Listen to your body. Lifestyle decisions made,

[Bird]

Unfortunately we are all different and cannot be compared regular check ups best prevention

totally agree... I got mates that eat KFC all the time, 2ltrs of coke a day and you wouldnt see a gram of fat one - woody, hes a truck driver, so not exactly what you'd call a physical job... back er in the dock, and open the curtains and go to sleep.

[vicandug]

totally agree... I got mates that eat KFC all the time, 2ltrs of coke a day and you wouldnt see a gram of fat one - woody, hes a truck driver, so not exactly what you'd call a physical job... back er in the dock, and open the curtains and go to sleep.

But what's happening on the inside?

[mrsfirefox]

As Firefox said in an earlier post.  We made the decision to change our lifestyle before it killed us.  We sold everything and it's such a freeing experience.  You realise that you don't need a lot of material things in life.  We sold the big furniture on gumtree in the weeks leading up to moving out (we slept in swags when the beds were sold).  We had an huge garage sale where you watch people haggle your items down to 50 cents which is a laugh when you think about it.  We gave away the rest to family and charity shops.  All that we kept was 3 moving boxes with my wedding dress, photo's, a box of things the kids wanted to keep and a filing cabinet with important documents which is at a family member's house.

When you are on the road, the only bills (in our experience) that you get is annual registration and insurance bills, ATM cards and medicare cards that come in the mail, everything else is electronic such as bank statements.  You can do your registration and insurance over the phone so you really don't have to worry about it, they even send the insurance cover by email if you request.  In Qld, we don't have registration stickers anymore so you can just call them to pay or do it online also.  You can have your mail redirected to someone you trust that will let you know when you receive them.  We use a serviced office for $20 a month, that we use as an registered address and they will let us know when we receive mail and they will forward it to wherever we are if needed. 

We are enjoying the best time in our lives as we travel, we've met some fantastic people and seeing our beautiful country.  The great thing about being a part of MYSWAG is that as you travel, you get to meet up with a heap of myswaggers and they're all really friendly.  Hook up with them at meets or let them know you're coming through town and a lot will try to catch up.  It's a great group of people.

I can highly recommend the lifestyle.  Yes, it was a little daunting but we know that this is a time we won't forget and we have no regrets.  You've just got to decide to do it and go!  For us, it took 5 1/2 months from the decision to go to the day we left.  We sold up a number of businesses, the house and built the van.  The day after the van was ready we stocked it and the next day we were gone!  We've even done 2 purges since then and got rid of more stuff in the van that we haven't used.

Either way, life is meant to be enjoyed.  Your 24 year old is an adult now and it's time to let them move out into the world and start their own journey, just like you did.

Good luck with your health and decision!  See you on the road! 

[chester ver2.0]

Selling up and going on the road sounds good.... but I would think coming back to nothing would be very worrying..

Totally disagree house prices will drop this year and like most when you travel especially when you are renting the house out you dont know where you will end up

Take our example we went on the road in 2010 with a plan to come back to Melb well still in Perth 5 years later

As for nothing the sale price of your house either sitting in a term deposit at 5% or in conservative share portfolio at 7% is definitly not nothing

[vicandug]

Even if the house is sold and the money all spent....

What's coming back to nothing?

There are always rental properties, can always stay in caravan park until a place is found.

But the memories and experiences on the road, I think, will far outweigh having a house.

Sure, we love our home, it's a beautiful peaceful spot in the mountain.  It's also 3/4 acre of land that slopes.  As we get older it will be harder for us to maintain.

It's only things and after the start to this year that we have had with a friend being diagnosed with terminal cancer, my health scare and Ug losing his job, you have to ask yourself,

ARE THINGS REALLY IMPORTANT?

Vicki

[gronk]

As for nothing the sale price of your house either sitting in a term deposit at 5%

Can you give us a clue where you get 5% for a term deposit.....best I've seen for the last year or two is 3.4%..

[chester ver2.0]

Can you give us a clue where you get 5% for a term deposit.....best I've seen for the last year or two is 3.4%..

Sorry Miss type i am getting 4 through the Nab interest paid on maturity 12 month term this was going through personal banker with a substancial amount

[Symon]

Can agree with so much in this thread. 

I had a heart attack at... wait for it... 28!! When I was being treated in ICU the cardiologist mentioned I was the youngest person he had ever seen with my condition.

Yes there is an element of genetics in that but it was mostly due to poor lifestyle choices and of course stress.  I was in a busy job but it was more about the pressure I put on myself that was the real problem.  I still have a busy job and a busy lifestyle, the difference is I don't allow myself to get stressed anymore.  Things just aren't worth getting worked up over, and the surprising thing is that you can still be efficient at work and get things done without actually getting stressed about it.

The main thing I think is to enjoy your job.  If you don't enjoy it, find another one.

[Marschy]

Can agree with so much in this thread. 

I had a heart attack at... wait for it... 28!! When I was being treated in ICU the cardiologist mentioned I was the youngest person he had ever seen with my condition.

Yes there is an element of genetics in that but it was mostly due to poor lifestyle choices and of course stress.  I was in a busy job but it was more about the pressure I put on myself that was the real problem.  I still have a busy job and a busy lifestyle, the difference is I don't allow myself to get stressed anymore.  Things just aren't worth getting worked up over, and the surprising thing is that you can still be efficient at work and get things done without actually getting stressed about it.

The main thing I think is to enjoy your job.  If you don't enjoy it, find another one.

Wow that's young, I was 44, which is still young, but damn 28.

[oldmate]

Can agree with so much in this thread. 

I had a heart attack at... wait for it... 28!! When I was being treated in ICU the cardiologist mentioned I was the youngest person he had ever seen with my condition.

Yes there is an element of genetics in that but it was mostly due to poor lifestyle choices and of course stress.  I was in a busy job but it was more about the pressure I put on myself that was the real problem.  I still have a busy job and a busy lifestyle, the difference is I don't allow myself to get stressed anymore.  Things just aren't worth getting worked up over, and the surprising thing is that you can still be efficient at work and get things done without actually getting stressed about it.

The main thing I think is to enjoy your job.  If you don't enjoy it, find another one.

My father was about that age to Symon

[gronk]

The main thing I think is to enjoy your job.  If you don't enjoy it, find another one.

Enjoy your job ??

Even though I'm currently retrenched, I only dream about a job that I would enjoy.......just wish I knew what it was ??

Brothel owner came to mind, but I'm pretty sure the missus wouldn't approve    

[Snow]

Even though I'm currently retrenched, I only dream about a job that I would enjoy.......just wish I knew what it was ??

Deesillfitt'her in a ladies underwear factory

[Kangaron]

My Dad told me when I was a young bloke, find a job you enjoy and you will never work in your life.

When my wife applied for her present role and got it, I asked her what the package was.
She didn't know, didn't care. It was what she wanted to do.

[gronk]

My Dad told me when I was a young bloke, find a job you enjoy and you will never work in your life.

When my wife applied for her present role and got it, I asked her what the package was.
She didn't know, didn't care. It was what she wanted to do.

It wasn't the same place I mentioned above ?     

[McGirr]

We have made a decision to work and travel over the coming years. After stressing over work and money we took the decision to do acomplete lifestyle change and have a five year plan. We are both working in a remote area and saving to buy an off road van to continue  our travels around Australia. we would rather do it now before we are too old.

Mark

[vicandug]

We have made a decision to work and travel over the coming years. After stressing over work and money we took the decision to do acomplete lifestyle change and have a five year plan. We are both working in a remote area and saving to buy an off road van to continue  our travels around Australia. we would rather do it now before we are too old.

Mark

Did you sell your home? If you did are there any regrets?
I keep hearing stories from people who say don't sell your home, you need to have something. To come back to.

[McGirr]

Did you sell your home? If you did are there any regrets?
I keep hearing stories from people who say don't sell your home, you need to have something. To come back to.

We were only renting so we are not tied to any place.

mark

[Wortho]

My Wife and I are planning to retire in a couple of years (currently both 51) and are planning to downsize to a cheaper home on the Mid North coast and use it as a base. My Wife thinks its important for her to have a base and even if we only spend 3-4 months a year in the house it is worth the expense. This will also allow us to home swap with people in other places where we plan to travel. We have purchased this future home already and are renting it out for the time being.
Our plan is to live off the proceeds from our Sydney home until we can access the super. Will have to get used to living on less as we are currently DINKS but we think the freedom is worth the sacrifice.

BTW, Came across this simple calculator that helped us work out how long the money would last until super kicks in. Allows you to put a few percent extra per year to cover CPI.
http://www.calcxml.com/calculators/how-long-will-my-money-last

[Wortho]

Can you give us a clue where you get 5% for a term deposit.....best I've seen for the last year or two is 3.4%..

I'm currently getting 4% with an Online Bankwest Hero saver account. Not a term deposit but to
earn the variable Hero rate each month you deposit at least $200 and make no withdrawals. Have one in the Wifes name as well and only withdraw on the first of the month after interest has been paid and then transfer the balance over to Wifes account so it accrues interest for the remainder of the month 

[bentnose]

Did you sell your home? If you did are there any regrets?
I keep hearing stories from people who say don't sell your home, you need to have something. To come back to.
hi vicandug. ask yourself do you want to come back, if yes, don't sell. if you are having a sea/tree change then sell.