FTC Disclaimer and Privacy Policy
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By Katrina Kane, on February 12th, 2007 Thanks to the Internet, email, online banking, and online tax filing, we are closer to a paperless world than ever before though it will never be 100% paperless. Snail mail will continue to exist if only for packages and junk mail. Like it or not, you still need a way for snail mail to get to you. For RVers, just a post office box or a private mail box will not do because you need the mail to get to where you are now, not where you will be in 6 months. If you are a full-time RVer, you also need an address to establish residency.
You can use family and friends for mail forwarding and even an address but remember they have lots of other things going on in their lives and some of those things, believe it or not, are more important than your mail. I do not recommend using this method for more than a month now and then.
Professional mailing services are the best choice. Depending on how much mail you get, there are several levels provided by most services along with additional services such as registering vehicles for you, receiving legal notices, faxing, free internet in their office when in town, providing your location to friends and family with your permission, etc.
The best service for you depends on A) your residency choice, B) how much mail you get, C) price, D) extras provided with each plan, E) miscellaneous such as the wheel tax in some South Dakota counties which does not apply in others according to where your mail service is.
Continue reading Mailing Services for RVers
By Katrina Kane, on February 12th, 2007 If you are going to be a full-time RVer, this is a question you will have to answer sooner or later. As much as we would like to be gypsies and say our home is where our rig is, the realities of life, laws, insurance, taxes, etc. demand that we declare a particular address as our home. How you choose what state and address depends on a lot of different things and does involve state laws so what anyone tells you to do should be well investigated and should take your own specific situation into account. Seeing a lawyer wouldn’t hurt either.
If you are getting a pension from a job, be aware that changing your state of residence may have no affect on paying taxes on it. Also, if you plan to spend the bulk of your time in one state, you should check their residency and vehicle laws. They may be able to claim you as a resident and that may very well be OK by you if you don’t travel a lot. Each state has their own definition of what makes you a resident so be careful and know the law. Every state has their laws posted on their site on the Internet so Google away.
Most full-timers choose from 3 particular states to reside in; Texas, Florida, and South Dakota. Why those states out of so many others? Because those 3 have no state income tax. Why not Washington state which has no income tax? Because the other 3 have no income tax, no state inheritance tax, no personal property tax, reasonable sales taxes, low insurance rates, low vehicle registration fees, you can become a resident by mail (car tags, mailing services, *voting) and slight differences between them that will make at least one of them right for you.
Continue reading Where Is My Home?
By Katrina Kane, on December 21st, 2006 I have had a request to see Andrea, the Dang Cat in my Dang RV since she has been mentioned in my writing and she certainly does alter my RVing life. What was to be a carefree, live-for-myself experience is now tempered by someone else’s needs but is also enhanced at times by her. Her antics give me great pleasure while her cold shoulder accusations at times reminds me why I have not remarried!
So here she is…. tada! The Dang Cat!
 
 
By Katrina Kane, on December 19th, 2006 Many of us move into trailers when we have had enough of home ownership ie lawn mowing, snow shoveling, property taxes, utilities, house painting, bad neighbors you can’t get away from, etc. But there are some things which do not change and personally I like such as adding the little touches that make a trailer a home. Having rebuilt my house once and remodeled other houses, I have had more than enough of that. However, I still love the simple things. A home is YOUR home when there is a hook for your bathrobe where you want it, your things are put away where you want them, the kitchen is organized, etc.
Last weekend I got to play. Walmart tempted me with a great sale on a rotary tool then turned me loose in my trailer. The new spice rack is now installed, the power strip in the entertainment center is mounted high on the wall out of the way and where I can get at it, the entertainment center cable/DC outlet is reinstalled, the unsightly wires from the satellite dish installation for the elevation meter are now nicely covered, the dvd player is strapped down tight, removable hooks that blend in are on the walls, the electric jack is repaired, the tow chains are sporting new safety hooks with latches.
There was also some reorganizing which benefited a few of my neighbors with items I didn’t want. Tee hee.
The cat was not crazy about me carving the plastic wire channel pieces to cover the wires but that was a great deal of fun I thought. Nice messy fun with the plastic dust all over. I also had to carve and smooth a notch in the outlet to make it fit due to changes. Rotary tools are great for these smaller jobs. I was also able to use it as a drill for installing small screws.
My brother suggested using those 3M Command hooks that stick on the wall and can be removed later by pulling down to stretch the sticky stuff. So far they are working very nicely for my hat, jacket, and fly swatter. We shall see how they do once I start moving the trailer all around… I’m using a standard screwed hook installed over a stud for my heavy terrycloth bathrobe.
Continue reading Homeowner Fun in a Trailer
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