Fulltime with 4 and 7 year old?

[Flipside]

I have the chance to fulltime. We have two little kids. Our concerns are will the kids be better off in school. In school they learn, they meet friends, and more. If we fulltime they would be home schooled. The good side we can see things they will never have a chance to see in school.

Our second concern is money. We are not rich people. We would sell the house and get a bigger camper. How much should we have per year to spend. How can we save money? Ate their good memberships we should join or stay away from?

Our biggest concern is the kids. We do not want to mess up.

[RUSSELL5000]

Flipside,

This is an observation from someone with a little bit older kids (13 and 15). I think the biggest factor in you doing well with your kids is the fact that you are concerned that you not mess up.

I know folks who have home-schooled, folks who have private-schooled, and folks who have public-schooled; all have great kids. My own sons have a combination of private school and a rather unique public school. I should point out that before the children came my wife was quite clear that she was not going to home-school. At any rate, that is how we have progressed.

So, I don't think the question is really which is better, but which will work for you, your wife, and your two individual children? Everything has a positive and a negative; from my experience with my kids, nothing is clear as to which way is best.

[mikebrls]

I would think keep them in public school until around 6th or 7th grade " so they can interact with other's " then go full time and home school, once they hit 8th grade or first year in high school is where the trouble start's from what I hear
Depends on how much activity's you do and with kid's I would think a lot $ 70 to 100 k a year to have fun and of course less if there's no paid entertainment or very little.
there was another thread going on with full timer's and if I remember correctly it seem like $ 150 a day average for a couple no kid's this included parking spot , food and entertainment and gas , so maybe ad on $ 25 a day for each kid and your at $ 73 k a year

[Camper_bob]

I don't really know a lot about it as I'm about to have my first child any day now. But I do know that my DW's parents moved her during her sophomore year in HS, and to hear her talk about it, it ruined her life (a little dramatic I think...) and her parents had to bribe her with a car to make it better. She was pulled from all her friends, and thrown into an entirely new environment where close friendships and cliques had already developed, and at a certain age, kids are less likely to take on new friends easily.

My point is that IMHO, you should think carefully about allowing your kids to develop close relationships with friends (and I would think it would be happening in force during the 7th and 8th grades) because if you remove them from their friends, they may have a difficult time overcoming that. I would think it would take a very special kid to live the RVing lifestyle; moving all the time, lack of real stability, difficulty developing close relationships... But some kids are much better for it, they learn to make friends easier, and are more outgoing, and they really appreciate the opportunity to see what most kids will never see, as well as what most adults will never see of our great nation. It also takes a special set of parents to home-school, I know DW and I couldn't do it.

Also, I would think you could do it for less than the $150 mentioned above if you were careful and frugal. You could also pick up some work-camping positions (there are entire forums dedicated to this lifestyle) to help mitigate some of the expense.

[Iraqvet05]

Personally, I couldn't make that commitment with my children (ages 6 and 10) as I believe they need interaction at daycare and/or school for their social development. I also think (being a former military brat) that moving around a great deal could have a negative impact in them as well. There is also the homeschooling aspect which could be daunting on you. While my wife and I both have 4 year non-teaching degrees, I leave my children’s education to those that have teaching experience and training. My kid’s teachers experience is invaluable to me.

[Ustabslim]

You can stay in RV parks starting at $15 per night and up. That's $450 to $900 monthly so maybe even cheaper than buying a home or renting. Your other cost shouldn't be any higher than they are already. You eat, buy clothes, groceries etc no matter where you are. You won't be commuting to work. Fuel cost over all about the same. Easy to pick up a few dollars here and there doing odd jobs.
Take of a few a years while kids are young...see the USA.

[sask934]

Originally Posted by Flipside

I have the chance to fulltime. We have two little kids. Our concerns are will the kids be better off in school. In school they learn, they meet friends, and more. If we fulltime they would be home schooled. The good side we can see things they will never have a chance to see in school.

Our second concern is money. We are not rich people. We would sell the house and get a bigger camper. How much should we have per year to spend. How can we save money? Ate their good memberships we should join or stay away from?

Our biggest concern is the kids. We do not want to mess up.

I would say that your children are at the age where a couple of years of home schooling would not hurt them, likely enhance them. You can save money by boondocking for a portion of the time and avoiding restaurants etc.

Picking up work along the way would subsidize your resources as well. There are memberships for camping at RV parks that can save you money as well.

Researching the costs in advance would give you a base budget to work with. I would say that keeping your home and renting it would be a consideration as it allows for stability, but that depends on the rental market as well as the financial out lay that is required to keep it as well as your disposable income.

Keep traveling to destinations to shoulder seasons or off peak seasons to keep the cost down as well.

As you have a new TV you are already in good shape....

An adventure like this can be life changing! Good luck with your decision.

[BNear]

I love the thought of doing something like this but not having the stability of a home and a full time job scares the life out of me. If I were to come into enough money that I could afford to do such a thing that might make a difference but even still, I like a stable place to be. I love camping and during the summer (I'm from Ontario, Canada) it's not unusual for me and my Wife to spend up to 5 months straight living in the trailer. We usually keep the trailer close to town and travel to work from the site everyday. It's still camping but with the whole going to work thing.

I wish you well and hope that you make the right choice as it applies to your family!!

[djtho1]

We full time with four kids, ages 6,7,10,12. We homeschool all four, and we both work from the camper. I joined a national staffing company for my profession and do 13 week assignments, so we get a chance to live different places. As far as worrying about social interaction, I wouldn't too much. There are always kids in campgrounds to interact with, and you can join homeschooling groups wherever you are to do field trips and things. One thing to remember is that you are not camping at this point, but living on the road. The bigger camper that you will likely get will limit where you can go somewhat, though with only two kids you can get by with a fairly small unit. We carry tents and will leave the fifth wheel to go exploring. This just scratches the surface, but it can be very rewarding and fun, and we like that the kids get to see more than one area of the country. Check out Boyinks4adventure.com for another family that is doing this.

[nbhybrid]

I would do it in a heartbeat if I could. Wife is a teacher and I gave up work . have 2 kids 4 and 10.

But there isn't enough camping season in Canada.

[Flipside]

Thank you everyone for our help.

What discounts programs are available? Any ideas too make it cheaper without working?

[mikebrls]

take a look at this company

http://www.passportamerica.com/