Blog copyright Janet Groene 2024. To support this free weekly blog with a voluntary subscription please send $10 a year (52 issues) via Paypal to janetgroene at yahoo.com/
SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THIS WEEK'S LATE BREAKING NEWS OF NEW, UPCOMING AND PROPOSED CAMPGROUNDS AND RV PARKS.
SellOut
Would you love to downsize, move into an RV and chase your personal rainbow? It’s one of the most difficult choices one can make.
Here are some ways to unload those possessions that are holding you back.
AMAZON is a worldwide marketplace where you ca find buyers for almost anything, no matter how rare or oddball.
Pro: Listing is free and fairly easy.
Con: You pay fees, commissions and it takes a while to learn how to use it effectively. You are competing in a very tough international marketplace.
AUCTION. In a few, bittersweet hours, everything you want to get rid of is gone.
Pro: It’s quick, final and all the work is done for you by the auction house. You don’t even have to be there. The auctioneer may conduct the sale out of your house and yard, or haul everything away to sell at their own place.
Con: Commissions are high and returns could by iffy if the auction isn’t well promoted or well attended.
CRAIGS LIST is local and brings in local buyers. It’s a good place to advertise large items that can’t be shipped.
Pro: It’s free and you keep all the money. You ad reaches local folks.
Con: You’re exposed on the Internet, so scammers and thieves know about your sale. The listing process can be tricky until you get the hang of it.
Note: Dozens more local websites now populate the scene. Some are free. Some charge an upfront fee or take a commission. Many come and go. Take precautions.
DONATE TO CHARITY and take a tax write-off.
Pro: Many charities will pick up donations, so this is a good way to get shed of large, heavy items. It can be anonymous. Your neighbors and kids don’t have to know what you are giving away.
Con: They may be picky. If it’s heavy and there is no market for it, the charity may refuse to haul it away. Also, unless you take advantage of the tax benefits, you get nothing out of it except the satisfaction.
EBAY and similar sites provide a worldwide audience of buyers. It’s a person-to-person deal, so you have to pack and ship items, deal with questions, face returns and all the problems of a retailer.
Pro: Showcases your goods to a large audience. Bidding could lift prices beyond your wildest dreams.
Con: You pay to list, whether it sells or not, then pay a commission on sales. You may get paid only through PayPal or other single service. Listing procedures and account management require time and attention. You can list items as non-returnable but angry customers could bad-mouth you for future sales.
FAMILY AND FRIENDS GIVEAWAY. If you believe that this downsizing is permanent, now is the time to give heirlooms to the people you would be giving them to eventually anyway.
Pro: Your keepsakes go now to people you want to have them. Provide records and provenence. Explain why they are valuable or have sentimental value. You don’t have to insure or store them or worry that they’ll go into the wrong hands in the future.
Con: Hard feelings and even lifelong family bitterness can result if loved ones think you were uneven in your distribution.
YARD SALES You don’t have to have just one. Have a series of sales for the best return. When people haggle and you tell them they can come back on the last day for mark-downs, they usually buy on the spot. There’s no need to lower prices until the last hours of the last day.
Pro: You keep all the money starting with day one.
Con: You do all the work , from placing ads and signs to hauling stuff back into the house if it didn’t sell. Get help to help control crowds, reduce theft.
Mother's Day is May 12
Does SOMEONE YOU KNOW
LONG TO GO RV ROVING?
Living Aboard Your RV, 4th Ed. This
book is the perfect gift for retirement, get well, Mother's Day,
Father's Day or birthday. It covers the full-time RV life from making
the decision to taking the exit ramp when and if that time comes. Order
at any book store or have Amazon gift wrap and ship it for you.
Paperback or Kindle, http://amzn.to/29XFEkq
CAMPGROUNDS; GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS
This news from our local sources may be incomplete or premature. It's presented here to give you an earlybird peek at where to find safe, affordable sites now and in the future.
* Majestic is the word for views at Roan Mountain State Park, Tennessee, especially during the historic Rhododendron Festival. This year’s dates for the 77-year-old festival are June 22-23. Come see the splendor of bawdy rhododendrons in bloom plus food, crafts, music, live entertainments, hikes, trout fishing in the Doe River, tennis courts, a swimming pool and a children’s play area. The park has 86 campsites with picnic table, grill, water and electric. A dump station is located near the check-in. Go to (www.) ReserveTNstateparks.com/
* Plans are moving ahead for a proposed RV park near Defuniak Springs, Florida. Next Adventure RV Park in Walton County will have 27 RV pads, a clubhouse, office and bathhouse. This area is known as the Emerald Coast for its dazzling emerald waters. Jump on board as soon as reservations go live.
 |
| Hardy is among year's headliners |
A stellar lineup of country music stars is slated for appearances nonstop at the gala Faster Horses Festival at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan July 19-21. A major RV camping event as well as a country music extravaganza, it has nothing to do with horses. The yearly blow-out reportedly gets its name from something Henry Ford said back in the early days of auto making. buggy days. Campsites are available to festival ticket holders, but must be bought separately. A map shows the camping areas at (www.) FasterHorsesFestival.com.
* New this spring are a long list of upgrades to Devil’s Fork Campground in Dungannon, Virginia. Improvements include a new camp store and hookups for six RV’s. A dump station is expected to be finished by now. See (www.) Devilsforkcampground.com/
* “Substantial” improvements are coming to the campground at Selkirk Shores State Park, New York starting in September. Each of the 130 campsites will get crushed stove surfaces and the entire infrastructure will be upgraded. The park will be open for day use during the project but check ahead for opening and closing dates of the campground, which will be affected by the project. Completion is expected by 2026. (315) 298-5737
* Danforth Bay Camping & RV Resort in Freedom, New Hampshire opens the 2024 season fully loaded with new features that it began adding last year. See the new, zero entry salt water swimming pool, water fountains and slides, the expanded Depot Store, gathering spots for guests, planned activities.and a grandstand for entertainers. One of the state’s year-round campgrounds, the lakefront park covers 185 acres. For extended stays, the resort’s The Bluffs has 300 big-rig-friendly sites spread over our 150 acres. Sites have full hookups including cable and WiFi. Although most sites in this area are seasonal, shorter terms are available. See (www.) DanforthBay.com/
* In Horseshoe Bend, Idaho, the Konnexion Music Festival is a celebration of music, arts and camping. It’s scheduled for June 28-30. RV passes are available for car campers and RV’s up to 26 feet. The state’s largest electronic music fest presents dozens of artists providing nonstop music and entertainment plus vendors, food trucks, workshops, dance and community against a background of Idaho mountain scenery. Get tickets and camping packages online at (www.)konnexionmusicfestival.com/
* Learn about raptors of the Southwest at Sugarite Canyon State Park in Raton, New Mexico on Sunday, June 23. The hour-long program features live Southwestern birds of prey. It's open to all ages and is free with park admission. The park has two campgrounds with water and electric and a few with full hookups. Sugarite offers a full vacation with 20 miles of trails, fishing, boating, equestrian trails, mountain biking, picnic areas, paddle sports, a visitor center with exhibits and gift shop and an historic coal camp. Call the Visitor Center at (575) 445-5607. Camping reservations, (www.) ReserveAmerica.com/
* By late spring, 2025, the new luxury Magnolia Trace RV Resort should be open just south of Natchez, Mississippi. Work has already begun to transform the 275-acre site into a resort with premium RV sites, a lazy river, clubhouse and more for a family vacation. Learn more at https://unwindresorts.co/magnolia-trace/overview
No comments:
Post a Comment