The Beauty of Having Better Options

Good morning!

I hope this finds you well.

Welcome to another edition of The Matt Viera Newsletter.

The newsletter with the goal to inspire you to live the life you actually want to live.

Thank you for your continued support.

If you enjoy The Matt Viera Newsletter, please forward this email to one person you believe would enjoy reading this.

I had an exciting weekend.

Like last weekend, I went shopping this past weekend.

One big-ticket item I've been shopping for is an RV.

I've been shopping for this particular RV for the past couple of weeks.

And this past weekend, I went ahead and made the purchase!

I made a down payment to have the RV built to my specifications and it should be delivered by the manufacturer to the dealer sometime in March.

To say I'm excited is an understatement, as this is something I've wanted to buy for the past few years. 

Here's the story:

Last week, I published my experience trying to buy an RV at an RV show (you can read about that experience here).

My experience over the last week was the complete opposite of my experience at the RV show.

The day after the RV show, I emailed a dealership selling the model I wanted.

The following day, I received an reply with an itemized list of everything included in the sales price, a computerized printout similar to a car's sticker price.

Something the dealer at the RV show would only do for me if I agreed to fill out paperwork and a credit check.

The next day, I hopped on a call with a seasoned sales professional who took his time answering all my specific questions.

So, I woke up early this past Saturday and drove to the RV dealership to meet with the salesperson I spoke with.

He greeted me like an old friend, showed me the model I was interested in, answered more questions, and then I decided to move forward with the purchase.

Since the dealership didn't have a model with the specific upgrades I wanted, he told me it wasn't a problem; he would order it directly from the manufacturer to my specifications.

He provided me with a list of every option available for the RV, and I picked the options I wanted.

When it was all said and done, he hit me with the best part: he offered to sell me the RV at an "RV show discounted price" that he proved to me by showing me the sticker price the dealership used for the model at a recent RV show.

Overall, it was a great shopping experience, and I was in and out of the dealership in about an hour and a half.

So, what are my plans for the RV?

Well, the first major goal on my list is spending at least two weeks in one of my favorite places on the planet: The Valley of the Gods, Utah (the main reason I wanted an RV with complete off-grid capability).

The second major goal is to drive to Alaska this summer rather than spend a month in Europe.

The third goal is to buy a plot of undeveloped property on which I can park the RV during weekend escapes from New York City's overstimulation.

This third goal is a relatively recent development.

My reasoning starts with the fact that I can't store an RV in New York City; I would need to store it in an RV storage facility outside the city.

The issue this poses is that for me to enjoy the RV, I'd have to pick it up at the storage facility, hitch it to my SUV, and tow it somewhere where I can enjoy it peacefully.

There are plenty of places to do that, but I want to reduce the friction as much as possible.

An alternative is to keep it at a campground.

But campground fees can range from ~$2,500 to ~$5,000+ per year.

And campgrounds are full of people. 

The last thing I want to do on a weekend escape is see or hear anybody (I have plenty of that in New York City).

The better option is to buy a plot of undeveloped property.

A cursory online search (inspired by my colleague Kevin) reveals plots of undeveloped property ranging in size from a quarter acre to half an acre for ~$5,000.

Property that size is plenty big to suit my purposes for easy weekend escapes.

Once I buy, the plan is to install a fence around the property, maybe scrape a driveway on the property, and then possibly buy and place a tiny home (or two) on the property that I can rent on Airbnb for people to enjoy away from the relative chaos of their lives.

Or, I can rent the property to people who have RVs with off-grid capability.

These are the goals I will be working towards little by little throughout 2024.

But, I am most looking forward to picking up that RV in March and escaping as often as possible from New York City after it's delivered.

Spending more time in nature (off-grid) to balance the relative chaos of my day-to-day life in New York City.

Interesting reads:

Here’s the RV I purchased: NuCamp Tab 320 S

Alaska road trips are legendary for their beauty (the first resource I found about driving to Alaska).

You can find the collection of financial tools & resources that helped me grow from a 6-figure debt to a 6-figure net worth by clicking here.

Thanks for reading!

Please feel free to reply to this email with suggestions, questions, or comments.

I read every email.

If you have a question about personal finance, travel, or mini-retirements, email me and ask and I’ll discuss the answer in a future article.

If you enjoy The Matt Viera Newsletter, please forward this email to one person you believe would enjoy reading this.

I’m ready to follow you on X (formerly know as Twitter)!

I definitely want to read past articles of The Matt Viera Newsletter!

I’m not a subscriber to The Matt Viera Newsletter and I’m ready to subscribe!