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Retirees also travel the USA in various forms. After all, "Retired" doesn't mean moldering away in a single place.
But did I get a surprise in a search of RV buyers by age.
Average age of Class A motorhome
Demographic resarch by RVIA shows 35 to 54 is the average age when buying the first RV. And by the end of this year, there will be 57 million Americans that are the ages 50 to 64, most Class A RV buyers are in that range. And in that age group one in 10 currently own RV's. The fastest growing group of RV owners are aged between 18 and 34.
Not surprising, given the sudden proliferation of YouTube videos of younger people who dropped out of the rat rae to adopt Van Life etc. and try to get rich on YouTube. We will see how many of them get the subscribers and "patreons" to make it full time without ever having to work again. This is also the reason campgrounds are filling up and RVers can't just drive somewhere and get a place in a campground. They are filling up regularly with all these young YouTuber nomads.
There has been an explosion of same with full time boaters as well.
All of these people use to provide labor and jobs for the "real" economy and is adding to the critical labor shortage. It is a new world.
Well, I just did 11.576 gallons at $3.88 a gallon. I remember the years past when it hit $3.67 at the arco just around Ridgefield. Thought that was bad. So, really facing a 21 cent jump when compared to years past
Just a nice butt kick for me to start cranking out the walker and using it to shop. I just did a distance check on the area. .6 of a mile to grocery store. So RT is 1.2 miles. Not including a park stop (squirrel feed) guess I'll be sleeping deeply for a few weeks adjusting to a more physical lifestyle.
Wow! I'd GLADLY pay $3.88/g.
It was $4.19 here on Sunday, $4.35 on Monday. Today will probably be $4.45-4.50 today (Tuesday.) Last Friday it was $4.09.
No end in sight yet.
A state congressman said the state is considering to suspend the road use taxes temporarily until September.
But then he went on to say that come Sept, he wanted to be SURE the gas road use taxes actually go into the road repair/maintenance fund.
Hmmm, interesting. WHAT, then has the state been using the gas road use taxes FOR? If NOT for road maintenance??
It was $4.19 here on Sunday, $4.35 on Monday. Today will probably be $4.45-4.50 today (Tuesday.) Last Friday it was $4.09.
No end in sight yet.
A state congressman said the state is considering to suspend the road use taxes temporarily until September.
But then he went on to say that come Sept, he wanted to be SURE the gas road use taxes actually go into the road repair/maintenance fund.
Hmmm, interesting. WHAT, then has the state been using the gas road use taxes FOR? If NOT for road maintenance??
Things that make you go "hmm"!
Best
A couple things you need to understand:
1) many, if not most, elected officials at every level can't stand to see a fund balance in any category
2) highway funds from fuel taxes, as well as most government pension systems, aren't "cash and carry". For highway funds the money is supposed to used to pay off bond issues for roads.
EX: that repaving costs $30M. You don't write a check for that but issue (typically) twenty year bonds to be paid off over that term to finance the work. That way your revenues go further.
Because of that there's usually a positive fund balance and legislators see that and see money that can be used for a pet project or seventy. So what happens is that fund balance is "borrowed", to be paid back "next year" from general tax revenues.
That's how Maryland's Highway Trust Fund dropped to 60% of commitments and its State Pension System dropped from 105% of projected outlays to 48%, almost going into receivership.
I checked the gas prices here yesterday. Valero is now priced at $3.99. The sky is the limit though in the coming weeks. This state has historically had some of the least expensive gasoline and energy prices in the country. I feel bad for people of all ages needing to drive on a daily basis for work and other necessities.
I sold my car when I left CA and haven't purchased another so this doesn't directly affect me other than the resulting higher prices at the grocery stores. Public transportation here is free for seniors.
It looks like next year will be another significant increase in social security benefits due to inflation which isn't going away anytime soon.
Last edited by marino760; 03-09-2022 at 03:20 AM..
Your story reminds me of my cooking approach in my single days. The easiest one was my "ramen special" but with enhanced protein & fiber. .
What it is I basically dumped the dry ramen into a boiling pot of water, then add a can of Homel Chilli with beef, and finally add cabbage for a balanced diet. Voila! I have my Bachelor special, quick & easy
I have done things like that in the past. Back then, my style of spaghetti was fish based and sometimes, I would use a can of a type or another of Underwood Devil Ham (with wine, of course) to make the sauce.
Of course, now, pasta and noodles (and wine) are a thing of the past. My stews are bean based, my meats are beef or chicken, sometimes fish (but there is that issue of the time limit of open canned fish).
I can often pick up canned meats at the dollar stores cheap but right now, I am in eat refrigerator stuff first, canned stuff second mode. That works for meats; the dry goods of beans, lentils, split peas, black eyed peas, and brown rice but not so much for corn since that is canned. I have bought stew cans at the dollar store, thinking I could always bug them up with beans, but haven't done that yet.
I do a lot of frozen chicken, either straight for my Type II or as part of a stew. Grilling stuff is cheap but the disadvantage is that to get it off the bone easily, it has to be cooked in the stew first.....and that's some pretty hot meat to try to pull.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BellaDL
.......For the people who insist on consuming nothing but freshly baked goods, I have to wonder whether they buy them everyday and just enough to be consumed on the same day? Do they throw the leftover away or freeze them? A defrost/reheated pastry does not really taste much different from a reheated day-old pastry.
I don't do pastries but if I don't finish my corn meal pancakes in the morning, I often baggy what's left over and into the freezer they go.
Quote:
Originally Posted by otterhere
Again, I am really curious -- now that gas has gone up ANOTHER 40 cents overnight -- if anyone is curtailing their driving as a result. I think people would starve before they'd give up driving wherever and whenever they please!
Sort of. Moved into the philosophy to max out trips, make them all count.
Quote:
Originally Posted by marino760
That's the thing. Gas prices, unless you were barely scraping by before, shouldn't be that big of an impact on retirees unless they live very rural and miles away from a grocery store and need to go the grocery store often. I guess I was frugal for so long while working and living with the highest gas prices in the country already, I learned to distinguish between what was necessary driving and what wasn't years ago. BTW, gas here is about $3.35 per gallon last time I checked a couple of days ago, still cheap compared to when I left CA last May.
Rural, yes. Far away, yes. Often......no. Shop as if going to the store only once or twice a month.
Quote:
Originally Posted by katharsis
I have never lived anywhere in which the grocery stores didn't offer day-old baked goods and day-old fried chicken at a reduced price.
.......
That's how I did campouts and picnics, buying up the day old bread. "What did you do? Knock over Mrs. Baird?" they said to me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TMSRetired
Ha ha..my grandmother used to complain about "old" dollars. When any of us went to the store for her we had to make sure the change didn't contain any "old dollars".
When the new print of dollars first came out, people said it looked like play money. Perhaps so, I thought, but if it helps my almost blind grand aunt stay independent, so be it.
Last edited by TamaraSavannah; 03-09-2022 at 08:54 PM..
I'm seriously considering applying for "meals on wheels" (not delivered to my home, as that's for those who can't cook for themselves), but the free frozen ones handed out to anyone over "a certain age" - once my stockpile/freezer is depleted. After all, it's my tax dollars at work! I might as well benefit from them...
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