So, things are beginning to come into focus. We took our first real step this week, upgrading our truck to something capable of towing the rig we’re considering. When our oldest daughter saw this, she remarked, “Holy cow, this is real. This is happening!” It sure is, Mad; it sure is.
The Floorplan
We’ve also fairly-well settled on the right floorplan. Although this is not where we started originally, the Grand Design Momentum 397TH is looking like the right option for us. It has a space for our youngest daughter to call her own when she comes home from college, that being the bedroom in the garage with the bed and full (mini) bathroom. This beats her having to crash on the couch in the living room, only to be woken up early (and grumpy) every morning when we can’t sleep in as late as she’d like us to. We can reasonably expect her to come home for Christmas and summer break for solid chunks of time at least for the first 2 years. I can also use that space as an office when she’s not with us, and my heart already sings at the thought of coffee on that back patio overlooking some amazing view. And the office gives us a space for the motorcycle and the dogs’ kennels without trying to squeeze them into the main living space.
The Timeline
This may be super-aggressive, but it’s what we’ve decided. So, now in my mind, it’s a done deal. Now my goal is to make it happen. We have 12 months; 10 for Chris. Neither of us can stand the thought of waiting any longer. Even now, 12 months seems like an eternity. It will be like a river that starts out broad and meandering, only to grow gradually more narrow, fast-paced, and stressful as we get closer to the end. On November 1, 2021, we’re going over the proverbial falls.
- October – June – Debt Elimination Plan
- Pay off small credit cards
- Pay off Hyundai
- Pay off Motorcycle
- Build savings
- May 2021 – Gen Graduates
- August 2021 – College
- Gen moves into college
- Sell house and Kubota
- Chris can stop
- September – October 2021 – Upgrade Camper
- Camper deposit in August
- Use existing camper
- Trade in existing camper for new camper
- Jody exploring options
- November 1, 2021 – Begin
- Sell Kia
The Money
The focus for the next 12 months will be on eliminating debt, building savings, and living our lives. We can’t drive ourselves – and others – completely crazy with this. But if we do it right, come August of next year, our situation will look different.
- We’ve upgraded the truck, so one “unknown” is now “known.” We chose to go ahead and upgrade our existing truck based on the advice of our financial advisor. The current pandemic and political climate have produced a truck shortage. So, Chris shopped around for the best price on his truck, found a fantastic deal on a new one, and traded in on a 2020 Ford F350 dually. The new truck is beautiful!
- The other unknowns remain unknown right now – final price and payment of the camper, Gen’s tuition bills, and my job.
- But here’s what I think we’re looking at:
- We will “gain back” approximately $4885 in monthly expenses out of the $7000 that we normally spend.
- We will need to spend approximately $3200 going forward. That amount will change a little with the upgraded camper and accompanying insurance, internet, and Gen’s college tuition.
- This does not include monthly spend for fuel, food, camping fees, etc.
- Health insurance remains an unknown until I know something about a job.
- We will need to use any proceeds from sales and bonuses very careful to make smart decisions that will set us up for less stress in the future.
The Unknowns
Talking about the unknowns helps me get the crazy mess out of my mind and start to make sense of it. At this point, I’m sure there are so many more that I’m not even thinking of, but these are the unknowns that I can see right now:
- What I will do for work
- Health insurance
- How we will build savings
- Camper monthly payments
- Gen’s tuition
- My tuition/student loans
Floating Along
For now, we wait and prepare. And we must learn to be content with that. Like it or not, we have months of workdays still in front of us. We have debt that needs to be eliminated and savings that need to be padded as much as possible. We have yardwork to do, groceries to buy, classes to complete. There are cheer competitions to attend and family to visit. We have the holidays coming up, one week of which will include camping. We must keep the faith and stay patient. This time of floating, as we wait to round the corner into next year, will seem the longest until the pace begins to pick up as we enter the spring. Tangible efforts, like upgrading the truck or writing this blog, allow us to dribble our fingers in the water a little as we float along, eager to get to the rapids then the falls that will mark the beginning of this journey.
