Spending money like it's going out of style!

I knew the base price of my RV was not going to be the only cost I would incur to become an RVer. But I am quickly finding out there are a lot more hidden and unexpected expenses that are taking a big bite out of my savings.

Of course, I knew there would be license and insurance, plus all the items that I want to stock the inside with. But I didn't anticipate the expense of widening the gate to my back yard, grading and leveling the entrance to that gate through my front yard, and ramps to get up over the curb to my yard. And frankly, I never even thought about a service warranty for my new (used) Winnie Minnie, but it's certainly a requirement for me since I can't handle repairs should anything go wrong. All of these things are adding up to many thousands of dollars.

I have been slowly purchasing some items that I want to have inside the rig (mainly the kitchen). I'll take a lot of the things I use on an every day basis from the house to the MH for at least the first year, but over time, I want to purchase as many duplicates as makes sense so I don't have to pack and unpack so much stuff every time I come and go.

My rig will need new curtains right away, as the ones in there now are pretty sun damaged. Other than that, there's really nothing urgent that some Mr. Clean or Comet won't fix. I may eventually recover the dinette cushions if I can find something that coordinates with the existing color scheme, but they are fine for now.

But amidst all this never ending drain on my bank account, I don't have any buyer's remorse about the coach I bought or my plans to hit the road.

I Did It!

I am the proud new owner of a Winnebago Minnie 27 ft Class C motorhome. It's the one I've had my eye on at RVTrader.com for a few weeks, and today I talked my brothers and sis in law into going with me and we drove down to Tucson to check it out. It was everything that I want and more, so I put a down payment on it and signed the contract. They are going to keep it for me while I get a wider gate installed in my side yard.

Here are a few pictures I copied from the seller's website.

This is going to make working for another 10 months that much harder. I already have short timer's disease. Now I have an RV and I'm anxious to get on the road.

A Woman's Perogative

I can change my mind, can't I?

After all the analysis and arguments for why I wanted a trailer, I've changed my mind. I've been visiting lots of RV shows, and to tell the truth, those fifth wheels kind of scare me. They are really big and intimidating, and thinking about towing one on an interstate or through a big city is kind of  overwhelming.

I read a LOT of RVer's blogs, and a few that I have been enjoying lately are written by women who travel solo in motor homes. I would really love a little Class B for road tripping, getting in and out of cities and towns, better gas mileage, and being able to stealth camp; but I just don't want to live in such limited space. Even if I am only going part time, I still want a little more room. And my original requirements still stand: separate shower in the bathroom, a bed that stays a bed, a small slide out to give a bit of extra room. That's why I have been thinking more and more about getting a Class C.

My [expert adviser] brother agrees that it would be a wiser option for me. He also says I could tow a small car and hardly even know it's back there. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I actually have driven a motor home. My folks owned a small class A back in the 60s and 70s and I drove it quite a lot.

So I've been shopping online and found one I really like. It's in Tucson, and I think I will try to drive down and see it and maybe give it a test drive this weekend. It's a 2005 27 foot Winnebago Minnie. From the pictures on the web, it looks like it's in fantastic shape. I guess I'll see, and then I'll update more.