An Unexpected RV Visit aka Being a Grownup is Hard

| jamiefeinberg

I have been debating writing this entry because I am simultaneously excited and scared of disappointment.

Last week, I passed an RV in a driveway in Derry that was for sale. It looked like a decent, small class C and had a posted asking price of $5,000. I knew enough from all my research (hard to believe, but we have been RV-shopping on some level for more than six months) to know that I would be extremely hard-pressed to get a working RV without really high mileage at that price. I also knew that our goal of only spending $10,000 on an RV would be really tough in NH – there doesn’t seem to be many selling for less than$12-15K on the private market, and dealers are usually asking $20+. So I told Ross about it, and within a couple of days, we made time to stop by.

First off, we are wusses. It is so nerve-wracking knocking on strangers’ doors and asking for something! Billy seemed like a super nice guy, helping out his friend by letting his RV sit there in the driveway for sale. He didn’t know much about it- for instance, he quoted us 1998 as the year of this Minnie Winnie, but I was convinced it was from the eighties and looking at a few pictures of paint jobs confirmed that. But he couldn’t have been nicer and told us his friend Rainy was the second owner, had bought it to go to a music festival this year,and everything worked great.

After the research I have done, phone calls with Rainy, etc., I think this is a Minnie Winnie with a 24R floor plan from 1988 or so. It is 24′ 1″ long according to Winnebago, and it should have an A/C in the truck, heat and cold air, enclosed shower, marine toilet and little sink, dinette, chair, captain chairs that swivel and a full bed. It has fantastic storage, including a spice rack and a magazine rack, but it is really tiny of course so even having a few wardrobe spaces can’t make up for that. No slide outs, which makes it easy, over cab storage, which is where most of our gear would need to live, at least while parked, and it has a new fridge, an oven, microwave, stove etc.

It is smaller than the RVs we have preferred thus far, but that simplification may mean better gas mileage, and more importantly, it means if we find it isn’t practical to travel with a car, it will be manageable in cities. Not easy, but it can be done. I am sure that we would ditch the dinette and replace it with a compact desk for the two of us – perhaps something that can double as a table if needed, or perhaps we buy a folding table. Other extras I forgot about include a grill, a Honda generator, and I think he might be throwing in camping chairs and such too. There is also a CD player that has been added, tire replaced recently, etc. Some sort of exhaust manifold leak needs fixing.

We can really see ourselves in this for year 1. We know we would eventually want to move up, but by all accounts RV repairs are inevitable, old or new, so this price point is really appealing. We would spend another 1.5K for covered storage this winter – a good chunk of change, but given the fact that I haven’t found any vehicles I would remotely consider in NH under 9K and the fact that once we have our RV, we can stop wasting time/money/gas looking for one, I think it would be worth it.

So we are trying to go into this open-minded, but it is really hard to keep perspective and not get our hopes up. It is a really old vehicle. If my mechanic finds other issues and wouldn’t recommend it, I don’t want to be hassled with it for sure given our plans. If we take it to the campground and things aren’t as we had been told, ditto. I said to Ross, “Wow, this is like buying a house!” And he said “Yeah, it kind of is”. Duh, as we used to say!

I am thankful our mechanic will humor me and take a look. I am also thankful my dad was so supportive of our plans when I called him – he and hopefully his wife Karen, who has owned trailers, can join us to check it out. I have transferred 5K to my account so it will be ready to go. Just need Ross to confirm if we are going cash, check or what. And I need to research and calculate – already found the manual – to figure out how much we can load this thing up without killing our tires or RV.

Wednesday is the day. Stay tuned and keep us in your thoughts!

Setbacks and Soldiering On

| jamiefeinberg

I haven’t written in a while. For months this spring and summer, I felt like I was in a groove. After getting a church job to make extra income on Sundays, I was also regularly picking up voice students and taking on vocal coaching. Plus I have been working on transcribing vocals for a local performer. All fun work that pays reasonably well and helped me to set aside money each month, even if Ross was short on cash, first for Disney and NYC trips and then for RV-ing.

But after doing everything I could to fight fatigue, and finding I had other odd health symptoms as well that wouldn’t go away, I went to the doctor. This led to a string of appointments with my doctor’s office and specialists, tons of blood work, and ultimately a diagnosis of mono. Yes, that illness I had at age 19 is back with a vengeance, and has probably been deactivated for two years – with the symptoms mostly hidden due to medication.

So now while working full time plus extra jobs and a theater company, I need to kick mono. Oh – and keep getting tested for other issues, like maybe lady problems or auto-immune diseases.

Also, our cat Gus died, after a noble fight with kidney disease. And Uncle Sam has us paying far more in college loans now that Ross married someone with money. Right.

So in addition to being sick, we miss our cat and are in the hole for many thousands of dollars – probably 4K or so but who wants to count!

It’s depressing, when I let it be. But I think in a lot of ways this is perfect timing. I don’t want to hit the road with a mystery illness. So we will do what it takes to figure things out, even if we have to adjust our plans a bit. And frankly, it is much easier to deal with these financial setbacks now than it will be once our income drops, or at least becomes less predictable.

I am so thankful to have a warm house, supportive family and friends and most of all a husband with my best interests at heart. Farm fresh produce has also been a blessing and a real treat. Is this a challenging year? Sure is. But if we can get this stuff straightened out, we can totally handle an RV!

I have been making strides. Tubs have headed out to Goodwill and to the local animal rescue, which even has a pet pantry for local families. So happy to know our pets’ leftovers are going to those who need them. And slowly but surely, I weed things out and get more organized. Plus, I took the step of reaching out to our families this year to let them know that we prefer to skip physical gifts as we are working on downsizing. They seemed to be very receptive, but we will see how we do at Christmas!

I think that is it for now. Death is always a reminder of the fragility of life. We need to get out there now because who knows what the future holds.

Till next time!

Planning While Under the Influence of Mono

| jamiefeinberg

Yup. I have mono. apparently. If this was my first time facing mono, I would accept the diagnosis at face value. But I actually had it when I was 19 in college, and apparently people aren’t supposed to get mono twice. So we have some investigating to do…do I have chronic mono? Or another condition as well that is compromising my immune system? The adventures will continue, but in the meantime, I am doing my best to rest up. For instance, I am typing this on my iPad while lying on my bed.

But let’s return to the land of RVs and tour plans. After catching a wonderful concert yesterday by the tUnE – yArDs, Ross and I began a leisurely drive home through North Conway. After a great breakfast at Peaches, we stopped at our first Camping World. Although this one is extremely small compared to those I have seen other bloggers post about, I can see why they are a haven for RVers, both as a free place to crash and as a place to shop for accessories and (gasp!) RVs.

We were mainly there for the class Cs. We were happy to hear they were open for us to peruse at our leisure, and we found a few that we really loved. Some were too big, some were too small, and some were just right. Four Winds had a few styles that we were crazy about, particularly a model with a bedroom slide that went out to the side, allowing more space for walking in the bedroom. We also found one used, and a Dutchman Express (used, 1995) also caught our eye as a very “us” model.

Ross also had some great ideas about ways that I can market my work to churches while we tour, so I am really excited about seeing how that works out. We have so much planning to do but I am hopeful that in a year or so we can get out on the road. Lots of saving to do too of course!

Our savings plans will get a kickstart soon. Ross finishes paying off his credit card debt this month (who-hoo!) so after that, he can save for the rv and touring gear. Likewise, I am on track to meet our Disney savings goals soon. Once that and an NYC trip are complete, I can really focus on the RV. Mono is not going to make it easy – how can I justify using extra energy for part-time, supplemental work? So I need to figure that one out. But I have faith that our dreams are possible, so let’s see what we can do.

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!

Our First RV Show – And Our First Time Looking at RVs in Person!

| jamiefeinberg

I was really excited to attend the annual NH Camping & RV Show. Given that we’ve gotten serious about touring with an RV over the winter months, we knew we wouldn’t have a lot of options (and it wouldn’t be under ideal conditions) to look at RVs locally. And unfortunately from what we’ve found, there is only one “nearby” dealer that carries RVs we would be interested in (presumably small class Cs and class Bs,  up until yesterday) – and that dealer is still over an hour’s drive from us, so with our crazy schedules, even that will take some planning.

So it didn’t take too much convincing for me to convince Ross that we should catch an RV show. We’d already missed the big ones nearby like Portland, but we figured the NH show, while likely on the smaller side, would be a good start. I had a pretty clear idea in my head of what RV shows would be like (lots of people, lots of booths, pretty chaotic and less than ideal parking), but apparently Ross had no idea what he was getting into.

Since I just got a church job, Ross and I drove separately to the show. Kind of a mistake. The poor guy was kind of traumatized at the crowds, so he left to grab cigarettes (and something relatively healthy for us to eat) before braving the crowds. Ross is not a crowds person. I’m not particularly, but for Ross, they incite anger and panic attacks, so it’s a bit more problematic. And in his defense, I really should have thought to warn him about the crowds.

I’m proud to say that Ross handled things extremely well, articulated clearly when he needed to get outside, etc., and it was a very pleasant visit!

What I liked about the show: It was straightforward to navigate. We didn’t bother looking at our maps. Turned out the show was in two buildings, but it was clearly indicated that way. They also had a nice variety of vehicles, so we could look at everything from the A-lines without a toilet or shower (yeah, not really an option for the long-term for us) to the gargantuan toy haulers that made us feel like little people.

What I didn’t like about the show: $10 each was worth it, given our predicament, but would have loved if the fee was more like $5. Ross doesn’t believe in fees for stuff like that, but I do understand that the campground association needs to get their costs back. We were also really disappointed that there weren’t any class Bs, or class B+s, at all! So we’ll need to visit one in the coming months to make sure we don’t need to consider those as well. If we found a nice one with good mileage at a good price, I would love to consider it, but I think realistically for us, we’ll need more space than they can provide so we’ll need a second vehicle (or some sort of trailer) if we go with a class B – which would eliminate a lot of the fuel efficiency, but not all of it.

So what came out of it? Well, we kind of fell in love with a Minnie Winnie. Minnie WinnieTurns out we were looking at a larger one, which had a super nice outdoor kitchen setup, but we liked their layouts overall and if we can afford it and can afford to upgrade to a tow vehicle (MAJOR ifs at this point), I think we’d happily take their smallest model or whatever we could do. It would make us pretty long with the tow vehicle, longer than I would prefer, if we went with the fancy one, but the shortest versions are about 19″ in length, which isn’t too shabby! We also really liked a smaller Winnebago class C that we looked at, which may make more sense for us. We’ll definitely be on the prowl to find these guys used or to make some megabucks in the coming year so that we can afford one new!

Biggest takeaway, besides that, is that it really bugs us when RVs don’t have incredibly efficient storage built in. Upper space should get used, and if there’s a couch, we’ll probably take it out and use the space as side by side desks.

Here’s hoping we’ll have enough banked to look at purchasing one next year, maybe even at the show!

Gearing Up for the Long Haul

| jamiefeinberg

Well, the long-shot job was just that, a long-shot, and it didn’t happen. Bad news for the part of me that was nervous about the craziness ahead, but great news for the part of me that is anxious to get on the road and do something different, and figure out what is next for us in this crazy life.

So I’ve been busy in the past few days now that I have a clear goal in sight again. I’ve created lots of spreadsheets, including touring locations, budgets (current and when we’re touring), charts comparing the advantages of a Class C vs. Class B vs. a glorified van, tips for traveling, a packing list (including both must haves and wants, to help us discern just how simply we can do this) and perhaps most importantly for right now, an outline of the money we’re making and how we can save over the next year and four months, if we want to stick to the plan. Which is the goal, of course. I have another job interview on Monday – this is for a local, part-time church gig. It pays well, I’m incredibly qualified for it, and they seem really nice – and perhaps most amazingly, it is practically always a one-day-a-week gig.

I figure if I can get this job, keep up my part-time freelancing for as long as that pays and help Ross get some steady employment for at least a year before we leave (enough that he can sock a little money away and help a little with expenses would be perfect), we can save a LOT of money. If some of those things don’t happen, it will be harder – and in particular, if something doesn’t change quickly, we’re in trouble, as we’re currently losing $300-$500/month.

But I absolutely know we can do this, and boy, it sure seems easier to motivate myself to work (and give up some of the fun stuff) when there is clear goal and start date for the new adventure on the other side! I hope we can both keep each other motivated and be willing to make the tough choices. Ross is almost done his EP (whoo-hoo!) which will give him some extra time to devote to making money in the arts, getting the business side of things up and running and whatever else needs doing to make this thing happen.

So far I think the toughest part is keeping all of this to myself for the most part. I’m seeing big changes in store for the theater (in all likelihood, we’ll stop everything but the tours and special events, like wine dinners, after 2015) so that Ross and I can do awesome things like write shows and record CDs together. Worth it? I definitely think so!

Feeling really thankful for all of the amazing blogs and articles out in the world to help us with the planning. Will have lots of resources to share here in the coming months.

Oh, and did I mention we’re going to Disney in January for our wedding present from Ross’ sister and husband? Cannot wait. One more thing to save for, of course, but we can do this.

Thanks for reading!

Feeling Groovy

| jamiefeinberg

Okay, maybe not Groovy, exactly. But certainly healthier than I was a couple of weeks ago. Today I have a “preliminary” interview for that long shot job opportunity. Still a long shot? Absolutely. But it will be good for me to have a conversation that looks ahead.

The minuses if I were to get this job are obvious – no motorhome tour, at least right away, we’d have to move to a city that at least on the surface wouldn’t be our favorite thing, and I’d have all the typical challenges of becoming a teacher.

The pluses? A built in simplified life that combines my theater work and my need for income (at least for as long as I can keep it that simple) and maybe even a summer vacation, which would make returning to Canada for regular visits more feasible. Not to mention good benefits and a clear next step.

In any case, it’s got me thinking more about teaching and how much I like it. Whatever the ending is, I’m sure teaching will be a part of my work moving forward. Wish I had weeks to devote to cleaning and organizing my life – so much to do, so little time!

My groovy feeling usually involves rainbows -I love them – and my closet is oddly becoming less of a rainbow than it used to be. Why? Well, I’m realizing that my favorite ways to dress now involve a color palette that lets me interchange clothes and dress easily. So I think when I’m done decluttering, my goal is to have two palettes, with only an occasional dress or shirt to mess with the vibe. The colors? Probably blacks (for theater and music, of course) and brown/pink/purple/tans, which has become my go-to and I absolutely love it with my complexion and my vibe. We shall see if this holds, but I think the writing is on the wall.

Have a groovy day!

Clearing Piles, Confirming Characteristics

| jamiefeinberg

It’s been a surprisingly long week. Funny how that happens sometimes, isn’t it? You’d think that a week where you worked two days, had two days off (New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day) and then worked for one more day would fly by. But despite how busy I was, I’ve been feeling sick with the same thing I’ve had for at least a week, probably two, now, and so does Ross.

I do wonder if depression and frustration contribute to our health as much as they sometimes feel like they should. But regardless of why, we’re not feeling well, and that definitely makes it tougher to find the energy to be productive, both in my day job, in my theater company and other music projects, and in my “work on my future”, so to speak.

We have had a day or two when the idea of “running away” felt tempting. And in fact, my mom is having a hard time accepting that this is what we want – and she definitely doesn’t see it as a reasonable goal. She wants to support us, but she is just afraid for the future I think. My dad, on the other hand, was pretty supportive, in his way, saying if anyone was capable of pulling this off, I was.

I know it’s unusual. But we’ve both always been unusual.

In fact, I can readily attest to the fact that my teachers have always seen me as different – well, at least since middle school, when I had class sizes that allowed teachers to get to know me. I’ve been cleaning out old bins of paperwork and memorabilia, and my mom saved all of our report cards and progress reports, so I’ve actually been reading what my teachers thought about me and my work. It’s pretty cool! Most of them said some wonderful things about how bright my future was – but they also made a point of saying how unique I was, and by eighth grade, how driven. It’s really fascinating to read the comments after the fact, when the consequences of a particular grade are long forgotten but the memory of the class is still there, although quite dimmed.

Of my seventh grade year, my advisor said “shyness has given way to involvement with friends and faculty, and we have all learned what a great sense of humor she has”. I wish all of my classmates had gotten my sense of humor, but it’s nice to know some people appreciated it! Of when I played Glinda in The Wizard of Oz, she said “I was honestly amazed by her strength and confidence on stage in her first big role”. Pretty cool, 12 year old Jamie! And my drama instructor said, “Jamie is off to an incredible start in Drama and shows no sign of letting up. There is some major theatrical potential in this student and I can’t wait to watch her talents develop. Jamie has created some of the most wonderfully creative characters I’ve ever seen from a seventh grader. She already has a unique technique which is truly great to watch.” He also says some things about how kind and considerate I am – but how cool is that! Apparently I had a unique technique at 12 and didn’t even know it. And for the record, yes, I did do well in all of my classes in middle school (although it surprised all of us when I did well in art), but it was clearly even more evident than I realized that music and drama were the place I was most comfortable at that age.

At age 17 (same stage) playing Chava in Fiddler on the Roof. One of my favorites!
At age 17 (same stage) playing Chava in Fiddler on the Roof. One of my favorites!

I’m thankful my mom saved all of this stuff. And I’m thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to see it all. And finally, I’m thankful that technology means I can trash this stuff without actually getting rid of it.

Looking forward to a clearer apartment and a clearer head in 2015!

-Jamie

Feeling the Freedom to Dream

| jamiefeinberg

After I wrote my first post, I had a couple of challenging days. I’ve never done well when the dark of winter sets in – I’m one of the many that have a very tough time functioning without sunlight. But I’m re-orienting myself to waking up early – and I’m finding that if I start one small de-cluttering project, that’s translating into more energy for other things.

Two days ago, I stumbled upon a job listing. I really wasn’t looking for a job. As I see it, the job I have is basically perfect, except that it’s too exhausting for me do forever if I want to also do theater. In other words, not going anywhere any time soon because it is awesome overall and allows me a fair amount of freedom to live my life as I want to.

But this particular job listing looked too amazing to ignore. Do I have a chance? It’s a long-shot, a big long-shot. So I figured, what the heck, I’ll go for it, polish a resume, and see where it leads. But you know the really amazing thing? Because I’m already on the path to a tinier footprint and a simpler lifestyle, the idea of altering my plans completely and moving and starting a new job in August of 2015 just isn’t that big of a deal!

A year ago, I’m sure I would have been worried about how in the world I could make that happen. But now, even though I have an INCREDIBLY long way to go, I’m seeing the progress, and I can look at my apartment and say, sure, you can get rid of half of this stuff and move by August if you have a reason to. No big deal!

It’s definitely the small victories. I’m very thankful that Ross is willing to make regular trips to drop off recycling and donations, they pile up fast!

‘Til next time!IMG_0603

A New Beginning

Image | | jamiefeinberg

Ross and Jamie blurry dance

It’s absolutely insane for me to start this right now. My life couldn’t be busier – well, not easily. I’ve got a fantastic but completely overwhelming arts job that I love and am suffocated by on alternating days. I run my own theater company on a staff of none, a few volunteers, and some amazing actors. And I fit in as much theater, music, dance, nature and family time as possible while focusing on finding time to spend with my husband, Ross, who is equally overwhelmed and having his own life crisis as he juggles teaching music, radio work, live sound and his own composing and band projects.

But if all of this stuff is running around my brain, won’t it be more productive to get it all out? I sure hope so.

I had a dream last night. I dreamt a solution to the conundrum I’ve been pondering, somewhat unnamed, for weeks. If I know I want to go from where I currently am to a life that is simpler, involves a tiny home and a yard in a place with work we both enjoy (and less need of work at all), WITHOUT having to take a fancy job for a paycheck and give up what we care about in the meantime, how can I do that?

“Oh, I’ve got it,” said Dream Jamie. “Downsize your life,  you know, like you’ve been working on. Then maybe get a studio or something else small to save some money. Buy a used motorhome. Put your stuff into storage – but not before you’ve mapped out a tour for you and Ross. It should involve all of the awesome skills you have – you can both teach lessons, maybe write a show together, Ross can run audio, Jamie can teach some theater classes and do some editing work – in other words, you don’t need to save up megabucks. Follow the steps. Once you’ve got the motorhome and your tour dates, you’ll start traveling, spending time in communities you might like to settle in some day. And once the tour is complete, you’ll choose your new community and move there – and start saving for a tiny house, with its own land eventually, for the two of you to live in.”

Of course, right? How did I not think of this? Thanks, Dream Jamie.