Coming up fast on independence day...

[cmendoza]

Coming up fast on Independence Day...

OK folks, it’s now close enough that we have to start dealing with the realities of truly casting off the bowlines. We’ve laid out our budget; we’re putting together to-do lists; getting the house ready, etc.

That said, I could really use some help from those of you that have gone before…

Specifically, our largest budget item is health insurance. No, not getting it is not an option. I’ve looked into several options, the least expensive of which requires that we be away from the USA for at least 6 months during any given policy period… not likely for the first few years.

The next item is long-term storage. While we intend to have the mother of all garage sales, we do have some furniture that we intend to hold for now. Needless to say, it needs to be very inexpensive storage… I read one post about putting it all in a shipping container and leaving it in a yard… sounds like the best solution, but I’ve had little luck locating such a yard.

Any and all help / thoughts on these two items and any others would be greatly appreciated…

Regards,

Carlos
SV/Rocinante

[CherylannJohn]

Hi cmendoza,
Congrats on getting to the finish line.... or starting line on your new way of living! We are 2 and a half years out and looking at the same issues ahead.

As to long term storage.
The best idea we have at the moment is putting a container or well built storage shed at a small rental house that we own. This will do a couple of things for us, take care of storage for the price of the unit itself (which we think will be under $3000) and diversify our nest egg/cruising kitty into real estate. Even having the rental with a management company we will still have about $200/mo positive cash flow.

I''ve asked on here and the SSCA board, it seems most people advise to sell all which is probably better than paying a monthly fee. Although one did recomend a container in a rental storage yard.

Maybe it depends on your stage of life and plans for when age catches up with you.
I welcome new ideas so I hope you get some sound advise here but so far the above idea works for us.

Lots of Luck,

John

[WHOOSH]

Carlos, we''ve cruised with a home, with a condo and with nothing. And we''ve cruised with both a storage facility and without. I don''t think there are hard ''n fast rules on this and what works best will probably depend on what options you find in your area. Having said that, here are a few thoughts:
1. Storage facilities often offer private carrier insurance coverage. This means you can approach them on theft coverage for a container, trailer, et al. which you store inside their facilities. That expands your choices, as a container can be quite expensive but old utility trailers (e.g. used by larger lawn services) or old delivery vans can be cheap. If you plan to store Grandma''s 4 bedrooms of antique furniture, security is critical as these are irreplaceable items. If its things you''d love to go out and buy new with your insurance payoff, then make a good list, photo everything and insure.
2. Take a close look at your itinerary - the realistic one, not the ''some day'' one - and ask yourselves if you might not find it useful to have a permanent storage room. Seasonal climates, storm issues (our home is in Florida), the ability to expand the quantity over time as you collect things and/or find out what isn''t worth having aboard, how long you''ll be out - all these variables can enter into the picture.
3. Price out your most workable option and then go back and look at your stuff again. If you can reduce the size of your container, whatever form it takes, you''ll cut the cost of storage & insurance. Just how badly do you need to store that mattress or hutch?
4. Don''t put things with family or friends. Things change, people get new jobs, and then what? We had patio furniture we stored at a friend''s house and it was a good option for both parties...until they moved. Now what?

Re: health insurance, this too offers many choices and hearing anecdotal accounts of what works can only be so helpful. After all, people have different expectations for care, different needs, cruise in different regions, and the insurance industry itself ebbs & flows, financially speaking, with payouts being administered accordingly. I''d suggest you read some of the threads at both the old and new SSCA BB''s, as there are numerous vendors suggested there:
http://ssca.org/discus/index.htm
http://ssca.org/sscabb/index.php
You might also find the NORSIGLAR site to be helpful to you; they address how they handled health insurance in their postings altho'' their info is now dated:
www.norsiglar.com/english/spesificationf.html

Good luck to you!

Jack

[cmendoza]

Thanks for the feedback and my best to both of you as well... I''ll be sure to post any additional ideas/info I find along the way.

[cmendoza]

Thanks for the feedback Jack/WHOOSH...
I hit the SSCA discussion groups, but not much luck... followed up on a number of vendors, but they either no longer existed, or you have to spend at least 6 months outside the USA to qualify for the insurance... I had actually looked into a number of them prior to posting my question... obviously no easy answer, otherwise we wouldn''t be asking ;-)

Loved the NORSIGLAR site... good info!
Anyway, thanks again.

BTW, are you a member of the SSCA?

[WHOOSH]

C, I''m going to be seeing good friends next week who retired early, have been relying on COBRA up until now while down in the Caribbean, and have been doing research on health insurance. He told me he''s made some progress, so I''ll see what I can learn and pass it along to you.

Yes, many years with SSCA. I''ve been helped by many a member, and try to pay it forward when possible.

Jack

[cmendoza]

Thanks Jack... good enough endorsement for me.
Needless to say, my wife and I are just getting started, but look forward to returning the favor some day.

Regards,
Carlos