Friday, December 03, 2010

One More Chore Done

This has been a busy (and expensive) week.  We ordered the energy management system  and new fire extinguishers already.

My projects for Thursday were to be Emergency Roadside Service since we'd let Good Sam's lapse, and decide on a mail service.  We decided to go ahead and get a mail service now, since we'll be needing one when we start full timing anyway.  We couldn't figure out a better (cheaper) way to handle our mail while we're gone.  The Post office has their version of the mail service for snowbirds, however it was way too expensive.  It cost $13.95 a week!

From my post a few days ago I got comment with a good recommendation from Jeff & Barbie regarding a mail service.  They use My Rv Mail, out of Crestview, Florida.  I checked  them out and liked them and the price was right. Thanks Jeff and Barbie.  Check out their blog, it's interesting!

I called My Rv Mail to ask a few questions and ended up talking with Kirt.  He took care of me right over the phone and I signed up for the 3 month gold service plan.  With the Passport America discount, it cost  $67.50 for the 3 month (cheaper if you pay annually or semi-annually), plus $30 initial postage deposit, plus $25 set up fee.  They have a website where you can see exactly what mail they have for you.  You can check what you want sent or trashed and update the address where you want your mail to come to.  You can update your information on the web 24/7.  For $2.50 they will scan a letter so you can read it immediately. I think they will work out very well.  We just have to send in some post office required forms and we'll be all set up.  We already have our new Florida address.

When Kirt called me back after I emailed him for help logging onto their site, I noticed the called id said, Passport America.  I checked and Passport America is also in Crestview, so I'm assuming it's run by the same person. I've been extremely happy with Passport America, so I feel sure we made a good decision.

Here is their pricing schedule for the Gold Plan with a discount if you're a Passport America member.


You can see I would have saved quite a bit if I'd have gotten the 12 month service.  Once we're on the road, we'll do that, but for now I'll go with the 3 month and renew month by month if needed.  They have a bronze, silver, and gold plan, but we went with the gold, which is the most expensive.

I never did get around to the ERS.  I'm leaning towards Coach Net because they have tech support.  Sometimes it's nice to have someone to call for help.  As long as we get it done before we leave, we're okay.

We had to take our little old kitty  Socks, to the vet today.  She has a thyroid problem and it's not under control.  She had some bloodwork done and her medication adjusted.  $213 poorer, we took her home :)  She's our oldest kitty at 19, we think she's 19, but we're not exactly sure.

Al was busy this afternoon.  He changed the oil on the motor home.  We're hoping to get it washed before we go, but the temperature is only getting into the mid 60's, so we'll see.

We had a really good dinner tonight.  We cooked some steaks on the Nuwave oven and boy did it do a good job.  I threw some potatoes in the regular oven and some fresh green beans on the Nuwave grill with the steaks and everything turned out great.  That's unusual for me!

We cooked hot dogs on it for lunch and they were very good too, so we've  decided we're going to leave our grill home.  We haven't cooked a burger on the Nuwave yet, but have we figure if it cooks a good steak, it'll cook a good burger. We see no reason to bring the grill. We may even sell it.  With the Nuwave you don't have to worry about the steaks flaring up. No smoke, no fire and the outside doesn't get that awfully hot.  You can touch it for a second or two without burning your hand. I like that better than the open flame of our gas stove and oven.  You set the timer for the desired number of minutes and walk away.  It beeps, you turn the food over and walk away until you hear the beep again.  You may need to adjust the cooking a few more minutes, but for the most part you don't even have to think about it.  Boy were those steaks tender.  Of course they were fillets, so they would be tender anyway.  So the Nuwave is replacing the toaster, toaster oven and probably the grill.


10 comments:

  1. Great to hear you are enjoying the NuWave Oven. Did you know potatoes come out perfect everytime as well? If you cut them in quarters, mix them with olive oil and seasonings they are soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside in 15-20 minutes. Or if you want a whole potato in 40 minutes it turns out like a resturant potato. In responce to the burgers, I have also made burgers and stuffed burgers in the NuWave and it is only 5-7 minutes a side. I use my NuWave camping all the time and thought to share a couple more tips with another NuWave fan. Happy camping!

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  2. Your 'to-do-list' is getting shorter and shorter as you prepare to leave. That mail service you chose sure sounds good, I like that idea of being able to see kind of mail you have waiting.

    Isn't it amazing how we can drop $219 for Vet fees for our pets in a blink of an eye, yet agonize over whether to get a 3 month or 12 month mail service for a lot less money? It just shows how much we are all attached to our pets, we're the same as you guys, money doesn't seem to matter when it comes to our pups well being.

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  3. You sure have been busy! Hope little Socks is feeling better real soon.

    Travel Safe

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  4. Getting ready to full time takes a lot of energy and even on the road we are still upgrading and getting the stuff we think we need. Hope your kitty feels better.

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  5. Margie loved her Nu-Wave!!

    Hugs Cindy

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  6. Thanks for the tips "Anonymous"

    I'm trying your tip right now with some potato's. I'm also throwing in a sweet potato to see how it does! I'll try the baked potato and burger another time. I figured it would do well with a baked potato, I just ran out of room.

    Please feel free to leave some more tips!

    Thanks,

    Karen

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  7. Thanks for the info on My RV Mail. We're definitely going to check it out!
    Susan

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  8. Reading about the NuWave makes me want to get one, but I don't need it now. I saw one in the store just the other week. The idea that it could replace a grill is exciting.

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  9. Glad we could point you in the right direction for your mail service. You sure are working hard to take off fulltiming. It will all be worth it when you take off though! "Til next time............

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  10. Hope that Socks is doing better. She is doing great to get to 19. Our cat Molly, Kevin’s sister has her now is 18 ½ so she is getting up there as well.

    Sounds like you NuWave oven is just the thing for you. The food sounds delicious and is making me hungry.

    Kevin and Ruth
    www.travelwithkevinandruth.com

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Please feel free to leave comments. We love to read them! To contact me directly you can send e-mail to rvtravels2@yahoo.com