Details

I got to the finish line with the software project! The tax forms were mailed out yesterday. Today the plan is to get the details finalized by around 10 am, then to use the rest of the day to clean up and get organized. My roommate here in the RV is getting her new place ready next door. If all goes well she could be completely moved into the trailer and out of mine by the weekend after this coming weekend.

She picked up a one bedroom trailer that is just tiny cute, for $2000. It needs cosmetic work inside, and some plumbing updates. The plumbing inside works well enough, but one day a new vanity and a sink in the bathroom would be a cheap and easy update. The tub could use a new faucet and some pipes behind the wall, which is easily reached from outside the trailer. As the resident engineer I'm pushing to have all the pipes heat taped and wrapped. My friend is really good at the cosmetic stuff and I'd say she has taken on a lifetime project with this. But it is a well-insulated trailer and has never been moved from its quiet spot in a sleepy retirement style mobile home park. We are all about the alternative living styles.

I could pick up the trailer I'm in for $2500, and it needs no work at all. I'm considering it just to have a permanent place next door to a friend who'd look out for the place while I travel. But I'd be tied to a $950 per month lot rent, plus about $50 in electric, and $100 for propane. Not bad compared to the east coast. I have gotten my head wrapped around the fact that I may be spending a year and a half on the east coast, working and helping out with my new grandchild while my son is in Iraq. I have a place to stay on the east coast that will be very inexpensive during that time. If I'm working as planned, I'll be able to afford both places for less than $1000 a month in total living expenses on a salary of about $8000 take home. I "could" rent this place out for about $400 a month. I'm thinking about this. The decision does not have to be made until June 2008. By then I should have the accident case finished (hopefully settled) and the tax situation under control. I may have to sell Henry the van to ensure that the tax man is happy. But, it will give me a chance to work out the van dwelling logistics again so that I can have what I want when I pick the next vehicle, rather than having to build it into a used van. That was getting to be way too time-consuming and I was getting nowhere.

One of the sneaky ways that my friend and I are going to save on expenses is to have one telephone line between us, at her new place. I'll pay for the DSL portion for her and use a wireless router to send the signal my way, with a code of course! That way we don't have to duplicate service all over the place. I can have a handset here for making calls. It's doable.

Back to the details of building a software installation CD. Ugh!

The job's not done until the paperwork is finished.