FINALLY DID IT!

Yes I finally shut down the store.  It wasn't easy but certainly easier than I thought.  I drove myself nuts worrying about what to do with everything but it all came together.  Books were sold or donated, shelving was sold or donated, and my brother, daughter and myself ended up with a lot of wood.

Lots of books left

Books all boxed & waiting for pickup.

Empty shelving

I'll be using some of the wood for the van build out.
To start with I have a metal bed frame & I bought a twin mattress.  The mattress will need to be supported with slats which I will make from some of the wood I kept.  Then I will need a way to anchor the whole thing to the floor of the van in case of an accident.  Any suggestions?
I'm also planning to use some of the wood for building a cabinet or shelving in the back of the van.  I've looked at a million build outs on the internet but I want something very simple.  I'll probably take a trip or two before actually building out the kitchen area in hopes of discovering what will work best for me.
Last but not least, I must find a part time job to support my travels.  I'll worry about that later.
Great to be back on here.
Everyone have a great day!

Travel is in my future

My dream situation would be having my house paid for and being able to save money for travel.

 Here I am in my mid 60's and still needing to work to pay the bills.  I don't mind working but I'm not able to earn enough to make the house payment, upkeep and save to travel.  And I will be in my 70's before the house is paid off.

My business is not doing well and barely pays for itself.  This small income and social security just covers my living expenses.  There is nothing left over for savings.  If I close my store and go to work elsewhere at my age I'd be lucky to make anything above minimum wage.  Financially I don't believe I would be better off.

In 1995 I traveled with my mother and step-father to California and back.  They drove their small motorhome and I drove my mini van. It was a wonderful  6 week trip, but at that time I didn't think I would buy an RV because of all the expense and work involved in traveling in an RV.  We stayed in campgrounds - some state parks, some privately owned - I enjoyed the experience but it seemed like a lot of work and of course gas was expensive.  Gas is twice the price now.  Please don't misunderstand.  I loved the trip.  The freedom to travel for 6 weeks was amazing.  Every evening we would sit down and decide how far to drive the next day depending on what we wanted to see along the way.

Now I'm contemplation living in an RV full time.

 If I close the business and sell my house I could buy a RV to live in and travel some.  My days would be filled with work camping jobs and maybe some volunteer work.  When not working I would have to stay at boondocking sites because I wouldn't be able to afford a RV park.

I have spent a lot of time in the last six months reading blogs by fulltime rv'ers.  RVSue, Simple living, Travels with Emma and many many more.  Their experiences have made me believe this can really happen. 

For now fulltime RVing is the direction I am working towards.  We will see where I end up.