Chickery's Travels

Chickery's Travels logo. A blue-green Earth globe with continents surrounded by dots with an arrow denoting movement or travel and "Chickery's Travels" as part of the dotted circle. Next to this is a photo of their blue and white Arctic Fox 5th Wheel with the awning out.
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      • Sea Breeze RV Park (Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station)
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      • Cape Henlopen State Park (Lewes, Delaware)
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      • Best Campgrounds in Florida
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      • Military Camping in Key West
      • Patrick AFB FamCamp (Cocoa Beach, FL)
      • Rainbow Springs State Park & Campground (Ocala, FL)
      • Walt Disney World’s Fort Wilderness (Orlando, FL)
        • Halloween at Disney’s Fort Wilderness
        • Chickery’s Travels Podcast Episode 5: Fort Wilderness Campground Review
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      • Cherry Hill Park (College Park, Maryland)
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      • Port Huron KOA (Kimball, Michigan)
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      • Las Vegas RV Campgrounds: Nellis Air Force Base and Lake Mead RV Village
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      • Outer Banks West / Currituck Sound KOA (Coinjock, North Carolina)
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      • Best Campgrounds in Texas
      • Alsatian RV Resort (Castroville, Texas)
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      • Harrisonburg / Shenandoah Valley KOA (Broadway, Virginia)
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      • Shenandoah River State Park (Bentonville, Virginia)
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      • Crescent Bar RV Resort (Quincy, Washington)
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      • Harper’s Ferry KOA (Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia)
  • USA
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      • Apache Trail: A Crazy, Scary, Beautiful Drive
      • Lost Dutchman State Park (Phoenix, Arizona)
      • Phoenix Faves
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      • Indoor Skydiving and TopGolf: Just Another Day of Family Fun!
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      • Best Walt Disney World Festivals For Adults
      • Blowing Rocks Preserve – Jupiter Island, Florida
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      • Florida Freshwater Springs on the Nature Coast
      • Halloween at Disney’s Fort Wilderness
      • Kennedy Space Center – Cape Canaveral
      • Island Hopping at Honeymoon Island and Caladesi Island State Parks
      • Must See Sights in St. Augustine, FL – America’s Oldest City
      • Rainbow Springs State Park & Campground (Ocala, Florida)
      • Sunny Sarasota
      • Tampa
        • Get Back to Nature in Tampa Bay
        • Take Me Out to the Ball Game – Spring Training in Tampa, FL
        • The 5 Best Beaches in the Tampa Bay Area
        • Why We Love Tampa
      • Tarpon Springs – The Gulf Coast Town with Greek Flavor
      • Top 5 Things to Do on Florida’s Space Coast
      • What Not to Do When Kayaking on the Weeki Wachee River
      • Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure
    • Georgia
      • Visiting Atlanta? Don’t Miss These Civil Rights Museums
    • Illinois
      • One Day In The Windy City – Chicago Itinerary
    • Maine
      • Coastal Maine Vacation
      • Monhegan Island Maine
      • Two Days in Acadia National Park
    • Nevada
      • Planning an RV Trip to Nevada
      • Las Vegas RV Campgrounds: Nellis Air Force Base and Lake Mead RV Village
    • Tennessee
      • Burgess Falls: 3 For 1 Waterfall Special
      • National Civil Rights Museum – Memphis, TN
      • Window Cliffs, TN – I’m Not Afraid of Heights, But I am Afraid of Falling!
      • WWII History in Tennessee
    • Texas
      • Best Eats in Fredericksburg
      • Enjoy a Bird’s Eye View of Texas Hill Country
  • RV Resources
    • 3 Simple Steps to Find the Best RV Campgrounds
    • 5 Years Full-Time RV: Lessons Learned & Biggest Regret
    • Boondocking – What We Learned From Our First Dry Camping Experience
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    • Essential RV Gear
      • Essential RV Gear Guide
      • DIY RV Power & Solar Upgrade
      • RV Must Have: Tire Pressure Monitoring System
      • RV SnapPads Product Review
      • RVLOCK Keyless Entry Door Handle Installation and Review
      • Shop “RV Local” With TechnoRV
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      • WeBoost Cellular Booster Review
    • Living in an RV
      • 9 Lessons From 2 1/2 Years on the Road
      • Biggest Regret Full-Time RV Living
      • Dealing with my Biggest Full-Time Travel Struggle, Missing Family While Traveling
      • Downsizing: 3 Areas That Make The Biggest Impact
      • Full-Time RV: 2019 Year in Review
      • Full-Time RV: 2018 Year in Review
      • Full-Time RV Travel – 2017 Year In Review
      • How Full-Time RVers Celebrate the Holidays
      • How to Prepare for Full-Time RV Travel
      • Internet Solutions for RV Travelers
      • Learn How to RV Full-Time
      • Living in a Tiny, Traveling Home
      • Making Friends (and reconnecting with old friends) While Traveling Full-Time
      • Pros & Cons of Full-Time RV Travel
      • RV Organization & Storage Ideas
      • Short-Term RV Storage: Leaving The RV Behind
      • Top 3 Lessons Learned & Biggest Regret: 3 Years Full-Time RV Living
      • What We Wish We Knew Before Full-Time RVing
      • What You Need To Know Before Selling Everything And Moving To An RV
      • Why We Are Traveling Full-Time In Our RV
    • Maintenance Tips
      • DIY Power Upgrade – “Solar Ready” Arctic Fox Fifth Wheel
      • DIY RV Power & Solar Upgrade
      • Easy DIY Project to Protect Your RV Water System
      • An Easy Way to Protect Your RV Water Heater
      • How to Reduce the Likelihood of Tire Blowouts on your RV
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      • RV Condensation: What It Is, What It Does, and How To Stop It
      • RV Roofs – What You Need to Know
    • Must Read Books Before Becoming A Full-time RVer
    • RV Organization & Storage Ideas
    • RV Remodel
      • Planning an RV Remodel
      • RV Kitchen Cooking Videos
      • Painting Your RV Interior
      • Update the RV Kitchen – Backsplashes & More
      • Updating Your RV Window Treatments
      • RV Bedroom Makeover
      • RV Remodel Costs with Before & After Photos
      • Vintage Camper Renovation
    • RV Holiday Tour – Decorating Our Small Space
    • RV Hurricane Evacuation
    • RV Misery Can Be Overcome By The Generosity Of Others
    • RV Travelers: How to Read Books While Saving Space and Weight in Your RV
    • Slow Travel
    • Small Kitchen Cooking
      • Cooking Videos
      • Eating Healthy on Travel Days
    • Staying Healthy
      • Traveling with Fibromyalgia, Arthritis, and Other Chronic Pain Conditions
    • Trip Planning
    • Traveling with Pets
      • RVing with Your Cat
      • Traveling with Restricted Breed Dogs
    • Why I Prefer RV Travel Over Flying
    • Your Guide To Planning The Best Family Vacation This Summer
  • Travel Finance
    • 5 Tips to Save on RV Travel
    • 5 Ways to Fund Full-Time Travel
    • Full-Time RV Expenses
      • Annual Full-Time RV Expenses – The Big Three
    • Five Credit Card Strategies To Improve Travel
    • How Much Do Campgrounds Cost?
    • How Much Does it Cost to RV Full-Time?
    • How to Camp for Free
    • How to Start a Profitable Blog
    • How to Save Money on RV Fuel Costs
    • How to Save on Food While Camping
    • How We Earn A Living While Traveling Full-Time (And How You Can Too)
    • How We Paid $139,000 of Debt in 2 Years While Full-Time RVing
    • Learn How to Finance Your Dreams
    • The Top 7 Ways to Save Money While Traveling Full-Time
    • Roadmap to Financial Freedom
      • Roadmap to Financial Freedom: Accountability Report April 2018
      • Roadmap to Financial Freedom: Accountability Report May 2018
      • Roadmap to Financial Freedom: Accountability Report June 2018
      • Roadmap to Financial Freedom: Accountability Report July 2018
      • Roadmap to Financial Freedom: Accountability Report August 2018
      • Roadmap to Financial Freedom: Accountability Report September/October 2018
    • RV Purchasing
      • RV Purchasing: Understanding RV Types
      • Benefits of Renting an RV
      • Should I Buy A New or Used RV?
      • The Costs of RV Ownership
      • The True Cost of Financing an RV
      • Why You Should Attend An RV Show
    • Save Money Using the Public Library (On More Than Just Books)
  • Military Travel
    • Guide To Using Military Campgrounds
    • Health Care for Retired Military Full-Time RVers
    • Why Military Retirees Should Fly Space-A
  • Videos
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    • Why We Are Full-Time RVers

May 7, 2018 by Guest Post 2 Comments

Roadmap to Financial Freedom: Accountability Report April 2018

We wrote a blog post in early January about how we were able to pay off $91,000 last year while living full-time in our RV. We are happy to be on our way to debt freedom because, as Dave Ramsey says, “the borrower is slave to the lender.” It took us several years to see this and with us both in our late 40s, we feel the pressure to work quickly to pay off our debts so we can feel comfortable about retiring.

Monthly Accountability Report

I want to start writing a monthly blog post about our finances from the previous month. Mostly for accountability and also for encouragement to others on the same journey as us. This first post will cover April 2018. I think the main point I want to make first is that we are not bragging by blogging about this. In fact, we are ashamed of the debt we accumulated and find it embarrassing to admit. We are sharing our story to keep ourselves accountable and hope that it may help someone else.

Debt

We are continuing our journey to becoming debt free and have just over $59,000 to go. The entire $59,000 is the payoff of our 2015 Heartland Cyclone. At the beginning of the year, we owed about $80,000 on the Cyclone, since we worked hard to pay off all of our other debt first. We owed so much on the RV because we financed the full amount without putting anything down. We don’t recommend anyone making that mistake. Sadly, we learned our lesson AFTER making this poor decision. Click here to see a video I made on calculating the true cost of financing a new RV where I discuss how much we lost in depreciation and interest.

Net Worth

So, how did April end for us? Our net worth ended at $200,713. Not bad considering last April we had a net worth of $111,000. We still work and also have pensions from the Air Force, which really helps when trying to pay off debt and build some wealth.

Assets Value
Vehicle 38,925
RV 57,510
Retirement Accounts 111,152.81
Other Investment 3,651
Bank Accounts 48,823.93
Total 260,063
Liabilities Value
RV Loan -59,350
Net Worth 200,713

Changes

Our investments gained between 3% and 4%. Also, between our small business income (affiliate income, book sales, YouTube) and other work, our income increased $962 from March to April. This extra income went straight to the RV loan. We did have some unusual expenses this month. Julie is doing a makeover on the RV so we spent a little over $2,200 on supplies and new furniture. I was hesitant at first, but it is much cheaper than purchasing a new RV.

Our Roadmap

Since this is the first “accountability” blog, there are not really any month-to-month comparisons, it would be good to describe how we have been able to get ahold of our finances over the past two years.

Budget

The main thing that has helped us in keeping a budget. We use YNAB (You Need A Budget) for our monthly budgeting along with the Every Dollar app to track our daily purchases. Seeing where the money goes is definitely eye-opening and when you assign it at the beginning of the month, staying within the budget is much easier.

Full-Time RV Finance: Learn tips for budgeting for full-time travel, earning an income on the road, and implementing techniques for saving on campgrounds and more!

Purpose

It has been easier for us to work towards this goal since we also both agreed on a “Why,” meaning that we had a reason to get out of debt and increase our net worth. The why for us was the flexibility and freedom to travel without having to work. We want to be able to live on our pensions without worry. The other “Why” is being able to put a large down payment on a house when we are done traveling in the RV.

So, there it is. The first month of publishing our road to debt freedom. Again, this is more accountability for us to make sure we stay on track with our goals and do not stray too far off.

Thanks for reading and please follow along each month to see how the debt free journey is progressing.

We share our tips for getting out of debt in our monthly Personal Financial Accountability report. Includes lessons learned and ideas for saving money.

Filed Under: Roadmap to Financial Freedom Tagged With: budget, debt, debt-free living, financial accountability, pay off debt, rv finance

February 3, 2018 by Julie 4 Comments

Learn How to Finance Your Dreams

As you know from our previous blog posts, we are on a quest to be debt free. We’ve been working our financial program pretty hard and are always eager to talk to others about it. 

Budgeting For Your Dreams

The key to saving money is mindful spending. To us, this means budgeting. And not just listing expenses, but using an app called Every Dollar and allocating a category to every single penny of your income. By doing this, I was able to cut back significantly on impulse spending.

Paying Off Debt

No matter how well you budget, if you carry debt you will never achieve your dream of financial freedom. Click here to read how we paid off over $139,000 in just two years while traveling full-time.

Full-Time RV Finance

We created the Full-Time RV Finance program to help you get control of your personal finances so you can enjoy your life on the road. We cover how to budget, create a personal financial plan, earn money, save money, and pay off debt. 

Learn how to pay off debt, earn an income, and save money all while traveling full-time.

We’ve written the following posts that you might be interested in:

  • How Much Does it Cost to Full-Time RV (+ a FREE Download). In this post we share our monthly expenses to help you understand exactly how much it costs for us to travel full-time in our RV. We also explain all the variables to help you establish your own RV travel budget, and provide free budget worksheets you can download.
  • 7 Ways to Save on Full-Time Travel. We share exactly how we’ve afforded to travel so much in this post. There’s tips for saving on campgrounds, reducing fuel usage, and more!
  • 5 Way to Fund Full-Time Travel. We share how we earn an income on the road. We also interviewed other full-time travelers and share their methods with you here as well.
  • Full-Time RV Finance. We’ve also expanded on these articles in a book, Full-Time RV Finance available on Amazon. From the RV purchase to making and saving money on the road, we cover all aspects of full-time RV Finance.

Filed Under: Learn How to Finance Your Dreams Tagged With: budgeting, budgeting tool, pay off debt

December 18, 2017 by Julie 2 Comments

How We Paid $91,000 of Debt in 1 Year While Full-Time RVing

We didn’t get serious about paying off debt until 2017. Up to that point we were living the standard American lifestyle of buying things on credit and making payments–even when we had the money to just pay cash.

The smartest personal financed resources at a 97% discount.

Background

So when we moved into our RV 3 years ago it was not with the intention of saving money. In fact, we purchased a very large Fifth Wheel (44’ Heartland Cyclone Toyhauler) and truck (Chevy 3500 HD) brand new and essentially traded our $2,300 house payment with RV/truck payment and campground fees.

It wasn’t until two years later in Dec 2016 when Sean read Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover  that we set a goal of being debt free. We also took a course called Finance Your Detour created by full-time RVers, Dan and Lindsay McKenzie. It’s a 4 step program that teaches the foundations of personal finance, guides you through a proven budgeting process, and provides you the tools to succeed. It is not only packed with easy to digest information, it is presented in a captivating format with videos, workbooks, and activities.

We got serious about paying off debt and in the last 12 months we have paid $91,000. And we haven’t really sacrificed our standard of living to do it. We still stay in our preferred type of campground, which is full hook-up with paved pads and WiFi. We still go out to eat and have fun, but we do prioritize and make sure we keep our eye on the prize.

Watch the video below for additional tips! 

Debt Reduction Techniques

Here is what we have done to allow us to live the life we choose while working towards our financial goals.

  1. We kept our jobs.

We both work full-time remotely. We are not yet ready to retire. We’re in our 40’s and enjoy our jobs so we negotiated remote work arrangements and we’re able to travel while maintaining our salaries and benefits. To learn more about how to earn an income while traveling full-time, see 5 Ways to Fund Full-Time Travel.

  1. We sold stuff.

When we first moved out of our home 3 ½ years ago, we had 2 large storage units. After 2 years, we went back through our stuff and reassessed what was really important to us. We found that more than ½ of the items we saved, didn’t really matter to us anymore and we sold much of it. Now we have one small storage unit.  We also found that we were not using our motorcycle very much and decided to sell it too. Having trouble downsizing? See The 3 Areas That Make The Biggest Impact.

  1. We budget every dollar.

This, by far, is the most important part of our financial strategy. Prior to this year, we kept a very loose budget. Essentially, we kept a list of bills and made sure we paid them. That was it. That means we didn’t really track what we did with the rest of our income and it is very easy to spend money when you aren’t paying attention to it. Now we have a monthly budget that is geared towards our goals. It accounts for every penny of income. We use the Everydollar app to track spending. It’s not really about sacrificing; it is about prioritizing. We love the saying, “You can afford anything, just not everything.” The great thing is, you decide what is important. Want to know more about budgeting for the RV lifestyle, read our article, How Much Does It Cost to RV Full-Time?

Click here to get our FREE full-time travel budgeting worksheets.

  1. We have developed some strategies for saving money.

Along the way, we’ve found some ways to save money. For example, slowing down saves with monthly campground rates and less fuel. While we do budget for eating out, we save it for special occasions or restaurants we really enjoy rather than doing it out of convenience. We also don’t buy things on credit anymore so we don’t have to pay interest. For more ideas, see 7 Ways to Save on Full-Time RV Travel.

Want to Learn More?

If you’d like to learn more about purchasing an RV, budgeting for the RV lifestyle, earning an income on the road, or saving money while traveling full-time, check out our book Full-Time RV Finance available on Amazon.

Full-Time RV Finance Book covers the full-range of money matters from budgeting to earning an income on the road. We'll also show you how to save money while living the full-time travel life of your dreams.

Learn how we paid $91,000 in debt in less than a year while traveling full-time. Get tips for paying down debt quickly and start building wealth. We follow the baby steps by Dave Ramsey and the progress is allowing us to live our full-time travel dreams.

 

 

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Filed Under: How We Paid Off $91K in Debt in 1 Year Tagged With: better money habits, budget, budgeting, dave ramsey, debt, debt free, debt payoff, debt payoff plan, debt-free living, financial goals, financial plan, how to pay down debt, how to pay off debt, how to start paying off debt, how we paid off debt, pay of debt, pay off debt, pay off debt using the debt snowball, paying debt, paying down debt, paying off debt, paying off debt quickly, payoff debt, ways to pay off debt

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