell anything at the last minute especially when you're desperate to get moved out.
I got a phone call from the local RV dealership. They had a new model toy hauler arrive, and wanted me to look at it. It was very nice and I asked for the price. I was told it was somewhere between $58,000-$62,000. We have three RV dealerships here and I visit each on a regular basis. One of the things that puzzles me, is how they are not ashamed to ask almost full retail price. If you've ever shopped for an RV, you owe it to yourself to get on the Internet and comparison shop. There are several true wholesale dealers. I found the exact same model in Danville, Virginia for $42,000. That's about 1000 miles from here. It's also a $16,000 savings. I have asked the local dealers about this and showed them where I could save from $8-$10,000 by going to an out-of-state dealer. I see the same units every time I'm looking on their lots. Occasionally they get a new unit, for which they ask full retail. Seriously? They had rather pay interest on their inventory, that just sits there through the winter, then to try to match another dealers price? Thank God for the Internet. I've talked to the place in Virginia several times and have been informed that they sell 800 toy haulers a year. I can see why. When push does come to shove, of course I'll drive 1000 miles to save $16,000. If I haven't told you yet, I'm frugal. Not cheap, frugal. Or, as I used to say,"My tastes are simple, I want only the best".That makes a lot of sense. I learned a long time ago that the higher-quality product is most times less expensive. Simply because you don't have to replace it as often.
A friend of mine proof-read my blog earlier today and pointed out some glaring errors. Funny how you can read something over a time or two and not see them. I would ask you, my readers, to gently call it to my attention when I have either misspelled, erred in grammar, or left my participle dangling. Thank you.
Michael
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