We Rv 4 Fun.com Blog

Turn on the news and you will hear sad tales of how people are losing their homes because they bit off a little more than they could chew financially. Isn’t it just amazing that our countries GDP is based upon consumer spending.  For years Americans have been spending more than they make.  Big SUV’s in the driveway, huge Flat-Screen TV’s, vacations, all bought with credit.  We know of many people who took out “debt consolidation” Home Equity Loans (HELOC’s), convinced their home price would continue to rise, and unconcerned about repayment.

Now that the price of borrowing is too expensive, shopping has taken a nosedive. Fortunately, our family realized long ago that things don’t bring us hapiness or security.  Rather, having no debt and having a nice cushion in the bank account affords us to sleep well most nights.

Soon after Rich and I married, we realized we were traveling down a path of long work hours and little quality of home life. Long hours at the office meant we saw more of our bosses than each other, and we didn’t like it. Like many of our friends we were becoming victims of “stuffitis.” We yearned for less stress and a simpler life, but really thought we were destined to be in the rat race until we turned 65. We started to accumulate debt, like so many young couples. Once we had Morgan, I became a stay-at-home-mom, and our income was cut by one-third. (more…)

Chances are a Camping and RV Show is coming to a venue near you in the coming weeks. Camping and RV shows are common in the winter, when people are busy planning their future camping trips for the spring and summer. What is better to do during the inclement weather of winter than imagining yourself camping in your RV? Often located indoors in fairgrounds or other heated locations large enough to handle the large amount of units and people that attend, RV shows charge a fee to both exhibitors and attendees. Coupons for $1 to $2 off your purchase can usually be found online and in the local newspaper. Here is a search tool to find RV Shows.

RV shows are a great resource for anyone considering an RV purchase.  You can find hundreds of different types of camping trailers and RV’s in one location; everything from Pop-up campers to expensive Class A or Bus type Motor Homes. The units are open to the public, so you can sit at the table, mom can look in all the cabinets, dad can look at the engines, and the kids can bounce on the beds (the well behaved ones don’t, but mine do…). I guess that’s why some of the more expensive Motor Homes are not open to the public…?

Many dealers will have factory representatives available to answer even the most difficult of questions.  A few years ago, we were interested in one particular unit, but didn’t want to wait the 12 weeks for delivery.  The factory rep was able to get on the phone and find us a unit that would be available in 2 weeks! We ended up passing on the unit, but found the service refreshing.

The dealers are ready to wheel and deal, so if you are dead set on a new model RV, bring yours to the show and you can work out a trade on the spot. If you see an RV that you must have, the best day to work out the best deal may be on the last day of the show, when dealers don’t want to go home with all that unsold inventory. Likewise, expect a little hard selling if you show any interest in a particular unit. Although, for the most part, the dealers are fairly laid back with the sales pitches; after all, they have thousands of people roaming in and out of their units during a show.

The shows are also a great opportunity to find out about other industry resources. Representatives from regional camping resorts and campgrounds are available so visitors can make reservations, get brochures, and find out about area activities.  Booths dot the grounds with offers of gadgets to make your RV lifestyle a little easier, crafts for sale, and my husband’s favorite; the jerky man who sells all kinds of wild game jerkies. Fare such as hot dogs, nachos, and burgers are available.

So if you are not sure what to do when the weather is rotten, beat the winter doldrums and get out to an RV show near you this weekend!

Planning a trip to Ocean City Maryland this summer and plan on camping?  Ocean City is a hot family destination for a lot of people living in the Virginia/DC/Maryland area. Bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and beach on one side and the Isle of Wight Bay on the other, OC offers fishing, water sports like Jet Skiing and kayaking, Parasailing, and of course, lots of sand and sun.

The beach stays pretty crowded, as does the boardwalk with it’s amusement park and carnival like atmosphere. So if you are craving a quiet, serene, or less expensive vacation, you may prefer nearby Assateague Island National Seashore and State Park (limited hook ups) or travel farther south to Chincoteague, Virginia.

While there aren’t any campgrounds in OC proper (other than the condo-type where the campers are 20 years old and people have built houses around them), there are a number of campgrounds within 30 minutes of OC.  This may turn out to be a relief to those of us who can’t take the constant crowded conditions and hustling that takes place on the Boardwalk. You can play on the beach all day, then retire to your RV for a respite. (more…)

Family camping trips are a perfect way for families to reconnect in a natural environment away from all the stresses of work and school. There are camping destinations to suit every budget and desired activity; from amusement parks to beaches to mountain lakes.

 So far our favorite family camping destinations are:

Bar Harbor, Maine Whale watching, Acadia National Park, lobsters and blueberries. Bring your appetite and your wallet!

The Adirondacks of New York (upstate) We spent time in Lake Placid; my DH was in Fly Fishing heaven

Maryland camping (our home state, so we spend a lot of time here) Assateague Island Seashore and Hagerstown

Fiesta Key KOA, Islamorada, FL The entire island is the campground. A guitarist plays Jimmy Buffet tunes at the Tiki Bar next to the pool which overlooks the water. Need I say more?

Williamsburg, Virginia (The big attractions here are not the campgrounds, but Busch Gardens Amusement Park and Historic Williamsburg and Jamestown).

Shenandoa, Virginia (this KOA doesn’t have all the amenities, but I love it. It is tucked into the woods at the base of Massanutton Mountain; big stone fire pits and a hiking trail connects the campground with the State Forest trails).

The Weatherman screwed up again!

The weather report called for Saturday am, turning to snow Saturday night, with frigid temps Sunday. We figured we would pass on skiing Saturday, leaving that morning for Hagerstown, then ski (maybe) Saturday night and Sunday morning.

Pack the RV, drive to Hagerstown, set up at the Jellystone Park. 45 degrees and not getting much colder. We took a nice walk on a wooded trail that runs the length of the campground, reveling in the peace of the off season. Usually we have to take care not to get run over by kids on the rental 3-wheel bikes. (more…)

The ideal food for camping or RV’ing would be delicious, nutritious, take very little room to store, and wouldn’t need refrigeration.  Preparation would be minutes, and wouldn’t take anything more than boiling water and stirring.

I am not talking about Ramen Noodles, folks, but something much more satisfying. (more…)

The first step to trying to save money and live a more simple life doesn’t lay in your checking or savings account. Whether you are a saver, a spender, or somewhere in the middle, here is an exercise that will benefit just about everyone!

For you spenders with the maxed out credit cards; a low bank balance or maxed out credit is not the barrier to your dreams, whether you dream of early retirement, changing jobs, or just cutting back on work hours for more quality time. Rather, limited savings and/or a lot of debt are the symptoms of the underlying problem that prevents one from realizing their dreams. This disease is one I like to call “stuffitis.”

Like spilled milk, lamenting over a low balance and bills will not immediately fix any problems. However, so many feel paralyzed by hopelessness and just don’t know where or how to start cleaning up their finances.  Well, don’t fret because there is something much simpler that you have a lot of control over that can greatly influence your future and make you feel much better in the short run.  And that thing is…. (more…)

Following is a copy of a post I recently made on the www.irv2.com forum on a discussion over whether now is a good time to buy a new RV.  It pretty much sums up the way we feel about finances in general.

For those of us without unlimited funds, and about 50 years of life expectancy in front of us, we have learned to temper our “wants” with “enough.”

A 4-slide $250K depreciating asset that gets 7 mpg just doesn’t’ make sense for us (that doesn’t even consider the maintenance expense!). And we are in the top 5% of savings for our age group (40 yrs). (more…)

Our ski weekend was scrapped due to warm weather ;-( on the bright side, the temps are supposed to be in the 50’s this weekend, so it won’t be all bad.

Our RV is sitting in the driveway, awaiting our next adventure.  We are thinking of going to Whitetail Ski resort (also in Pennsylvania) next weekend. There are more blue slopes there that us neophyte skiers can enjoy. Since we recently just graduated from green slopes, we will probably sign up for a family lesson with an instructor to keep from wiping out the more challenging ski runs.

I am not sure if they allow dry camping in the parking lot like Ski Liberty, but the Jellystone Park in Hagerstown is only half an hour away, and one of our family favorites.

The ski season is quickly winding down, and since I work the rest of the weekends in February, this will probably be our last opportunity to take the RV on a ski trip.