pc Time? - Montana Owners Club

Wagonmaster · 10-28-2005, 05:40 AM

How much actual time do you full timers spend on your pc? Like email time, surfing the net, looking up items like say from camping world ,camp grounds etc. I been trying to decide if We would use one enought to warrent taking one full timing. Just another question along the way to full timing.. Thanks Jack & Janet

ols1932 · 10-28-2005, 05:53 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Wagonmaster

How much actual time do you full timers spend on your pc? Like email time, surfing the net, looking up items like say from camping world ,camp grounds etc. I been trying to decide if We would use one enought to warrent taking one full timing. Just another question along the way to full timing.. Thanks Jack & Janet

We spend as much time or more on our computers than we did when we had a stick house. With our Verizon cell phones, after 9:00 pm and on weekends, we do a lot of web surfing. My recommendation: take your pc with you. We have a desk top and a laptop computer as well as three (3) printers (one of which is a copier/printer). We also have a scanner.

Searchers · 10-28-2005, 05:53 AM

Wow! I can't wait to see Steve Reigle's answer to this one.

Parrothead · 10-28-2005, 06:30 AM

We are not full timing yet but we definitely will take two computers with us. I can't imagine being without one. First we pay all our bills on line and can opt for paperless billing so you see the bill on line before you pay. Of course without the stick house, some of our bills will disappear. I can also transfer money between accounts at our bank and check to make sure the automatic deposits have happened. Next we use the laptop for GPS. We also use computer to look up campgrounds, etc. It will be the way we keep in touch with our children and grandchildren through email (we do it now). I also do a lot of purchasing on the internet. And lastly there is the MOC. You have to stay up on what is happening here. We have a printer that stays in the Monty and I will take a all in one (scanner, printer, copier) with us. We have a separate printer (Sony) for printing pictures from our digital camera.
Happy trails...........................

Glenn and Lorraine · 10-28-2005, 07:13 AM

"If he ain't sleepin' he's online."
At least that's what Lorraine would tell ya 'bout me. I spend at least one hour everyday on this thing and there are those days where I can be on for many hours. A good example was this AM. I got up at 4:15AM and was online by 5AM and stayed online until 8:30AM. I am again been online since 12 noon and will be back again this evening. I will probably log about 7 or 8 hours today alone. The days, like now, where we are back in familiar territory we don't do any sightseeing and the computer gets a real workout. When we are traveling and sightseeing we each may only get an hour in the morning or evening. It also depends on the weather. Bad weather equals lots of puter time.
Lorraine does all of our banking and bill paying electronically. She even files our taxes on this thing. She also uses the Internet for online games. She also has her own older laptop that she uses for offline games and other accounting work. Probably sometime this winter she will be getting a new laptop.

I am addicted to this computer as well as the MOC will go through withdrawal when I can't get connected. If I can't get online you DON'T want to be around me.

OK, That's enough for this session. I'm outta here. Talk to ya L8R.

sreigle · 10-28-2005, 03:18 PM

Cute, Don (Searchers)!

Actually, I use this pc just about the same amount of time as I did while retired and living in a stick home. Remember, all you are doing is moving to a smaller home and changing your location on some schedule. You still have to deal with the rest of the world. Many of those things others listed above. We also use it for news and weather forecasts, keeping up on our investments, banking, credit cards, etc. Last year I did my income taxes online. Renewed our vehicle registrations online. Arrange for our mail delivery (use email for that most of the time). Etc. Etc.

Bottom line is if you use a pc in a stick home you'll want it in your RV while fulltiming. I never took it for weekending and vacationing but fulltiming is a whole different game than that.

Besides, how could you keep up with MOC without your own pc? (Is that better, Don??)

bob n pam · 10-28-2005, 03:34 PM

We second Steve's description of usage. That about sums it up for us, too.

Gypsy · 10-29-2005, 04:30 AM

Ditto what Steve said. I couldn't live without it, and felt like my right arm was cut off when the hard disk died and had to be replaced. I keep in touch with friends and family, find all kinds of helpful info on web sites, track my expenses, pay bills, plan trips, check weather, etc., etc.! It's an essential tool for full-timing, IMHO.

adelmoll · 10-29-2005, 04:34 AM

And don't forget the personal web sites or blogs that many of us have. It does take time on the computer to keep up with that but friends and family can follow you everywhere. I know our family sure appreciates that.

SAndreasen · 10-29-2005, 10:46 AM

We're not fulltimers BUT my wife says that I'm addicted to MOC and the net! (she's probably right-she ususally is) After working as the network administrator for our school district for 20 years, this tecno stuff sure "gets in your blood". We have a desktop with a laserwriter connected to our wireless high speed interent network. Also, have a powerbook(17") laptop that I take everywhere. I'm an e-mail/internet/MOC junkie! These fun people sure are cool.

Ontheroad · 10-29-2005, 12:59 PM

Same with Ellie & I, couldn't live without it. We both have a lap top, and we went to Direcway Satellite internet. We tried Verizon, but we were often out of their service area.

Imp · 10-29-2005, 04:55 PM

Bob and I both have lap tops and it is our lifeline to family and friends. We use the Verizon Mobil Office kit and generally it serves us well (after 9 p.m. during the week and all weekend). I think for fulltimers it is a must have, especially for doing bills etc.
Myrna

patodonn · 10-30-2005, 05:15 AM

Absolute agreement with the above. The amount of time I spend on it depends on the connectivity at individual locations and what is going on there.

Even if not "connected", great for pre-travel mapping, finance tracking and writing letters to be sent later as e-mail. When connected, invaluable for local area info, weather forecasts (departure, enroute and destination) and recreational info. Not to mention the banking, bill checking/paying capability. Then there is e-mail and this Forum....definitely a "gotta have".

JMHO

drifus · 11-02-2005, 02:52 AM

Not take a PC?

from my cold dead hands! I have 3 with me and 1 in storage, which is good I used to have 7 when I had the stick house.

sreigle · 11-07-2005, 01:40 PM

Don, I forgot to say my career was in computers so I kinda have a natural affinity for these things.

Lstierw · 11-12-2005, 06:50 AM

I must admit that i spend alot of time on the laptop. Sometimes two hours or more a day, but beacuse of this great little device i have not written a check in over two years and l love it. We use it for everything. Not sure if that is good or not.

fulltimedreamer · 11-12-2005, 04:42 PM

When we finally get to go fulltime it will be with a PC and some kind of internet connectivity. We do all our banking and pay all of our bills online. I could never go back to to the old ways of doing things. We use the internet for researching all our major purchases, for making our camping reservations, planning out the things we want to see while traveling and use Microsoft Streets and Trips for planning our routes. I worked in the computer industry for over 15 years and have maintained a church PC network as a volunteer for over 10 years. Me, without a PC just ain't gonna happen!!

dsprik · 11-14-2005, 05:32 PM

When I bid out for our 3400 next spring, I seriously considered including two laptop PCs in for the bid!! Then I thought, maybe not... then why not!... Na, they'll laugh at me... Wait! Who cares!... so the saga continues (in my own mind).

Not going to get by without one laptop each for me and Cheryl. Way too much financial stuff alone is tracked online. I can't imagine having to go back to the "Stone Age" and live without the internet.

sreigle · 11-15-2005, 10:39 AM

If you do that, Dave, be sure to tell them 'of your choice.' I sure wouldn't want them getting the cheapest laptops they could come up with!

dsprik · 11-15-2005, 10:56 AM

I am sure thinking of this, Steve, and I would pick the specifications and model(s). Anyone ever try something crazy like this???

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