Done. The skirting is finally done so what are we doing to celebrate! Ha! Looking at park models. For those of you not familiar with the term it is a mobile home that you set up and just leave in one place. Like we are doing right now with the trailer. But I think that went out the window for a year or so anyway. Actually we a looking at a "park trailer" same thing only narrower with slide outs. The sales-double-speak-people are getting pretty good with the weasel words.
We won't be able to afford it having paid out the house and paying out the trailer loan too. The trailer originally cost us 6 grand more than I remembered. And when we amortized it over 15 years (10 years ago) it was a good deal. Now we want to upgrade but we still owe way too much. It is costing nearly a hundred dollars a month in interest. So we are going to scrape our scheckles together and pay it off. They have got enough interest from me. They don't pay bugger all but sure sock it to ya on a loan so we are getting out from under. It will mean that the upgrade will have to be put off a while but we have time.
The sales guy, in addition to wanting to be my best friend, says we want to avoid the price increase for next year. What that means is he need the cash flow this year. Sorry about that new best friend. By this time next year we will still be ahead of the game. In the mean time the Lotto has to pay someone every once in a while and my fingers are firmly crossed. If we wait in 3 years we can be back where we were cash wise and not have any debt. That might just be the best plan.
If we do want to get into a park model this year I might consider selling the truck and trailer as a package. I put just about 5000 km's on the truck in the past 2 or 3 years. And only because I made 2 trips to Kelowna with it to help folks move. Do I need a truck, yeah it is a nice to have but I don't need a 3/4 ton 'cause I won't be pulling a fifth wheel. So I could sell the truck and trailer as a package. Then we could go for a park model this year.
Lots to think about.
Sitting here with a very sharp pencil...
Randy
Monday, July 9, 2007
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Trailer Project
Well I'm almost done the skirting project. I would be done but I can't remember things. Didn't make sense? Well you see if I would have remembered my belt sander I would be done. The door was the last thing I made and I made it just a bit too tight. A few minutes with the belt sander and it will fit just perfectly. But as luck would have it I forgot to bring the sander up on the weekend so because I can't remember things I am not done.
Technically since the door does close and I can lock the storage compartment I am done. Memory or no. But I would like to be truly finished with the i's dotted and the t's crossed. (That may have to wait until I get my old storage bin moved in and the trailer storage compartment cleaned out of peanuts and squirrel nests.) So I probably will not be finished this weekend. It's Stampede time. So we are only going out for the night on Friday and coming back Saturday. Its tradition to go Stampeding the first Sunday of Stampede just me, the wife, and 150,000 of our closest friends. But who am I to argue with tradition.
But back to the project, now that it is done-ish, and since the mortgage is paid off we have started to look at park models again. A larger trailer would be nice. The extra room that comes with pop outs would sure make a difference. and now that I know I can build the skirting, well a new trailer would be very nice with a deck maybe with railings so we can let the dogs out. But I could do that for this trailer too. Maybe next year. This year I can putter around getting my storage space squared away...
Now lets see will those chairs fit in that corner?...
Randy
Technically since the door does close and I can lock the storage compartment I am done. Memory or no. But I would like to be truly finished with the i's dotted and the t's crossed. (That may have to wait until I get my old storage bin moved in and the trailer storage compartment cleaned out of peanuts and squirrel nests.) So I probably will not be finished this weekend. It's Stampede time. So we are only going out for the night on Friday and coming back Saturday. Its tradition to go Stampeding the first Sunday of Stampede just me, the wife, and 150,000 of our closest friends. But who am I to argue with tradition.
But back to the project, now that it is done-ish, and since the mortgage is paid off we have started to look at park models again. A larger trailer would be nice. The extra room that comes with pop outs would sure make a difference. and now that I know I can build the skirting, well a new trailer would be very nice with a deck maybe with railings so we can let the dogs out. But I could do that for this trailer too. Maybe next year. This year I can putter around getting my storage space squared away...
Now lets see will those chairs fit in that corner?...
Randy
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Sick as a Dog
Dixie was sick this morning. Fine last night, roaring around, instigating, chasing Belle, all in all fine and healthy. This morning when I went to unhook her to let her out she was tangled in her lead. When I lifted her paw to untangle her she howled like I was killing her. Her stomach was hard and she would howl if you pressed it even lightly. She was listless, did not want to be on the walk particularly. She could not jump up on the couch without howling or whining. You'd have thought she was dying.
She ate her breakfast but with not the same relish that she normally puts into it. She beat Belle in the race that eating has become but not by her usual margin. So something was wrong but it was not fatal. I went to work. I called the emergency vet from the office. I described the symptoms and they said bring her in. They sounded pretty concerned so I asked my boss for the morning off to deal with the poor sick dog. I have lots of vacation time left so it was no problem.
I came home and she was eager to get outside. I thought it was because it was nice out. But I was wrong. Now, I had not seen her poop since Saturday night (Having to pick up after her you keep an eye out for those things.) It is now Tuesday morning. She has been eating healthy for the last 2 days. And now as I am waiting on her to take her to the vet she starts to go. And go, and go. And when she is done she seemed to be perked up. So I put off going to the vet to see if she gets better on her own. Her belly is not distended anymore and also not tender. I can pick her up and she doesn't howl. So it seems that her problem was.. well, she was just full of it. Now I grant you it was dump that probably made her pants fit better but I gave up half a day of vacation to watch the dog take a dump.
Bags and pooper scooper at the ready...
Randy
She ate her breakfast but with not the same relish that she normally puts into it. She beat Belle in the race that eating has become but not by her usual margin. So something was wrong but it was not fatal. I went to work. I called the emergency vet from the office. I described the symptoms and they said bring her in. They sounded pretty concerned so I asked my boss for the morning off to deal with the poor sick dog. I have lots of vacation time left so it was no problem.
I came home and she was eager to get outside. I thought it was because it was nice out. But I was wrong. Now, I had not seen her poop since Saturday night (Having to pick up after her you keep an eye out for those things.) It is now Tuesday morning. She has been eating healthy for the last 2 days. And now as I am waiting on her to take her to the vet she starts to go. And go, and go. And when she is done she seemed to be perked up. So I put off going to the vet to see if she gets better on her own. Her belly is not distended anymore and also not tender. I can pick her up and she doesn't howl. So it seems that her problem was.. well, she was just full of it. Now I grant you it was dump that probably made her pants fit better but I gave up half a day of vacation to watch the dog take a dump.
Bags and pooper scooper at the ready...
Randy
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Light at the End of the Tunnel
Well we did it, for the second time. Okay get your mind's out of the gutters. We paid off the mortgage. We are mortgage free for the second time. Last time it lasted about 3 years before we added on to the house and bought our RV lot. I wonder how long I can hold out this time before I drag myself back in to a financial quagmire.
We didn't owe that much, we had the savings to cover it and they were not making much interest so we decided to up the return on our savings by paying off the mortgage. Net effect we went from a net loss of 2 1/2 percent to 0 percent return cause the money was spent. So while we are making nothing we are saving 2 1/2 percent (Since the term deposits were only earning 3 percent and the mortgage was 5 and 1/2 ) Now we can save the money we were paying on the mortgage and invest it theoretically.
Anyway it is good to see no loans on the books. We are in the black. The light at the end of the tunnel was not just another train on the same track. Can you imagine?! So what to do with all our lucre. I don't know but it probably won't earn very much. But we do have a very valuable asset free and clear. This house is a two storey, originally 1000 square feet or so that we added on to to bring it up to 1300 sq feet.
Original purchase price $72,000 in 82 at 18 percent (where the hell is that rate now that I have savings eh?) Paid off the first time in 94. Then we added on for 50000 and bought the RV lot for another 20000 or so. so between the two properties we have 140000 invested. The interest we paid is, frankly money down the rat hole so we won't even go there. I learned now that I can sell the house for almost 400K (Yep it's Calgary home of house prices that make Torontonians nostalgic for the 80's). The lot is probably good for another 50-75K. So that makes it nearly half a mil if I wanted to be homeless. Am I a lucky investor or what? That's it dumb luck. Don't let anyone tell you that they planned it in the real estate market. It is all of us that are in my positions who are saying how the heck do I get my money out of this? If I could figure that out I would be clever.
I do know one guy who has or is sort of doing it. A buddy at work is selling out an moving back to Saskatchewan. He will be out from under (way out because his house doubled since he bought it) he will have enough to get a very make that very very nice place in Regina and rather than being unemployed as he thought he would be the company will let him set up and work his same job out of our Regina branch. (Computers are clever things he can work there live cheap and do the same job.) And it wasn't his idea, he only wanted to go back to be close to elderly parents and family. He was planning to quit and look for a job when he got there.
So that's the solution I guess. Sell out here, move back to Saskatchewan a go there and take a job or better yet the same job. Well Saskatchewan is nice but I think I'll wait till the company opens a warehouse in Lahaina Maui.
Still working on Freedom 85...
Randy
We didn't owe that much, we had the savings to cover it and they were not making much interest so we decided to up the return on our savings by paying off the mortgage. Net effect we went from a net loss of 2 1/2 percent to 0 percent return cause the money was spent. So while we are making nothing we are saving 2 1/2 percent (Since the term deposits were only earning 3 percent and the mortgage was 5 and 1/2 ) Now we can save the money we were paying on the mortgage and invest it theoretically.
Anyway it is good to see no loans on the books. We are in the black. The light at the end of the tunnel was not just another train on the same track. Can you imagine?! So what to do with all our lucre. I don't know but it probably won't earn very much. But we do have a very valuable asset free and clear. This house is a two storey, originally 1000 square feet or so that we added on to to bring it up to 1300 sq feet.
Original purchase price $72,000 in 82 at 18 percent (where the hell is that rate now that I have savings eh?) Paid off the first time in 94. Then we added on for 50000 and bought the RV lot for another 20000 or so. so between the two properties we have 140000 invested. The interest we paid is, frankly money down the rat hole so we won't even go there. I learned now that I can sell the house for almost 400K (Yep it's Calgary home of house prices that make Torontonians nostalgic for the 80's). The lot is probably good for another 50-75K. So that makes it nearly half a mil if I wanted to be homeless. Am I a lucky investor or what? That's it dumb luck. Don't let anyone tell you that they planned it in the real estate market. It is all of us that are in my positions who are saying how the heck do I get my money out of this? If I could figure that out I would be clever.
I do know one guy who has or is sort of doing it. A buddy at work is selling out an moving back to Saskatchewan. He will be out from under (way out because his house doubled since he bought it) he will have enough to get a very make that very very nice place in Regina and rather than being unemployed as he thought he would be the company will let him set up and work his same job out of our Regina branch. (Computers are clever things he can work there live cheap and do the same job.) And it wasn't his idea, he only wanted to go back to be close to elderly parents and family. He was planning to quit and look for a job when he got there.
So that's the solution I guess. Sell out here, move back to Saskatchewan a go there and take a job or better yet the same job. Well Saskatchewan is nice but I think I'll wait till the company opens a warehouse in Lahaina Maui.
Still working on Freedom 85...
Randy
Monday, June 11, 2007
Skirting the Issue
Well it was anything but leisurely at the Tall Timber Leisure Park this weekend. I was, with the help of brother in-law Dave, able to build the skirting/storage compartment under the hitch of my trailer. Well most of it anyway. I still have to install the door and side the outside with Vinyl siding. You would think that it would be straight forward now wouldn't you but it turned out that each side was a custom build.
The back wall was only 2 feet tall but had to be built completely and sided before it went in because I could not picture myself trying to crawl under the trailer and finish it. (Well, I could picture it and believe me it was not pretty.) Then the side walls which you would think would be similar weren't because one has a door and the other is solid, so the framing is different. And the front was different again. But we got it framed up in Saturday. And my wife and I were able to get it sheeted on Sunday. Next weekend we will finish it if the rains hold off.
W e did manage to keep in mind that it had to be built to be dismantled. And it is modular. Ten screws and the front wall is off. 6 more and the back is off and the trailer is ready to move. The siding will overlap into the corner bead but will not be attached to the end wall so that when the wall is unfastened the siding will slide free.
But my estimating skills are sure out to lunch. I bought a third too much sheeting, (two sheets can go back. And about that much too much 2X4, six of them to go back. I also have an extra 2X2. Oh well money back in my pocket and a good reason to go back to the hardware store. I don't need anything else I just want to go back to the hardware store. (It's a GUY thing.)
Here are some pictures. The before:
And the after: (OK so not quite after. How about the half way after.)
There is sure going to be a big expanse of white. I hope we don't go snow blind when we are lounging by the camp fire. I bet I would have enough room in there to store a good stack of fire wood and keep it real dry. I will have to see how much space is left after the little storage bin, the chairs and the table go in. We will wonder how we lived without it.
This is something that I probably should have done a few years ago before the squirrels found the storage compartment. But It'll be done soon and I can clean out the compartment and things will be good as new. Everyone will be happy and the squirrels, well who cares. as the tree huggers say they were here before we were so they should know how to fend for themselves.
Only one problem with the weekend was that I was so tired Saturday night I missed the excitement. I completely slept through the wildlife tour. A moose came trampling in off the river and marched straight through the park. And I slept through the Fireworks. A couple of newbies to the park, who didn't use the brains God gave an ice cube, had a fire works war and were back in the woods launching fireworks at one another. They must have thought they were in Gaza or something. The RCMP were called to do the peace keeping in Gaza West. The things you miss when you conk out at 9:00
Ready to hang siding...
Randy
PS: Remember a few posts back I mentioned my niece's little girl Jordan well here is a picture of the whole family, big brother Blake, Momma Samantha, Papa Rob, and the tiny one is Jordan.
The back wall was only 2 feet tall but had to be built completely and sided before it went in because I could not picture myself trying to crawl under the trailer and finish it. (Well, I could picture it and believe me it was not pretty.) Then the side walls which you would think would be similar weren't because one has a door and the other is solid, so the framing is different. And the front was different again. But we got it framed up in Saturday. And my wife and I were able to get it sheeted on Sunday. Next weekend we will finish it if the rains hold off.
W e did manage to keep in mind that it had to be built to be dismantled. And it is modular. Ten screws and the front wall is off. 6 more and the back is off and the trailer is ready to move. The siding will overlap into the corner bead but will not be attached to the end wall so that when the wall is unfastened the siding will slide free.
But my estimating skills are sure out to lunch. I bought a third too much sheeting, (two sheets can go back. And about that much too much 2X4, six of them to go back. I also have an extra 2X2. Oh well money back in my pocket and a good reason to go back to the hardware store. I don't need anything else I just want to go back to the hardware store. (It's a GUY thing.)
Here are some pictures. The before:
And the after: (OK so not quite after. How about the half way after.)
There is sure going to be a big expanse of white. I hope we don't go snow blind when we are lounging by the camp fire. I bet I would have enough room in there to store a good stack of fire wood and keep it real dry. I will have to see how much space is left after the little storage bin, the chairs and the table go in. We will wonder how we lived without it.
This is something that I probably should have done a few years ago before the squirrels found the storage compartment. But It'll be done soon and I can clean out the compartment and things will be good as new. Everyone will be happy and the squirrels, well who cares. as the tree huggers say they were here before we were so they should know how to fend for themselves.
Only one problem with the weekend was that I was so tired Saturday night I missed the excitement. I completely slept through the wildlife tour. A moose came trampling in off the river and marched straight through the park. And I slept through the Fireworks. A couple of newbies to the park, who didn't use the brains God gave an ice cube, had a fire works war and were back in the woods launching fireworks at one another. They must have thought they were in Gaza or something. The RCMP were called to do the peace keeping in Gaza West. The things you miss when you conk out at 9:00
Ready to hang siding...
Randy
PS: Remember a few posts back I mentioned my niece's little girl Jordan well here is a picture of the whole family, big brother Blake, Momma Samantha, Papa Rob, and the tiny one is Jordan.
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