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Michael,
These are the resources I used…
Health Insurance & SD Domicile -> Are There Any Options Left For Younger Fulltime RVers??
Hope that helps!
The propane heater in the YarrVee is surprisingly efficient, as well.
We had a cold snap here in Denver in November (I’m a poet and didn’t know it) and the daily HIGH temperature was 15, and lows were well below zero.
The Propane furnace was set to 55 (as low as it would go), and while the interior hovered around 38 degrees¹ (I’m VERY glad I was still transitioning from the apartment to the RV that week!), 20 gallons of propane lasted over a week, and was only $50 to refill. Even with typical Denver December weather (highs in the upper 40’s, lows in the teens), that refill has lasted a month. I need to go this week, as I’m back down to 1/4 tank.
-Jon
¹ The water bay with a 100 watt lightbulb was honestly warmer!
Pippi,
Now that I don’t have a job that requires me to be in an office 200 days a year, I can select where I want to live based on a location that gives me the greatest personal advantages.
http://www.rv-dreams.com/home-base-selection.htmlFor me, Florida won out over Texas and South Dakota because:
* No personal income tax – I have a one-member LLC, so all of my income is treated as personal income by the IRS, and thus, my state of residence. Now that I’m invoicing my clients at $*cough* a lot, rather than earning W-2 wages, not paying income tax at the state level becomes a Really Big Deal, putting at least an extra $4000/year back in my pocket.
My last paycheck from the old job was on 12/19/14, and my first invoice from the new gig isn’t due until 1/12/15 – so it’s even a clean break between the two states and the two tax years. =)* Since I’m now responsible for purchasing my own health care plan, I can become a resident to the state that has an option on the Exchange that allows for nationwide care at a reasonable price. Florida has one. Texas has one. South Dakota does not.
* Between Florida and Texas, Florida doesn’t require vehicle inspections while Texas does.
* Friends and Family – I have more longtime friends in Florida who would be willing to, say, receive packages (then forward them for me) than I have in Texas.
I have a ton of friends and family in California, but other than that…pretty much everything about living in California is cumbersome. I plan on visiting this spring after the conference I’m attending in April in Las Vegas.
Boz,
I’m in an ’05 Four Winds Hurricane – just me and Figaro, my cat. With the slide out, I’ve got (30′ x 8′) + (39″ X 12′) = 279 square feet of living space, and I’m finding that it’s a little small (though Pippi would LURVE it for the extra space on the floor in the living room!).
I *need* an extra 6″ between the foot of the bed and the forward bedroom wall, and I *need* an extra 4″ fore-aft in the bath – if the coach I have were a 32’er, I’d probably be fine.
I think you’ll be fine in a 33′ Winnie, if you keep in mind the Porsche adage – “If you can’t afford an expensive Porsche, you damn sure can’t afford a cheap one!”
Budget the money you save on the initial purchase price for maintenance and wear items, like…basically every rubber seal in the whole coach.
Expect stuff to break unexpectedly, and plan to have a solid emergency fund of at LEAST $1000 at all times. Not that a newer coach breaks less often – The YarrVee water heater elements (110 and propane) just randomly gave up and quit working this week – having an RV emergency fund is just the best way to manage that risk. =)
