On the RV Road and Broke? Raise Money Fast

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photo courtesy Rialta

Your own doll house  on wheels takes you on the freedom road with everything including the kitchen sink.







When an RV Traveler Needs Cash NOW
copyright Janet Groene

    Did you ever find yourself out of money and far from home while traveling in your RV?  No matter how well you plan you could have an unexpected breakdown, delayed mail or other emergency. Fear not.  Here are ways to raise cash soon, sooner and soonest. 

Consignment Shops
    Clothing and antiques are popular consignment items but you may also find shops that will accept anything from a spare wheel to your mother’s wedding ring.
    Pro: No up-front cost.
    Con: the shopkeeper keeps 40- to 50%. Items may sell slowly or not at all.   
    411: Shopkeepers are choosy and may not accept everything you bring. They set the  price, may reduce it after a week or two and could send your items to the landfill after a certain length of time. Know your rights to reclaim goods that don’t sell. Some shopkeepers pay only once a month or only when your account reaches a certain amount, so you could have a long wait for your money.  
Pawn Shops
    Pawn valuables for cash and reclaim them later if you have the money to pay the loan with interest. If not, the pawn shop makes its money by selling your stuff. 
    Pro: you leave the shop with cash in your pocket.
    Con: you get far less than goods are worth. Pawnbrokers assume risk  and deserve a profit.
    411: Interest rates, time limits and other terms of the loan are set by state law and vary according to where you are. Get it in writing.
Online Selling
    The largest and best known of the many online sites is eBay, where you can sell almost anything to almost anyone. There are tricks to the trade and not everyone makes money. In fact, you pay to list items whether or not they sell.
    Pro: you’re selling to a worldwide audience. Some items sell better overseas.
    Con: you have to pack and ship items, pay a listing fee,  and pay a commission on sales.  Unless you name a reserve price you have to accept whatever the auction brings.
    411: entire books are written on successful eBay selling, so expect a long learning curve.
Yard Sales
    This is the easiest way to raise cash by unloading things in the RV that you can do without. If you sell at a flea market you’ll have better crowds but must pay for your space. It’s free to set up in a friend’s yard or at a country crossroads, but results could be iffy.
    Pro: cash in your pocket today.
    Con: it’s hard work to assemble and price goods, display them attractively and deal with hagglers.  
    411:. Yard sale thieves are on the prowl, often in teams. Don’t let anyone inside your RV. Be suspicious of personal checks. Have one or two trusted helpers . Never leave your table or cashbox  unguarded.  Most tyros price items too high or too low. Check prices online to get a ball park idea of what things are worth.
Craigslist.com
    Ads are by city so you find people nearby who want your goods. You  decide how, where and when to meet with buyers. You and the buyer make the deal between yourselves. Craigslist doesn’t take part in the transaction.  
    Pro: it’s instant, local and most ads are free.
    Con: it’s anonymous, so be cautious. It’s city-specific so it’s difficult to sell if you’re in a rural area.
    411: You can’t use this service unless you have e-mail and create a Craigslist account.
Borrow Against Life Insurance
    If you have had  a “whole life” insurance policy for more than a few years, it has built up some equity and may also have accumulated dividends. You can withdraw the dividends or borrow against the equity.
    Pro: the company already has a relationship with you, so money comes quickly and you’re charged a low rate of interest.
    Con: if you don’t repay the loan it comes out of the benefit paid to your heirs.
    411: the policy might also be used as collateral for a loan, leaving your life insurance untouched.  
Structured Settlements
    If you get regular payments from a lottery win, jackpot, annuity, lawsuit or other contracts that pay out over a long period, you might sell the contract for a one-time cash payment. Do an online search for Sell Structured Settlement and  dozens of company names pop up.
    Pro: it’s an easy way to get your own money all in a lump.
    Con: you’re sacrificing reliable, long-term income for a short-term fix. It takes time to shop wisely for the right buyer. Even then you’ll probably get less than if you let the contract play out.
    411: there may be tax consequences.
Cash Transfers
    In this electronic age it’s still possible to get actual cash from far-away friends or family in the form of a postal money order,  cash sent by registered mail or via Western Union.  Transfers can be purchased online at WesternUnion.com, on the phone using a credit card,  or in person at a Western Union location. Postal money orders and registered mail can be collected only during post office hours; many Western Union sites are open around the clock. 

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See Janet Groene's RV-ready recipes at http://www.CampAndRVCook.blogspot.com
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Kids on board? New in the If You Were Me series of children's  travel books is If You Were Me and Lived in France.  Ideal for bedtime reading to children pre-K to age 8, the books tell children how other children live in other countries.                 

Yes You CAN Go Full-timing in in RV and Earn as You Go

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photo courtesy Nexus Viper



Your Second Act

    Are you ready for retirement but retirement isn’t ready for you? Author and career coach Nancy Collamer has good news for you. In her book Second-Act Careers, she suggests 50+ ways to profit from your passions during semi-retirement.    In other words, you might change course right now in your life, allowing you to travel full-time in an RV and earn an income doing what you love. 

     Here are just some of the passions that you might pursue in search of fulfillment as well as profits to support your travels.

    * Writing is extremely satisfying for many women and it can also have a profit motive. Some romance writers earn thousands of dollars a year selling fiction chapter by chapter through Amazon or a personal website. No longer do you have to pay a lot to have a book published, then carry tons of copies around in your trunk. E-books cost little to set up and sell. With a smart marketing program your books can go viral.
    Blogging is another way to make money with writing, although many bloggers communicate more through photos or videos. Collamer points out several ways to monetize blogs but you probably have already seen many of them on your own screen. You might get a sponsor, ask for donations, run ads, sell subscriptions or all the above. 

    * A love for pets can take you into many careers such as doggie daycare, dog walking, pet photography, grooming or selling pet paraphernalia, Collamer points out. Of course, some of her careers will require some fine-tuning when you live and travel in an RV.  For example, you might outfit part of your RV as a mobile grooming studio. 

      A license may be required to operate in a city, county or state. Many campgrounds don’t allow soliciting or doing business on site, so your business model may have to rely on an off-site place of business. You might, for example, make "house calls"  throughout the city with your mobile grooming studio.

    * One of Collamer’s chapters  describes traveling as a tour director. It's an ideal career  for women whose passion is to travel and get paid for it. In the world of RV full-timing, this could mean staying in one place long enough to work as a step-on guide or perhaps a tour director in a large resort campground. You might also organize RV caravans and lead groups of RV-ers through tours they don’t want to tackle on their own.

    * Want to be an entertainer? Get into the fashion industry? Become a sports groupie? Work as a tutor? The sky’s the limit but first you have to know yourself, then know your field, then know how to turn your talents into hard cash. 


    I strongly recommend that you read the entire book, Second-Act Careers. The author explains what training and commitment are required and ways to turn a profit with your skills. She also provides strategies for living by your wits. Fill in the work pages with honest answers. Once you have the big picture before you in black and white, you can stand back and see if semi-retirement, and the roving life, are for you. 

Janet Groene's simple recipes for RVers and campers are found at Camp And RV Cook
If you bookdock, or like to keep some emergency foods in your pantry, see her weekly Pantry Recipe, requiring no fresh foods, at Boat Cook. 
 

Downsizing for the RV Life

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photo courtesy of Coachmen








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SellOut
    Would you love to downsize, move into an RV and chase your personal rainbow? It’s one of the smartest decisions you can make.  Like it or not you’re forced to decide what to sell, what will fit in the RV and what to put in storage until you return to “real life”.  
    Second, you end up with cash in your pocket. Lastly, you start with a clean slate when and if you go back to living in a house again.  I was Early American when I sold out. Ten years later  I wanted Scandinavian modern.

    Here are ways to sell or otherwise get rid of possessions that hold you back.

    AMAZON is a worldwide marketplace but only for the kinds of things sold on Amazon such as electronics and books.
    Pro: Listing is free and fairly easy.
    Con: You pay fees, commissions and you must pay shipping costs even if they are more than the standard allowance paid by the buyer. Items may sell slowly or never.

    AUCTION. In a few, bittersweet hours, everything you want to get rid of is gone.
    Pro: It’s quick, final and all the work is done for you by the auction house. You don’t even have to be there.
    Con: Auctioneer commissions are high and returns could by iffy if the auction isn’t well promoted or is held at a bad time.

    CRAIGS LIST is local and brings in local buyers
    Pro: It’s free and you keep all the money.
    Con: You’re exposed on the Internet, so scammers and thieves know about your sale. The listing process can be sticky until you get the hang of it.

    DONATE TO CHARITY and take a tax write-off.
    Pro: Many charities will pick up donations.
    Con: Unless you take advantage of the tax benefits, you get nothing out of it except the satisfaction.

    EBAY is a worldwide marketplace if you’re willing to pack and ship items. Most suitable for small items.
    Pro: Showcases your goods to a large audience and bidding could lift prices beyond your wildest dreams.
    Con: You pay to list whether it sells or not, then the commission is 10%. You can get paid only through PayPal. Listing procedures and account management require time and attention. You can list items as non-returnable but angry customers could bad-mouth you, costing you future sales.

    FAMILY AND FRIENDS GIVEAWAY. If you believe that this downsizing is  permanent,  now is the time to give heirlooms to the people you would be giving them to eventually anyway.
    Pro: Keepsakes go now to people you want to have them. You don’t have to insure or store them, or worry that they’ll go into the wrong hands in the future.
    Con: There's no money in it for you and hard feelings can result if loved ones think you were uneven in your distribution.

    YARD SALE. You don’t have to have just one; spread out sales over several weekends for the best return. There’s no need to lower prices until the last hours of the last day.
    Pro: You keep all the money and control any dickering.
    Con: You do all the work , from placing ads and signs to hauling stuff back into the house if it didn’t sell. Get help to help control crowds, reduce theft.

    Kids on board?  Get the first of a new series of children’s books for travelers. Colorfully illustrated, If You Were Me and Lived in Mexico is by award-winning author Carole P. Roman. Her books are suitable for reading to kids pre-K to age 8.
Roman will soon add books on Kenya, Norway, South Korea, France and other nations. Each explains how children live, celebrate and eat in their home countries.

Towing Your RV Can Be Easy and Safe

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Tow, Tow, Tow Your RV
    Do you tow a travel trailer? Tow a car behind your camper?  Pull a utility trailer or toy-hauler behind your motorhome?  Hitch a bass boat to your pickup camper?

    BoatUS is for boat owners,  but the advice they give for towing a boat trailer may also apply to RV-ers who tow. 
Advises Boat US:
    1. Check your hitch setup. Make certain the ball is secure to the mount and that pins holding the mount to the receiver have locking pins.
    2. Chains should cross so that, if the trailer comes loose, it will fall into the X made by the chains.
    3. Boat US says it’s a good idea to replace S-hooks, which can break under load,  with screw-type pin shackles, which are stronger and more reliable. 

Some additional tips on towing:
    * When you tow a car behind a motorhome the decision is whether to carry the car on a trailer or tow it two wheels down or four wheels down. All three systems have advantages and disadvantages in  terms of wear and tear on the vehicle, ease of hooking and unhooking, cost of the tow apparatus, easy of driving and fuel and toll costs.  

    * Don’t drive head first into situations you can’t get out of. Learn to back up.  Find a big, empty parking lot and enlist the help of a buddy if possible. Stick with it until you can interpret  what you see in the mirrors and/or rear-viewing  television, then put the vehicles where you want them. Work out hand signals with your buddy.  Shouting in the campground makes you look like a rube and it probably can’t be heard anyway.  

    * Know the exact height of both vehicles in feet and inches. One might fit through the tunnel or drive-through but the other may not. 

    * Learn to estimate distances between your vehicles and others, especially when you are passing or being passed.  Know how steep an angle you can drive over without scraping the bottom of the trailer or motorhome. Expensive damage could occur. 

    * Traffic cones don’t weigh much and they stack, so carry a couple of these small ones in your RV if you have room. Set them up anywhere you find room to practice maneuvering your RV and tow.  They’ll also come in handy if you want to, say, mark an area in a campsite or to indicate that the site is occupied when you’re away. Inexpensive reflectors take up very little room. Stick them in the ground at a campsite, then take with you when you leave. 

    * Whether you travel alone or with a buddy, get out of the rig when you get to a campsite and look over the situation before pulling in. Check the clearance on both sides and overhead. Note the location of hook-ups. Agree on where the rig should be positioned. Then proceed. 

See Janet Groene's RV-ready recipes including a Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week.

Yes, Girlfriend, You can retire now to RV life and make a living on the go

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 As a freelance writer and RV traveler, Janet Groene can earn a living no matter where she is. Writing is one of thousands of ways women make a living on the go

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Yearn to Earn as You Travel?
 copyright Janet Groene
If you think you can’t drive away forever in an RV until you are retired and collecting a pension, we have good news for you. Workamping has been around since 1987, when a win-win-win partnership was established among RV travelers who need work, employers who need seasonal workers and the Workamper organization that brings them together. 

    “ Many employers didn’t quite get it,” admits company president Steve Anderson, who  holds seminars to educate employers about the Workamper model. “Our members aren’t looking for jobs as jobs. They are looking for a job as part of the total full-timer experience. ” The average Workamper job lasts three to four months. Then the worker moves on with no ill feelings. That’s different from job holders who want raises, advancement and a future.
    Workampers gladly work and move on, yet employers are astonished at their work ethic.  Most are reliable, able and hard working. The organization now has about 20,000 members, about half of them future full-timers who may be as much as five and even ten years from living their dream.
    Heber Springs, Arkansas has always been the home of the Workamper family. Now the community has built a meeting center where Anderson gives seminars for Workamper employers and Workamper wanna-bes as well as jubilees for dedicated Workampers.
    Big changes have come to Workamper, some of them due to technology and others thanks to the migration of jobs to business-friendly states. Amazon, for example, has huge new shipping centers in Kentucky, Nevada and Tennessee. Where Workamper jobs were once heavily dependent on vacation seasons (theme parks, campgrounds) jobs in these Amazon centers are now strongest during gift-giving seasons, back to school and the Christmas holidays. The company installed hookups at its sites and loves Workampers.
    The other big change is in communications. Employers can post a job opening on a Workamper Hot Line in early morning and have half a dozen applicants by noon. There are give levels of Workamper membership with the Basic level bringing only the magazine. That gives the advantage now to higher-tier members who have access to the Hot Line.  
    At the same time many full-timers work full-time but no longer rely on brick-and-stick employers. They make a living over the Internet or by working arts and crafts fairs. Many have a relationship with employers who use them for the same period year after year.
    If you are an RV-er who needs to work at least part of the time, or you long to live and travel in an RV but need to work as you go, Workamper.com may just be the pot of gold at the end of your rainbow.

See Janet Groene’s RV-ready recipes at Camp And RV Cook.  

When stocking your RV, put in a good supply of shelf-stable foods for emergencies. They could be personal, financial, mechanical or due to an event that affects your travel plans such as a forest fire or flood. Food is insurance you can eat now or later. Click on Red Plum coupons top right to save on stocking up.


If you have a real galley for people people, check out this stainless steel, deep, 9 X 13-inch baking pan for a lifetime of RV use. The metal lid makes it vermin-proof, spill-proof storage. It's deep enough for lasagna, shallow enough to fit most galley ovens and the lid doubles as a cookie sheet.  

News and Views About Women and RV Life

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Look at all the space in this
Sportsman 2303 travel trailer












Where Mother was WRONG
copyright Janet Groene

    Before they wise up, teenagers think Mom is wrong about just about everything. As it turns out, much of what we learned at Mother’s knee WAS wrong. As a woman who travels in an RV, you have unique needs and concerns. Consider these new rules of the road.    
Disposing of Pharmaceuticals
    Mom thought she was doing the right thing by flushing unused drugs down the toilet to keep them away from kids and pets. Now we know that many prescription drugs kill the flora in campground septic tanks. Worse still, some exotic drugs are finding their way into ground water that ends up in our taps. 
       Take surplus medications to a pharmacist. If she won’t dispose of them for you, she’ll know how disposals are handled in this city.
    No matter what you do with old prescriptions, remove and destroy labels to protect your privacy.  It’s nobody’s business that you are taking a mood enhancer or birth control. Worse, a dumpster diver could be looking for names of people who use pain killers or other narcotics, intending to rob them.
Treating Burns
     Putting butter on a burn is as passé as putting a steak on a black eye. According to MayoClinic.com, first aid for minor burns is to hold the burned area under cold, gently running water for at least five minutes or until  pain subsides. If this is impractical, immerse the burn in cold water or cool it with cold compresses. Cooling the burn reduces swelling by conducting heat away from the skin. Don't put ice on the burn, Mayo warns.
Forestry Management
     When I was a Girl Scout, we “good citizens” didn’t cut live wood but we did chop up dead trees and fallen branches for firewood, and we gathered dead twigs for tinder. Now at  many places it’s forbidden to pick up deadwood.  Campers must bring or buy firewood or charcoal.  Rangers explain that twigs and fallen branches have their place in nature too, and should be left place. Eventually they decay and return to the earth. In the meantime, larger windfalls form shelter or nests on the ground for small creatures. 
    Bringing your own firewood isn't always right either. Some parks don’t allow campers to bring in firewood, or firewood from certain states, for fear of spreading pests and diseases. 
Bottled Water
     “Everyone thought it was so healthy to drink bottled water,” comments medical writer Lisa Stockwell, “But now  the plastic may make the water less healthy than what we get out of our tap.,” Discarded plastic bottles are also clogging our landfills. If your RV doesn’‘t have a water filter, have one installed under the sink with its own faucet right at the sink.
What’s New in CO Poisoning
     It was once thought that children were more susceptible to carbon monoxide poisoning than adults but  studies at Brigham Young University show that some people are simply more sensitive than others. There is no test to tell if you’re at added risk so it’s “like playing Russian roulette with your life”, says BYU’s’s Dr. Ramona Hopkins. CO accumulates in the blood and attaches to the hemoglobin, displacing life-giving oxygen. It’s especially deadly to people who have pre-existing conditions involving lungs or circulation. 
    Smoke detectors don’t “see” CO, propane or gasoline fumes, so you need a dedicated CO detector, preferably one that employs all the latest technologies. 
    It’s now known that “getting over” CO poisoning may not be the end of it, even if you were treated with hyperbaric oxygen. The BYU study found that about 25% of victims suffer later symptoms such as memory loss, nerve damage, depression, anxiety, cognitive disorders, and even personality changes. 
    One problem with CO poisoning is that feels like flu: headache, fatigue, nausea. The last thing to do now is to take to your bed. Check the CO detector first to see if you’re being gassed. If so, get everyone outside and call for help. If you suffer neurological symptoms someday, tell your medical team that you once had CO poisoning.

See Janet Groene's RV-ready recipes at http://www.CampAndRVCook.blogspot.com 

A New Product We All Need
It used to be that we couldn't wash outdoor gear without washing away the waterproofing. Now our backpacks, awnings and other outdoor stuff can be both clean and treated.  I plan to use this first on the spare tire cover, then use it on a day pack, hats and the grill cover. Take a look at the features in this  twin pack. 

Kids on board? Just in time for Cinco de Mayo, award-winning children's author Carole P. Roman has a new book to read to children aged about 3 to 6. They'll love the colorful illustrations  in If You Were Me and Lived in Mexico. 

Woman to Woman, Let's Talk RV Travel and Life

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 photo courtesy RVIA







Be Prepared
 by Janet Groene

      In RV travel I take the old belt-and-suspenders approach. That means having back-ups, redundant systems, a Plan B and a well-stocked pantry. Send your Plan B tips to me at   janetgroene@yahoo.com  Here are some of my favorites.
    * Carry a small solar charger for the cell phone. You may be out of range but never out of juice. If you travel with a partner it’s a plus if you have cell phones from different companies. One may get a signal when the other does not. 
    * Bring cans and packages to make at least one or two complete meals. Store each in its own bag or box deep in the pantry and save for emergencies. Good emergency rations include canned Boston brown bread, a 2-pound canned ham (big enough for company), corned beef, instant pudding, instant potatoes, dried eggs, tuna, canned milk, peaches, green beans, etc.  My recipes for shelf-stable foods are posted each week at BoatCook.
    *Flashlights galore. I love the little LED lights that are so bright, so compact and yet burn so long on a set of batteries. I keep a tiny one on my key chain and a powerful, three-cell LED flashlight that comes in handy indoors and out.
    * Spare fan belts. I may not be able to install them but I have the right sizes with me and can always find someone to help.
    * CB radio is still handy on the highway, especially for getting information from truckers about traffic jams or fuel prices. In areas where there is no cell phone signal, it can be a lifesaver. 
       * Homemade gorp for the trail, snacks, cocktail hour or eating at the wheel when I just don't have time to stop for a meal. Find healthful, economical recipes at CreateAGorp. 
* Gorp is made fresh and as needed for the short term but it's also wise to tuck away some long-term food storage for emergencies. Click on the icon top right to save 15%.    
* An electric hot plate. I love my RV gas stove but the electric hot plate can move outdoors to the campsite’s picnic table. It can be used with a skillet, coffee pot, griddle, saucepan, corn popper or pressure cooker so it's extremely useful indoors and out. 
    * One or two books I haven’t read before. Books are the ultimate boredom buster. I also carry a thick book of hard crossword puzzles for times when I’m too jazzed to read a serious book.
    * A small mending kit.  I usually buy these by the dozen because they are inexpensive yet make such perfect gifts to campground neighbors who share a meal or give me a hand.

See Janet Groene's RV ready recipes each week at http://www/CampAndRVCook.blogspot.com  If you want a reminder each time new posts go up on these blogs, email janetgroene@yahoo.com and put RV in the subject line.