How much income per year (1 Viewer)

[ips]

I am sure this has been done before but I cant be bothered looking (at least I am honest)

Hypothetically if one was to retire (chance would be a fine thing)
and spend next 10years or so bumming around UK and occasional trips to europe in modest MH what would be the realistic minimum income required for a reasonably comfortable existence for 2 peoples.

I know there are lots of things to take into account and no I am not thinking of doing it (only because my personal pension that was sold to me in 1985 when I started my 1st business wouldnt keep me in scotch for a week) just interested in the lucky people who can.

 

[scotjimland]

From my three years FT experience, £12 - £14k ..

that's minimum ,

no fancy sites, using cheap or free Aires and Cls , no lavish meals or behaving like a tourist..
keeping costs to a minimum and doing about 5k miles per year.

as you say, we are all different but I think that's a good kick off point

 

[ips]

Thank you thats about what I expected acctually, just need to get my hands on 150k and I am set for next 10yrs

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[scotjimland]

Thank you thats about what I expected acctually, just need to get my hands on 150k and I am set for next 10yrs

Indeed..

Trying to finance an FT lifestyle by doing 'seasonal' work such as site wardens isn't easy ..

Say you work for 6 months , you need to save at least £1k per month to see you through the next 6 months travel ..

Even with two working, that isn't easy when earning minimum wages , at best it tops up the nest egg.. but like a dripping tap .. it eats up your reserves very quickly .. :Sad:

Full timing isn't a cheap way of living, despite what others say

 

[ips]

Yes I never imagined it being as easy as some would think. I think some peeps see it through rose tinted specs. Cant see it being any fun either if you cant afford any of lifes luxurys but as you say were all different and some may not need a stash of cigars and scotch as I do

 

[scotjimland]

I think some peeps see it through rose tinted specs.

Perhaps the ones I threw away ? .

I was one who wore them.. back around 1995 when we dreamed of full timing and planned to retire early and " Just Do It " there were no forums to get guidance from, we knew no one who actually did it .. by the time we set off there were a couple, but very little good advice.. too much, "just do it", "what are you waiting for" , "life isn't a rehearsal" " do your dream" .. none of that is good advice..

Would I do again ?

Definitely NOT .. not as a true full timer with no home base, long term yes.. but will never give up my home and roots again, it's taken over a year to get back on an even keel and get back to some sort of normality ..

sorry if I've gone off topic, but I think it's important to say as you find, not some romantic notion .. and not as you say.. through rose tinted specs

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[carl65]

thanks glasses just gone in the bin


oh:

 

[rainbow chasers]

Another option would be to have a wintering site, or similar as a base. A local chap does this, and travels between UK and Monaco (outskirts!!)

He has a plot of land in the UK. Which he has permission to pitch his RV. It looks very nice, and is all landscaped. This has benefits, such as no council tax!

He then disappears to Monaco, where he stays on a rented pitch, which costs him around £80 a season. I beleive it belongs to a friend who takes that to cover his power - so don't expect to get the same! lol!

Just gives you an idea - he also pays no tax because he is out of the UK for 6 months of the year.

A similar winter pitch would be handy, as it not only gives you an address for paperwork to go to etc, but gives you somewhere to go if the funds start running low!

 

[marrod23]

hi i agree with jim did it for almost 5 years what a lovely feeling to now have a base although its costly lived on about £200 a week but things have changed a lot in europe in the last 2 years Cheers Rod

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[scotjimland]

Another option would be to have a wintering site, or similar as a base. A local chap does this, and travels between UK and Monaco (outskirts!!)

He has a plot of land in the UK. Which he has permission to pitch his RV. It looks very nice, and is all landscaped. This has benefits, such as no council tax!

He then disappears to Monaco, where he stays on a rented pitch, which costs him around £80 a season. I beleive it belongs to a friend who takes that to cover his power - so don't expect to get the same! lol!

Just gives you an idea - he also pays no tax because he is out of the UK for 6 months of the year.

A similar winter pitch would be handy, as it not only gives you an address for paperwork to go to etc, but gives you somewhere to go if the funds start running low!

Sounds excellent .. he has a UK base and a cheap winter pitch .. :thumb:

I don't want to discourage anyone, only to remove the pink specs.. have a good financial plan and if possible a get out of jail card .. then if you get fed up or disillusioned you have a 'way back' ..

A UK address is absolutely essential , we had none , no relatives or friends we could impose on, so it was very difficult .. we did use c/o addresses but through time this gets very complex..

 

[adenough]

I sold everything in 1988 and took off for spain with 4 kids, wife and volvo estate towing a 13' van. I was in negotiation to purchase an apartment on the Blanca. Worst mistake I have ever made. Job I was promised did not work out and apartment was dodgy but just lost small deposit. The Spanish at the time did everything possible to stop you living and working there. We learned how to live cheaply. Rented apartment in Spanish block and bought fresh food in bulk. We all spoke the language. I gave up in the end and reluctantly retreated back to the UK. Meanwhile property market here had soared. Had just enough to purchase a small terrace for cash in Lancashire [no job = no mortgage] and start all over again. Ended up working up to 80hours a week for a long time to, almost, get back to where, we were before we left. I learned a big lesson about burning boats.

Jim

 

[MrJinks]

Would I do again ?

Definitely NOT .. not as a true full timer with no home base, long term yes.. but will never give up my home and roots again, it's taken over a year to get back on an even keel and get back to some sort of normality ..

I totally agree with you Jim. BUT If you hadn't taken the plunge when you did would you have spent many years wondering what it might have been like.

Sometimes it is better to try something and find it is not for you than to spend the rest of your days thinking "what if ?"

That said, I dreamed of fulltiming for a long time but would never have done it without the backup of a homebase in UK. Some would say coward and that would not be proper fulltiming....so be it , thats me.

My intention now after much soul searching between us and reading so much on here and other forums would be to somehow keep a property in UK and travel as much as we want but know that we can return if we want. Not everyone is lucky enough to afford to do it that way though.

As with many directions we take, there is no right way........only what suits you at the time.

I will take my Confucious head of now oh:

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[madbluemad]

There are thousands of stories like this and its tragic.

Not particularley with mh's - rv's but with people thinking that the grass is greener elsewhere.

I read everywhere, people complaining about their life in the uk instead of getting off there a$$ and getting something done themselves.

Most of the whingers have never been anywhere or done anything notable in their lifes. Its always "this government" and at the mo its "Gordon Brown".

Anyhow, I hope things stay ok for you know.

Jim

 

[Wildman]

I am really surprised every time i see this question. We are all different, all lead different lifestyles some drink and smoke others do neither. Only you know what you can live on. Only you can make a fair assessment of what you would need. Whilst others can tell you what it cost them only you can have a true idea.

 

[scotjimland]

Sometimes it is better to try something and find it is not for you than to spend the rest of your days thinking "what if ?"

I agree Garry

I have done many things in my life, emigrated S Arica where I worked down a gold mine as a sparky for six years, then moved back to Scotland, worked off shore on an oil rig for eight years, then moved to Essex before getting itchy feet and trying a Gypsy lifestyle.. and still found time for two wives and six kids.

Each and every occasion it was an adventure, it formed my character, made me (hopefully) wiser and gives me plenty of tales for the pub and the grand kids .. so yes, it is better to do, but it's a lot better to do when you are informed and know the pitfalls before jumping .. That was my main reason for starting the RVF forum.. to help and advise others who will follow ..

Every adventure, whether good or bad, is worth while, there is no greater teacher than life itself.

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[imprint]

"He then disappears to Monaco, where he stays on a rented pitch, which costs him around £80 a season."

Jim, are you sure you mean Monaco? Or do you mean Morocco?

£80 would hardly buy a decent lunch for two in Monte last time I was there...

 

[rainbow chasers]

"He then disappears to Monaco, where he stays on a rented pitch, which costs him around £80 a season."

Jim, are you sure you mean Monaco? Or do you mean Morocco?

£80 would hardly buy a decent lunch for two in Monte last time I was there...

It is on the outskirts, around 6 miles or so I think, the land belongs to a friend of his who lives there - the fee just covers his electric while he is there!

He certainly could not do it IN monaco! But he can see the town from where he is! Could you imagine the lawsuits if you parked an RV in Monaco?? lol!

 

[violet]

Another option would be to have a wintering site, or similar as a base. A local chap does this, and travels between UK and Monaco (outskirts!!)


Just gives you an idea - he also pays no tax because he is out of the UK for 6 months of the year.

A

Where does he pay his taxes? In Monaco? Could be higher than in the UK.

Violet

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[Wyaye wires]

I am really surprised every time i see this question. We are all different, all lead different lifestyles some drink and smoke others do neither. Only you know what you can live on. Only you can make a fair assessment of what you would need. Whilst others can tell you what it cost them only you can have a true idea.

I agree wholeheartedly Roger. Suck it and see, then you'll never die wondering!

 

[olley]

Hi Monaco doesn't have "outskirts" its built right up to the French border. He will pay French taxes if he doesn't pay UK ones.

Olley

 

[errpaul]

And no taxes if he lives in Monaco, hence the pull for all the super rich

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[Landy lover]

I am really surprised every time i see this question. We are all different, all lead different lifestyles some drink and smoke others do neither. Only you know what you can live on. Only you can make a fair assessment of what you would need. Whilst others can tell you what it cost them only you can have a true idea.

You are spot on there Roger - we have been fulltiming now for 18 months and have met up with many other full timers - each one has a different reason for what and how they do it - we have planned our fulltiming for a further 5 years with exit plans in place for either health or disillusionment in place if necessary - hoping to carry on maybe for a few more years beyond that- our reason for fulltiming is simple to ease ourselves into retirement from our own business where we can now go and see customers without travelling thousands of miles unnecessarily as we work from where we are parked up not from the business base and we can take time out away from the business knowing that our daughter and her husband are in charge as they are taking over and we are just a phone call away if there is any problems. If we didn't do this we would never take time off as we are both I suppose workaholics. ScotJimLand followed a dream and if that is your dream then he did the right thing - for us we must always have a target - a reason for what we are doing. I could not for instance walk for an hour then turn around and walk back for an hour - but we could walk for an hour to go and see maybe an old ruin - a bit of Hadrians wall etc. To sit on a beach somewhere for hours on end doing nothing would be the quickest way to drive me loopy - we are all very different and can only glean ideas from each others experience

 

[artona]

Landy Lover - I think you have described a recipe for success whilst fulltiming. Simple maths says that fulltiming must be a cheaper way of living. If you add the cost of a house plus rates plus gas plus electricity, then add all the things that we feel we must have to go along with the house such as furniture, 2 or 3 Tvs etc etc then fulltiming paying just for a campsite and maintaining the vehicle it has to be cheaper.

However where a lot of fulltimers, imho go wrong is that they do not plan their life ahead, they just wander and lose touch with reality. Most humans need a purpose in life and thats not just to sit about.

We met our first fulltimers 15 years ago when we bought their motorhome. They originated from New Zealand. They had purchased the mh we bought from Germany, travelled around Southern Europe for 6 months in her, then headed for the UK to work for 6 months to raise money by working. They then sold the mh for about 3K profit to us although we got a bargain so did not mind. They intending heading off to buy another mh and this time head for Iceland etc until their savings ran out. What a life, fantastic

stew

 

[scotjimland]

Hi Stew

I'll address your points


Simple maths says that fulltiming must be a cheaper way of living. If you add the cost of a house plus rates plus gas plus electricity, then add all the things that we feel we must have to go along with the house such as furniture, 2 or 3 Tvs etc etc then fulltiming paying just for a campsite and maintaining the vehicle it has to be cheaper.

That would depend on personal circumstances, for example, if you own your house with no mortgage the costs of rates plus utilities would be less than camping fees .. so it's not really simple maths .. each has to do their own calculations ..

Basic CL fees say £10 + gas comes to about £340 per month .. and you may have leccy over and above ... Rates and utilities for a house would be less..

TVs and furniture are a one off purchase, so not living costs .. same as buying a new barbie or lounging chairs for the van ..


However where a lot of fulltimers, imho go wrong is that they do not plan their life ahead, they just wander and lose touch with reality. Most humans need a purpose in life and thats not just to sit about.


I agree that everyone needs a purpose, if your not working when full timing you need something else.. as I've said before, you can only 'do' so many beaches or visit so many towns before it becomes boring .. and as you don't have a social structure or community to fall back on life has little meaning ..


I've given my reasons for going back behind a letter box, and why it wasn't for us. If you don't mind answering, what was your reason(s) for giving up, what mistakes, if any, did you make ?

You said you wished to go back to it, so what will you do differently ?

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[Snowbird]

Heres my tupenyworth, Most "Fulltimers"tend to clear off to warmer climes in the winter for various reasons, re camper to small to live in the cold climes,or not well enough insulated.The problem now is that Spain and even Morroco are not as cheap as they used to be.
When I first started "Partiming" in 2000 I could actualy save money by being in Spain or North Africa in the winter,but alas not any more. The cost of living has gone up more there than here in the UK in recent years. If you are on a fixed income ie pension,investments etc the good standard of living that you had in the sun several years ago is not anywhere near as good now.Many personal friends that I have known for years are now finding it very difficult indead to have there winter break now.
The main thing being the exchange rate,which we have no control over.
The main reson why Benidorm is empty this winter.
If you have burnt your bridges in the UK and cannot afford to take your winter sun, WHAT pleasure is there sitting on some deserted CL in the cold and wet????

 

[dealgan]

Very interesting points of view

Keep it coming.

 

[artona]

each has to do their own calculations I would totally agree Jim.

We never planned to give up fulltiming. We had decided to rent business premises to do short bursts of business and then to shoot off again, we ended up renting a stunning cottage next to it as well.

As we watch our friends wipe off thousands of pounds from the value of their properties we feel lucky we chose to rent, not that we would have considered buying into the rat race again.

But we miss the nomadic freedom of fulltiming. The only mistake we made whilst fulltiming was something not everyone would agree was a mistake and that was going for an RV. For us it was not spontaneous enough. I am currently learning all about converting a van into a motorhome, I am making my own and loving the task.

Come winter we might consider shooting off to Spain for three months. When we return we will consider whether to rent another property. Our approach might not suit many. Neither of us have felt the need to put down roots. Our home is with each other, where ever that may be.

I respect your belief Jim and I know you believe a fulltimer must not have property but I don't. I imagine you want the square peg to fit the square hole and there is nothing wrong with that and my approach is probably the wrong one but if I am the square peg and I want to fit into the round hole I will look to rub down the edges until they fit, as long as no one gets hurt in the process.

I believe that fulltiming means freedom, to live your life as you want to and to look forward to everyday, again as long as no one gets hurt in the process.

stew

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[scotjimland]

I believe that fulltiming means freedom, to live your life as you want to and to look forward to everyday, again as long as no one gets hurt in the process.

stew

I totally agree, we are fortunate to have the freedom to choose how to live, each to their own.

It matters not a jot to me what you or I call our lifestyle, fulltime, part time, long termer or whatever, but it makes it easier to give advice when we know what the poster has in mind.. all too often I read..

I am going fulltime, where can I get insuarnce.. when in fact what they mean is they are going to Spain or wherever for the winter and not giving up their home which is a whole lot different from what you and I did. The yanks call that snow-birding .. far more appropriate than calling it full timing.

For me it's important to give unvarnarnished and honest advice. There is no shame in saying, I did this or that wrong, or it turned into my worst nightmare, few if any get it absolutely right first time around.. and even fewer stick it out for more than a few years..

Good luck with the home build and 'freedom' plans, look forward to hearing and seeing how it's progressing.

 

[movan]

Sorry if someone already said this as not had time to read all the answers, but if you own your own home could you try short term renting it out (six months) to see how it goes. That way you will have hopefully enough income from the house to pay for the full-timing .... again sorry if this already mentioned.

 

[Snowbird]

Sorry if someone already said this as not had time to read all the answers, but if you own your own home could you try short term renting it out (six months) to see how it goes. That way you will have hopefully enough income from the house to pay for the full-timing .... again sorry if this already mentioned.

Of course you can rent out your home, short term or long term.
But once you have done that you lose YOUR letterbox.
Could you expect your tenants to open YOUR mail,and more importantly would you want them too???
Back to square one.

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