While staying in a campground recently I was discussing with a fellow camper about a new thrift store to visit. I over heard another camper ask, "What exactly do Full-Timers do all day?" I thought it a better idea to answer by explaining just exactly what Full-Timers don't do all day.
The Daily Grind
The most important thing that Full-Timers don't do, especially if they're retired, is go to work, anymore. At least not the way you would think. Full-Timers don't get up at 4 a.m. to be at their job by 5 a.m. Full-Timers don't punch a time clock and they don't limit themselves to a 30-minute lunch and two15-minute breaks.
Full-Timers are their own boss so they don't have to listen to someone telling them what to do, when to do it and how to get it done. Full-Timers don't have to go to bed early because they don't have to wake up early to get to their job on time.
They don't have to get their children up for school because they don't have "children" anymore. By this time they are old enough to get themselves up in the morning. Full-Timers don't have to eat breakfast at breakfast time, lunch at lunch time and dinner at dinner time. In fact, Full-Timers don't have to eat anytime they don't want to eat. Essentially, Full-Time RVers don't have to do anything they don't want to do.
Paying Dues
Living full-time may mean you don't have to wait for the mailman to arrive. However, that doesn't exempt the Full-Timer from monthly bills. They still come due and need to be paid in a timely manner. Cellphone, charge cards, vehicle insurance, etc. can all be paid online. Online banking has become a popular asset for the full-time RVer. Making a deposit or withdrawal is as easy as opening a laptop or making a phone call.
There are several things a Full-Timer doesn't do within this category of paying dues. Those living full-time in their RV don't pay mortgage payments because most Full-Timers, like my husband and myself, don't own a home. They don't pay property taxes, state taxes or county taxes, and that, my friend, buys a lot of gasoline.
Full-Timers don't pay electric bills, they don't pay for trash removal and they don't pay for city water and sewer. Full-Timers don't pay for a home phone or Internet service. Internet most places on the road is a free amenity and most often offered by the cellphone provider. If the Full-Timer is lucky, their adult children have a Direct TV account with which they can utilize one of the Direct TV boxes. In such cases Full-Timers don't even pay for Direct TV.
Day In and Day Out
Full-Timers live day-to-day in their RVs just like others live full-time in their homes built with sticks and bricks. The difference between the two is a full-time lifestyle affords the Full-Timer the option of not staying anywhere they don't like.
Full-Timers don't live in a stationary house so they don't have to mow the grass because they don't have a yard. Full-Timers have plenty to clean, but they don't have to clean out the garage. Full-Timers don't trim shrubbery and they don't whack weeds. Most Full-Timers spend the winter months in a warmer climate so they don't have need of a snow blower and they don't shovel snow.
Lastly, during the summer swimming pools are a staple in most all RV parks. It can be safely declared that unless they volunteer their services, Full-Timers don't clean, vacuum or maintain a swimming pool and they don't pay for a pool membership.
Jones vs Jones
When all is said and done, be careful not to judge a book by it's cover. Not all full-time RVers are cut from the same cloth. Some have jobs, many do not. Some flitter around like busy beavers always washing or shining up something around the campsite while many are on a perpetual vacation watching the world go by from under a shade tree in their zero gravity style easy chairs.
Even though one may have a motorhome and their neighbor a travel trailer one thing is for certain, Full-Timers don't entertain a "keep up with the Joneses" mentality. They live life within their means. In our own personal experience, Full-Timers don't compete with each other. It's a community of old friends getting to know soon to be new friends. Outside around the same campfire we're all campers, enjoying living life, full-time in an RV.
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