Quick! I Need $89,000! in Day by Day

We went to an RV show today. Now I need $89,000.00. My husband said he’ll work on it. That’s what he says when I read the Real Estate section and tell him I need a million and a half, so I suspect he’s not as serious as I am. Ahem. Anyway, back to the RV thing.

I don’t want an RV that sleeps a bunch of people. I just want a bed (not a fold out, unless it was a Murphy Bed) for the two of us. I will never have grandchildren and the idea of 4 baby boomer adults trying to live in a small camper with one bathroom is beyond unappealing to me. However, a salesman pointed out that most people do want multiple places to sleep and resale was important, so I kept that in mind as I looked.

I looked at a Class B+, thinking that’s what I wanted, but it came with a wet bath, and that is one of two deal breakers for me, the other being a bed I have to assemble every night. The B+ that I looked at was tight. A kitchen slide-out would have helped make it feel more spacious. I enjoyed looking at the retro Airstream trailers, but we’re not interested in a trailer or a 5th wheel.

I found a Class C that I liked, which is why I need to find $89K that I’m not using. HA! It was by JayCo, had a bedroom, a separate shower in the bathroom, and good storage. I’d remove the dining banquet and put in a couch and use collapsible tea tables for dining. The other thing I didn’t like was that the passenger seat didn’t swivel so that we wouldn’t have just the couch as a seating option.

So, for the fun of it, we looked at the $250,000 model. Holy cow! How de rich do live, y’all! Slide-outs everywhere, sleek design, 2 living room couches and room between to dance comfortable (thanks to one of the slide-outs), a dining area that is spacious enough not to cut your breath off by tight quarters and a POWDER room in addition to the master bath! The master bedroom was roomy and there was a washer and dryer unit in one of the closets. LOTS of bells and whistles: slide-out pantry and cutting board, a tv that hides away, etc. But, geez, it would be like driving a semi tractor-trailer down the road and many places don’t accommodate the really big units.

And that brings me to the other camping drawback: RV parks, which can sometimes be like Third World countries. If we did this, we’d probably try to set things up the way my brother-in-law did: they’d travel from park to park and register as volunteers in the senior program. The yearly pass is cheap and if they worked 20 hours a week (one person can do all 20), they could stay free. They said the work was easy and the rangers would often show them places not normally seen.

Stole the survey from Gypsywynd who probably stole it from someone else because she’s shameless like that.

Do you make your bed?

Every. Single. Day. I forced myself once to leave the house without making my bed. All day, I obsessed over leaving a messy bed. My room looks cleaner when my bed is made. I like order.

The first car that was officially yours?

1964 Thunderbird. Power steering, electric everything.

Three grocery items you don’t run out of?

I run out of EVERYTHING! I suspect this question is really asking me what do I always keep stocked up? I keep things fairly well stocked, but I guess my answer to that would be milk, juice, and English breakfast tea.

When did you start doing your own laundry?

No idea. Probably in high school or when I moved out on my own.

If you could, would you go back to High School?

No. I don’t attend reunions, either. The few people who would interest me have already joined my facebook group, so there’s really no need.

Can you parallel park in 3 moves?

No. I do not shop/visit places requiring parallel parking. I did it to get my license and never had the need to again.

A job you had which people would be shocked to know you did?

Hmmm…I’ve not held any “surprising” jobs. I was a counter girl in a donut shop, night manager at Burger King, bank teller, bookkeeper, vice president of our finish trim company. Oh, and summer jobs: making computer switches in a factory, sales assistant at a Top Value Stamps redemption center (that should date me!).

Do you think aliens are real?

If there are aliens, I hope they NEVER appear to me! I’d have a heart attack!

Can you drive a stick shift?

No. And I have absolutely no interest in learning. I tried once. Too complicated. Automatic is easy. Why drive myself crazy when easy gets me there just as fast?

Guilty TV show you watch?

I don’t feel guilty about it, but I get teased for it. I love my soaps. I’ve watched them since I was a little girl. While I don’t remember when they were on the radio, I remember when “As the World Turn” was 15 minutes long on the black and white TV. I’ve seen movie stars before they were stars: Marissa Tomeii, Meg Ryan, Kevin Bacon, come to mind…ooh, David Hasselhoff!

Would you rather be too hot or too cold?

Cold, I guess. I’d rather be comfortable!

If the world ends do you want to be one of the survivors?

I liked Gypsywynd’s answer: If the world ends, will there be any survivors?

Sweet or Salty?

Both. Together.

Do you enjoy soaking in a nice bath?

No. I have a vintage clawfoot tub but never use it.

Do you consider yourself strong?

No. But others think I am strong. They’ve no idea.

Something people do, physically, that drives you crazy?

Oh, men who spit! SO gross! I’ll never understand it. It turns my stomach.

Something you do, physically, that you are sure drives other people crazy?

Talk.

Favorite childhood sport?

Hmmm…I was raised as a traditional Italian girl. My brothers were little leaguers. I took ballet lessons. I loved playing hopscotch and jumping rope.

Do you talk to yourself?

Yes. I always have.

Do you like doing jigsaw puzzles?

I used to do them all the time, but haven’t put together a jigsaw puzzle in years. I enjoy puzzles in general, especially crosswords.

Tea or coffee?

Tea. Twinings English Breakfast tea. And my favorite big mug. And one Truvia package. It isn’t hard to make me happy.

First thing you remember wanting to be when you grew up?

Big, so that my knees would be as tall as my mother’s as she sat up in bed, reading.

No matter how much money you have or don’t have, what are you an absolute snob about?

What a loaded question! First off, I don’t think of myself as superior and snobbery, to me, is about feeling superior to others. On the other hand, I am a fallible human and live in a First World country and I’m sure that there is a lot of subconscious snobbery. I have certain preferences: brand names for some items, to live in a safe part of town, which schools my kids attended, but I don’t look down on others if they don’t have such things. I know! I’m a snob about snobs, because I DO think I’m better than them! There! I found my answer!

End of survey.

We’ve been watching the National Geographic shows on “Drain the Ocean/Great Lakes/etc”. Fascinating. I’m also enjoying “The Great American Railway” series, but I don’t think it’s produced by Nat’l Geo. I think you’d enjoy both.