Home Repairs Progress

Slowly...very slowly...we are making progress with our to-do list.

Our awesome neighbor graciously offered to help Henry lay the new bathroom floor in our basement bathroom.  Finally after 5 years of our basement being finished, we have a floor in the bathroom!  We went with the cheap peel-n-stick vinyl floor squares which cost a grand total of $27!  (We actually got about 5 too many tiles so really about $22!)  Sounds quick and easy, but it still took 7.5 hours to complete on Sunday.  Seriously...our neighbor is pretty awesome.  The floor looks great!

Today, a handyman came and grouted and caulked our upstairs bathrooms.  That has needed done for months.  So glad that is now complete too!

I did my little part in helping out.  In our 4th bathroom, I used Goof Off to get the red paint off the sink and faucet.  (Sage painted his pinewood derby car, got paint on his hands, washed his hands, but got the red paint everywhere in the sink.  It would NOT come off.  That was some crazy strong paint).  Goof Off worked!  Now our sink is snow white again.

Next up on the list...buy and install new water heater.  Hopefully my brother comes in town this weekend to help Henry do that.

Job Announcement

It's official now!  Signed, Sealed, and Delivered.

First a little back story...

We decided as a family to move to Florida on January 1st, 2014.  Henry went into his work on January 2nd and announced to the other managers that he would be leaving the company at the end of May.  We had no plan.  He had no other job lined up.  We didn't know where exactly in Florida we would settle.  We just knew we were going to move and everything else would fall into place.

That very same day, he got offered a position that would allow him to stay with the company, but would also allow him to move anywhere.  The position actually had to be created just for him so it has taken 2 months to finally solidify everything.  Human Resources had to create the position/the salary, post the job, Henry had to submit his resume, 'interview', and be officially offered the job. He has been with his company for 15 years and has worked his booty off for them.  He traveled every week for 5 years.  He has been 'on-call' all.the.time.  We uprooted our family to move to Chicago years ago.  Then, uprooted again to move back to Ohio.  Now, he will be able to work from home...(from our RV).  His title is something like 'Senior Customer Support Manager' or something like that.  He just needs internet access and cell phone connection to be able to do his job...and maybe some peace and quiet.  He will have to travel here and there, but hey...the whole family can come along in the RV!

Piece by piece, step-by-step...everything is falling into place.

Doctors

One thing to consider when we decided to move down to Florida was having to get all new doctors.  That right there is a full-time job.  We see a lot of doctors, considering we are healthy!  Today, I have spent time scheduling appointments before we take off this summer just so we are all caught up on everything.  I don't want to have to deal with finding doctors and going to appointments as soon as we get down there.

Today I have called:


Sage's Allergist - Appointment to renew Epi-pens and talk about a super, serious prescription allergy medicine for him especially for his spring allergies is this Friday.  I believe he will be 'graduated' up to the adult epi-pen.

My Endocrinologist...This was actually my biggest concern.  I have to make sure that I have enough Synthroid before I leave to last a whole year.  As of right now, I have enough to last me until middle of June so I need to get in to see my doctor which includes me having labs done before that appointment.  He also wants me to have an ultrasound to make sure all is good.  (For those who don't know, I had thyroid cancer 6 years ago.  I have to see my endocrinologist every year and do ultrasounds every year.  I also have to take Synthroid every single morning when I wake up.  I can not (I repeat...can not) go without this medicine).  SO...the receptionist this morning said, "Well, he can see you tomorrow morning at 10:30 or in July."  Great options.  We don't plan on being here in July, so I took the 10:30 appt. for tomorrow, but then called back to cancel it.  Gotta get Scott on the bus at 11:15 so that doesn't work for me.

Pediatrician - Scheduling appt. for Sage's 9-year check-up for April.  Scott won't be due for a well check-up until end of June ....after we have gone...so his doctor said that we schedule an 'ill appt' in May just to get him seen.

Dentist - Scott and I had are 6 month cleanings last week.  I have to go back 1st week of March to have a cavity filled!  (I haven't had a cavity in forever!)  Sage also has his cleaning first week of March.  Henry's appt. is in April.

Dermatologist - Scott has a mastocytoma on his leg that we have to keep watch on.  This appt. is first week of March.

Eye Doctor - We will all have our annual exams in April.

The BIG Daddy!

Yesterday, we spent our day looking for a new RV home.  Henry from Day 1 of agreeing to live in an RV was interested in checking out the drive-able RVs...the Class A Motorhomes....the Big Daddies...the billion dollar ones.  Well, not really a billion dollars, but pretty darn close.  I, for some reason, didn't like the idea of living in one of those...5th wheel, yes...but motorhome, no.  I had watched some youtube videos of people living in them and read multiple blogs, but I just couldn't see us living in one (not to mention the huge price tag!)  Well, we decided just to go check them out to officially rule them out.  

Darn it.  Our search just got more complicated because I liked them.  The salesman took us in one, and it was all fancy, blinged out.  You name it, it had it.  Then he tells us the price.  $225,000!  Henry says, "Is that the sticker price?"  Salesman says, "Oh no, that's the sale price.  Sticker price is $295,000."  What the what??  No wonder I liked it!

So, Mr. Salesman takes us into another one.  (Mind you, we made it very clear that $225,000 was nowhere close to what we were going to pay).  Well, Motorhome #2 was just like Motorhome #1, but it was 3-years-old and had a light, neutral interior.  Major pluses were that it had a FULL-size residential size refrigerator/freeze (just like we have now), a DISHWASHER, and WASHER/DRYER!  The only things I was not crazy about was that there was no official 'bunkhouse' like a 5th wheel has.  It does have bunkbeds, but they are located in the 'hallway' right next to the master bedroom...literally.  There is a door that goes between the bunkbeds and master bed, but still...it's right there.  So the boys wouldn't have their own bedroom which means it lacks some very needed storage for them.  I also didn't like there only being 1 bathroom.  The 5th wheel had a bath and a half which I think is a must.  It had a lot of open floor space in the living/kitchen area which Henry liked the best.  Well, and he loves that the traveling part will be super comfy and convenient for all of us.  While traveling on the road, the boys can be buckled in at the booth, and they would be able to watch the huge flat screen TV or play games on their X-box.  We love that there is a built-in generator so we could 'boondock' for 4-6 days without being plugged into any utilities at a campground.  So after we all decided that we could see ourselves living in it, Henry went into the Salesman's office to 'talk numbers'.  After about 10 minutes, I went to check on the progress.  It was a no-go.  Sales price was $183,788.38.  What the what?!?  Ouch.  That's just crazy talk.  I said, "That's the price of a house!"  Henry said, "Well yea, it's a motor HOME."  

Needless to say, that is way over what we are going to spend.  However, we now know that Class A Motor Homes are pretty darn nice so we are looking at possibly a WAY cheaper one.  We shall see.  Below are some pictures of the MotorHome #2 that we saw yesterday.  

Meant to be?

So...remember the RV that I fell in love with last Saturday?  Then after falling in love with it the salesman then tells us it's already sold.  Well...guess what?!?!  Mr. Salesman just called to say that the buyers backed out of buying it so it's back up for sale!  I don't know whether to be so excited or so scared too death!  Ha!  So guess what I did right after getting that phone call?  I went to Target and bought new bath towels and new plastic dishes for our RV.  Ha!

Plastic, but Microwave and Dishwasher safe (but we won't have a dishwasher!)  

We NEED new towels whether we get an RV or not.  Ours are only 10 years old!

Bummer Sale

We're selling about 80% of all our possessions in order to live in a RV.  It's February.  In Ohio.  It's freezing.  It's snowy.  We can not have outdoor garage sales right now so I attempted to have an indoor sale in our house today.  I'm apart of several Facebook shopping groups...much like craigslist, but just on Facebook.  People sell items and search for items to buy on these Facebook pages.  I advertised the sale on these pages as well as my own Facebook page.  I had people send me private messages for our address.  Forty-eight people requested our address so that they could come to the sale.  Guess how many showed up?  TWO.  TWO whole people.  (Well, one of them brought a friend, but she didn't count).  TWO people came out of 48.  Although only two people came, we still made $58.00!  I thought that was pretty good!  And this is why I'm trying to sell our stuff 3.5 months before we are to move.  It's going to take a long time to get rid of everything.  Anybody need a shower curtain?  Or a rug?  Or some curtains?    :-)

This is only some of the items for sale!  

RV Shopping

Today, we went to Tom Raper's RV dealership in London, OH.  Looking at RVs in the cold weather plus snow and slush is not exactly fun.  We have to walk through 6 inches of snow to get to certain ones to see.  The boys can't help themselves from playing in the snow which then makes them cold and wet.  Oh well.

This place had an indoor showroom!  So we did get to stay warm and dry while looking at a few.  Our salesman today was nice, but didn't come close to being personable, professional, and knowledgeable like our Tiny Tim was last week at the other RV place.  He started us out today with the Mack Daddy (not it's real name, but should be).  I fell in love.  Like hard.  It is a 5th wheel with a bunkhouse (this is a must!).  It's a 2014 Columbus by Palomino (Forest River).  I did take pictures today, but my camera should be fired.  It doesn't capture the beauty very well.  After I fell in love, the salesman then tells me that it's already sold.  Nice.  We could order one, but it will take 2 months to get it.  (Which is a fine timeline...we want to head down to FL end of May).  OH...then he also tells us it's only a 3 season.  We want a 4 season one.  (A 4 season means we could survive in -15 degrees without all our pipes/tubing freezing and busting).  Do we plan on being in that cold of weather?  NO!  But we never know where the road may take us so we need to be ready for anything.  

The boys sitting around a fake fire outside of a little camper.  This is in the indoor showroom.

Kitchen with island, double sided fridge/freezer, stove, oven, microwave

Large flat screen TV, lots of storage, and working fireplace

We didn't care for this table and chairs.  We can order one with the booth.  I want a booth for the extra storage underneath the seats and because it can be made into a bed if need be.  You can see the leather couch a tiny bit.  Loved that it had leather couches since we have 2 messy boys.  

Scott picked his bunk!  Below him is another bunk.  

Couch in boy's bedroom.  Love that it's leather and has storage underneath it.  Above it is another bunk bed (it's just folded up so you don't hit your head when you are sitting on the couch).  

Standing in the 'boy's bedroom'.  This is their TV on the wall with a table that folds out underneath.  

Half bathroom next to the 'boy's bedroom'.  I didn't get a picture of the full bathroom because my camera died.  

Scott on top bunk.  Nice size 'closet'!

Master bedroom with awesome storage (2 closets and 1 dresser)

No, we didn't buy this one, but this is the floor plan we want.  

Would you, could you...in a RV?

There is no way to announce this without sounding crazy.

Would you move out of your 3000 square foot home that has 3 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, finished basement, upstairs laundry room, fully updated kitchen...a house that has all the bells and whistles...and sell 80% of your possessions...TO MOVE INTO A RV??  As in, LIVE in the RV??
On purpose!?!  For fun!?!

We would!!  And we hope too!!

I am SOOOOO stinkin' excited about this that I can't adequately put it into words!!   It has been a DREAM of mine to travel across country in a RV, but I just always thought about a 2-3 week vacation.  I didn't really think about LIVING in one...until recently.  And man...when my brain starts these plans, I can't stop the process.  It took Henry a little encouragement to agree to it, but when he realized how great it would be financially for us, he saw the light.  See, he's a 'numbers guy'.  Those darn little things mean so much to him.  I.could.care.less.about.them.  That's why we work so well together...well, one of the reasons.

We plan to still make the trek down to Florida and hunker down at a campground.  One that has amenities like a pool and laundry mat!  We'll stay there as long as we can handle it, but then we'll be able to pick up our little home, and move to the next stop.

We want to a RV dealership today...yes, in the below FREEZING temperature and SNOW...but we fell in love with one!   This is the place we went, and our salesman was 'Tim Maccabee aka 'Tiny Tim'.  Totally recommend this place and him!

"Does Henry have a job in Florida?  How are we going to be able to move around if Henry is working?"  Very good questions!  I can't disclose the fine details of that just yet, but short answer is, "Yes, he has a job.  Yes, he can do the job from anywhere as long as he has internet / cell phone connections."

"What about school for the boys?"   We homeschool!  And if we are traveling around, it will be called, "Roadschooling".

"Aren't those RVs so expensive?"  Yes and No.  Henry has a Prius right now.  A monthly payment for the RV we want will be LESS than his Prius payment.

"What kind of RV are you getting?"  We want a 37' Jayco 5th Wheel (this one below has already been sold).  It has a bunkhouse in the back for the boys, and they would have their own bathroom.  There is a master bedroom as well.  (Both bedrooms have DOORS that shut!  Very important!)  The kitchen has everything I need including an island.  There is an outdoor kitchen too!  There is a couch, 2 recliners, a fireplace, and table.  I didn't take any indoor pics.

"What do the boys think of this plan?"  Sage is SOOOOO excited!  He has always said that as soon as he can move out that he was going to be a nomad and travel the world...so he can not believe that he gets to do it as a kid!  Scott doesn't grasp the whole concept, but seems excited.  They both were so incredibly excited today when we were looking at them.

"Are you keeping your Prius and mini-van?"  No.  We are getting rid of both to get a big 'ole Ford F350!  Please pray that I can drive that thing!  My days of driving a 1-ton truck when I was a secretary in college will come in handy!

"Are you selling your house in Ohio?"  No.  We are renting it out.  As of right now, we are using a Realtor to find tenants for us, then having a property manager 'manage' it while we are gone.

"What are you doing with all your possessions?"  We are selling and donating probably about 80% of our stuff.  The more I get rid of, the easier it gets.  It's so addicting once I start letting things go.

"Isn't this idea just crazy?!"  Yes, yes it is, but we are so excited for the challenge!

How to lease out our house...

 I spoke to a Realtor about listing our house with her to lease.  Then she put me in touch with the property manager that she works with.  (Ugh...hate ending a sentence with the word 'with')!  So basically, if we list our house with her, she would put it out on the MLS, then that would automatically make it go out to a bunch of other websites that people use to search for a house to rent.  She (or the other Realtors that she works with) would be responsible for showing our house to potential tenants.  Her fee is one months rent.  So if we rent our house for $1800/month to someone, then she would get paid $1800.

If we choose to use the property manager that she works with (totally optional), then he would be responsible for getting the lease agreement together, doing credit checks on potential tenants, handing over the keys to them, fixing anything that needs repaired while the tenants are living here, collecting rent money, and evicting tenants if they don't pay.  He charges 6.5% of the monthly rent.  So if we rent out our house for $1800, then we would pay him $117 every month that our house is being rent out.  This seems like a smart way to spend $117 every month to me.

Henry and I are completely opposite in our thinking.  He wants to pay $1800 for a Realtor to find tenants.  I don't.  I want to pay $117/month to have a property manager manage our home while we live many miles away.  He does not.  In the end, we will probably use both services.  We are going to speak to a couple more Realtors and a couple more property managers just for comparison sake.