Fulltiming

[Ryan Wright]

On Mon, Oct 6, 2008 at 4:42 PM, Leroy Eckert wrote:
> Your accounting method is OK by me. I would exclude fixed or semi-variable
> costs if someone else wrote the check.

Again, there is no right or wrong answer here, but my point was this:
Other than the cost of fuel, I have to pay for the rest whether I use
it or not, otherwise it falls into disrepair. I can't exclude such
costs from total cost of ownership, as I'm obviously paying for it,
but when it comes down to, "Should I start the genset or not?", those
costs don't enter into that discussion. Only the cost of fuel matters
at that point.

For example, I'm taking the coach out this weekend and I'll run the
generator, and when I get back I'll change the oil. Whether I run the
generator this weekend or not, the oil still has to be changed. If I
don't run it at all for the next year, the oil still has to be changed
yet again. So the cost of oil changes doesn't even count when deciding
whether or not to fire the thing up. The same argument can be made for
most of the other maintenance I perform on my coach. Most of the stuff
doesn't wear out due to use, it just gets old. My trip this weekend
won't cost me an additional dime for tires or maintenance, I'd have to
pay for that even if I left the coach home and walked. It's owning the
coach, not using it, that brings these costs. As long as I've made the
decision to own it I might as well use the heck out of it and
everything on it because I'm paying for them anyway.

> It is like saying there is no cash outlay for mowing the lawn

No, it's like saying, "Don't play on the lawn, kids, because it costs
money to water and mow it." You're going to pay to have it watered and
mowed, anyway. Whether someone plays on it or not makes little
difference.

-Ryan
'86 PT-40 8V92