Rolling Down the Green Hill Towards REtirement 😊🌄💚💜

greent

Suffolk_lass said:

We are fellow motorhome owners; ours is 21 years old and still going strong having had all the seams redone and a bit of welding.

I would be very interested in what you have gone for - and if you are interested, a private discussion about gas, checklists (before you go, when you arrive, before you leave, when you get back) and whether SOG are any good. We rarely use hook-up except in the autumn as the light fades, and prefer small 5-caravan/motorhome type sites.

You won't regret it as long as it's a good build

We've gone for a Swift Escape 664,  Sleeps (and seats) 4. Definitely interested in any and all sorts of useful info. We've done the big tent thing and had 3 caravans (last one sold during covid to someone needing extra space for a relative to live in) - decided that we prefer the idea of a bit more comfort! Not sure what SOG are...?

greent

newgirly said:

Oh wow that’s so exciting! I’d love one, maybe a nice long road trip through the highlands to start with? 😁 

Well done on the the vinted sales, it’s such a great feeling to make a bit extra without it being to much of a pain, the weighing and post office queues bit always put my off fleabay, this is so much easier. 

Vinted is definitely easier than flebay. Marketplace is still good - DH found 3 things in the garage loft on Friday after I'd posted and I listed them and 2 sold that night.

Jessy103

How exciting about the motorhome! Wishing you lots of great adventures x

Suffolk_lass

A SOG is a kind of vented chemical toilet so you don't have to add chemicals. A tip some neighbours gave is to criss cross 2x2 sheets of thin toilet paper over the closed toilet slide, so that it just drops into the loo with a quick rinse and keeps the bowl clean (sorry!) - it works.

Speaking of chemicals, many sites don't like the blue toilet stuff, only green, and we don't use the disgusting pink stuff which stains the toilet bowl. We keep a small bottle of Zoflora and dilute a little if needed. UK water is treated so you should only need to flush your fresh water tank with tap water to keep it clean, and a bottle of cheap SM cola down the sinks before driving and then draining your grey water tank over a drain, will stop your sinks getting stinky. We wipe our plates with kitchen paper before washing to minimise any fat going down the sink too.

The checklist is too long to post here but I can copy and paste it in a PM...

MerryHen

Ooh very exciting about the motorhome. Can't wait to hear about your adventures.
I hope you've all had a good start of term

savingholmes

Enjoy the motor home hope you manage to have lots of adventures.

Good luck to DS - and to you - as he flies the nest.

Alchemilla

The motorhome is vv exciting.

greent

And he I am again..... 

Quick catch up:
DD got engaged last Oct. She and fiance bought a house about 10 mins drive away and moved there over Easter weekend. Of course I've done her a spreadsheet and house pic in excel of £500 blocks to colour in for overpayments  
DD moving out has meant a bit of a move-around here. DS2 has moved into her room (same size as DS1's, but has an ensuite) - DS1 ok with not having ensuite. As DD took ALL of her bedroom furniture (and a whole heap of other stuff from the garage!) we have bought new carpet, bed, bedside cabinet, lights & bookshelves for the room - which meant new bedding (went from sgl to dbl), blind for window and redecoration. Had 2 desks in home office, so one has gone in there and had a spare c-o-d in garage also. DS3 has moved his bedroom into DS2's old bedroom (new carpet, bookcase, lights & blind purchased, redecorated) and kept his old room as an office/ gaming room. Shelves for there bought/ got for free from mktplace and paint is just being refreshed with the colour it already is.
It has been a great 'excuse' to get the boys to have a good sort-out and loads of stuff has been recycled, some stuff sold, some stuff to CS and some binned. DS3's rooms are almost fully bottomed out, DS2's not far behind - I then just need DS1 to do his room - he lives like a student at 25, and I am fed up with the state of it in there.

DH still has no job - although has had a couple of weeks contracting work. He can't decide whether to be retired or not - and I'm not getting him to start drawing any pensions if he's still thinking about working - not tax efficient at all! He is a bit of a rubbish househusband, though! - I still do far too much cooking and cleaning here and spend much of the school hols sorting things/ doing life admin.

As ever, I'm on a mission to have less 'stuff' here - I've been watching Stacy Soloman's 'Sort your life out' and it has inspired me to get rid of some things - although not my excess stash of Meth0d and Ine0s cleaning products - I must have about 50 or more spare bottles in the garage!! (insert blue shrieking emoji here!!) (when we don't have pr1me I add them to orders for free delivery!) As above, I've been selling/ donating/ recycling/ binning things with a vengeance! I've also lost 2.5 stone since Feb (it's so hard!!), so some clothes have gone - I'm not buying anything new, yet, just finding clothes from the back of the wardrobe that were too small. I may get some things from V1nted for work come Autumn. I am on the waiting list for an op, so needed to get my BMI down - and I'm about 3lb off from their max allowed weight (although still overweight). The summer at school was helpful - lots of chicken salads for lunch and berries and 0% Greek yog for breakfast  

We haven't used to MoHo enough at all yet. Plans to use it more this summer are slightly on hold - DS2 messed up several modules of his uni course, so there are some resits to do, which we are awaiting dates for. Argh!!

Talking of DS2, he had an optician appt today - £290 for new glasses and £45 for the appt!!! Ouch!! He's turned out to be very expensive - he's broken 2 phones at uni and a laptop..... (Yay for insurance!!)

I'm sure I've missed heaps out, but my brain is mush x

Debsnewbudget

So great to read your catch up 

greent

So 2 things sold on fb00k this morning before I'd even got out of bed 😁 Spent the funds (and a bit more) on the last bit of furniture  (from fb00k) for DS3's games room. On closer inspection we definitely overpaid, but we should have checked it more thoroughly at the vendor's house (felt somewhat rushed and there was also no room, though) Ah well - it matches the rest perfectly and we've done a repair to it and I've cleaned it 😊

More things listed on fb00k/ v1nted and flebay today. My 'listed' pile is now larger than my 'to list'pile - yay! 2 bags also put by the front door to drop off at the CS.

Picked the first 3 tomatoes from the garden today 🍅 Have a bumper crop of plums / pears🍐/ eating apples🍎 and Bramleys🍏 to come, by the look of it (had a brilliant crop of cherries, too 😋🍒)

Currently debating whether to go to Lakefest 🎵 next week in the moho🚐- friend is selling 2 tickets for a bargain price (would still need to buy moho ticket, too)