Welcome to the RV show

Yesterday we went to our first RV show. RV and boat show, actually... In other words, one enormous room stuffed with speed boats, pontoon boats, bus-like RVs the size of jetliners, more trailers than I could count, and slide-outs as far as the eye could see.

And people. So many people. Until yesterday, I didn't know going to RV and boat shows was a thing. I figured we'd be three of maybe a few dozen people, but as it turns out, a lot of people are interested in boating and RVing. The sea of humanity combined with the fluorescent lighting was a recipe for a panic attack, but I was on a mission - a mission to figure out what kind of unit we wanted - and so I kept the panic at bay long enough to make the admission fee worthwhile.

The goal was definitely NOT to find and purchase an RV. Even the smallest units here were tens of thousands of dollars. (Excuse me while I stop to laugh.)

Oh you know... Pocket change.

No, the goal was just to see what kind of features and layouts we like so that when we're ready to buy our USED RV, we'll know how to narrow the search.

What we learned:

1. Many RVs are larger than our current house. Also much cleaner and better decorated. Fewer Legos on the floor, too.

I will never live in anything that looks this nice.

2. Many RVs are fancier and have more square footage than a New York City apartment (actually, this was not my observation; it was what one of my NYC friends said when she saw my photos on Facebook).

3. Before the show, we'd determined that our ideal RV will be a class C. Class C RVs have bunks over the cabs, and they don't look like buses. The show confirmed that this will be the best choice for us, at least for our initial foray into nomadic life. The class C's we looked at and liked the best had several features that are musts for us:

• A bunk for me and my husband, and a bunk area for my son, with doors or curtains for privacy. 
• A bathroom accessible from the main part of the RV so that my son doesn't need to wake us up in the middle of the night to get to the facilities.
• A spacious table area. I'm planning to homeschool my son, so we're going to need a spot where we can spread out if we're working inside.
• Storage, storage, storage.
• Total length of less than 30 feet.

One of our favorite RVs from the show

4. Our region has more RV dealers than we'd realized. Although we're open to purchasing the right used RV from anywhere in the region, it would be nice to purchase one from within the immediate area. I don't want to travel 200 miles away to check out an RV only to discover that it looks nothing like the pictures on eBay.

5. RV dealers are way less pushy than I'd expected. I get anxious when salespeople follow me around and ask if I have any questions. That didn't happen here. We were able to look around at our leisure. Or maybe what was really going on was that the dealers were taking one look at us and thinking, "Nope. They are definitely not buying anything today."

All in all, it was a good learning experience, one that will inform our research over the next few months as we save, save, save.

Planning, questioning, taking a leap

It's the middle of January, and we're saving and planning. Here's the current rundown of what we've nailed down (in short, not much), what we're still trying to decide, and what our hopes are:

*We'd like to purchase a used RV by the end of the summer and head south for the winter. Ideally we'll find an RV that is clean and comfortable, one that has separate bunk space for an independent boy who probably won't want to be around his parents all the time. I don't need or want an RV that is brand new; they depreciate in value too quickly and we don't have the money for that anyway.

Plus, these months of living in our tiny, old, clean, basic rental has shown me that I feel more relaxed when my surroundings have a little wear to them.

*We're going to homeschool our son. I need to look into homeschooling more - and some of the specifics will depend on the state in which we establish residency - but I'm confident we can make it work. He loves to read, loves to explore, and loves to have adventures. Road learning will be good for him.

*We're looking for freelancing work. My husband contracts with a publishing company, and I recently snagged an editing gig. Plus, I have a Beachbody business that is starting to gain some traction. Online teaching is also an option, though right now those jobs seem a bit hard to come by. We're also discussing the possibility of seasonal work; for instance, I think I'd love to work as a park guide in a national park during the summer months.

That's one thing that may be difficult to acclimate to: living without a fixed salary. But I'd rather freelance than be stuck in one spot.

*We need to embrace minimalism and sell our stuff! Our house is rather diminutive and by many standards we don't own all that much, but the thought of moving into an even smaller space makes us realize that we need to offload a whole bunch of home goods: our couch and armchair, a couple of beds, a kitchen table, a water cooler, a desk, a television stand... Ideally we'll be able to sell some of it and make a little extra cash.

*I need to start cleaning out my office. Ugh.

*We're in the process of paying off several credit cards and other debts. More about this in the future, but in order to pay them off, we cashed out a few retirement accounts (and took the tax hit). We need to reduce our monthly expenses as much as possible before we hit the road. Lack of credit card debt will make a huge difference both financially and emotionally.

That said, we're not going to be debt free. We'll have a car loan and our (somewhat crushing) school loans. I suppose most financial advisors would recommend that we pay those off before making our move, but... no. We'll keep paying our monthly bills on time, and eventually they'll be gone, but in the meanwhile I'm not going to let these stupid student loans get in the way of living.

*We've canceled cable as well as several monthly services and subscriptions. That's another ~$100 a month that we've freed up.

*We need to figure out what to do about our phones. My husband and I both have smartphones that we use all the time, but they're expensive. We've toyed with the idea of getting cheap flip phones, but I'm not sure either of us is willing to actually make that change. It really depends on our freelancing jobs: for gigs requiring quick turnaround, I think having at least one smartphone is worth it.

*Luckily, we currently rent our house and can move out with one month's notice. After the stress of selling our home in Nashville, the ability to pick up and leave so quickly and easily feels like a real luxury.

I'm sure I'm forgetting a million little things and of course all of these plans are evolving, but I needed to take a few minutes to move these random thoughts from my brain to paper.

Aaaaaaaand we're back!

...5.5 years later!

Five years ago I chronicled our journey to pay down debt and live our dreams - and at that time, the dream was to purchase a boat and sail.

So what happened?

We did not purchase a boat and sail. Se la vie. Instead:

*I went back to grad school and obtained a Ph.D. in a STEM discipline. I had a blast. Conferences, fieldwork in the western U.S. and Brazil, lab work, collaborating with advisors and fellow students... even writing the dissertation. I do not regret the decision in any way. Well, okay, I do regret that we re-acquired some of the credit card debt we'd previously paid off, but I still wouldn't go back and erase that experience.

*My husband continued to work online, but shifted from teaching to science publishing. It's a contract job so it isn't guaranteed, but it's a good gig as long as he has a contract.

*We sold our house in Nashville. We waited long enough that we sold it for almost exactly the same price at which we purchased it.

*I somehow landed a tenure-track teaching job at a small college in the rural Midwest. We moved there and crammed ourselves into a tiny house on a dead-end road where my son bikes whenever he wants and I don't worry about him getting hit by a car. I'm currently in my second year of working here. I love low-key, frugal living in a small space. As for work...

*Last week, I quit said job. Why? Because I discovered I do not enjoy rural living... I do not enjoy the politics of academia... and I just can't see myself staying here, in this place and in this job, for my entire career. More to come about the interesting world of academia and the "I just can't quit you!" nature of walking away from it.

And now?

Now... We're kind of but not really back to where we were six years ago:

*We're still seeking financial freedom. We're still in debt. BUT...

*We cashed out some of our 401Ks and paid off most of our credit card debt. I know not everyone will agree with this strategy, but for us, the debt took an emotional toll and we needed to be unburdened of it.

*We still have school loans we're paying off. Damn school loans. If there's one regret I carry, it's the decision to take on school loans when we didn't actually need to.

*We're still looking for freedom... But this time, the plan is to purchase an RV and live as freelancing nomads starting this summer. We're saving up for a used fifth-wheel trailer. The plan is to homeschool our son, move every few months, work remotely, and spend more time with family.

Do I think this is a decision Suzie Ormon would agree with? Haaaaaaaa. No. Many people wouldn't agree with it. But you know what? Life is short. I want to spend my time having adventures with my family, not sitting at a desk. I want to see the country, meet new people, have memorable experiences, and give my son an education beyond the classroom.

So that's the focus of our new blog: Preparing for, and embarking on, this new and exciting journey.