# Full Time RV living



## annsley

Hello,

I found a similar thread in the archives, but can't find a current one. Are you RV mommas still out there? I'm *very* interested in chatting with you. We are on a path towards full time RV and yurt living.
I've been looking at delight's website www.livelightlytour.com and getting very inspired!
Let's talk......


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## majikfaerie

we aren't "full time" rvers any more, but we're living out of our campervan atm. we travel a LOT. though often living out of backpacks, since we travel internationally.

I really love living in our van and moving around. even with gas prices through the roof, it's still cheaper than rent, and we're looking into veggie oil


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## annsley

Quote:


Originally Posted by *majikfaerie* 








we aren't "full time" rvers any more, but we're living out of our campervan atm. we travel a LOT. though often living out of backpacks, since we travel internationally.

I really love living in our van and moving around. even with gas prices through the roof, it's still cheaper than rent, and we're looking into veggie oil









That sounds cool! Would you mind telling me more about your lifestyle? Do you work? Do you homeschool your dd? I'd love to hear more.......

Thanks


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## majikfaerie

Quote:


Originally Posted by *annsley* 
That sounds cool! Would you mind telling me more about your lifestyle? Do you work? Do you homeschool your dd? I'd love to hear more.......

Thanks









we homeschool (unschooling). I'm a travelling midwife, and dp and I both have paying jobs that we do over the internet, so anywhere we like


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## aaronsmom

Just wanted to







this thread. I follow a lot of nomadic mama's blogs (CageFree, EnchantedGypsy, and you majikfaerie







). It's always been a dream of mine but because DH would never, ever be on board I must live vicariously through you guys!!


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## MaShroom

Hey all, I knew I could find a thread like this here!









We aren't nomadic quite yet but hoping to be within the next year. I have plans to go look at school buses tomorrow with a friend. This is something that I've always wanted to do and talked about. Time to make it a reality.

I was contemplating buying an RV but I think, with my mad scavenging skillz, it would be way cheaper to do it myself and with the help of friends. Besides, what a great project. I can learn things that I've always wanted to know but never took it to the next level. And I think I'd be much more comfortable traveling in something that I know about rather than having something break on it and have no idea what to do.

Anybody have any good links or advice about living on the road or converting buses?









ETA: annsley, I can't find the archived threads. Can you link me or give me the magic search word? Thanks!


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## Hellga

On the topic of buying and converting a bus, don't you have to have a special driver's license to drive a bus? I know you do here, at least if it's for a school or church.


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## MaShroom

Good question, I was thinking about that earlier so I had to google it. If you scroll down here it gives the requirements by state.

http://changingears.com/rv-sec-state-rv-license.shtml


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## majikfaerie

it also depends on if it's registered as a "bus" or as an "rv", in some states.


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## AZChickenlover

When my DH and I were self employed, we purchased a converted Greyhound bus and used that as our travel vehicle. Since we travelled 25-30 weekends a year, it made it very comfortable. We could have easily lived in it had we wanted to. My husband did the driving and maintanance and was not required to have a CDL.


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## majikfaerie

cool


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## kimmom

HEY EVERYONE!! I tried to post on our old one but couldn't so anyone up for a new one? How is everyone doing?? We our now full time in our 5th wheel since the end of August. We have been on my husbands parents farm getting the rig ready to go and my dh has been finishing up some web work he needed to get done. We are planning to head south for the winter not sure where exactly. We have a blog now too..
www.canadianfamilyrobinson.com
I would LOVE to catch up with everyone else too!


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## onlygirls

We just bought a travel trailer and I was wondering if this group was still active.


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## heartmama

We are still here. With the economy this bad, I am SO glad we sold the house and bought the rv. We don't look nearly as loopy to people as we did 18 months ago.

I told dh maybe I had a sixth sense or something--I just remember feeling
100% sure we should get out of our mortage and move ahead with the rv plans even though it seemed at the time like there was no rush.

Now I am so glad I did.


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## MoonStarFalling

Yay I was wondering where this tribe went. We still plan to buy our rig in the spring. The earlier the better! We are so excited. We've taken a year to plan things and ready our home and possessions for selling. DH is currently remodeling pretty much the whole house while the kids and I are off in another state. The housing market is looking really good in our area now which makes me hopeful.

We wanted a 5th at first but now have decided to buy a starter RV. Perhaps a 28 footer. Something not too huge. Perhaps on the older side. There are tons of them for sale for such great prices. We have been touring some.


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## kimmom

We are living in our 5th and it is finally feeling like home after almost 3 months in it!! I am going to try and post some pics on our website www.canadianfamilyrobinson.com
We too are SO HAPPY to have gotten out of the housing market when we did!!!!!! We are running on solar now (with the help of a generator right now since we are on the west coast!)
We are back in BC for a bit while we deal with some health issues with my DD and celebrate the holidays with family and friends. We will be heading off to warmer places at the end of Dec


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## dillonandmarasmom

I am so glad to see this tribe come back!
We have been homebound for quite a while now. Still not on the road, still own our home, yadda, yadda.
We do have hopes that things will eventually change, and that we can be on the road more nad more. We were a bit derailed by the IL's potential move (they wanted us to live in their current house while they would be away for 4 years...long story, we're not--thank Goddess~)
Anyhow, we are slowly remodeling the rig fromt he inside. I have all of hte cupboard doors painted, and our oven has been sitting outside while we figure out what to do about a new countertop...It's kind of fun to remodel such a tight space--not too bad on the budget.

It's great to see this back...motivating! Happy travels Kimmom!


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## beaner&tiegs

HELLO!

We're just taking the plunge now, after many months of talking about it. We bought a 1973 Barth, 23 feet, and are just finishing up fixing it up. We sold our house (unfortunately just at the beginning of the market going crazy, but still, we sold!) and handed the keys over last fri - so now we're in a hotel, resting up from the chaos of packing up our house, and dreaming about getting on the road! First, south to sunshine!!!!!! Great to see this tribe, I'm so curious to see how this adventure goes. For now, our plan is to spend about a year......but we'll see!!!!


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## onlygirls

I am jealous. I wish we could pack up and leave everything.

But I hope to learn a lot from everyone here. We know nothing about having an RV. I think there is an Idiots Guide that I will have to get myself for Christmas.

I bought ours on eBay - below wholesale. We were planning on buying one to camp locally as well as go to CA over the summer, where most of our family is. I found my trailer and did as much research as possible in a week.









The kids were so excited! DH is more reserved because of the payment + storage fees + insurance, but he will get over it. It is a great opportunity to spend some time with our kids away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.


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## kimmom

Where are you heading down south? We are leaving Vancouver Island end of Dec to go south!!


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## beaner&tiegs

Right now we're in Victoria for a couple of days, visiting friends and family and doing some shopping/setting up and then we're going to slowly start heading south. Definitely keep in touch, perhaps we'll be in the same area at the same time!!!!! We're going to spend this week working on our website, and once we have it basically up and running I'll post it here!!!!!!!!!


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## tayndrewsmama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kimmom* 
www.canadianfamilyrobinson.com

Wow! You have solar power?! That is awesome! I can't wait to tell dh that. I have never heard of that before with an RV. How do you deal with them when driving? Are they easily damaged?

I really would like to sell the house, but the market is horrid here and I would be pretty ticked to lose our rears on the house. I knew the last time we came home that I really would be happier on the road. I just didn't want to come home last time.


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## kimmom

We are in Shawnigan Lake right now 30 minutes from Victoria visiting friends and family, will be in Vic next week dog sitting, parking in friends and families driveways/land until after the holidays

Yes we run on solar not so much right now on the island where it rains all the time








In Alberta we did awesome on our solar and barely needed the gen set at all to top off the batteries! Right now we are plugged in but as of Thursday will be back off the plug and charging our battery bank by running the generator a few hours a day
At first I was worried about the wind and the panels but they are very secure. We can drive 100km/h on the highway with no issues, just lock them down and we are good to go. We have had them tilted up through a few big windstorms and have been fine there too. I would have to ask my dh but I am pretty sure there is some warranty on them for rock chips etc. They are much sturdier then you would think! The hardest part of getting set up with them was getting them close enough on the trailer (33 feet long) to the battery bank and inverter.
I am so happy we sold when we did thats for sure! All has been good in the trailer so far but I am a tad "homesick" with Christmas and seeing everyone in their windows around the fire and tree but I know that will go when we are back on the road heading to sunnier places








We are keeping our eyes out for the right piece of land for us but want to wait as long as possible and travel more before we buy back in!


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## burke-a-bee

Hi..we've been in our RV since June. (31', two adults, 4 kids and an 80 pound dog) Glad to see others doing it as well. It's been a challenge in some ways but great in other ways. We're new to homeschooling so that has taken some getting used to. I'd love to hear about other experiences.


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## beaner&tiegs

hello everyone! Happy New Year to you! We have sleeping young children, so are spending the evening catching up a bit on emails, eating ice cream and listening to the ocean crash in beside us!!!!! It's been a great end to 2008, I can't wait to see what kind of adventures 2009 brings!!!

We're on the road, finally figuring out, slowly, how this is all going to work. It seems SLOWING DOWN, not driving tonnes and changing spots often, plus incorporating more down days to just be and not always playing tourist, are going to be key......along with more State Parks for our family, and less RV resorts!!!!!!! We've been slowly trying to figure out a website, feel free to check it out but be patient with me as I figure out many of the bugs!!!!! It's at www.ThoseWhoWander.ca and for now, you have to cut and paste the addresses for the blogs.

Right now we're in San Francisco doing the touristy thing and waiting for some mail, but in a couple of days we'll head down to surfing areas! Disneyland in a couple of weeks, the whole reason we're doing this trip as far as my girls are concerned!!!!







Burke-a-bee, where are you guys? ANd Kimmom, what about you?!


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## burke-a-bee

We are in Austin..heading west looking for work in New Mexico then on to Arizona.


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## MoonStarFalling

Does anyone have thoughts about being pregnant on the road? I'm considering it and wondering about the logistics of having a baby in another state. The plus is that I could choose any pro VBA2C provider in the US









We're both concerned about getting a small enough rig to drive comfortably but yet big enough for us all. We have two kids, three cats and a small dog. How big do we need?

Dh is very nervous about not having roots somewhere. He thinks we need to buy a house and just let it sit while we're gone but I don't see the point.


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## kimmom

We are still on Vancouver Island, kinda snowed in where we are! Hopefully it will melt soon and we will be able to pull out of here, looks like mid Jan. We will be heading south! Via Portland to visit family, thinking of taking the coastal route then down to California. Disneyland of course







Then to Arizona/New Mexico! Would Love to meet up with everyone!!!!


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## burke-a-bee

After about a month in Austin we have moved on to New Mexico. Hopefully my DH will find work and spend some time here.


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## kimmom

burke-a-bee: whats your DH do for work on the road? We are going to head to New Mexico eventually too hear it is beautiful there!


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## burke-a-bee

My Dh works on feature films, commercials and music videos. Although with the actors strike it has slowed down. Thing are to pick up in the next few months but don't know if we can wait it out.


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## kimmom

Thats crazy! My husband works in the same industry!!! He has been away from us for the past 4 years Mon-Fri that is the main reason we sold our place, so we could be together as a family more.
Things have slowed in Canada too in that industry.. The shifting Canadian dollar may make it pick up again in Canada. My husband may look at changing careers at some point! We will most likely look and see if we can get some work down there too but a bit trickier since we are Canadian. Do you guys have a blog? Ours is Canadianfamilyrobinson.com
It would be fun to meet up somewhere, we both have 4 kids and sounds like our husbands would have something to talk about! Do you guys boondock or park at RV parks mainly?


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## burke-a-bee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kimmom* 
Thats crazy! My husband works in the same industry!!! He has been away from us for the past 4 years Mon-Fri that is the main reason we sold our place, so we could be together as a family more.
Things have slowed in Canada too in that industry.. The shifting Canadian dollar may make it pick up again in Canada. My husband may look at changing careers at some point! We will most likely look and see if we can get some work down there too but a bit trickier since we are Canadian. Do you guys have a blog? Ours is Canadianfamilyrobinson.com
It would be fun to meet up somewhere, we both have 4 kids and sounds like our husbands would have something to talk about! Do you guys boondock or park at RV parks mainly?

That is too wild. My husband is a grip.What does your husband do in the industry? There are a few movies gearing up to shoot in New Mexico. We'd love to meet up. No blog just a few photos on flickr.


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## LovingMyBabies

Can I join in too? We are a family of soon to be 8 living in our RV while dh travels and works on ranches. We are traveling all around Oregon. I love living life this way! My kids can't get anymore in tune with nature!!


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## MoonStarFalling

Hi Amber! Can you tell me about your rig? We're looking at some now and hoping to buy in the next couple months.


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## burke-a-bee

We've been on the road since June...we homeschool and we travel wherever my DH can find work.


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## sugareemoma

Hey mamas,
I am so envious/impressed by yall. I used to be a nomad but have 'setteled down' now that I am a mamma. I have been to all but 2 states and most of southern Canada. I love tour and traveling whether I'm hitching or have my own ride. When my DD gets to be a bit bigger I hope to buy a bio-diesel van and travel with her for at least a summer.
Once again kudos to you mammas for keeping the vibe alive
peace an love
-sugaree


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## Theoretica

I'd love to hear how you all made the transition from living in a house to fulltiming? We're looking into fulltiming anda re just starting the process so any info/help/tips etc would be appreciated. I've spent HOURS reading all the info online, I'd love to hear from all of you who BTDT! We're debating new vs used 5th wheel, rent vs sell the house etc.

Thoughts? Input? Ideas?


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## beaner&tiegs

Hello everyone!

First off, we're heading into Palm Springs today and then making our way towards Vegas area, down to Arizona and then New Mexico (we'll be in New Mexico for the last two weeks of March for sure, as friends are meeting us there!














If anyone has any tips and ideas of places we HAVE to go, places they're hoping to check out, rv parks to stay at, please please please let us know!!!!

Secondly....we're a couple of months into our journey, so I thought I'd answer a few questions from our experience so far....
- we bought a 1973 Barth class A (all in one) motorhome from Craigslist for $7000. and spent a bunch of money fixing it up, adding a new furnace, adding a solar panel, etc Now that we've been traveling for a bit, I see the value in a truck/trailer set-up as there have been numerous times we would have just liked a smaller vehicle to drive around with. However, traveling this way has encouraged us to be more active, by biking places, walking to bus stops, and exploring different areas of the city by transit.
- we found the first month or so to be a huge period of adjustments. Dh not working full time, all of us being together 24/7 - a good thing, for sure, but it changed the dynamics of the family and we just had to figure out our new way. We sold our house and left our beloved neighbourhood, and that was a big transition with lots of sadness. It took a couple of weeks for the kids to start sleeping well, which took it's toll on us, there are 5 of us living in less than 150 square feet and that took a bit to get used to (especially in the rain and cold), cooking can be a hassle as all the kitchen stuff is crammed into a tiny space and I feel like I'm constantly unpacking and repacking to do anything - at first it made me grumpy, but over time it just became the new reality and we found ways to make the space work and that helped. So I would suggest giving yourselves a chunk of time to settle into the new reality.

- Now, the Barth feels like home and we're loving it! We've found warmer weather and live a lot outside. We've accepted that it's so easy for the motorhome to get messy, so we've done even more decluttering, and get less stressed out about it. We stop lots and stay at places long enough to do a bit of touristy stuff but also to just be, hang out, catch up on laundry - it's tiring to always be exploring and seeing new things! We also find that a good mix of State Parks and RV parks are what works for us - we feel much more at home at the State Parks, and love the beautiful settings, and the feeling like we're really camping. However, the RV Parks offer full hookups which is nice at times, pools for the kids, free wireless and also laundry rooms - and if you're traveling with a tv, I notice most even offer free cable as a part of their hook ups!

For now we're just doing it for a year, as a transition to a whole new life in Ottawa. It's gotten us thinking about how we can live full time with very little work away from home, as we're really enjoying the time together. We'd like to buy property in the Ottawa Valley so the kids can be near their cousins and family, but I imagine many rv trips from our home base!!!!!!

Let me know if you have any other questions - and I'd love to hear other peoples' experiences so far!


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## beaner&tiegs

Hello all!

We've been traveling a bit in the desert now....spent a few days in Palm Springs, which we really enjoyed but could not find an rv site in as they were all age-restricted (ie 21 and older OR 55 and older) - we've never run into that before, so were rather surprised. But, there's a great kids museum there, and we really enjoyed the art gallery!!!

We LOVED LOVED LOVED Joshua Tree, stayed at three very different campsites and could have stayed much longer. Bring lots of water in with you, but what amazing geology, rocks to clamber over or boulder/climb, so many birds and neat little animals to see, gorgeous sunsets....LOVED IT! The ranger station also does a brilliant juniour ranger program where the kids have to complete a bunch of tasks that really get them thinking about the desert, and then they get a badge and information about the area. Mojave Desert Preserve was also interesting, very different from Joshua Tree and not as much our favourite, but we enjoyed it. Another junior ranger program, and if you go on the weekend, they have informative walks with a ranger that we really enjoyed. STAY AT HOLE IN THE WALL and not by Mitchell Caverns - that one has winds that reach up to 80 miles an hour and we got no sleep at all, and were shocked to see the rv still in the place we parked it in the morning!!!! WOW!!!

We're off to Arizona and New Mexico soon - would love any tips of places to see or stay!!!!

Thanks!


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## kimmom

Hey We are in Slab City with 2 other full time families that we met at the FOTR rally in Newport Dunes. If you guys are close by still you should come hang out with us!! We are heading to Joshua Tree in the next week before going to Arizona. Slab City is great, very neat ecentric people here and FREE camping! Email me if you want to meet up!


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## holyhelianthus

Quote:


Originally Posted by *******&tiegs* 
Hello all!

We've been traveling a bit in the desert now....spent a few days in Palm Springs,

Bummer! That's my neck of the woods.









Don't mind me I'm just a lurker (this is DH's dream for us someday). Going back into lurkdom now....


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## sugareemoma

I am getting evicted and considering getting a VW or another camper van. Is it legal to live in a van with a toddler? I am in WA and will be in school until June but then I will hit the road and go to my parents in Nor Cal. I am concerned about 2 things:
1. Potty training because a van wont have a toilet
2. None of the VWs I am looking at have working refrigerators, how long can a cooler keep milk/yogurt cold?
Thanks for the help mamas!
I have lived in vans before but never with a kid, I would just get milk for one day but with WIC checks I have to get 1gal + at a time.


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## Pilgrim

Hello y'all!

I came here (to the Florida tribe) to look for playdates, and I saw this thread! We moved into our RV in January, left Oregon, and are currently in Florida. We'll be back in Portland in July. I just want to say a quick "howdy" before I go back to my task of looking for a playdate for our nearly 6yo.

Cheers!


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## Pilgrim

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sugareemoma* 
I am getting evicted and considering getting a VW or another camper van. Is it legal to live in a van with a toddler? I am in WA and will be in school until June but then I will hit the road and go to my parents in Nor Cal. I am concerned about 2 things:
1. Potty training because a van wont have a toilet

I wanted to give a quick answer to the potty training thing. Just buy a little plastic potty to keep in your vehicle. We live in a motorcoach, and DD2 isn't potty training yet, but we plan to use the little potty for her anyway.


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## burke-a-bee

Hi we are still on the road. We've been in Albuquerque for a few months now. DH is trying to get some work here. He's had to fly to Florida and NYC for work. If things don't happen here soon we will probably head east again. We hope to visit CA before heading back. I can't believe we've been on the road since June!


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## burke-a-bee

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Pilgrim* 
I wanted to give a quick answer to the potty training thing. Just buy a little plastic potty to keep in your vehicle. We live in a motorcoach, and DD2 isn't potty training yet, but we plan to use the little potty for her anyway.

That is what we did until DD could reach the potty.


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## Thystle

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sugareemoma* 
I am getting evicted and considering getting a VW or another camper van. Is it legal to live in a van with a toddler? I am in WA and will be in school until June but then I will hit the road and go to my parents in Nor Cal. I am concerned about 2 things:
1. Potty training because a van wont have a toilet
2. None of the VWs I am looking at have working refrigerators, how long can a cooler keep milk/yogurt cold?
Thanks for the help mamas!
I have lived in vans before but never with a kid, I would just get milk for one day but with WIC checks I have to get 1gal + at a time.


How did everything turn out?









Oh yeah and a BIG BUMP. And a bit more lurking.


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## MoonStarFalling

I'm also curious about updates! Our house has been on the market for a few weeks with lots of interest but no offers yet. As soon as it sells we're on the road!


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## kimmom

Good to see this tribe back








We are in one place since April 1st back on Vancouver Island BC while my DH is working on a contract. It is an amazing piece of land we are on, we are off the grid here which is nice so much space and wildlife!! DH is just finishing up his contract so we are heading back on the road again July 13 to go do some climbing , looking for land and visiting then heading to do an internship on building earthships. We hope to building our home a year from now







But so far we are all happy being in our small RV home







Thank goodness for our big always changing backyard xo


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## beckybird

Hi RV folks! I just have to say--all you full-timers are so cool. In high school read "Travels With Charlie" by John Steinbeck. Ever since then, it has been my dream to travel the country. It was also my dream to have a small farm with horses and birds, so for now, I am living dream #1--having a small farm with my husband and children.
When the kids are grown, I am looking forward to hitting the road for a tour of America. We grew up camping for our vacations, since we could never afford fancy hotel rooms. I learned that traveling and camping is much more fun than a cushy hotel any day. In fact, just this weekend, we took our new (used) camper out on her maiden voyage! It was a blast, and I can't wait to go out again.
I love to hear more stories from those of you who live in your rv's. It gives me something to daydream about!


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## pollyanna

Hi
I'm thinking about buying a RV and was wondering if you moms could give me so advice about how much it costs to rent space at RV parks and state parks.
And how you can find some yr round parks?

Thanks
Pollyanna


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## Pilgrim

Hi Pollyana,

I think this is a very hard question to answer! It depends on what type of rig you are in, and if you are "on" or "off" season. We are in a big rig (42' coach), and we use 50 amp service. We tend to stay where it's "on" season, so we pay a premium for that. We also stay where there are good ammenities (pool, playground, wifi). We typically pay $30 - $45 per night, but we've paid $75 - $100 per night in places that draw big crowds (like Disney).

Some places offer a weekly and monthly rates, and that makes it more affordable.

State parks are generally less expensive ($20 - $30/night for us). They also don't have ammenities, but usually make up for that in beautiful settings.

Boondocking is free, or next to it, and it comes with its own set of pros and cons. We try to boondock when we can when we are driving between spots.

And yes, there are plenty of RV parks that you can live in as long as you want.

hth!


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## Dahlea

hi! we're having a hard time financially and hate where we live so we're planning to take it on the road. my husband is an engineer and plans to work as a consultant.
at this point we're selling stuff, researching and looking for a cheap but working class c.
look forward to any stories/advice. we'll have our son and 2 dogs with us.


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## LeslieB

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Dahlea* 
hi! we're having a hard time financially and hate where we live so we're planning to take it on the road. my husband is an engineer and plans to work as a consultant.
at this point we're selling stuff, researching and looking for a cheap but working class c.
look forward to any stories/advice. we'll have our son and 2 dogs with us.

We were just living in our van for awhile with our son and 2 dogs.







We don't own a camper. We got a Dodge Sprinter passenger van, and my husband did his own modifications to build us a bed. That's all we needed really. We had a Coleman stove, a cooler (just replaced the ice every 2 days). No need for a bathroom or shower. There are facilities everywhere. We had a lot of storage space under the bed and in the back. This was our second time van living. I would go with a van over a camper any day. Way too much maintenance with an rv/camper. Plus, a regular van will tend to get better gas mileage. Just thought I'd throw that out there for you.


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## lightinmyhands

Hi everyone, I've never posted here before, but I have been talking a lot lately about how I just want to take an RV on the road with my partner and our 2 kids (oh, and the puppy).....but I'm kind of scared. I spent a lot of time on the road before I had my first, but I'm wondering what life is like with children in an RV? I hate to limit my life because of fear, and I think I may be more afraid of never doing it and regretting that than I am of what the experience could turn out like. If anyone has any thoughts, please don't hesitate to reply!

Love and Light


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## lightinmyhands

hi mamas! I'm absolutely desperate to get on the road with my partner and our kids----I'm tired of him working 40+ hours a week and us not getting any time as a family where we aren't all exhausted. Not to mention my 5 y/o daughter is just as sensitive to city dwelling as I and she seems kinda insane with bottled up energy unless she's in nature. I traveled a lot before I had kids and it was the best time of my life. My partner is a computer programmer so I'm almost certain he could find work wherever we were to go, I'm just kind of scared of taking that leap. My second child is due this Saturday and I'd like to make a decision in the first year of his or her life whether or not we're going to go on the road. Any insight, advice or experience shared would be so very appreciated!

Love and Light


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## sweetpeppers

I want to get an RV, but not so much to travel in. I want to have it parked most of the time on my parents property. Has anyone done that? I have a two and a half year old son, so it would just be the two of us and lots of space to play outside.


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## Pilgrim

Quote:


Originally Posted by *lightinmyhands* 
Hi everyone, I've never posted here before, but I have been talking a lot lately about how I just want to take an RV on the road with my partner and our 2 kids (oh, and the puppy).....but I'm kind of scared. I spent a lot of time on the road before I had my first, but I'm wondering what life is like with children in an RV? I hate to limit my life because of fear, and I think I may be more afraid of never doing it and regretting that than I am of what the experience could turn out like. If anyone has any thoughts, please don't hesitate to reply!

Hi there!

I would say this to you "just do it!" OK, seriously, there are so many considerations, and if you want to do some deep digging, go to rv.net. But seriously, you can move into an RV, and if you don't like it, move out again.

We moved into our RV in January, 2 adults plus 2 young kids, and we love it. Now, we have a huge beautiful motorcoach and have stayed at expensive RV resorts in highly desirable destinations too. I don't know how well I would have liked this lifestyle in a smaller space, or if we had not stayed in nice places. (I'm about to find out!)

We also just learned that DH has another contract, so we must stay in one spot for the next few months (work is good!) I don't like the idea very much of living in the RV while we stay put, but we decided to do that anyway because we may need to take off again in 6 months or so. (if his contract ends and it's winter, we're heading somewhere warm!)

The hardest part for us adults has been that our older daughter really misses her friends. The other challenge is that we must really consider places to go and things to do that the kids will enjoy.

A lot depends on your current situation. If you own your home, then it's a huge commitment to either sell it or rent it out and go. We were in a rental house, so it wasn't a big deal to move out. Well, it WAS a lot of trouble to sell and give away so much, and put the rest into storage, but we found it to be very worthwhile to do.


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## Pilgrim

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sweetpeppers* 
I want to get an RV, but not so much to travel in. I want to have it parked most of the time on my parents property. Has anyone done that? I have a two and a half year old son, so it would just be the two of us and lots of space to play outside.

Is there a handy-person involved? The reason I ask is that RV living requires lots and lots of maintenance. I've said it 100 times living on the road that we could not do it without having at least one of us being handy with repairs.

Most of the time, when something needs attention, it needs it *now!* You have to be able to have someone watch the kids while someone else does the repair.

Other than that, you must consider how you are going to get power, water, and handle your sewage. It's often not so simple as to plug into another person's house. Our RV requires 50 amp service, so we can't plug into a house. (Well, we can, but we pop a lot of fuses, and can use only one appliance at a time.)

You can get water from your parents' house. And if you always shower, potty, and cook in their house, you can get away without a sewer dump spot.

When we parked at my parents' house, we let our "gray water" (used water that's not toilet water) go into their pasture. So we were able to cook, wash dishes, and shower without any trouble. (We use only natural cleaners and soaps, so no harm is done to the pasture.) It takes about 2 weeks to fill up our black tank (with toilet matter), and that's as long as we stayed anyway, so we found a dump station then.

oops - waking baby - must run!


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## nutbee

Hello! I've got a preschooler, a toddler, two cats, a man, and a newly purchased 30 foot motorhome. We've sold our house and plan to launch in about a week. First a month or so travelling to visit various family and then the long way through southern BC to winter on Vancouver Island.

Just wanted to say hello and ask what sorts of bookish/internet resources anyone has found useful (though I'll mention I've done lots of looking at FOTR - great site, I'm really loving exploring all the FOTR blogs). We are unschoolers and accustomed to a lot of books and resources in our town.

Oh, and anyone unjobbing? I'm wondering how I'm going to keep up with my own work as a seamstress/pattern maker, space organization and keeping it all clean and together. One time in my life I wish I was a bit more organized









I've been documenting our decluttering at my blog if anyone is interested and will continue updating with our on the road adventures too


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## Dahlea

Well, it's official-we now own our own RV! It's a 90 34' class A. We have about a month to get out of our house, so we're down to the wire on selling, packing and storing. We're taking our dogs with us, but won't have room for the cats (who hate to travel anyway). They're going to stay with my parents for a while until we figure out exactly what we're doing.
What groups are worth paying money to join? So far, it seems like Good Sam and Passport America. We're also considering using the Good Sam mail forwarding service and the Good Sam roadside assistance (instead of the AAA we currently have). Anyone have experience with these?
I have a blog set up but it's not really ready for readers yet, I'll post the link when it is!


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## MoonStarFalling

Congrats Dahlea! Keep us updated!


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## sweetpeppers

Quote:


Originally Posted by *LeslieB* 
We were just living in our van for awhile with our son and 2 dogs.







We don't own a camper. We got a Dodge Sprinter passenger van, and my husband did his own modifications to build us a bed. That's all we needed really. We had a Coleman stove, a cooler (just replaced the ice every 2 days). No need for a bathroom or shower. There are facilities everywhere. We had a lot of storage space under the bed and in the back. This was our second time van living. I would go with a van over a camper any day. Way too much maintenance with an rv/camper. Plus, a regular van will tend to get better gas mileage. Just thought I'd throw that out there for you.









I would love to hear more about this. Where did you shower? How did you stay warm at night? It's just me and my son, and if I went on the road, I'd be tempted to get a big dog to come with us. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable driving an RV, and I have no automotive skills. A van would be great.


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## LeslieB

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sweetpeppers* 
I would love to hear more about this. Where did you shower? How did you stay warm at night? It's just me and my son, and if I went on the road, I'd be tempted to get a big dog to come with us. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable driving an RV, and I have no automotive skills. A van would be great.

When we were still in our town, I used the gym to shower. On the road, I didn't shower every day. We'd eventually find a campground so we could get showers. I sometimes washed my hair using creek water (super cold freeze head, but it worked.







). For warmth, we have 20°F sleeping bags. If it's really cold where you are, you could get 0°F bags and be comfy.

Honestly, I'd be a little leary sleeping in a van without my husband or dogs. So, a dog might actually be a great idea for you. Our dogs do great living in the van. One of our dogs spent 2 years of her early life never living in a house, just in our van for one year and in the woods for another. So dogs can be adaptable. You just have to find a dog that's a good fit for you.

I don't think I'd be too comfortable driving an RV either. The van seems big enough. And I am the worst parker ever!







The Dodge Sprinter is perfect for its size and shape. I also like the van for its stealth-camping abilities. You can street park pretty much on any city street that allows overnight parking and fit right in with the other cars. You just have to play it right as far as when you arrive at night and leave in the morning. RVs are obvious if someone is camping overnight. (Not that we haven't been busted many times in our van and had to move!







) Deisel vans will typically get great fuel mileage, too. Ours gets about 22 mpg on the hwy. That's not bad for such a huge vehicle. And then, if you can find it, there's biodeisel, so you can be environmentally friendly, too!

Let me know if you have any other questions about van living. We're about to move back into ours pretty soon.


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## kimmom

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nutbee* 
Hello! I've got a preschooler, a toddler, two cats, a man, and a newly purchased 30 foot motorhome. We've sold our house and plan to launch in about a week. First a month or so travelling to visit various family and then the long way through southern BC to winter on Vancouver Island.

Just wanted to say hello and ask what sorts of bookish/internet resources anyone has found useful (though I'll mention I've done lots of looking at FOTR - great site, I'm really loving exploring all the FOTR blogs). We are unschoolers and accustomed to a lot of books and resources in our town.

Oh, and anyone unjobbing? I'm wondering how I'm going to keep up with my own work as a seamstress/pattern maker, space organization and keeping it all clean and together. One time in my life I wish I was a bit more organized









I've been documenting our decluttering at my blog if anyone is interested and will continue updating with our on the road adventures too










It would be great to meet up! We have been fulltiming for a year now and spent some of last winter on Vancouver Island and are heading back there in Sept! Not sure if we will winter there or not depends on if my husband gets a work contract there! What part of the island will you be on?


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## MoonStarFalling

We are about 15 months into our "hope to fulltime" journey. After about 12 weeks on the market our stick home is pending sale! We hope hope to buy our 5th wheel soon and be on the road in 8 weeks! Now we have to figure out how to get rid of all this furniture and misc junk.


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## MoonStarFalling

Hello everyone. We are moving into our 5er right now. I'm trying to stay excited and not worry too much since our home sale is having set backs. We love our new RV. Very spacious but not overly huge. It's a 30 ft 2003 Jayco Eagle 5th with bunks.


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## Thystle

What do you all do during the winter? Stay put or move somewhere warmer? Or keep traveling?


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## LeslieB

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Thystle* 
What do you all do during the winter? Stay put or move somewhere warmer? Or keep traveling?

We were traveling when we lived in our van during the winter, and it was mostly mild. But there were some cold nights, including one at -10°F. We just had lots and lots of sleeping bags and blankets. That night it was so cold. The condensation from our breath inside the sleeping bags actually froze where the moisture came through on the outside.


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## Pilgrim

We were originally planning to winter in Florida. It's expensive down there in the winter, but soooo nice! But thankfully, DH got a contract in Oregon, so we'll be here for the winter. I'd like to say I'd rather be in Florida, and I guess I would, but mostly I'm glad we have income again!


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## jrabbit

oh, I'm so happy to see this group! We've been discussing full timing for over 2 years now - hoping to be able to sell our house next spring and DO IT. Well, we couldn't wait anymore, so we bought a truck last month ... rented a 17' Shamrock and drove to Wisconsin to see my parents. We ended up being gone longer than planned due to it being hard to drive more than 7 hours a day with 3 kids (9, 5, 8 months).

We had a GREAT time, and we are so looking forward to more trips. DH has a computer job, and he's trying to figure out how to incorporate more telecommuting or at least take some short travel contracts. We already homeschool, so that part is easy. We will also travel with pets (currently rabbits, cat & rat). Sadly, we will have to re-home our 5 backyard chickens, but that should actually be easy!

We're planning to rent a 21' Shamrock and go to Florida to see the space shuttle launch ... if we can figure out the "job" part









The ultimate goal will be to purchase a 36-38' 5th wheel (has to have a bunk room, king size bed and washer/dryer - can't settle for less), but lately we've been considering buying something much smaller, but renting is working out well for now.

--janis


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## crazyeight

fresh idea in my mind here. bear with me. it's me and 2 kids and i'm currently preggers. i don't homeschool or plan to but the kids don't officially have to go quite yet although dd needs speech therapy and has preschool for that all lined up finally.

anyways...i am divorced and have a steady "income" and planned to go to school but A.) i don't have money to really move or pay a deposit etc B.) have no place to go C.) don't want to stay here and D.) am needing to just leave. my mom would most likely lend me the money/own the rv with me. i don't plan on traveling in it to much but i figure the cost of a moving truck, selling stuff, rebuying stuff, paying rental deposit, (not to mention HOW to find a place in another state), qualifing for a rental blah blah blah blah blah will cost at least $2k+ with nothing real to show for the money.

anywho...i'm completely lost and have a million questions. first of all...i need a special license to drive an RV don't I? what length do you suggest to LIVE in, possibly a cold climate full time with needing it to have showers, meals, storage and my entire life in without feeling to much like a homeless person?

also i LOVE my van but would getting an RV and then tow the van or get a truck and a 5th wheel be better? cost wise/space wise? i am NOT mechanical at all and there is no man in the family or family that i will be meeting up with so how do i figure out if something is even mechanically stable without paying an arm and a leg to take it to a shop to be inspected?

rv slips in more permanent parks usually run ???? how much? i NEED my internet and would really like to have access to cable. i do about 4-5 loads of laundry per week with just us. on an older RV whats a round about amount for insurance (i'd say from what i see on CL 70's-95ish is what i can afford)?

if i live in an rv how does mail get forwarded? what about welfare and validating my home address?

i suppose alot of these questions will be answered with a bit of research but i wanted to give you an idea on my thoughts/needs and any help is appreciated!


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## konamama

subbing


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## jrabbit

dhinderliter - these are my favorite groups for those types of questions:

http://www.familiesontheroad.com/
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/AllAboutRVing

RV parks have a wide range of prices, but overall, my opinion is that the cost of living in an RV full time isn't that much different than other lifestyles when you add up all the costs. Internet & cable is usually available at parks - or you can get a mobile internet provider. Some parks have washing facilities, but most people use laundromats.

I personally think you get more value for your money with a truck & trailer (I prefer 5th wheelers). You need to go walk through them to figure out how small you can live in. Really is a personal thing.

go check out the other forums - they have a wider audience.
--janis


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## HempyHippyMama

Wow I love the fact that you mamas are so open and free to live on the road. I have lived on the road (on tour) for a couple of years but that was long before my dd arived. Mad props to you all for keeping the vibe alive with your families!


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## CageFreeFamily

I can't believe I didn't know this group was here! I'm so bummed.
After a year and a half on the road with two kids, DH and two dogs I could have really used the support of a group like this. Especially when I began to let the land-locked crowd begin to define and judge "our situation" for us.







When I first started blogging about it we had SO much support, but somewhere along the lines that crowd became quiet and the judgmental group became louder, making assumptions about the stability of our children's lives as if they had ANY idea what it was like to live on the road.
I wish I hadn't let it get to me because it really tainted our last few months of travel.

With baby #3 due in a couple of weeks, we've been in a 160 year old log cabin on 300 acres for a couple of months now. It feels right, beautiful, and promising, but I have to say that our life on the road felt WAY more structured, simple and satisfying.

I miss the travel for so many reasons and am aching a bit at the thought of selling our rig after all the work we put into renovating it.

SO excited for all of you who are traveling and getting ready to travel!








It's such an incredible experience, and I really do hope to do it again some day.


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## CageFreeFamily

When we moved onto our RV in June of 2008 my daughter was only a year old and it was wonderful! At 2.5 now she still has memories of places that we traveled to, and my 6 year old will always have those memories.








It is truly the experience of a lifetime and I can't recommend it enough. I miss traveling despite having landed our dream home situation (160 yr old cabin on 300 mountain acres in the Nat. Forest).

There is nothing so enlightening to adults and children as seeing the vast differences in land and culture across the country. We tend to think that America is America, even more so with all the corporate chains that turn cities into Everywhere, America, but beyond the superficial aspect of that the scenery, culture and belief systems change so much from place to place. It's amazing and beautiful.


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## Earth Momma

http://www.familiesontheroad.com/about.htm


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## MoonStarFalling

Aimee, I know I've seen your pics before. What a great job you did on your rig. People seem to be split about 70/30 with most being supportive and excited for us (at the moment anyway) and the rest worrying about our finances and the children not having friends. We've been full time for 6 weeks now. We're in eastern Montana and heading to the Portland Oregon area in a few weeks. DH is having a hard time adjusting since he's used to being at work 10 hours a day. Currently DH has a carpentry job here he's waiting on. If it weren't for that I'd be out of here already. We hope to head south and find some carpentry work.


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## Pilgrim

Aimee - that's the most beautiful rig I've ever seen. I'm totally amazed by all the beautiful work in there! I would love to hear more about your life on the road. I am finding it very difficult to find a rhythm or structure at all. It has helped that we are staying put for some months. But also, being stuck in one spot is driving me batty! LOL!

We've been our RV since January. We were "on the road" until July, and then DH got work, so we've been in one spot since then. I must say, being "on the road" is much more fun than "living in an RV in one spot!" We think we'll be here until May. But work is work, and that's critical!

MoonStar - our "stuck" spot is Portland, OR. (And I love it very much here! But Portland winters are yucky! I would so much rather be in Florida about now! LOL!) Where do you think you will stay? It's kind of hard to find RV places here (at least in the summer.) PM me if you wish - maybe y'all can stay at our park. What part of Portland will you be looking at?


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## CageFreeFamily

MoonStar, my Dh had a bit of a time adjusting too. He isn't really the _Everything is an experience and I can handle it as it comes_ kind of person like I am. So, say, when our fridge door flew off and skidded down the hallway as we tried to get out of the mountains before dark (failed!) and discovered that our heater wouldn't light in below freezing temps... he didn't find it quite as amusing as I did.







LOL I got a Best Post on the Web nod for writing about that one, though








He had an easier time as we went along though. I imagine his experience was a little different, being the driver and the mechanic though. He once had to replace the carborator in a parking lot in West Yellowstone. Oy, _that_ was fun!

Pilgrim, Thank you! It was a lot of work, but I actually enjoyed working side by side with Dh on such a creative project.
I agree, living in an RV in one spot can be VERY trying. Like you said though, work is work. We were stuck in Austin (our hometown) for about a month and it was nearly unbearable. Austin turned out to be the only inhospitable place we stopped (out of 26 states) and we were constantly being asked to leave places. Whole Foods security was at our door before we could even gather our shopping bags (we'd just spent $500!!) and we stopped for gas at an empty station and were asked to leave before Dh could get buckled in- we'd just bought $50 in gas and the whole station was empty!!

Winters in an RV can be harsh for sure. We were roped into being in WI for Christmas and I still regret that decision. Oy!

I wrote a lot about our travels for the first few months we were on the road on my blog http://CageFreeFamily.com but I think the posts changed a bit along the way to traveling as a backdrop for deeper pondering...


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## kimmom

Hey Everyone. We have been a year in our 5th wheel and travelled the year as a family and also checked out sustainable living projects as we did.. We bought a farm 1 year later to the date of selling our home and hitting the road. Part of our journey was to look for land







We went full circle and ended up back on the island and found our dream piece of land. So we are here now as of early Sept. Built a greenhouse around our 5th wheel and we will be building a cob home next spring! So we are in one spot. It was hard last winter we got snowed in and were blowing through a TONNE of propane (its more $$ in Canada) . With our greenhouse and straw bales around the bottom we shouldn't use nearly as much this year! We have a family website too www.canadianfamilyrobinson.com


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## kimmom

Was going to add we did the same thing, stopping for work! It actually was great but hard to transition a bit for us all







But when we did hit the road again it was great to have $ saved from working








We also got (and still do) all sorts of unwanted feedback from others (family included) but they see how happy we are and how settled the kids are and I think it is sinking in that what we have chosen is the best for our family!
This is a great quote
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Theodor Seuss Geisel (otherwise known as Dr. Suess)


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## MoonStarFalling

Rvers, how do you handle the holidays? Do you visit with family or do you make holiday meals in the RV? Do you celebrate or decorate as usual? What kinds of gifts do you get/give since you're in a very limited space?

I've just started thinking about rounding up some small gifts for the kids. Hints, tips or tricks?


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## Dahlea

Our family is far away and we don't celebrate the same holiday, so we won't be visiting. We'll just make a special meal in the RV, and decorate some-but nothing over the top, just small things.
As far as gifts, we just stick to anything small! When we get new toys or clothes, we try to donate others to keep the same amount of "stuff". For our kid, we like to get puzzles, stuffed animals, anything that is small or can be folded/made small to be put away.


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## Pilgrim

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MoonStarFalling* 
Rvers, how do you handle the holidays? Do you visit with family or do you make holiday meals in the RV? Do you celebrate or decorate as usual? What kinds of gifts do you get/give since you're in a very limited space?

I've just started thinking about rounding up some small gifts for the kids. Hints, tips or tricks?

This will be our first Christmas in our RV, and we are actually going to celebrate twice. Once in the RV, and then once again because we are flying to TX to celebrate w/ family. (UGH - I think it's ridiculous that we are flying, but DH would have to take 2 weeks off of work to drive the rig back & forth, and we can't afford that.)

Anyway, I've been buying up little things over the months. DDs will be getting: DVDs, Leapster Games, dress up, rainbow silks, books, these adorable organic wool lamb hand muffs (atoygarden.com), rainbow crayons, sticker books, and other little stuff. For us, small is key! This will also work very well because a lot of that small stuff will be entertaining on the airplane.

I'm thinking we'll have a real Christmas tree outside of the RV with lights and decorations, and maybe a little one inside. I think it's probably time to buy one of those table tops you stick on the steering wheel to make a table! LOL!

We do have the advantage of being stuck in our "hometown," so all of our Christmas decorations are in storage, and we have access to that stuff. I'm also going to be giving our younger DD some of older DD's discarded toys. DD1 is totally on-board with this. (We do Santa, but DDs know he's pretend.)

And a side note - I have a tendency to make Christmas "too big." So I've already started giving some of the gifts as practicality demands. For example, I already gave them their wool muffs because it's cold here! I gave some dress up last night (in exchange for the candy).

I'm looking forward to hearing ideas from others!


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## KellyandKatie

wow- what a great thread- I am enchanted


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## MaryJaneLouise

Subbing, mostly as a fantasy but :xfingers: someday a reality!


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## Thystle

Quote:


Originally Posted by *CageFreeFamily* 
I miss the travel for so many reasons and am aching a bit at the thought of selling our rig after all the work we put into renovating it.

SO excited for all of you who are traveling and getting ready to travel!








It's such an incredible experience, and I really do hope to do it again some day.


That's not a rig... that looks like a party palace!!!


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## CageFreeFamily

Quote:

That's not a rig... that looks like a party palace!!!


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## gypsypoet

Hey Families living on the road be sure to check out the Rainbow family while you're on the road

http://www.starsrainbowrideboard.org...irror/rainbow/










LOVIN YOU


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## almadianna

hello mamas, there were two threads about RV living so I merged you guys together.


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## MoonStarFalling

Hello Rving families! We have been trying to get out of Montana for a week. First we popped a couple strips of siding loose in Great Falls and had to wait on the repair guy and now it looks like we burnt up our power convertor. I'm just glad it looks like a fairly cheap part that DH might be able to put in himself. Last night we had no furnace or fridge and that's a little scary thinking about being stuck in Missoula w/ snow coming. We hope to make it to Portland this week.

Yesterday we drove over snow covered mountains and the kids were so excited. They are loving the adventure.


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## enfpintj

Quote:


Originally Posted by *CageFreeFamily* 
I can't believe I didn't know this group was here! I'm so bummed.
After a year and a half on the road with two kids, DH and two dogs I could have really used the support of a group like this. Especially when I began to let the land-locked crowd begin to define and judge "our situation" for us.







When I first started blogging about it we had SO much support, but somewhere along the lines that crowd became quiet and the judgmental group became louder, making assumptions about the stability of our children's lives as if they had ANY idea what it was like to live on the road.
I wish I hadn't let it get to me because it really tainted our last few months of travel.

For what it's worth I love your blog and your writing. I just never commented. It did sound like y'all had a rough time there toward the end. I always meant to comment because it seemed like you have a similar personality (i'm myers-briggs enfp), and I liked your ponderings. We're also doing different things with our family and most people just don't get it because they don't step outside of their box and wonder why anyone would.


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## Irishmommy

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sweetpeppers* 
I want to get an RV, but not so much to travel in. I want to have it parked most of the time on my parents property. Has anyone done that? I have a two and a half year old son, so it would just be the two of us and lots of space to play outside.

Self propelled units are designed for moving. They don't do well in one spot. If you don't want to travel, then I would suggest a trailer or a 5th wheel over a Class A, B, or C.


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## MoonStarFalling

Time to put up the christmas lights! I will have to scour the thrift shop for a few decorations or find some evergreen limbs to make wreaths. We have no idea where we will spend christmas. We will be somewhere in the southwest (somewhere warm, perhaps Texas). Any suggestions?


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## HappyFox05

The county just told our campground owner that all skirting and decks have to go. I wonder what the best way is to let them know how much I appreciate them taking away our insulation just prior to winter with a newborn. Grrrrr....

Thanks for letting me vent.


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## Dahlea

We're still loving living in our RV full time so far. This week has been the first chance we really had to travel. My husband had to go to Orlando (an hour from our base) to set up for a convention, so we went with him, and have bounced around a few different areas having fun. We also finally got some new curtains for the front (replacing the original 20 year old ones, yuck!) and a foldaway computer desk from Camping World.


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## tayndrewsmama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *HappyFox05* 
The county just told our campground owner that all skirting and decks have to go. I wonder what the best way is to let them know how much I appreciate them taking away our insulation just prior to winter with a newborn. Grrrrr....

Thanks for letting me vent.

What!? Did they ask why? That is ridiculous. Any chance they don't understand that? A lot of people don't really get it when it comes to winter insulation.







I hope you can get something figured out. That is not cool at all.

Dh just called and told me to plan on us devising a plan to be in a Coachmen bunkhouse by the summer.














I can't wait. Right now it's pretty much impossible to have the five of us, one being a newborn, and two dogs in the trailer we have now. He's so lonely at work right now and he only went back on Monday.


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## MoonStarFalling

Oh no HappyFox05! We haven't done skirting yet but it seems like it would help. We got pretty cold in MT last month. I hope you can perhaps plead your case w/ them and keep it.

tayndrewsmama, good for you. We love our bunkhouse. It was a must have.


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## HappyFox05

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tayndrewsmama* 
What!? Did they ask why? That is ridiculous. Any chance they don't understand that? A lot of people don't really get it when it comes to winter insulation.







I hope you can get something figured out. That is not cool at all.


We haven't been able to talk w/him yet, but we're guessing it has something to do with zoning for temporary vs. permanent lodging. We're looking at vinyl RV-specific skirting, but that's very expensive. Currently, we have rigid foam insulation skirting the rig.

Good luck on the Bunkhouse!


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## tayndrewsmama

Hmmmmmmmm........it doesn't look the greatest, but can you use hay bales? I know a lot of people who do that. I guess it works pretty well. Those aren't permanent.









The Coachmen website's dealer locater is spitting up all kinds of dealers, but none of them seem to really carry their products.







How strange. I guess I'll have to make some phone calls on Monday and find out what is up with that. For some reason I am thinking that I heard they had some major financial problems a couple years back. I wonder if that is the reason. It's always something.







The Jayco bunkhouse is just super heavy and the Wildcat is practically made out of paper. There's no winning is there?


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## HappyFox05

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tayndrewsmama* 
Hmmmmmmmm........it doesn't look the greatest, but can you use hay bales? I know a lot of people who do that. I guess it works pretty well. Those aren't permanent.









Hehehe, I'd forgotten about hay! Hmmm.....


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## Pilgrim

We have had a sad turn of events. Our 6 yo has asthma, and this year she can not shake it. She's been wheezing for a solid month, despite the fact that we are doing everything we can for her (naturopathic and conventional). It's been awful, and we finally decided that we must leave Oregon and get to warmer weather.

So we are leaving tomorrow afternoon to head to southern California until mid-Jan. I love it here in Oregon, and this is "home" to us because our friends are here. But we've got to go, and I am much happier in this RV when we are actually "on the road." We've been here since July, so it will feel good to get going again!

Some excellent news is that DH's boss did allow him to work remote, so we will still have an income, phew! (and we are trying to get our business going too. Check out fretnrest.com if you are curious.)


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## Baneena

Howdy guys, as it says I'm new here so I wanted to say hello and make sure I'm in the right place.

My husband and I aren't RV people but we have just recently decided that if he's going to be an over the road truck driver that it's going to be a family thing (haha after 5 years still in the honeymoon phase and hate being away from him that long ) So as of March 1st we're packing up, leaving it all behind (or in storage...lol) loading the kiddo, the dogs, cats and ourselves plus a few wordly belongings into a Volvo 770 and hitting the road. And before people start screaming OMG IN A TRUCK?!?!?!?!? lol, we actually did a trial run and it worked out well, it was a little cramped when people and beasts were trying to move but no other time.

Anyway, what do I have to look forward too? (Other than angry grandparents screaming about us taking their grandkids away. We've already experienced that part...lol) We've been discussing this amongst ourselves and family members we knew would understand and support us for a few months and have really thought this through alot, but I wanted input from others who are living the life.

Our little one is in the 2nd grade and we'll be pulling her out after we fight with the schools about homeschooling but everyone is screaming socialization and education. I think I'm a pretty bright person and don't forsee any probems homeschooling and plan on trying out a bit of HS and virtual schooling as well.

What are the thoughts of others? What does everyone do when it comes to socializing the kids? We are a mixed group and have a kid here in TX, some in CO and 1 in NH other than the 1 coming with us, so we feel giving her the opportunity to see her siblings, places she's never seen and meet family she's never met will give her the opportunity of a lifetime.

Please, input from any and all is welcomed, what are we looking forward too? The good, the bad, and the ugly, I wanna hear it all.


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## MoonStarFalling

Welcome Baneena! I talked to DH about doing the trucker thing years ago. It sounds like a good plan to travel and make money as a family. I'm not sure how it works with kids though. What kind of a cab does it have? Somewhere for a car seat, two beds? How do you cook in it?

I can't think of anything bad that we've run into in the three months we've fulltimed. We get on each others nerves less now than we did in a stick house. We've grown a lot as a couple and as a family.

The kids gets to socialize every day plus they socialize with each other and us. THAT is the most important socialization you can offer a child. A harmonious family experience.

It has been an opportunity of a lifetime! Enjoy!


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## caspian's mama

*subbing*

not $ ready yet but way







and startin my research.

namaste, nomads~


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## MoonStarFalling

Happy new year RV families! Where are you??????

We're in Florida, Tampa bay area, until mid April. Unfortunately DH can't find any work down here so he's heading back north to work for 6 weeks. I'm not looking forward to it.


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## Pilgrim

Happy New Year! Wow, y'all have driven quite a lot over the last few months! I am envious that y'all are in Florida! That's where we want to be, though it is mostly because I believe that being in south Florida will be helpful to our daughter.

We are in Anaheim at the moment, and have been here for about a month. We'll be departing next week to head east. Our daughter is still sick, and we are contemplating spending a month in Arizona before we go to TX. We have family in TX (plus a free place to park the RV!)

If we can afford it, I do hope to get to south Florida at least by late winter/early spring. We are really cash-strapped at the moment because we just spent every last dime (and then some) for our product launch. And, we hope to be back in Portland for the summer.


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## sweetpeppers

Well, I'm going to join your tribe. I'm moving out of my parents house and into a van that I'm converting in 23 days.







drop So tell me all what you guys do all day. I figure we'll spend a lot of time at parks and playgrounds, coffee shops and bookstores for internet use, occasional stays at rv parks if we have the money. I plan on heading down south to Florida near the beach, so we'll probably spend plenty of time at the beach. What do you all do during the days?


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## MoonStarFalling

We spend a lot of time exploring the new area we're in. Parks, wildlife areas, nature preserves, beaches, swimming...the kids adore that stuff. Most of our day is like our old life though; cooking, school work, TV, computer, crafts, reading.


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## CageFreeFamily

We loved the FL beaches!
Destin was incredible, but they were all really beautiful and amazingly different from each other. If you're going to head down the eastern coast, Tybee island, off Savannah, is great. You can park in the beach lots overnight this time of year (off season)

If you can swing the Association of Children's Museums membership it's SO worth it. We did much of our routing based upon where the children's museums where and because of the membership we didn't go bankrupt trying to pay for getting us all in to each of them.










Gah, I miss traveling!


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## sweetpeppers

Quote:


Originally Posted by *CageFreeFamily* 
We loved the FL beaches!
Destin was incredible, but they were all really beautiful and amazingly different from each other. If you're going to head down the eastern coast, Tybee island, off Savannah, is great. You can park in the beach lots overnight this time of year (off season)

If you can swing the Association of Children's Museums membership it's SO worth it. We did much of our routing based upon where the children's museums where and because of the membership we didn't go bankrupt trying to pay for getting us all in to each of them.










Gah, I miss traveling!

Thanks for the tip. How much is the membership? It was hard to understand the website. Or do you have to buy a membership to one of the participating museums?

I do plan on going down the east coast. I've heard it's a beautiful drive. I'll make sure to stop at Tybee Island.


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## CageFreeFamily

You can buy the membership at any of the participating museums. I think there are two membership options, but I can't really remember. We paid about $100 and it was SO worth it. There are many science, history and educational museums in addition to all of the children's museums.

I think you have to go through Savannah to get to Tybee. It is a beautiful town with so many parks and historical sites to explore. There's an organic grocer called Brighter Day directly across the street from the largest, most beautiful park in Savannah: Forsyth. You can park in the lot at the corner of Bull and Park, I think.


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## Pilgrim

Our days are a little different than they were when we first left. Our DD1 is so sick that she can't really do anything. So we spend a lot of time inside with the girls watching TV. We read, do crafts, play in the big bed together - stuff like that. When DD1 was healthier, we spent a lot of time outside! We did a lot of beachy stuff too! I want to be in south FL right now!! We'll be leaving California in a few days to work towards TX.


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## accountkilled

.


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## Dahlea

Being pregnant I told my husband I needed more roombefore the baby came and so this weekend we are buying a 99 southwind with a slideout, woo! It's so much bigger, nicer and newer than the 90 pace arrow we are currently in. I can't wait!


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## MoonStarFalling

Congratulations on your new place Dahlea! Keep us updated on your expanding family. We've been TTC a while and looking forward to someday having a new baby and still RVing.


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## accountkilled

ADMIN - please delete my account due to a domestic abuser using hacking tools to stalk and harrass me family online. Thank you for your prompt attention to this serious matter.

*https://www.accountkiller.com/removal-requested

*


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## CageFreeFamily

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nicole_marie* 
So excited to see this 'tribe'. Aimee, I have followed your blog for a few months...amazing!

A few years ago, one of my friends sold her house and traveled with her husband and three daughters. At the time, I thought...wow...cool, but craaaaaaazy, right?! And I never really considered it again.

It's amazing how lots of time together and lack of money can change your perspective on what's truly important.









Yes, more than one person thought that we were crazy. We wound up as an International news story for heaven's sake.









If we had had a better full-timing vehicle so that we didn't freeze







and I hadn't let all the crazy talk get to me we would still be on the road. I miss it terribly. It was such a wonderful thing for the kids to experience and I wish I didn't feel so much like it was this or that.
I can't really complain though... 300 acres in the national forest, nearly off grid is nothing to sneeze at. My heart is in traveling while Dh's is in farming, and he is right in regards to one being more sustainable for us than the other.
We eat a completely organic, totally whole food diet and that was getting to be a real battle on the road. Especially with our wonky fridge.








So, I live vicariously through all you Luckies now


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## accountkilled

ADMIN - please delete my account due to a domestic abuser using hacking tools to stalk and harrass me family online. Thank you for your prompt attention to this serious matter.

*https://www.accountkiller.com/removal-requested

*


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## CageFreeFamily

Oh yes, I do miss it that much.








Honestly, I'm very much a go with the flow kind of person and I enjoy new thing and opportunities to overcome new obstacles. It keeps me feeling powerful, alive and free. I was the one laughing and ignoring the fridge door that was in a pile of exploded condiments in the hallway while Dh was trying to have a nervous breakdown.

Though traveling was actually Dh's push, he was extremely poorly suited to it. He is NOT a go with the flow kinda guy. He's more of a have a meltdown when I say something he didn't expect kinda guy.








Though we never failed to come out on top he went into a panic at every new experience. Though he's a highly intelligent and capable person he totally lacks confidence in handling things. He replaced our carburetor outside of Yellowstone NP using online instructions, fixed the ignition on the side of the road in BFE Wyoming, fixed the fallen fridge door, rewired the water pump and bypassed the water heater... made a new ignitor for the broken furnace out of an Allen wrench... he didn't gain an understanding of his own ability to handle whatever comes. Instead he filed those achievements as blind luck that likely won't be repeated in the next "disaster".

In the end I called off the traveling because I couldn't integrate an unplanned pregnancy and being the sole source of confidence, plans and family morale.









The kids and I miss it a lot, yes.

As for not knowing your source of income, I wouldn't worry about it. Of all of the families we met on the road, we were the only ones who had an on going income (Dh telecommutes).
As they say, necessity is the mother of invention.








Craigslist is a great source of one-time jobs. Some people pick up longer lasting jobs and stay put for a month or so to build savings... travel for a while, then stop to work again, etc. Many WWOOF farms accept families. We had friends who traveled the festival circuit as vendors and others that repaired and sold junkyard finds. You're only limited by your imagination!

Other travelers are also a good source of boondocking tips. Bus Village at the Rainbow Gatherings is a great way to meet people to travel with. As with any lifestyle, community makes life easier!


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## MoonStarFalling

How exciting! So many changes in the works. You will love the west coast. We only spent a month driving down it but could have spent a ton more time there. We loved the Oregon coast though it wasn't sunny.

Craigslist just hasn't worked out for us. I have put up ads, emailed and called about so many things but never found a job for DH. It's nuts. He's a really skilled carpenter so I thought he'd be able to find small jobs everywhere. We might end up subscribing to Workamper at some point. At this point he will go work at his old job for a few months at a time and then travel in between. That's fine with me.

I believe we've decided that for March we will head south and check out the Kennedy Space Station, Everglades and the Florida Keys.


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## accountkilled

ADMIN - please delete my account due to a domestic abuser using hacking tools to stalk and harrass me family online. Thank you for your prompt attention to this serious matter.

*https://www.accountkiller.com/removal-requested

*


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## accountkilled

ADMIN - please delete my account due to a domestic abuser using hacking tools to stalk and harrass me family online. Thank you for your prompt attention to this serious matter.

*https://www.accountkiller.com/removal-requested

*


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## Freedom~Mama

I might be joining you soon! This has always been a huge dream of mine and we decided this is the perfect time for us...we do not own a home but are renting and my IL's have told us they would take over our rent so we don't have to break our lease or get rid of our stuff. We have a very large sum of money coming to us next month (well large to us) and right now DH gets paid every month automatically for his GI payment and we are both in school full time with all online classes and are getting decent financial aid. We are thinking to start off we will try and go for 6 months and see what happens. I have a ton of questions though.

We are planning to leave by March 1. What would be a good destination to head to around then? What realistically would we be spending on gas and a site to stay per week or month? What things would we need to pack with us? We have two little girls that are 3 and 5 and a small dog. Also for financial reasons we are thinking of buying a tent trailer (we have a big SUV to pull it) would a tent trailer be someone that would be liveable for 6 months? It seems like most of you have motorhomes on here. We just can't afford that though. I am sure I will think of more questions. If anyone has any good info. for me I would love it! Thanks so much!









I am super excited, this has been a huge dream of mine and DH's for a long time. It would be life changing for us right now, we need to get out of the rut we are in and do something crazy and amazing like this. I just want to make sure we are well organized and know what we are getting into!


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## MoonStarFalling

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Beautiful~Life* 

We are planning to leave by March 1. What would be a good destination to head to around then? What realistically would we be spending on gas and a site to stay per week or month? What things would we need to pack with us? We have two little girls that are 3 and 5 and a small dog. Also for financial reasons we are thinking of buying a tent trailer (we have a big SUV to pull it) would a tent trailer be someone that would be liveable for 6 months? It seems like most of you have motorhomes on here. We just can't afford that though. I am sure I will think of more questions. If anyone has any good info. for me I would love it! Thanks so much!









I am super excited, this has been a huge dream of mine and DH's for a long time. It would be life changing for us right now, we need to get out of the rut we are in and do something crazy and amazing like this. I just want to make sure we are well organized and know what we are getting into!

As far as a destination in March our goal is to stay anywhere where our pipes/tanks won't freeze. Our tanks freeze if it gets near 20 at night.

We budget about $500 a month for gas if we're driving several days a week. We usually drive 6 hours a day. I also budget at least $300 a month for camsites. We stay at passportamerica sites and average about $16/night plus we boondock a couple days a week.

I think I would be OK with a soft sided/pop up as long as the kitchen and bathroom was useable. I'm not real familiar with them. We have a 30 foot 5th wheel trailer. Some pop ups are just as expensive as travel trailers. You might be able to find like a 23 foot travel trailer that you could pull with your SUV. You'd have to check the GVWR of your SUV.

We mainly just have our personal items, clothing, dishes, a few books, toys, games. Bikes, scooters and out door toys come in handy. We have a laptop and a personal computer, TV, X box. Basic tools and knowing all about your trailer and it's systems in case something breaks. Be familiar with how to change a tire and backing into a campsite (even in the dark) and I think it's a good idea to purchase roadside assistance and trailer insurance.


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## Pilgrim

Welcome! I agree with what MoonStar wrote. Though, I must say that I think you will find full-timing in a pop up very difficult. First off, you won't have as much room for things, and while you don't need much, every speck of space counts! But more importantly, it's much more work for set up and break down. I remember as a kid we took a 2 week trip in a pop up. OH, the work! We always had to take out the coolers & suitcases and load those into the station wagon (yes, we had a station wagon! LOL!) Then we had to pop the thing up and out, then make the beds, set up the kitchen, etc.

When it was time to pack down, we had to do it all over again. And on rainy days, it was even less fun! You will spend a lot of time setting up and breaking down. And, what will your girls be doing while y'all are doing all of that set up/break down? I know what that would look like for us. I would be entertaining the girls while DH did all the work. That's not fun family time. Personally, I would never, never full-time in a pop up. But, that's just me. (no, seriously, I had FUN on our 2 week trip! LOL! I'm not damaged!)

I also agree - go somewhere warm. You will spend a lot of money on propane otherwise. And to me, the beauty of living in an RV is that you can follow the sun!







But, that's also more expensive because you follow the crowds and the peak seasons.

I would spend some time reading books about full-timing it. I got "Living Aboard Your RV" from the library, and it was pretty good.

As far as what to take, take what you use most already. You won't need many clothes if you do laundry often. We have a small washer/dryer in our RV, and I do laundry about every day. So we often wear the same 2 shirts over and over! I have a lot of crafts & books, some legos, dress up, & a few other "favorite" toys. I wish I had room for more books, and I wish I had brought more puzzles.

We have a huge cast iron pot that we use almost exclusively on the stove. Occasionally, when we want a 2-course meal, we'll use a second pan. We use our oven a lot, with our glass Pyrex pan. Figure out what dishes work in your RV oven. We also took 1 plate, bowl, cup, per person, plus a couple extra for serving dishes. We originally took only a few pieces of silverware, but it didn't take up more room to bring along more, and with the little girls eating all day, plus needing some for serving, we grabbed some more.

That's all I have time to type at the moment. If you have any specific questions, send them out!


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## Irishmommy

We don't full time (I wish!), but we've been on the slippery slope from tent to rv. I can't imagine fulltiming in a popup. We lasted 3 years with ours before we got rid of it.

Since you have an SUV, I'd suggest a hybrid (trailer with the pop up type beds at the end. So you have the lightweight almost of a popup, but the usable interior of a hardside trailer.

Never underestimate the joy of your own accessible toilet while on the road. Especially with kids.


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## MoonStarFalling

Pilgrim Even with our 5th wheel it takes a bit to set up and take down. It can get tiresome if we're moving a lot. By the time we drive 6 hours, get to a campsite, park and set up the kids are going nuts. DH does all of the exterior setup/tear down. Everyone is tired, cranky, stressed out, hungry and the kids are bouncing off the walls from being in the truck. I don't recommend driving as much as we did. We put 10,000 miles on our truck in 4 months.

We took way too many clothes and bath towels with us. We really only wear three outfits and use 1 towel per person. Since you'll be traveling to different climates you'll need all seasons of clothing though. We ended up getting rid of a ton of clothes and some toys after we got on the road and realized our mistake. I only keep enough food for 2-3 days in stock. We also use two cast iron pans. I have a blender, a juicer, baking pans and an electric oven cooker.

I really underestimated the cost of using a laundry mat! It's usually $5 for every load and they're not even as big as the loads I used to be able to do at home.

We could do it with much less I know. We live really comfortably in our 30 footer with two kids, two cats and a dog. We have quite a bit of extra space and empty areas. However when we got weighed we were 400 pounds over the weight limit for the trailer and the truck! We had to dump some stuff and we always travel with empty holding tanks. Make sure you weigh yourself properly.

I got several full time RVing books, Boondocking and Workamping type books on amazon. None were really all that helpful. I wish there was a book for family full time RVing but I haven't found it yet.


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## Rose-up

I've been reading along for a while now, dh and I keep coming back to the idea of full-timing as all our other plans crumble around us. Since you're talking practicalities, I've got a question....what about health coverage? Do you all self-insure, or pay oop for private insurance, or what? Dh has chronic back issues (just now recovering from surgery #5) and his bills, even with insurance, are steep. I can't imagine what we'd do on the road if his back flared up and we had to pay cash for his treatment.


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## CageFreeFamily

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MoonStarFalling* 
I wish there was a book for family full time RVing but I haven't found it yet.

I'm writing one








Course my agent wanted it done a year ago, but I'm hoping it will be done soon.


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## Pilgrim

Quote:


Originally Posted by *CageFreeFamily* 
I'm writing one








Course my agent wanted it done a year ago, but I'm hoping it will be done soon.

















can't wait to read it!!

afa insurance goes - we have minimal coverage. But that's just us - we self-pay for just about everything. But we also use almost exclusive holistic practitioners.

My DD1 is suffering greatly from asthma at the moment, and she's costing us thousands of dollars at the moment. (Don't get me wrong, she's worth it and I'll pay whatever I have to and more to help her.) We have doctors that are willing to work with us over the phone, call in prescriptions, and even call in labwork. (I find the facility, tell the doc where I will go, they send in the lab requisitions.)


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## MoonStarFalling

Regarding insurance we have medicaid from our home state. I still paid for my script the other day but they informed me I might be able to turn in my receipt to my home state and get refunded from them. LOL I wouldn't count on that. My kids have never needed to see a doctor, just twice my DD saw a chiro which isn't covered by our ins anyway. So I'm mostly counting on not needing any steep medical bills or if we do traveling back to my home state or lastly paying out of pocket if necessary. We have the savings to cover things.


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## sweetpeppers

So what kind of toys do your small children play with while you are driving? Anything in particular? I don't want to do electronic toys as my son is only three. Does anybody have a tray or something that attaches to the carseat?


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## Theoretica

I'd love some insight mamas:

We're saving up to head out in a couple of years. We're still torn between a 5th wheel, a trailer, and a C class. Our plan is to drive for a day or three, and then camp in a national forest for a month or so at a time (we have an Access Pass so from what I'm reading it's 50% off fees?). We want to use that time to do excursions around the area and explore, but we want to have a 'home base' to come back to. We also want to venture into some cities, but aren't sure how to handle 'where to stay' for those times and still keep it inexpensive.

So here's my questions:

*How did you decide between a 5th wheel or a trailer?* We're leaning away from a C Class, although having a bathroom while driving is a nice perk. The trailers are SO much less expensive, but the 5th wheels have SO much space! We're currently in love with a Montana Mountaineer 345DBQ and from what we can see, a used one would be under 20K in a few years when we're ready to take the leap. The biggest 'perk' to that one is the quad bunks, we're having a hard time finding that much rear space with quad bunks in any other model.

I'm really torn between getting as much space as we can manage/afford (along with a newer model that has less wear and tear) and maybe getting less space (we still need 4 bunks though) that's a little older (hence much more affordable but potential maintenance costs) so we can go sooner. Your thoughts on either/both?

As for your 'original homes': do any of you rent out your old house? We're right next to a major AFB and I'd love to rent out our house to a military family on a two year lease while we travel (with a local property manager), and then have somewhere to come back to while we explore the next chapter of our lives.

Also what kinds of vehicles are you using to tow? I've read all the RV forums and there's everything from "buy the biggest f-450 you can find' to 'we manage with this little underweight SUV' out there. We *have* to have enough seating for two adults and three kids (possibly four...depends on if we have another one LOL) including car seats, so that's where we're having a hard time finding a tow vehicle. We need one that can haul plenty of weight but has enough seating for everyone, and that's tough.

How do you follow the weather yet stay just off of tourist season everywhere? That seems like a delicate balance and I'd love some insight









DH and I are so looking forward to joining all of you, thanks so much for sharing your knowledge!


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## accountkilled

ADMIN - please delete my account due to a domestic abuser using hacking tools to stalk and harrass me family online. Thank you for your prompt attention to this serious matter.

*https://www.accountkiller.com/removal-requested

*


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## Rose-up

Theoretica, those are great questions, many of the same ones we have. We also have 3 kiddos (and are considering a 4th) so the quad bunks in the back are a must for us. We've been looking at the Sandpiper 355QBQ. For us, the living space of a 5th wheel far outweighs any conveniences a motorhome provides while actually driving.

We are contemplating having a tow-only truck that Dh will drive and me following in the minivan we already have with the kids. However, we are planning to stay a bit longer in one place than it sounds like you are. Pre-kids we were seasonal workers in several National Parks and love that, so we will probably seek out that type of work again.

MoonStarFalling, how easy/difficult is it to receive care with out of state medicaid?

If it's not too personal a question, how much do you all feel is an acceptable amount to have in emergency savings for a family on the road? My dh and I are disagreeing about this, and I also think he is underestimating regular maintenance costs.


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## Irishmommy

Theoretica, we don't full time, but if I were in your position and either owned a pickup or was willing to buy one, I'd go for a 5th wheel over a trailer any day. They generally seems to be better equipped, more storage, easier to tow (that I've only heard, I've only ever towed a trailer), and are just nicer.


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## Theoretica

Yeah we don't have our tow vehicle yet so we're open to all kinds of suggestions







I think we'll have to go with a pickup just based on the weight of those 5th wheels!

I love that Sandpiper 355QBQ!! I've never seen one around here, that is AWESOME!

Staying a month in each place is a guesstimate for now, we don't really know. One of the things we're excited to do is just wing it, and if we're liking an area we'll stay a while. If not, we wont. The month time frame is a ball park







We know we want to do this for two years, so that's our overall length of time to play with.

I've heard there are length restrictions on a lot of campsites, do you guys know anything about this?


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## Irishmommy

I can't see the photos properly, but the layout is awesome. You could totally full time in that with no problem. Does it come with a washer/dryer? I see in the brochure there are at least roughins. I would totally tell you to get them if they aren't already there. It's the one thing I don't like about our camper.


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## MoonStarFalling

Toys in the truck: we only have a small bucket of books and small gadgets.

Theoretica: 5ths are better than TT any day no question there. I'm confused about the national parks. I tried to buy a pass for camping at the last ntl park I was at and they said the pass did not include camping. Also, I personally feel that a 34 foot 5th is too long. We can barely fit into some campsites, we have a 30 foot 5th plus the ford F 350 quad cab truck. There were tons of state campgrounds in CA that only fit 28 footers or less. Smaller is better IMO. For anything over a 30 foot you'll have to have the F 450 size truck. You'll need a bench seat in front and the quad cab if you need seating for 6. We have a F 350 quad cab diesel dually 2 wheel drive. I hate the quad cab. The truck is enormous and extremely loud and it's our only mode of transport when not towing. It does not fit into a standard parking spot. The only reason we got a truck/5th wheel was because DH needed the truck for working (carpenter) on the road. If we weren't doing the carpenter thing I would much rather have a motorhome and pull a small car behind it. Then again my kids need carseats and doing that in a motorhome is almost impossible. We considered motorhome plus drive a mini van behind.

Not sure how to stay away from the snowbirds. We're in snowbird heaven right now.









zuleicamoon: fortunately I've never needed to use our insurance out of state. The providers here will not accept it but I could pay cash and then turn in my receipts to my home state.

Emergency savings: six months income. We had 12 months income when we hit the road.


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## Theoretica

MoonStarFalling:


















That was a huge help, thanks and I'm sharing it w/DH as soon as we have our weekly "where are we at for the RV adventure" chat


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## gypsyfam

Hi, I have enjoyed reading your posts, and am pretty sure we are going to do this too.

I was wondering if anyone minded giving me advice on anything to do with going from a house to a motorhome with 3 and 14 year old girls, and 2 8 year old cats.

Questions I have include:
-Carseats in motorhome
-Sheets or sleeping bags
-Storing sentimental belongings (storage shed), or throwing out
-Cleaning a motorhome in lot or on the road
-What kind of toys work well in motorhome
-Hanging pictures in motorhome
-Possible projectiles in motorhome
-Anything I am not thinking of!

Thanks so much!


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## MoonStarFalling

gypsyfam: we have a 14 year old dog, a 13 year old cat and one 10 year old cat. I was worried about so many pets in the camper and especially because they have a lot of accidents etc. Things have worked out so well though. We cage the cats while we're driving because they often have accidents at those times and often right on my bed!

Carseats in a motorhome, some people don't use them, some people use them but keep in mind they must be used with a forward facing seat. They say seats in motorhomes are often not even secured to anything substantial so would it even do any good then?

Bedding: We use regular sheets and bedding because we all have our own beds. We don't use the pull out couch or dinette sleeping area.

Our sentimental items are being stored in a large shed that we own that sits on our in law's property. We did try to downsize a lot.

Cleaning a motorhome. I love cleaning our camper. It doesn't take long but it does have to be done pretty often. Especially the windows because of the condensation and mold that could then form. We have carpet right now and I borrow a shampooer because of the animals and two year old. We plan to replace it with hard wood soon. All I have is a stick vac and a dust pan. The outside of the camper is an issue. A lot of camps don't let you wash your camper.

Toys: things that actually get used here....paper and pencils/crayons, paints, wedgets/blocks/magformers, books (just a few as you can always get new ones at thrift shops), a doll, some dress up items especially capes, card and dice games, ds loves his globe and maps, outdoor toys like balls, frisbee, fishing pole, bikes. We often bag up some toys for the charity because new toys are always being found or they just aren't getting used.

Pictures: well we hard mounted our flatscreen. It is extremely secure lol. I need to hang some pictures and do some other decorating. Hey we've only been living here six months! We need new curtains too.

Projectiles: Everything on the counters goes into the cabinets when we move. Everything in the fridge must have a lid secure. We have some shelves with books that just stay where they are. They don't move. Most of the movement is side to side so the shelves running lengthwise with the trailer either have doors or I put a rubbermaid tote lid in one shelving area in the back because it doesn't have a door. Most things stay just where they were which is shocking to me.

Our transition from an four bedroom two bath house with a big fenced yard to a camper was really easy. Much easier than I thought it would be. The space isn't an issue at all. I love our new house. I do miss the fenced in yard, the small town, friends, familiar places, knowing where everything is (where to buy things, good places to eat, good parks).


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## gypsyfam

Thanks so much for the reply, that is exactly what I was looking for. This is very helpful.


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## Milkymommi

OK... I'm throwing myself on this thread for some support. We are so completely stoked and are about to start our journey into full timing. It was a totally unexpected situation but a surprise that is making a dream possible.

We were in transition to the west coast. DP was laid off from his high voltage electrical job this past summer which prompted us to take advantage of the possibility of migrating west for a less expensive and more simple lifestyle. We also needed to get out from the conservative grips of New England where I have pretty much spent most of my life with the exception of travel when I used to "work" doing music and a few short stints living with my grandparents as a kiddo.

All that to say, just after we sold most of our non-sentimental possessions and moved out of our stick house we were surprised with the offer of a FREE RV from a friend of a friend. It's a 1990 Pace Arrow which is 31 ft!! Long story short... it was gifted to us due to the fact that it was a major source of marital tension for this couple after the hubby bought it 2 yrs ago with 6000.00 of the money that his wife had put aside from a surrogacy. The money was saved for a long time for a family vacation :-(

Sooooooo, it hasn't been driven in a year and a half, needs a back tire and possibly a radiator and generator. They aren't sure about the generator but the radiator is leaking for sure. We are going to have someone look at it but it's OURS!! I'm so beyond stoked!

Needless to say, our plans changed quickly and we're on the fast track to fulltiming with very little time to plan because we have an obligation in March in Oregon. This is something we've only dreamed of and we really feel like this was a gift from the Universe so we're going to jump in with both feet.

I'll be hanging around this thread for sure!! We're going to need all the advice we can get.


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## MoonStarFalling

Yahoo Milkymommi! Free is good even if you have to make repairs. I see a lot of those 90's pace arrows on the road.


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## gypsyfam

Anyone else have some advice on going from a 3 bedroom house to a 32" motorhome with a toddler, teen and cats? Any tips are welcome!!!


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## SomethingAnonymous

Quote:


Originally Posted by *gypsyfam* 
Anyone else have some advice on going from a 3 bedroom house to a 32" motorhome with a toddler, teen and cats? Any tips are welcome!!!

32"?! now that's a lifestyle change


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## IntuitiveJamie

Hello everyone. Dh and I have talked off and on about Rving in different ways. From full time with littles all the way to not until we retire. But I think we have decided to get serious about Living on the road with our young children for 1-2 years. I've read the whole thread and am uber inspired!







We went and got our first book at the bookstore and are going RV shopping with a truly serious eye now.

A couple of questions if you don't mind:

1. I didn't see anywhere in this thread any idea of how much this costs monthy. I understand it will be different for everyone, and for all kinds of reason, but any monthly numbers at all will help me figure out what I may be looking at. Including all costs like food and whatever else has come up for you. Thank you.
And let me put it this way, is this doable on say a $2000 a month income with no debt?
Or would $3000 + be more likely?
Edited to add, that I did check out the FOTR site and got some numbers from that..and it helped much. But would still be interested in seeing some breakdowns from Mamas on here.

2. How did you decide to travel? Did you have a plan to begin with, like places you knew you wanted to visit? I'm just curious on this. We are thinking of doing a zig zag across the country trip, but will be extremely flexible.

3.I'm guessing this lifestyle is all about expecting the unexpected? Am I right?

4. Did you make some good friends along the way? Did you meet very many other families doing it full time?

5. I read about the comments from friends and family and the public. Could you elaborate a little more? I'm just curious as to what they thought was/would be so terrible about it? Was it about not being stable, kids not being around other kids or being in school? What do I prob. have to look forward to this.

I'm sure I'll have more questions. And I appreciate any time you have to answer my questions. I look forward to continuing to read about your journeys. We are thinking about setting off next March-May (2011). We are going to get debt free this year in order to make this happen. That plan is already in place and in action.









Good travels to all of you on the journey already!


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## Pilgrim

Hello. Sadly, I think our RV trip must come to an end. DH and I sat down last night and we looked at our budget from 2008 (living in a rental house) and 2009 (living in the RV all year.) DH had no work for 7 months in 2009, so we were as frugal as we could be. That said, it cost us over $17,000 MORE annually to live in our RV over living in our rental house ($1200 rent). Now, our RV is not paid for, so we are making payments on it. I think the main areas that money is spent on is: RV park fees, maintenance on this RV, the RV payment itself. Plus, I did not factor in the depreciation on this RV when looking at those figures.

We are brainstorming at the moment to figure out what our next move will be. One idea is to sell this RV and move into a much older one that is paid for and has no depreciation left. But I'm also feeling the itch to move back into a house anyway, so I don't know yet what is going to happen. We also need to consider that we don't know where DH's next job will be (and this one ends in June.) We may need to stay in an RV to remain flexible in that department. I am highly stressed over this whole deal!

Anyway, I'll try to answer some of your questions. You are right, your monthly costs will vary. I would say that all of your typical costs (food, clothes, books, etc.) will remain the same. Then factor in any payment you will make on your RV. Then there are the RV park fees. The least expensive way to do it is to pay monthly, but you probably aren't going to always stay a month everywhere you go. It all depends on your location and if you are in "peak season" or not. I think we pay on average about $800 per month on RV park fees, but we do a lot of nightly/weekly stays that are more expensive. If you do a lot of boondocking, then your picture will look very different.

We decided last years' travel based on visiting family because we had not seen them in years. That trip took us from Oregon to south Florida and back. awesome trip!







This year, we left Oregon due to DD1's asthma (which is improving here in Arizona). We planned to go to Florida again because her asthma does well there, but since she is improving here, we keep adding time to our stay. We will eventually get to TX where our family is and make some decisions about what we are going to do.

Lifestyle: yes - be extremely flexible! Many forms of that "unexpected" comes in the form of RV repairs, so have funding for that too. I find it difficult to pass up all of the awesome looking opportunities we find as we travel, but that gets expensive to go/see/do every roadside thing you find. I also found that I had to do a lot more planning than I thought I would. If you just "go with the wind," you may find that you don't have an RV spot for the time that you wanted. This is especially true if you follow the crowds (FL in winter, CO in summer, etc.)

Make friends - definitely! One thing about life on the road - you go outside a lot, and so does everyone else. We seem to be a very friendly sort! (road-trippers, that is.) There are plenty of homeschooling families on the road out here!

I can't speak to the comments questions. Everyone I know is very happy for us and supportive of us, thinking we are giving our girls the trip of a lifetime.

Things I'm finding challenging at the moment: finding space for homeschooling books. I saw an older Bounder RV yesterday that had much better cabinetry than our newer coach. Our coach has more window area (so cabinets are shorter, vertically speaking), but I can't stand books upright in the cabinets above the windows. There's something to be said about that. I am also missing having a fenced yard because I have a toddler. So if we are outside, there is no "sitting and relaxing" going on - we are always right by her side as she wanders around. I'm also finding the lack of space challenging because my older DD can't escape our younger DD when she wants to work on a project at the kitchen table. But I suspect I'd be having the same issues if we lived in a house, but at least DD1 would have a room to go in if she wanted.

OK, that's my thoughts at the moment.


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## IntuitiveJamie

Pilgrim,
Thanks so much for you response, I really appreciate it. I have to say it doesn't surprise me that you are finding it more expensive to live in RV full time. From my research, it seems like it would be that way for us too, which is kind of bumming me out. I've quickly realized that the problem for us, is that we already live in a small house, in a very low cost of living state (MS) and are extremely frugal. We were def. hoping that RV living would be even more frugal, but I just don't think that's the case from the place we are coming from. It would be so different if we had an enormous house and all these assets, but I'm not a stuff person. I'm not into that. So we do have a home we would sell and one car and a whole house of stuff. But regardless, I can tell it won't be cheaper. Now if it can cost the same I will be happy. It doesn't have to be cheaper, but I wasn't looking to do something more expensive, that's for sure. But the good news is we are paying off all debt this year and that will make all the difference in the world.

Also, I'm sorry your daughter has been so sick, but I'm glad to hear she has been doing better in AZ. I wish you much luck on your decision to get back "on land" or not!

Another question for all of you. How did you decide what kind of RV you wanted to be in. Specifically how did you decide if you wanted something you pull as opposed to something you drive? I'm going back and forth a lot.
I've always thought I would do a Class A,B,C, but am now considering a travel trailer of 5th wheel. Could you help with some pros and cons of each. TIA again!!


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## Pilgrim

I think that decision would really depend on your funds. We had a trailer for 10 years before purchasing the Class A that we are in now. We LOVE the Class A. I love not having to get out to go to the bathroom, and the kids aren't crammed, and I can get up and fix food or whatever while we are driving. (That is bumpier than an airplane though! LOL!) I also feel quite safe when we are boondocking because again, we don't have to get out. Also, I keep a lot of supplements and homeopathy with us. I don't want that stuff getting hot. In a tow vehicle, the temperature will be going up and down quite a lot because presumably you won't have the air conditioner on while you travel. But in a Class A or C, you know the temperature is always going to be good on the inside.

Also, I've run the washer/dryer while going down the road, and we often roast a chicken while going down the road. Life just seems easier to be in the Class A (or C).

Also, don't make the mistake we did! Our Class A is 42'. I can not tell you how many RV parks put the limit at 40'.

An aside - I remember when I was a child, I rode in our friends' Class C. All of us kids got to ride on the bed up top and look out the window as we drove along. That was *the best!* Oh, and we all fought for position too! LOL!


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## MoonStarFalling

IntuitiveJamie yeah I think $2000 is totally do able. Ideally you would pay cash for your RV, not drive a ton and boondock or stay at cheap sites like Passport America campsites.

Here's our monthly budget:
Cellphones (2 cell phones with nation wide service and internet) $115
Trailer payment $180
Truck insurance $80
RV insurance $25
Diesel $300+
Propane $20
Food $300
Campsites $300+
Entertainment $100
Clothing/misc etc $50
Total $1470+ Depending on how much we drive and where we stay

I originally planned to do the whole US counter clockwise. There were a few things I wanted to do like drive down the west coast, see the national parks and stop to see some friends and family.

The people we meet on the road are all really nice but almost 100% of them are retired. In six months we met one family from canada with two young kids. The camps don't exactly cater to kids. Where we are now most camps don't even allow kids.

Pilgrim I know you will find a situation that works


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## indianagrl

Jumping in here ladies! DH recently started a new job where he will be travelling. Last week he called and said how about we sell the house and all our junk and you hit the road with me? I have been so excited ever since! I think we are looking at getting a fifth wheel. We are thinking that by being on the road for a couple of years we could be debt free w/a good amount put away for a new home. DH's company pays for gas, park fees, and a HUGE monthly allowance for food (I guess they assume the guys eat out every meal). His company figures that the gas and camp fees about equal plane tickets and rental cars. Woo Hoo! Now, all I have to do is get the house ready for market, pack up the stuff we want to keep, sell/give away the rest, get all our affairs in order, etc, etc








No kids (yet, unfortunately), but our two furry kids will be joining us on the road. Any good advice for rving with dogs?


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## lightinmyhands

ok..ok...i know I'm just jumping in here, but I've got a question....

what do you do when you're scared of the unknown? I mean, my heart has been calling to me to go on the road for a few years now and here I still am, in a stick house. part of my concern is jobs and money and another part is the reality of being on the road with two small children and pets. Most of my hesitation is simply fear of the unknown. How 'right' do things need to be before leaving? my partner is a computer programmer and I am an artist and massage therapist. I'm sure work would come, but should we wait for some guaranteed set up before leaving? Should we own an RV outright, I don't feel as if I want to be making payments on anything while on the road. Should we have money in the bank and if so, how much? And my biggest question is, does it ever really feel 'safe and secure' enough to leave? Or should I just 'grow some' so-to-speak, and hit the road?

any and all insight is greatly appreciated!

love and light,
Fury


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## MoonStarFalling

How exciting indianagrl! We have a really old beagle and he has adapted very well. He rides in the truck with us because he gets too scared riding in the trailer. Other than that, most all campgrounds allow dogs. Some have weight limits like 30 ish pounds or no aggressive breeds. Also they don't want dogs barking all day while you're gone.

lightinmyhands, we had a year's income in the bank, low monthly payments on the RV (would have prefered to pay cash but didn't want to get something super small/old) and DH had a month's worth of work already lined up. I figured that was enough to get us on our feet. With your professions you should be able to find some sort of work on the road.


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## IntuitiveJamie

Gathering tons of info at this point. Just figured out what boondocking was. Good to know thats an option. I always see RV's in Walmarts parking lot. Now I know why. LOL
I am having the hardest time figuring out what we want. I know I really want a motorhome and we found the perfect one. But it doesn't make sense with my business. I have a radio show and private readings I do. I have to have room seperation to do all this. Although the motorhome we found as room seperation, the bunks are right next to the "master" and I would have to whisper. Or if the children woke up and were making noise, it would be a disaster. Whereas in a 5th wheel or trailer, there is much seperation and often across the trailer. But I don't want a 5th wheel.. whaaaa.
I don't think we have a choice though. I'm sure I'll get used to the idea, but the thought of having a 3/4 to ton truck, kills me. I just cannot imagine driving that thing around the towns and cities we stop in. I also really badly wanted the comfort of making lunch while were going down the road.
Any suggestions anyone?

*I want to add, this is all so exciting though, I'm not really complaining. I mean, when your worst decision is which vehicle to get, life isn't so bad is it?


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## Milkymommi

progress...

There was a little scare for a moment when the current owners were having trouble locating the paper work for our RV, but it's all good! We are picking up the bill of sale tomorrow, we have the keys and we're anxious to get on the road.

We have to handle the registration and all that jazz so for now send us all the good dmv/inspection vibes you can muster!

We also have a few potential repairs and the purchase of a dolly for our town and country. We are hoping the generator just needs a prime and routine oil and filter change - but what do we know LOL! The owners said they bought it in working order, drove it to the storage spot and never drove it. They apparently came once a month to start it for 10 or so minutes. That's what made us wonder if the generator just needs some lovin' rather than replacing. The batteries are brand new but need to obviously be charged up. Any advice is welcome.

Oh! and one more cool detail... it's a bit bigger than we originally thought. It's 34 ft rather than 31. Very cool. We went and let it run for about 20 minutes today and chilled out with the kidlets in it.

This is the full immersion version of rv fulltiming 101







We are supposed to be in Portland by March 8th... we'll see.


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## Pilgrim

Quote:


Originally Posted by *IntuitiveJamie* 
Gathering tons of info at this point. Just figured out what boondocking was. Good to know thats an option. I always see RV's in Walmarts parking lot. Now I know why. LOL
I am having the hardest time figuring out what we want. I know I really want a motorhome and we found the perfect one. But it doesn't make sense with my business. I have a radio show and private readings I do. I have to have room seperation to do all this. Although the motorhome we found as room seperation, the bunks are right next to the "master" and I would have to whisper. Or if the children woke up and were making noise, it would be a disaster. Whereas in a 5th wheel or trailer, there is much seperation and often across the trailer. But I don't want a 5th wheel.. whaaaa.
I don't think we have a choice though. I'm sure I'll get used to the idea, but the thought of having a 3/4 to ton truck, kills me. I just cannot imagine driving that thing around the towns and cities we stop in. I also really badly wanted the comfort of making lunch while were going down the road.
Any suggestions anyone?

*I want to add, this is all so exciting though, I'm not really complaining. I mean, when your worst decision is which vehicle to get, life isn't so bad is it?









Just wanted to say...

1 - You can't do a whole lot going down the road, as far as food prep goes. Opening the fridge while driving can be an adventure all by itself! LOL! So it's not like you can stand there and make a sandwich. We make sure the girls have their food before we hit the road, BUT, if something comes up, I can grab a can of olives, or something out of the fridge that's basically ready to go.

2 - I would highly, HIGHLY recommend that you rent/borrow a big pickup for you to drive around and try it out. We used to have a 1 ton truck to pull our trailer, and I simply could NOT drive it. If we had that setup now, I'd be very limited in where I could go alone.

3 - The space issue sounds very tricky. Many RV parks have rec rooms & places that are quiet. I wonder if you could do your work there sometimes? When DH needs some quiet workplace, he can usually find one. I don't really know the difference in the spaces from an Class A to a 5th wheel. But I can't imagine that there is that much difference when it comes to the noise level. The walls are literally paper thin! LOL! Even if you did have a separate "room," noise will still be with you. Also, I find RV living in general to be quite noisy, unless you are in the perfect climate all the time. The air conditioner, the vent fans, flushing, the heater, the washer/dryer, the oven, the dishes, the kids, people walking by - ALL make noise. There is rarely a quiet time in our RV.


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## IntuitiveJamie

Pilgrim..Thank you so much! That is everything I needed to hear and be aware of. My husband thought and vocalized the same thing that it prob. wouldn't be much diff. of a noise level from one or the other being only 10 ft of space difference and paper thin walls. We both always really wanted a motorhome. But man, those 5 wheels are nice. But i really hate driving big trucks. I'm uncomfortable in a 1/2 ton, much less a full ton, so you are right on the money about being limited there too.

So much to think about. We will have a blog soon to detail our journey to get to this adventure. THanks a mil. for helping me out!


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## Irishmommy

We can make sandwiches while travelling. Not the smartest, but it is doable. Only the adults get to though. The kids must always check with the driver before undoing a seatbelt, but we do let them get drinks/use the toilet if needed and if traffic situations allow.

Jamie, I would really suggest a Class A. We've had a trailer and a Class A, and the A is much easier for travelling in and for setting up. We've never had a 5th Wheel, and while I think they are lovely, a decent size one needs a decent size pickup, and for us to do that combo (pickup/5th wheel) was as much money as what we ended up with (Class A/small car), and our gas in the car is less than in a pickup for our every day travel.

Take note though, that we don't fulltime, but we do travel a lot 6 months of the year.

If you have the money, a Class A with bunks, or a Class A you can convert to have bunks, would be my suggestion. I think kids need their own space, even if it's just a permanent bed.


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## Theoretica

I have never found a class A with bunks...and I've been looking!! We'd LOVE to find one so we could tow an 'around town car' instead of hauling with a massive truck.

Anyone have floorplan links to some class a bunk houses?


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## Irishmommy

This is ours: http://www.hurricane-rv.com/ Hurricane 34B. At the time it was the only one with a third slide (the bed) and it made all the difference).

Okay, I can't find it, the bunk model there is smaller. This is ours:

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z.../Floorplan.jpg

I have interior pictures if you want.


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## Irishmommy

All the class A bunks are basically the same layout, but most other only have 2 slides. In our order of preference, after the Hurricane, Georgetown, Georgie Boy, Damon also make them, and a few others I can't remember offhand.


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## PPK

Quote:


Originally Posted by *IntuitiveJamie* 
Pilgrim..Thank you so much! That is everything I needed to hear and be aware of. My husband thought and vocalized the same thing that it prob. wouldn't be much diff. of a noise level from one or the other being only 10 ft of space difference and paper thin walls. We both always really wanted a motorhome. But man, those 5 wheels are nice. But i really hate driving big trucks. I'm uncomfortable in a 1/2 ton, much less a full ton, so you are right on the money about being limited there too.

So much to think about. We will have a blog soon to detail our journey to get to this adventure. THanks a mil. for helping me out!









Hi all!









I'm poking my nose in here for a minute, but wanted to say that I used to RV full-time with DH and now only do it for 2 months each summer.

We have a 30' class A. It is quite old at this point, but we've rebuilt everything on it. However, we will never, ever buy another class A in the future. The reason why is that every time your rig breaks down (which can be often even with newer models), you are left without a home for an indefinite amount of time, often times in a very random location!! I can't even tell you how many vacations were cancelled, or cut short, or destinations not seen.

This is how we ended up living in Houston









From what I've gleaned over time, its just a heck of alot of weight to be pulling. ie: transmission issues, overheating issues, etc. We've sunk alot of $$ into it and its still highly unreliable.

I figure, if I can drive that (which was much easier than you think!), then I won't have too big a problem with a pick-up truck.

We have severe emotional attatchment to it though, but when $$ is better we will purchase a tow-behind of some sort...or a 5th wheel if its full-time.

Anyways, I need to do a better intro in a bit, but wanted to put in my .02.

Good luck whatever you decide! Living on the road is awesome!!!!


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## IntuitiveJamie

I am def. taking notes everyone. Thanks!

Irish-I would love to see pictures! But the link you sent..that's a nice Class A. We have looked mainly at 5th wheels, but saw one class A and one Class C. We actually loved the class C. I'm not sure if I'll go quite as big as an A.
The C we looked at has bunks:
http://www.jayco.com/php/products/fl...16&mod_id=1113

It does not have an actual picture of the bunks though. It's 36 feet and meets all of our requirements except it doesn't have an oven (the one on the lot doesn't). So actually I was wondering input on that. Could you do without an oven? It has the convection oven/microwave combo.


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## Irishmommy

Jamie, that C is a very similar layout to our A, except you gain a bed (over the cab) and we gain two living room chairs (the driver/passenger seats swivel to be armchairs).

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z...gi20547205.jpg
We actually removed the chair behind the passenger chair and it's in our living room. We have a basket for shoes and a table there now.

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z...gi20547207.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z...gi20547209.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z...gi20547211.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z...gi20547215.jpg

To the right of the bunks you can just see the bedroom closet, which is at the end of the bed. If we fulltimed, I'd have some sort of storage under the window in the bedroom which is at the back.


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## CageFreeFamily

Quote:


Originally Posted by *IntuitiveJamie* 
Could you do without an oven? It has the convection oven/microwave combo.

We had neither an oven nor a microwave for the year we were on the road and managed just fine. I would have preferred to have one though.


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## IntuitiveJamie

Cagefree (btw love your name)- Thanks for the heads up. How did you mostly cook then? Outside, bbq?

Does anyone use a crockpot or breadmachine?

Do you recycle?

Anyone all cloth (TP, Paper towels and Menstrual stuff)?
We are going green on this trip. Just as green as we live at home, so now I'm trying to figure out the logistics of that.

TIA!


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## PPK

We didn't have a working oven, but I never baked (desserts or breads) much back then so I never missed it.

We bought a toaster oven and that worked great for tons of things (yams, frozen kashi pizzas, etc.) DH wants to get a convection oven type soon...I don't know anything about them though.

I used to sprout alot and would make sun-baked sprouted grain bread; this is location dependent though!


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## PPK

Quote:


Originally Posted by *IntuitiveJamie* 
Cagefree (btw love your name)- Thanks for the heads up. How did you mostly cook then? Outside, bbq?

Does anyone use a crockpot or breadmachine?

Do you recycle?

Anyone all cloth (TP, Paper towels and Menstrual stuff)?
We are going green on this trip. Just as green as we live at home, so now I'm trying to figure out the logistics of that.

TIA!

As far as recycling, not usually. The best effort was occasionally putting some in people's curbside bins, but that was infrequent at best.

I wanted to continue CD'ing for one of our trips, but we boondock and there just wasn't a way to get the water needed. I suppose stream water, but then to heat it, haul it, etc just didn't seem very realistic. If you're 'plugged-in' and are hooked up to water, then I think it wouldn't be difficult.


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## PPK

Sorry for jumping in without more of an intro!

I love reading this thread and although we are only travelling summers now, I'm still so thankful to be able to do it at all. I'm really enjoying reading all of your posts









*Cagefree*- I love your blog! Northern NM is one of my all-time favorite places, it looks so gorgeous where you are!

I also have a question:

I know I'm harsh on the idea of ever getting another Class A for the sake of mechanical breakdowns, but just curious how everyone else's runs? Ours is 25 years old, but at this point, have rebuilt the motor, transmission, rear end, and just about everything else imaginable on it.

I know there are many advantages I take for granted: fixing something to eat while driving, no need to un-hitch, easier in alot of ways.

Just curious what everyone else's experience is as far as reliability goes.


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## Dahlea

We started out with a 20 yr old Class A and never had any issues with it (90 Pace Arrow by Fleetwood)
I don't understand why so many of you cook while driving-that's so dangerous! To each their own, I suppose, but I would never cook while driving. I see plenty of people that don't keep their kids in car seats or seatbelts in RVs either and that just blows my mind. My kid is in his carseat if we're moving. It's still a moving vehicle, and you can still get in an accident!

We recently upgraded to a class A-99 Southwind with 1 slide out (I said I needed more room for the upcoming baby!) and we love it. Unfortunately, our first problem came when one of the leveling jacks failed and we have to pay around $475 to get it fixed. Ouch!

Intuitivejamie, there is nowhere around us to recycle, except for cans, so we are unable to. We are almost all cloth-diapers, TP (pees only) and 75% unpaper towels. I wouldn't do it boondocking, but we stay in campgrounds so it's not hard.

Anyone have a washer/dryer in their RV? I'm considering getting them but they're so expensive! Worth it or not with 2 kids? Be nice not to have to hit the laundromat!


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## Pilgrim

Quote:


Originally Posted by *IntuitiveJamie* 
Cagefree (btw love your name)- Thanks for the heads up. How did you mostly cook then? Outside, bbq?

Does anyone use a crockpot or breadmachine?

Do you recycle?

Anyone all cloth (TP, Paper towels and Menstrual stuff)?
We are going green on this trip. Just as green as we live at home, so now I'm trying to figure out the logistics of that.

TIA!

We have a crockpot and use it about twice weekly. We don't have a breadmachine, but we don't eat grains all that often. We do have our huge Excalibur dehydrator with us. It rides in the underbelly, and when it's in-use, it rides under the kitchen table.

We use all cloth! (diapers (though we are nearly done with those!), TP, menstrual, paper towels) I would not do this if we didn't have our own washer/dryer. But it's no biggie to us. Also, recycling is very difficult, unless you commit to hauling your recyclables around until you can find a place to recycle it. My DH simply won't do it, and sometimes it's not even an option. For example, we will be at this spot for 5 weeks, and there's no recycling. We just have to take a deep breath....and throw it away!









Here is a quote from my blog about this subject:
"We are now trying to incorporate that lifestyle (green/sustainable living) in with our RV living. We originally packed the RV with our glass bowls and glass jars for storage. Then we had trouble fitting it all in, so we took out most of it and accepted the fact that we were going to need some plastic storage, so we purchased a set of Rubbermaid from Costco. I think I mentioned in a past post about a jar breaking on our first trip out of the driveway. So, before we left for the big adventure, I took most of the dry goods that were in glass jars and dumped them into Ziploc bags with a heavy sigh of acceptance. I will say that 2 weeks into the trip, we have not opened the box of Rubbermaid from Costco, so maybe we have just enough glass storage. Time will tell.

We still use cloth everything, homemade products, and eat organic foods. We still have a stash of meat from Oregon, and I've made arrangements to purchase more sustainably raised meats from Paidom in Texas, which is our supplier from when we lived there before. www.paidom.com

The other problem we are having is that there is carpet all over this RV. There is even a lot of carpet on the lower portions of some of the walls. I would really, REALLY like to get rid of it. Carpets retain a lot of allergens, plus they off-gas yuck. On top of that, our kitchen table is on top of carpet, and that doesn't work so well with children, especially babies who are just learning to eat! The carpet already looks like a disaster, and we've only been on the road for 2 weeks! But with no income just yet, it will have to wait.

And yet another problem is that this RV has a diesel motor, and the generator also uses diesel. This is just not good for anybody's lungs, nor the environment, but it's especially bad for an asthmatic child! I'm grateful that we can almost totally avoid the fumes. We can't avoid them when we are parked at an RV park with our windows open, and another rig has their motor running. (oh, and we can't avoid cigarette smoke from our neighbors either!)"


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## IntuitiveJamie

Pilgrim- Great info thanks! Did I miss your blog somewhere? I would love to keep up with it.

We are planning on changing the RV over to running on Veggie oil. I figured we wouldn't be able to recycle as much, but would prob. have to haul it around for awhile, like mentioned. We'll have to see how that works.
I too, can only see being all cloth if we have a washer/dryer, but do Class C's usually have those? I'll have to keep looking. I really want a washer/dryer but I just don't think we are going with a Class A. But never say never.
We are going to be promoting being green on our journey. So I have to figure out all the ways to be as green as possible and implement them.

I was thinking about the plastic problem as well and have already determined that we would have some plastic bins b/c I already know that will be much easier. I'm not planning on much glass for reasons you stated. I'm going to go with tin, stainless steel and wood containers as much as possible. I'm going to sew quilted pads to put between stuff that is noisy, or breakable.
So far those are my ideas. But I think for storage of undercarraige stuff, I can just see how plastic is the best option...keeps elements away, and you can see through it. I could use cardboard boxes I suppose and will consider it, but most likely use plastic.

Dahlea- I hear you. And my dh fully agrees with you. I have no plans on keeping my children running about if we are in traffic, or in a city or anything. I've told my dh that I'm okay if we are on long stretches of highway with very few to no other cars around. Still a running vehicle, yes, but I'm comfortable with that. Also, I don't plan on cooking. But making a sandwhich, sure. Someone earlier mentioned mostly prepping before actual driving and that makes good sense. Im guessing it is difficult while driving anyways.

Good to know about crockpot use. I'm also thinking about investing in a couple of Iron pans. Maybe one small and one large. There are so many things you can make in one, like one pot dish type stuff. Any thoughts on this?

LOVING the info ladies. Keep it coming. I am ingesting it all!!


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## PPK

1 or 2 cast iron pans, and a few saucepans to boil water and steam veggies, (bring a steamer basket). I think that's mainly what we use on trips now, and we cook nearly all meals. We had our wok as well when we were full-time and used it almost daily.


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## Pilgrim

Quote:


Originally Posted by *IntuitiveJamie* 
Pilgrim- Great info thanks! Did I miss your blog somewhere? I would love to keep up with it.

My blog is private, but I don't mind sending you (or anyone on this thread) an invite. It is actually private because I don't want certain family members to read it. sad, but it is what it is. PM your email addy. Disclaimer - I haven't been keeping up with it these last few months, mainly because DD1 has been sick and on the couch - not much to write about. (she's doing much better these past couple of weeks!) But, the very beginning of the blog would be of interest to anyone just starting out, because I started the blog around the time of our first garage sales!

We most definitely keep our girls buckled while driving. Dahlea - I don't remember seeing anyone say they cook while driving. I do get up to make a "fast grab" of something if my girls have run out of the food/water that we provided before beginning to drive. I think it would be impossible to cook while going down the road! (though we do often have the oven roasting a chicken or something.) I also let my 6yo get up to potty, but only if she asks, and only if we are going down a long stretch of highway with no traffic.

Oh, and Jamie - I never even thought to mention about plastic bins. In my mind, that was just a given! LOL! Definitely don't even think about putting your stuff in cardboard boxes in the underbelly. When you get a water leak for the first time, you will be so happy your stuff is in plastic! (yes, we had our fresh water tank spring a leak, and yes, some of the stuff in cardboard boxes got all moldy. Including some maternity clothes I was going to give to my friend. UGH!) Plus, the visibility and stacking qualities are very helpful. We also have plastic bins inside the RV. Originally, we only had the bins inside until we got to my parents' house, and then we unloaded a bunch of stuff into their attic and were able to put all of our plastic bins in the underbelly. But we soon discovered that we liked having the plastic bins inside because we had (still have) a busy toddler that can get into everything. The bins helped us "babyproof" a bit and provided extra "counter space" to keep things out of her reach.

Pots & pans - we brought a huge cast iron pot that fits in our sink. About 99% of our meals get prepped in that. We also brought a smaller cast iron pan that gets occasional use. We also brought a large, medium, and small (stackable) SS pot set. We never used the medium size pot until we ruined our small one. (DD1 was/is getting salt water steam treatments daily, and the salt water pitted the pot!) But, we used the small pot intensely for reheats. (we don't use the microwave.) We also almost never use our large pot. But, we tend to eat "one course" meals here. If we cook a mess of veggies - that's our meal. If we roast a chicken - that's our meal. I make a huge pot of soup at least weekly (in my big cast iron pot.)

Our meals can look like this (in the big cast iron pot.) AM - cook bacon. Warm up some leftover chicken in the drippings for DD1 who can't eat eggs. Fry up some onions & mushrooms in the grease, scramble some eggs into that. Breakfast is done. Leave the pan on the stove. Lunch: throw more grease in the pan and cook some veggies (I've been loving brussel sprouts or sugar snap peas at the moment or some sauteed spinach at the moment.) Sometime later, use the same pan to reheat soup or make a new pot of soup. Evening, wash the pan so it's ready for breakfast again. Before moving into the RV, it never would have occurred to me to NOT wash the pot in-between all of those meal preps. In fact, I would have used a different pan for each of those various cooking things.

As far as having a washer/dryer or not - I think many people get along just fine without one. Personally, we just can't do that. DD1 and I have serious chemical sensitivities, and the residue from the laundry detergents and dryer sheets that are left in the public laundry machines would make us very sick! As it is, I can strongly smell the scents coming out of the public laundry room and I get nervous! When DD2 was only a year old, I did 2 loads of laundry daily. One load of diapers, one load of either clothes, towels, or sheets. Now, she's just about done with her diapers, so the load of "cloth stuff" gets washed about every 2-3 days. What a relief with the laundry!


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## MoonStarFalling

Ovens/pans: we have a gas oven but I also use an electric oven quite often. I got rid of my crock pot and just use the elec oven now for all that but it doesn't cook as slowly as a crock pot. We also use all cast iron and have a cast iron dutch oven that I have YET to use! lol

Being green: I use cloth diapers, menstrual pads and recycle. You could also use a menstrual cup if you didn't want to deal with extra laundry. Some areas have no recycling so we've had to throw things away a couple times OR we ended up carrying it around for a month. Space is limited for that. I use laundromat twice a week, it's very expensive! Like $4 per load and they are very small loads! I switched to using paper towels and paper plates but only when we're boondocking and have no water or elec for days at a time.

Plastic: we have also had to accept some plastic usage. It's also much lighter and you will have to watch your weight carefully. We outfitted the storage areas with plastic bins and I switched to using plastic bags for some food storage. We still use all glass plates (Corelle) and cups but have lost a few along the way.

It' is hard to find organic food on the road! I am about to die for not being able to find organic bananas anywhere! We just don't have time to scour a new town for items. I've resorted to stepping foot inside Walmart just because we can't be driving all over with the 5th.

Our carpet is also totally trashed. We will be replacing it very soon with hopefully hardwood but we might have to settle for plastic because of the weight.


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## sweetpeppers

I'm getting so much good information from these recent posts. My son and I will move into our van this week. I'll post picture of my home conversion at some point. I'm just trying to stock up on toys to work on while we are on the road. I plan on doing craft shows while traveling. I will also rent a workshop every now and then to restock. My workshop will remain in my parents barn, and I'll come back up north in the summer time to restock my supply, especially for Christmas time. I also need to finish moving out and cleaning up.


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## IntuitiveJamie

Okay, here is our official blog and official announcement to the world about our RV plans. This is the countdown.
http://livinginspiredtour.oxygenaddicts.org/
We finally told friends and family and everyone through my radio show yesterday!








So far, the response has been great. People keep telling me they think it's awesome and that if anyone can make it happen they know that I can. So that's good. Support is always nice.
First things first, paying off debt! Along with getting the word out and aquiring sponsors for our trip. There's a lot to do!
If you would like your familys tour blog listed on my blog, let me know. I think it will be good for people to see other experiences of it, especially before we take off on our own.


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## gypsyfam

I am running into a few problems. Some of the Mobile parks don't allow more than 2 people per rv, and the RV parks want too much money, or a newer RV than we have.

If you want to stay put, in an RV, with a family, what is the best way to do it without paying $25 a night for a park, or fancy campground?

Also, anyone try hooking up your cellphone with internet access to your laptop for internet service? What other ways do you guys get internet service if you aren't in a park, again without paying thousands for it?

Thanks!


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## sweetpeppers

I'm looking for your best advice on living in an RV as far as things that need to be done daily/weekly that are different from living in a house. Like do you clean more often? How do you deal with dirt/shoes, wetness? Cleaning stuff/cooking stuff/shopping stuff/etc?


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## DebraStorm

Quote:


Originally Posted by *IntuitiveJamie* 
Okay, here is our official blog and official announcement to the world about our RV plans. This is the countdown.
http://livinginspiredtour.oxygenaddicts.org/
We finally told friends and family and everyone through my radio show yesterday!








So far, the response has been great. People keep telling me they think it's awesome and that if anyone can make it happen they know that I can. So that's good. Support is always nice.
First things first, paying off debt! Along with getting the word out and aquiring sponsors for our trip. There's a lot to do!
If you would like your familys tour blog listed on my blog, let me know. I think it will be good for people to see other experiences of it, especially before we take off on our own.

Checking out your blog! I love reading ones like that!


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## Pilgrim

Quote:


Originally Posted by *gypsyfam* 
I am running into a few problems. Some of the Mobile parks don't allow more than 2 people per rv, and the RV parks want too much money, or a newer RV than we have.

If you want to stay put, in an RV, with a family, what is the best way to do it without paying $25 a night for a park, or fancy campground?

Also, anyone try hooking up your cellphone with internet access to your laptop for internet service? What other ways do you guys get internet service if you aren't in a park, again without paying thousands for it?

Thanks!

I have not run into an RV park that doesn't allow more than 2 people per RV, but we have paid an extra fee for the kids before. It's fairly common to pay more for children over 6. You just have to do a lot of homework before finding the right RV park. (We are limited in our "carefree" ways sometimes.) I think some areas are easier than others to find a good RV spot. Here in Tucson, it was hard to find a family-friendly spot, but after lots of calling and asking, we did. btw, we are in a "big rig," (so we get the premium sites w/ 50 amps) but usually $30/night is about as inexpensive as it gets for us. Occasionally we find cheaper, but usually we pay more.

I have not really found a way to NOT pay the expensive campground fees, other than staying weekly or monthly (going monthly can save a lot of money!), or sometimes you can find a very good deal if you pay the Passport America membership fee, which I found to be a worthwhile thing to do. The caveat to that is that often you don't get the 1/2 off discount during "in season" times, or you are limited to a night or 2. Some people manage to boondock a lot, but that just doesn't suit us too well unless we are literally overnighting it somewhere and are on our way the next morning.

afa internet goes, we pay AT &T for a wireless card, and it runs about $60/month. We are on that 3G system they are so heavily advertising. We've been happy with it, and DH uses it for work. However, it's limited in the amount of data that can be transferred, so there's no TV watching when we use it. I don't even use it for youtube. Most RV parks have free WiFi, and it's something I usually require when I'm figuring out where to stay, but because it was so difficult to find a family-friendly place in Tucson that actually had a spot, we had to take this spot. There is free WiFi at the rec center, so when we need to download a big file, we take the PC up there.


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## Pilgrim

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sweetpeppers* 
I'm looking for your best advice on living in an RV as far as things that need to be done daily/weekly that are different from living in a house. Like do you clean more often? How do you deal with dirt/shoes, wetness? Cleaning stuff/cooking stuff/shopping stuff/etc?

I definitely vacuum more often, and we leave our shoes at the door. Even so, our carpet is ragged and I can't wait to replace it with wood. It looks like even though we are planning to move out of the RV sometime between June and December, we are still going to replace the carpet because we want the best air quality in here for our asthmatic DD.

The range is always a mess, so I do a lot more stovetop cleaning than I'd like. (take it all apart, scrub, put it back together.) There are also extra places that require attention, like the vents and air conditioners get a regular vacumming (so make sure you have hose attachments). Our window sills get fairly dusty quickly, so I wipe those fairly often. You also either must stay very organized and disciplined about putting things away a lot, or run the risk of junk everywhere (and our RV is in the latter category! lol!) But, on drive days, we do have to put everything away, so those naturally become our "clean up" days too. I like the German motto "a place for everything, and everything in it's place." (we just aren't the disciplined types, and often we don't know where to put stuff, so it sits in our driver/passenger seats until we have a drive day.) At the moment, homeschool books have taken over!

If you are in a Class A, you have to clean off the front of the RV like you would a car - it gets dusty. (the dash, steering wheel, cup holders, etc.) I like only having one bathroom to clean, and I clean it about once/week like I did in a house. I think everything else I clean up like I would do in a house.

Oh, if we have a wet/muddy day, everything goes straight into the washer. I would go nuts if I didn't have my own washer/dryer. When we spend time at the beach, the RV tends to get sandy, so I just vacuum more.


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## Pilgrim

Quote:


Originally Posted by *IntuitiveJamie* 
Okay, here is our official blog and official announcement to the world about our RV plans. This is the countdown.
http://livinginspiredtour.oxygenaddicts.org/
We finally told friends and family and everyone through my radio show yesterday!








So far, the response has been great. People keep telling me they think it's awesome and that if anyone can make it happen they know that I can. So that's good. Support is always nice.
First things first, paying off debt! Along with getting the word out and aquiring sponsors for our trip. There's a lot to do!
If you would like your familys tour blog listed on my blog, let me know. I think it will be good for people to see other experiences of it, especially before we take off on our own.

Congratulations Jamie! And I think it's great you are taking a good long time to plan for it. We did it all from "decison to move-in" in about 2 months! THAT was a whirlwind! LOL!


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## lightinmyhands

What do you know about your childrens experience of being on the road? I anticipate mine would be much happier.


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## MoonStarFalling

sweetpeppers, I clean up a few times a day but it only takes a few mins. I do vacuum twice a day. We turn the hot water heater on once per day or sometimes not at all. That gives me a chance to do dishes and showers, or we use the campground showers. Of course there's the whole dumping of the gray and black tanks once a week. It is very important that things go back where they belong when not being used because of the small space. We go to the store more often because we have less space to store food. You do have to wipe the condensation off the windows sometimes if it's cold outside. Hanging up wet towels is an issue and most parks do not allow you to have an outside dry line but people do it anyway.

gypsyfam we haven't run into many issues finding parks. There are lots of old RVs in the parks we've been to. Like I said though we use almost exclusively Passport America parks which aren't five star resorts most of the time. They are usually smaller family owned places with few rules and plenty of long term residents. They often charge an extra couple bucks for the kids. We average $16 per night. Most all parks have free wifi or I use wifi at a library or Mc Donalds. We're looking into getting a Verizon air card though but it's $60 a month!

lightinmyhands my kids have been super excited about all of our travels. They love it! We've had so much fun and learned so much.


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## IntuitiveJamie

One of the things I've been wondering most about lately is how the kids transistion and what a routine looks like on an RV. Mostly because of being in different places a lot. When you first got on the road what was it like with the little ones (Mine will be 5 and 3.5 when we go)? I imagine you just find a new routine like what it's like to wake up in the morning on RV and not have very much space. My children wake up b/n 5-6AM. This is actually one aspect I'm not looking forward too b/c at least on the weekends, hubby and I take turns sleeping in. But I am a light sleeper and will not be able to sleep in with the children being noisy 5 feet away. It's not too big of a deal to me. But it is something I'm thinking about. I know our experiences will outweigh the negative. But I'm a thinker and I am def. thinking about all aspects of our upcoming journey.


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## IntuitiveJamie

What are your accessory must haves?


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## MoonStarFalling

We found a new routine so easily. It's just like back home really. You're right though the noise is an issue with two kids. If we stay up late watching a movie it's easier to watch it in our bedroom so the noise is further away from the kids. It was nice at first because I could cook our meals and keep an eye on the kids so easily! lol

Accessories like RV accessories? A tankless water heater would be so nice.


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## MoonStarFalling

I'm checking out http://cheaprvliving.com/ and all the van dwelling blogs and yahoo group. Very interesting stuff!

I have some RVing books available if interested pm me.


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## sweetpeppers

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MoonStarFalling* 
I'm checking out http://cheaprvliving.com/ and all the van dwelling blogs and yahoo group. Very interesting stuff!

I have some RVing books available if interested pm me.

LOL, I live on that site. That and someone's post on here about vandwelling inspired me to take the plunge. I'm about 3 days in, and it's going okay. We're trying to make it down to Florida where it will be warmer, so we've been doing a lot of driving. I haven't managed to hook up my inverter so I can't use my blender, which is the only electrical thing I really miss. Right now I'm on Tybee Island, Georgia. My parents are actually staying down here while my dad is on business in Savannah, so we were able to stay with them for the night. We should make it to Florida today. I'm having trouble keeping everything organized in such a small space though. I took a lot of toys and stuff to sell at craft shows/online/etc. But I'm doing it! I still can't decide whether I'm crazy, inspired, or just desperate.


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## IntuitiveJamie

Sweetpeppers- Definitely INSPIRED!








Congratulations getting on the road. Many blessings to you and your son. I hope you do very well!


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## Pilgrim

Sweetpeppers - Congratulations! FL is very nice this time of year, but expensive too if you go far south enough (where it is the nicest! LOL!) But my FL friends have been complaining about the cold this year.

afa how children adjust? Naturally, that answer will depend on your children's personalities and the rhythm of how you do your travels. Both of my children are highly social and love having other friends to play with. I'm so glad that they can both just "hook up" with just about any other little girl at the playground. However, departure days can be tough. My 6yo wants to be bff with everyone she meets! But, she's now used to it that departure days are a little sad and a little exciting. We talk about it. Also, for the first year that we were in the RV, we visited a LOT of family, family that my children had either never met or not seen in years. That was also rough on my older DD to be leaving family all of the time, especially her Mimi!

Departing this spot we are in now will be particularly difficult. We have sort of "hit the jackpot" with a circle of friends, and we will have stayed here 2.5 months before we leave. I'm so glad that we'll be heading to visit my parents next, because that eases the sting of leaving here to have something to look forward to.

Other than that, I think the kids get a lot out of life on the road. We go/see/do as much as we can, so there's usually something exciting to look forward to. Now that DH is actually working, we spend 5 days a week doing "normal" stuff around the RV (like schoolwork, playground, shopping, playground, chores, playground







- just like you would in a house.) And then the weekends we try to go do something exciting at least one of the days.

The one big thing I miss is having a yard. I think I may have mentioned it before. With my 2yo wandering all over the place, I can't just "send" the kids outside, and I'm sure they would get more outside time if I could do that. DD1 likes to do her schoolwork outside, so we get out as much as we can, but I still am chasing DD2 around. I would *love* to be able to just sit and relax and have the kids just "be" outside playing without having to be on duty like that.


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## Mommy2Austin

*subbing*


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## sweetpeppers

My son has been adjusting okay. He still wants to go home and see his Nana and Poppop. But we've been going to the beach every day, so that's something he can't do in NJ.


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## gypsyfam

Just a thought Pilgrim, you know about those Superyards, they are baby gates that connect up to make a removable, repositionable fence? We are currently experimenting with the idea of storing large plastic toddler items like that on our roof, if you don't have space for something like that, that may be an option!


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## lightinmyhands

My DH and I have decided we're definitely going to do it, and do whatever it takes to make it happen. Dh, dd 1 and 2, myself, and the 2 dogs are going to get in an an RV and take off for untold adventure. The question that remains for me is how prepared do we need to be? A little background--- I've grown up in the city we currently live in and watched it turn from a cool hippy haven to more of a police state over the years and have a lot of toxic memories from here, besides. I don't want to be here, it's seriously negatively affecting my happiness level. And in order to more quickly save money to get on the road we are moving in with my parents next month. My parents being nearly as toxic as the city.....don't get me wrong, I love my mom..... it's just not good energy to be subjected to...she's got a lot of personal work to do. And my step-dad, well... he's another story entirely. So the quicker we can get on the road, the better. We want to own our rig outright so we have less money worries on the road, just food and camping. We're thinking smaller is better, even so far as to think a class B may be the right choice. We don't want an RV and a vehicle..... and we don't want the worst gas mileage ever either. We're happy getting anywhere we can't get in a class b on our bikes....but..... the reality of a class b with two small little girls and two dogs? (the dogs are smallish, one 40lb shepherd mix and a mini dachshund) I want dh and i to have good hiking packs, a good tent, all of us to have good sleeping bags, etc. how much stuff do i need to leave with? and how much can I have faith in collecting on the way?

also, I'm a licensed massage therapist.... is making money on the road going to be as easy for me as i imagine? And would it be better to bring a massage table? or a chair?

if anyone has any time to comment, it's appreciated.

Love and Light!


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## Mommy2Austin

We might be getting a free fixer upper motorhome







Very exciting!


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## gypsyfam

Lightinmyhands, if you need money for the road, you need money, but is there anywhere else you can get it? Parents don't tend to like to let their children and grandchildren go, especially for untold adventures.

In my experience, if you need to make money on the road, have the necessary equipment. Don't expect that someone else will have it, lend it, or you can do without it.

As far as essentials like food and warmth, the more the better. You would be amazed how the rest of the things you think you need, become a burden.

This sounds like a good thing for you, good luck!


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## MoonStarFalling

lightinmyhands and Mommy2Austin

I think a class B might be do able. It will be a big adjustment, IMO anyway, being very cramped on cold or rainy days when you don't want to be outside and not having a car for daily transportation. I dream about having a class B though and doing things a little more simple than we are now. We have two kids, a dog and two cats so I really won't be trying anything like that until the animals are gone (they're all really old).


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## Milkymommi

Any of you mamas have suggestions for good do it yourself rv mechanical repair resources? We'd like to take a good book on the road... or at least have a few resources listed.

Almost in the home stretch with our gifted RV... the REAL repair list was a mile long. Still very much worth the money we put in considering it was a gift! However, needing to stay with friends while we pull this whole thing together has been a challenge. Not having your own space with a large-ish fam is rough. We will still have a couple of things to fix inside the RV... like the fridge but after tomorrow we will have fixed:

Rear axle seals
Front wheel barrings
one rear tire which blew out on the technician and almost killed him. oy.
the generator
wipers
high beams
o2 censor
manifold gasket

We'll have it re-inspected on Friday... crossing our fingers for a pass. We have an idoler arm that's worn but not useless so we were told to take it to a smaller station that isn't solely focused on RV's 10 years old and newer. The place we took it told us that... they have a 13 page inspection list which ends up very hard on older rigs. Can't get an idoler arm anywhere close to here for less than 500 bucks and the same in labor costs. We figure we will replace that down south since it's not imperative at the moment. Hopefully the inspector sees it that way too









Monday we finish up with a new water pump. Friday a painting party with friends that have drawn up a funky design for our new house. Clicking my heals three times..., "There's no place like the road". Willing it into existence.


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## Milkymommi

Mommy2Austin... That's fantastic! We were also just gifted with a fixer upper! We'll be hitting the road around the 24th - hopefully







Be prepared for LOTS of unexpected surprises when it comes to getting it ready for the road, if it's on the older side or has been sitting for a long period of time.

Anyone out there in RV land? I'm eager to learn


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## MoonStarFalling

Milkymommi, good luck with all the work you're doing. Fortunately my DH is a carpenter and is super handy so he's been able to fix anything that went wrong. I'm in a yahoo group called All About RVing and they talk a lot about repairs. Currently he's trying to decide how to replace the carpet, what to use (vinyl or hardwood laminate) and how to deal with the slide after we take the carpet off. AND our awning is screwed up right now. Hey did you know that you're supposed to put one side much higher than the other so rain can run off? LOL We didn't know that and now it's bent!


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## mamaspirit

I'm glad I found you guys! I have a ton of questions. Dh and I are really seriously considering selling our brand new minivan (gifted to us) and buying and RV and living full time in it. Dh is a nurse and could easily do traveling nursing pretty much anywhere in the country.

What is it like with kids? Anyone do it with 3+ kids? We are expecting a baby in May, have two other kids with us full time and my 10 year old is with us in the summers.

What size RV do you suggest? Where do you park your RV and how much do you pay? What are the best areas in the country to start out?

I'm wanting all the info I can get!

TIA!!!


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## Theia

I've been lurking on this thread for a while.

I'm a SAHM, my income is guaranteed to follow me







But it would be just myself and my DD, who is currently 2yo. Her father is not in her life so that is not a concern.

I'm wondering what are the expenses (approx. monthly) associated with this lifestyle, minus any purchasing/payments associated with the RV itself.

What is the average cost (monthly/yearly) with repairs, food, campgrounds, gas, misc. that you spend and what type of RV do you have? I think since it is just DD and I that a Class B would be plenty. I've camped a fair amount in tents and love that lifestyle. Would you think it safe for a single parent, especially a woman? I have a fair amount of handiness skills of my own, though not really mechanical beyond oil changing (which is something I'd rather not do myself anyway.) We are planning on unschooling and literally have family coast to coast (and in between) that we could routinely visit.

I'm in the long term planning stage and trying to decide if it would be the right thing for DD and I. Right now the financial aspect seems the most important because if I can have a good grasp on that I think everything else will fall into place.

Thanks for any advice. You are all living a dream to me and I'd love to be able to do the same and share it with my DD.


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## IntuitiveJamie

MamaSpirit and Theia- I just joined the thread myself a few pages back. I had many of the same questions and found that if you read through the whole thread many of those answers are there. Also there is a website for families living on the road: http://www.familiesontheroad.com/
It has tons of info.
I also recently found a families blog that broke down their personal costs and it might give you a good idea of things:
http://www.rvingroadtrip.com/
HTH!
I haven't begun my journey yet, so I too am gathering info like crazy. But I have started my blog and our process to get on the road in (2011):
http://livinginspiredtour.oxygenaddicts.org/


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## MoonStarFalling

Theia, my expenses are in this post for our F350 + 30 ft 5th wheel. The insurance, oil changes, tires etc are a real pain in the pocket book with the F350 and I'm guessing that would be similar with a class B. If I were in your shoes I would totally be traveling around in a class B. Almost all places we've stayed we felt very safe (not really in the LA area though). A lot of the camps have been in small towns and some have been gated communities with 24 hour security people which is so nice. There are usually retired people around that keep an eye on everything.


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## MoonStarFalling

Hey mamaspirit, we have two kids plus pets and are TTCing another. I know we could make 3 work in our 30 ft 5th at least until the little one was walking. Then I might seriously think about getting a 33 ft. You may want the extra few feet for a washer and dryer especially with a baby.

I can't think of a "best" area. I like more rural areas. In the city or in tourist areas everything is more expensive plus I hate crowds. Going through the mountains really scared me but it all turned out just fine because our truck was plenty big enough to pull it.


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## Milkymommi

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Milkymommi* 
Any of you mamas have suggestions for good do it yourself rv mechanical repair resources? We'd like to take a good book on the road... or at least have a few resources listed. .

No suggestions? Maybe a particular place on the net? I've been searching for something that is geared toward the everyday person with basic mechanical understanding. I guess this isn't as important if one has a newer rig... ours is pretty old. I figured there must be loads of older rigs on the road though so there has to be some support or info out there that is useful for do it yourselfers. We have commenced, "Mission Find It".









Water pump is going in tomorrow


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## mamaspirit

So are there places that have families that are living in rvs full time? moonstarfalling, I saw that you said that most camps aren't kid friendly. We are looking at the possibility of staying in one area for 3 months or longer so dh can take contract jobs. Are there communities of rv families? I know that a lot of people are doing this, so there has gotta be something like that, right?


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## Irishmommy

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Milkymommi* 
No suggestions? Maybe a particular place on the net? I've been searching for something that is geared toward the everyday person with basic mechanical understanding. I guess this isn't as important if one has a newer rig... ours is pretty old. I figured there must be loads of older rigs on the road though so there has to be some support or info out there that is useful for do it yourselfers. We have commenced, "Mission Find It".









Water pump is going in tomorrow









PM me.


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## Theia

Thanks for the info IntuitiveJaime and MoonStarFalling. That sounds exactly like what I am researching right now.









And I never even would have considered that some parks don't allow children?! I know there are many more retirees living on the road, but to not allow children seems a little over the top







Good to know that it's an issue sometimes though. I think otherwise I would have looked at the first park attendant to tell me that like they were speaking an alien language.


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## MoonStarFalling

The parks HERE don't allow kids in the winter because this is where the retired people come (Florida). We had an extremely hard time finding a park down here but this is where all my family is. In other places around the US they allowed kids usually but had rules such as not ever leaving them unattended outside, can't use the bath house without you, can't make noise etc. We have been reprimanded because my two year old moved a couple pieces of gravel from the walk way about 10 minutes after we moved in.







RV parks just don't seem to be conducive to kids playing outside. We have better luck at county parks. They usually have larger areas to play and less people, also they're cheaper.

Milkymommi, I suggested something a few posts up. There's a yahoo group about rv repairs, All About RVing, you can try just searching the archives or asking your question.


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## jeteaa

Has anyone been a campground host before? We are looking into being hosts at a CA state park. Sounds like a good deal in exchange for approx 30 hrs of volunteering/wk. We are more interested in staying in one place for 3 to 6 months rather than driving all around.


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## Milkymommi

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MoonStarFalling* 

Milkymommi, I suggested something a few posts up. There's a yahoo group about rv repairs, All About RVing, you can try just searching the archives or asking your question.

Gracias!!I did actually read your post but somehow as soon as I read the rest of them the yahoo group suggeston slipped my mind! Thanks for reminding me it was there... it will probably be my most valuable tool now. Sheesh. Mush for brains these days. Too much happening!!!!


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## Irishmommy

A good place for info is rv.net, especially renovations. There's a guy there that totally redid his 20+ year old (I think) Class A. Looks awesome!


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## ~D~

subbing for now... can't wait to read through all the pages! DH & I would love this! I have a friend from school that married into a family that owns a carnival business... she and her DH & 3 LO's live in a 5th wheel for a big chunk of the year but also have a home base for the other part of the year. So awesome, mamas!!


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## abinormal324

I am also an interested rv living, soon to be mom. We are moving from central Fl. to Lafayette La. in the middle of June. Hot time of year! I am selling my house in Ga. and we want to buy a fifth wheel to park on the in-laws property. I went and looked at some campers but don't know what kind of things to ask. There are so many to choose from but I feel like ones might be better then others for long term living, especially during the summer in the deep south. P.S. I am new to mothering dot so if I am not posting right let me know.


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## 3crunchycarrots

Its so wonderful to find this tribe! I love to make contact and hear about families having the gumption to get out there and live free!

We are new to this tribe and new to a lot of things. Im 35 weeks pregnant with our first bundle of joy and due at the end of April! Dh and I have been planning to find a way to live more in tune with our natural insticts, which usually means the freedom to be mobile, and found that full time rving was the way for us to go in traveling this continent. Than we found out we were pregnant and it made even more sense, get out of the city, the lame jobs and be in green stuff as much as possible









So fast forward to now, we have been fixing up our 92 Safari Trek class A 26" since Nov and DH is just finishing redoing our roof (big job) and I have been removing the wall paper and prepping the wood for paint. We found our electrical system needs to be rewired in order to use our invertor (big bucks for electrical work!!!!) We are fortunate to have a solid mechanical system and when the above repairs are complete are investing in a veggie oil conversion! Cutting down our fuel costs and the carbon offset by traveling so much. Thank you Grease Kings in Sacramento! We are also investing in 240watts worth of solar panels, enough to sustain a low-moderate energy use. Wow! These are the biggest of our expenses and projects with the Trek before we are able to be Earthbounders! It feels really good to be getting them in motion especially with lil one coming so soon. Our plan is to be on the road when its too hot to stand in the shade here!

As far as finances go, I know everyone wonders what everyone else id doing! We have been working the last 1.5 years with this goal in mind, saving. We have and currently work various jobs, caretaking, cooks, plant movers whatever to amke a buck. So we paid 13k for motorhome and ill have a better account as the works gets done for repairs/modifications. We plan on having a little nest egg of $ when we begin this summer as we will not have any steady income, we have faith that we will be led towards abundance and cool opportunities for trade or ...

Geez! This truly is an exciting time to be alive and raising babies! The universe is changing so rapidly and we have all been called upon to move and shake with it! Getting out on "the road" (whatever that means for you) is following your hearts call and that is one of the most important missions we are asked to undertake to evolve, follow what feels good inside







and then to be blessed with the aliveness and optimism of a new generation, glee!

Well, im currently preparing for new baby too, just got a couple of the Thirsties brand covers in the mail, im also on a cloth diaper experiment







I love reading this forum and feeling connected to the divine wanderlust in each of us! peace!


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## eveblac

Hi, I was subbing and going to reread. But just wondering if anyone dared full time RV life with 2 toddlers and one on the way? If so, how in the universe would I get a birth certificate!? I plan on UC anyways so that's no concern, I can birth anywhere, but I *DO* have to worry about the birth certificate.

Right now we're housed up and waiting till the new baby is about a year old to hit the road again. By then I should be able to go back to work (travelling exotic dancer), and we should have our rig fixed up and road worthy (big huge old truck and slide-in camper). This is so cool to find!!!


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## MoonStarFalling

Welcome ~D~, abinormal324, 3crunchycarrots and eveblac









abinormal324, we're in FL right now and it's getting hot! Get one with a good A/C that's for sure. You might want two A/C units if you've got a 30 footer or more. These things heat up like crazy.

3crunchycarrots, wow I admire all the work you're doing to green up your motorhome. My DH was completely against converting to veggie oil but I still hope to turn him one day.

eveblac, I know that it's easier to get a UC birth cert in some states. I would find out which one was the best and just go there. I entertained similar thoughts of birthing on the road and traveling to wherever it made the most sense.


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## sweetpeppers

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MoonStarFalling* 
Welcome ~D~, abinormal324, 3crunchycarrots and eveblac









abinormal324, we're in FL right now and it's getting hot! Get one with a good A/C that's for sure. You might want two A/C units if you've got a 30 footer or more. These things heat up like crazy.

3crunchycarrots, wow I admire all the work you're doing to green up your motorhome. My DH was completely against converting to veggie oil but I still hope to turn him one day.

eveblac, I know that it's easier to get a UC birth cert in some states. I would find out which one was the best and just go there. I entertained similar thoughts of birthing on the road and traveling to wherever it made the most sense.


I'm in Florida too! Where are you guys? It does get hot in our van during the day, so we just don't stay in the van. It's still pretty cool outside most days and last night I left the windows open and I was freezing.


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## MoonStarFalling

We're in Pinellas county/Tampa bay. It's supposed to be around 80 all week but hopefully just keeping the windows open will be enough. The gulf is warming up finally and the kids are having a blast at the beaches.

We're going back up north the 20th. Hopefully spending some time in Nashville and St Louis.


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## wechoosethis

We are a full-time rving family of 7! My husband has a traveling job and we all tag along. Our rig is a 30ft two bedroom travel trailer w/ a 14ft slide. We have renovated the interior, you can see photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/lendefam...stoneSprinter#

We have been without a stick house since last August, lived in furnished apartments until December and have been in the trailer since then. We are currently in the Phoenix, AZ area and will be until the end of May.

We love the nomadic lifestyle. You can read more about our life in an RV and our travel adventures: www.wechoosethis.blogspot.com

Can't wait to get to know more traveling mamas and their families


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## MoonStarFalling

wechoosethis, I've run into your blog before. Funny, we made the same stops last December. We spent a week around Eureka CA. We loved Santa Rosa and also stayed at the fairgrounds. We hit Quartsite mid December so there didn't seem to be anything going on yet.

Your renovations look awesome. Our 30ft 5th wheel looks the same as your "before" pictures and we have yet to do anything to it lol. It still feels like a hotel. Maybe I will get brave now and paint. I love the colors and your curtains.


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## sweetpeppers

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MoonStarFalling* 
We're in Pinellas county/Tampa bay. It's supposed to be around 80 all week but hopefully just keeping the windows open will be enough. The gulf is warming up finally and the kids are having a blast at the beaches.

We're going back up north the 20th. Hopefully spending some time in Nashville and St Louis.

We're in Sarasota county right now. Pretty close by. I was surprised at how cold the Gulf was compared to the Atlantic. I would have thought it would warm up faster than the ocean.


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## Pilgrim

Quote:


Originally Posted by *wechoosethis* 
We are a full-time rving family of 7! My husband has a traveling job and we all tag along. Our rig is a 30ft two bedroom travel trailer w/ a 14ft slide. We have renovated the interior, you can see photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/lendefam...stoneSprinter#

We have been without a stick house since last August, lived in furnished apartments until December and have been in the trailer since then. We are currently in the Phoenix, AZ area and will be until the end of May.

We love the nomadic lifestyle. You can read more about our life in an RV and our travel adventures: www.wechoosethis.blogspot.com

Can't wait to get to know more traveling mamas and their families









Hi! We are in Tucson at the moment, but we'll be in the Phoenix area next week, so perhaps we can get together?

Also, I'd like to hear more about FL from y'all in FL. We are heading that way because we think that we are moving out of our RV in the next few months, and we think we are going to "land" in FL. I'm curious about this water warming up thing - is it normal to be warmer on the Atlantic first? I always thought the Gulf side was warmer? Thanks!! We're going to be considering the Clearwater area and the Cocoa Beach area (both coasts closest to Disney!







)


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## MoonStarFalling

What I find online is that the gulf is supposed to be warmer. This year is probably the exception because FL had the coldest winter in 60 years. The gulf got so cold that fish were dying like crazy. I've only been to the ocean side once. The beaches are nice for kids around Clearwater. The surf is low, the waters are shallow. I found this website about Florida Beaches. We're doing Caladesi Island this week. It's congested here though. We have more people per square mile than any other county in FL.


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## ColwynsMommy

My husband and I have been talking about this off and on for a while, but the main thing that holds us back is that our kids are horrible travelers when they're little. My older two, who are now 6 and 4, do well in the car, but my not-quite-two-year-old is terrible. We just visited family today, a two hour trip each way, and she complained the whole time. She falls asleep in the car easily, but always wakes up a half hour later, whereas at home, she naps for 2-3 hours every afternoon. Plus we're expecting another baby in a few weeks, and all of our kids have screamed nonstop in the car, even for short rides, until they were close to a year old.

So.. how is it when you're actually driving with young kids? I would think that if we waited until this new baby is old enough to be good about riding in the car (maybe 3 or 4 years), then my oldest would be getting to the age where he would want more privacy than living in an RV would afford.


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## Pilgrim

I think there are always going to be pros and cons for any age child that does this. And there are going to be creative "work-arounds" and compromises from every angle.

We started a little over a year ago, and my now 2yo had just turned 1. At the time, she was a fine car traveller, and we had no idea that she would hate riding in the RV! So we had to figure out pretty fast that we just don't drive very much in any given day. We drive during her naptime. Now that she's 2, she only takes one nap per day, so we drive even less! And, I've also made the compromise to allow her to watch videos while we go down the road. She gets far more screen time than I ever wanted for her, but, she no longer screams going down the road!









Also, one thing that is driving me crazy at the moment is having a 2yo that wanders everywhere when we are outside, so I can't relax out there. But, that's just the season we are in, and I just deal with it.

As for kids getting older and wanting privacy, I can't really speak to that much since both of my kids are little. But there is a very nice family nearby us that has 6 children, ranging in age from 5-18. They have a house that they return to in the summer, but they usually pick a place to "snowbird" in each year. (That is actually my ideal if we could afford that! having a house *and* RVing part of the year.) They all seem pretty happy.

My 6yo built herself a fort that the 2yo has actually *just* learned how to climb into. I also allow my 6yo to close herself in the bedroom whenever she wants.

Our neighbor has a 5th wheel trailer that has an entire "wing" (bedroom, bathroom, and full entertainment center) in the back. That's not the "master" bedroom either - made for kids! I think when our kids are ready to not sleep with us anymore, they would love something like that!

So there are just a few examples, but really, it boils down to just figuring it out as you go. I mean, this entire lifestyle has pros and cons. There is always going to be a little "grass is greener" thing going on. I can see that lots of people look at this lifestyle and idealize it and wish they could do it too. But the reality of it is that yes, it's really fun, but yes, there are lots of not fun parts to it too. (something breaks on our RV nearly daily!) I am wishing for a fenced-in yard and a little stability at the moment, but really dread the idea of giving up this "free" lifestyle too.


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## wechoosethis

MoonStarFalling~ Funny that we were traveling the same places







Thank you so much for the compliments. It was such a blast to decorate/paint/renovate. We have always lived in rental homes that we weren't able to paint, so the paint colors were 8 years of dreaming put into reality.

Pilgrim~I would love to meet up. When are you coming to Phoenix? For how long? Are you staying in an RV park? Because we LOVE the one we are staying in.


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## Pilgrim

I'll PM ya!


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## Milkymommi

Are any of you fulltiming in an older rig? Our is prehistoric compared to some of your georgous RV's!! Our is a 1990


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## mrscompgeek

Not a RVer here but just had to say *wechoosethis* I am in LOVE with your trailer. The colors are soo beautiful!! Great job!


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## wechoosethis

Thank you so much Shannon...you are sweet. 8 years of living in rentals with stark white walls...I wanted not a white wall left


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## IntuitiveJamie

Reading and taking it all in still. We are so early in the process I don't have a ton to add/offer right now. Just running through ideas. But love this thread and learning from you all. Thank you!


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## IntuitiveJamie

So I've been thinking and thinking. I'm trying to figure out if there is anything at all you stockpile. I know that RV living is not conducive to this, but even in my head I'm having a hard time letting go of that way of living. I don't mean like 1 years worth of food. I'm talking about canned goods, or toothpaste or anything. I'm used to having staples in my pantry sort of thing. And I imagine I will have to get used to not having any stockpile of anything and therefore running out and therefore having to shop all.the.time. Which doesn't sound very appealing to me. Of course, we'll do what we have to do. Although we drink Almond milk and I will have prob. a whole tub below the RV I'm guessing. I'm not going to assume that I can get that just anywhere and I don't want to run out. Then whereever we go that I can buy some I'll stock up. Anyone drink anything other than milk and have a problem with it?
And I know we've talked about kitchen stuff before, but does this sound like way too much: Blender, Juicer, coffee pot and toaster? It sounds like too much to me. I'm guessing the toaster won't be necessary with a convection oven/microwave.

Anyhow, just as a personal update; our plans are moving foward rapidly. Debt is being paid off at a speedy pace (which is primary for this plan to happen). I'm already starting to get rid of things in the house. We are thinking and talking and planning and doing a little bit everyday to make this happen. We have decided the house goes up for sale in October. And I think dh's brother is going to keep our 2nd car, so that when we land we still have two paid off cars. That makes us very happy!


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## accountkilled

ADMIN - please delete my account due to a domestic abuser using hacking tools to stalk and harrass me family online. Thank you for your prompt attention to this serious matter.

*https://www.accountkiller.com/removal-requested

*


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## IntuitiveJamie

Nicole Marie-All excellent ideas. I hadn't thought about making our own Almond milk. I tried that over a year ago and my oldest didn't like it, so I gave up. However I made it with a steamer thingy. I've never just made it like you are talking about, even though I know you can. That is brilliant and will save a ton of space and won't be so stressful trying to figure out where to get more. Almonds definitely take up less room!








I also love the teapot and french press idea.
Seriously lady, you just solved several of my issues. THANKS!!

I think I found a good spice organizer. Because seriously, I love my spices and I use them all. I think this will work nicely: http://www.lillianvernon.com/catalog...0d520add852314

And the other stuff I think about is homemade chicken stock and all the fruits and veggies for juicing and making green smoothies.

As far as laundry goes, I'm stumped too b/c I have a four sorter laundry system right now. Guess it will get a lot more basic on the RV.







I'm still looking for helpful stuff. In the meantime, does anyone have one of these? http://www.campingworld.com/shopping...el-table/22197 I am going to want one. How perfect for an extra book table!

We plan on doing a water filtration system. Hopefully something as simple as the ones you attach to the faucet.


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## Pilgrim

Hey y'all!

So I think a lot of that stuff will work itself out once you are on the road. What *we* buy in bulk and store depends on a variety of things. Is it on sale? Do we have space? What is the purpose? How easy/difficult is it to obtain when we run out? Even in our RV, we have *some* emergency foods (gallon of honey and coconut oil, 10 pounds chia seeds, several cases of sardines, and our fresh water tank is generally full.)

We also go thru phases of what we are eating. We might be really "into" a particular food at some time, so we buy lots of those ingredients. Then that sort of phases out as we get into some other food.

Jamie - we do have a crock pot to make our stock in! We also have a french press, water cooker, and Vita-Mix. We don't make toast, so no toaster, but we do use the convection oven part of the microwave as our oven.

We also bought a nice under-sink water filtration system, which I would not be without.

As for laundry, yes you will want to designate some area inside of a cabinet for that. We have a bucket (maybe about 10 gal?) that is for dirty laundry. We have a tiny washer/dryer in our RV, so I wash lights one day and darks the next. So we can get away with having a tiny area for dirty laundry. So again, you'll have to devise something that works for how *you* are going to do it. Are you going to wash at a laundrymat once/week? Then you'll need a larger area for dirty laundry. For us anyway, it's way too easy to have dirty clothes all over the place if we don't have a definite place to put it, so it was important to me to have a good place for it. (We had a trailer for 10 years and we never did establish a dirty laundry place, and it was always everywhere! But, we only used it for trips and never lived in it.)


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## wechoosethis

This is what we do...
Laundry is kept in a large laundry basket, in our shower. When we showers/baths are happening we just put it out into the living area. But most of the time it is out of sight---SO NICE!
Our basket it kind of like this but with no wheels, I got ours at Target for $10

Spices- are in magnetic tins, that I bought at Bed, Bath & Beyond ( I have also seem them at Cost Plus and online). The magnetic tins are on a metal tray that is secured to the wall. I have found that I don't use as many spices on the road, so this amount works for us. However you could have more or even a larger tray if you wanted.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...eat=directlink
Here is another metal tray I have that we use for grocery lists, notes, some photos and card people send us.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...eat=directlink


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## accountkilled

ADMIN - please delete my account due to a domestic abuser using hacking tools to stalk and harrass me family online. Thank you for your prompt attention to this serious matter.

*https://www.accountkiller.com/removal-requested

*


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## sweetpeppers

I find it convenient to go shopping often. We tend to drive around a lot so, it's not a big deal to stop at the store and pick up food fresh. We use almond or soy milk and I have found it everywhere, Walmart and every grocery store. I don't use a lot of spices, so I can't weigh in on that. And I don't seperate our laundry, so I can't weigh in on that either. A lot of stuff you won't really figure out a good system until you've been on the road a few months (or years







possibly).


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## IntuitiveJamie

Thanks for the laundry in the shower idea. Perfect!
I went and looked at some used Rv's yesterday trying to figure out if it might be plausible for what we want, to do some renovating and putting bunk beds in. I mean, I know it's plausable for the RV, but will it really be right for us. Or do we just need to get one that is already built like that. It was fun to go, as always, and toss some ideas around.

*Wechoosethis*-I mentioned y'all in my blog today:
http://livinginspiredtour.oxygenaddicts.org/
and several others too.


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## CageFreeFamily

Looks like we're moving back onto the RV.

Over the next 6 weeks (maybe less) I'll be posting about how we decide what to bring, where it all goes, how we handle challenges, etc. It's something I didn't write about the first time, I guess because I felt like I didn't know what I was doing, but I plan to go into detail this time handling everything from the spice cabinet, dog food and rubber bands to setting up solar, fuel efficiency boosts and easing the process of tire pressure checking and air filling.

Oy!

Here we go again!


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## IntuitiveJamie

*Cagefreefamily*- I'm excited to read all about it. I started following your blog right as you settled down. I also mentioned and linked to you in my blog!


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## Pilgrim

Aimee, I'm so happy for you! I know how much you've missed life on the road!


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## IntuitiveJamie

Do any of you compost on board? I think I found a few alternatives that will work nicely.
I really want to continue using cloth and composting and recyling. Those are the things I really don't want to give up. It's just a matter of finding the ways to make them work in a much smaller space. I have determined that I need a washer/dryer to make the cloth stuff work.


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## IntuitiveJamie

And what about a bread machine? I finally got a really nice one last Xmas and I really enjoy baking my own bread in it. It's huge though and a loaf takes 5-6 hours. I can't imagine that is the way to go on an RV, but I really prefer it over buying and I'm don't have time to do it by hand. Any thoughts?


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## CageFreeFamily

We were never able to find a good way to manage compost and recycleables while we were moving.









We began with Nichola still in cloth diapers, but the cost of going to laundromats every other day was too much. I tried washing them on board, but we didn't have enough water storage to really manage it without having to find a way to refill our tanks so often that it was totally impractical.
We wound up switching to paper diapers, which I still regret.

This time Simone will be in diapers. I refuse to go the disposables route again, don't want the huge laundromat expense and can't store more water than we did before, so we are working on ECing Simone and plan B is to do dipes "hippie style" like we (and everyone else with cloth) did at the Rainbow Gatherings; haul water from a natural source, boil it and wash in a tub.

We much prefer to boondock in remote locations, and I don't suspect that it will be too much trouble if we can cut the diaper use down to nighttime, but we'll see.

The onboard washer/dryer systems are great if you plan to be at an RV park or other site with hook-ups when you do it, otherwise you will be draining your water tank, filling your grey water tank and the electricity will be an issue too. When it comes down to it a $40 stay at a park every time you want to do laundry winds up costing much more than a laundromat.

The bread machine will also require you to hook up regularly, and could be an issue for storage while traveling as well as while you want to use counter space for food prep.

Don't worry too much, it's hard to plan for a thing you've never experienced before. No matter how hard you work at it there will be things that you shouldn't have taken and others that you'll wish you had, but it will all work itself out.


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## IntuitiveJamie

Thanks for the insight. I always appreciate it. I do know that you all are right when you say I can't totally plan for everything. I get it. But I am a planner and organizer and the fact that I have you all going through this,well you have so much insight to share. And I'm very good at learning from others trials and success's and mistakes. So thank you for sharing with me.

I kinda figured the bread machine was out. But had to ask. teehee.

If I do end up on paper products, it will be very hard for me to transition. And I will definitely give the cloth on board a try, and composting, but if it doesn't work out, then it doesn't, yk? Gotta go with the flow, isn't that what RV living is all about?

I found these composters btw:
http://www.cleanairgardening.com/indoor-composter.html
http://www.cleanairgardening.com/bok...mpost-bin.html

Did you have something like this Cagefreefamily? Can you tell me what did not work? Thanks.


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## Pilgrim

When we lived in our house, we were 100% cloth (for everything), composted, and recycled everything! (we saved *all* of our plastic, even the stuff they wouldn't take curbside, to take to the master recycling program.) So we were very green!

When we moved into the RV, we also found it too difficult to recycle much. Most RV parks simply don't take recycles. I was shocked when we were in California and even *those* places didn't recycle!







We never did try to compost in the RV. Even if we did compost in the RV, where would we put it (both in the RV and when we were "done" with it?)

We still did cloth diapers, and yes, we have our own washer/dryer. I did a load every day (DD2 was a year old, and even though she was EC'd from day 1, she had totally refused to use the potty for a few months. So she went thru a lot of diapers, plus we included the family cloth in the loads.) And we had the same experience as Aimee - I eventually bought some disposable diapers (natural brand) to use when we were boondocking. It wasn't worth the $40/night RV park fee *just* so we could have hookups to wash diapers.

Incidentally, she did fully potty train at around age 2, but then due to some constipation issues, she is now fully back in diapers. AND, we left our stash of cloth diapers in storage in Portland! I'm just about out of our current pack, and I'm considering purchasing some more cloth for her.









So yes, I agree with Aimee that only so much planning can be done. So be prepared to perhaps buy something again that you already sold or don't have with you, and be prepared to get rid of something you thought you *had* to have, but no longer use. So when it happens, it will be less frustrating.


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## MoonStarFalling

We are back at our home state and expecting another baby! I'm also wondering how cloth diapering would go without a washer. I loathe using a laundry mat, and the one here costs a bundle! We're considering an all in one washer dryer. DD was still in diapers when we got the camper but she was mostly potty trained (she was EC'd too) so it wasn't much. I wouldn't mind doing them w/ hot water in the tub but I found most camps don't allow any line drying.

We're going to rent a stick house for this winter since the baby is due in Dec, I don't want to change states/doctors and our camper is just too drafty for having a newborn in Jan/Feb. I'll just have to wait and see how life is post baby so we're not making plans for 2011.

We are hoping to spend a month in Colorado, Grand Junction/Vale area this year.


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## PPK

*Cagefree Mama~* We have the same RV!!







At least, given the inside pics on your page its the same, maybe a different year..ours is 1985.

I still look through these pages every so often since I'm prone to wanderlust, but I know that we're landbased for at least a few more years gaining headway financially...we're hoping to go back full-time at some point!

To answer about stockpiling, etc- I agree w/pp's that you'll definatley figure things out as you go!

We honestly just don't have a ton of space to stockpile much. I keep grains of course and dried noodles, some almond milk, and that's about it! Everything else we just stop off to a grocery store every 5-7 days and can make it last. Too much of anything taking up space sort of bugs us both out, so I guess we're minimalists on that front.

We're getting the rig ready for our trip out this summer and will be gone for 6-8 weeks; I'm feeling soooo ready to go, but will probably be here till mid-June...trying to push it up though


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## lightinmyhands

What if the need to get on the road, the desperate longing.... the call.... is so strong? What if the need to go is greater than the need to stay and get "better prepared"? I don't think I care about paying off debt. Don't think I care about having every little thing I think I need. I just want to go. I want to take part in this juicy adventure I call life. Is it so crazy to free fall into the universe? Is it crazy to trust that life will provide? The whole wide world is calling to me and I feel so stagnant in my current location. Any advice?

Oh, and one more question. When thinking of getting a rig--- I'm considering just getting an SUV and some good camping equipment. Wondering if that won't be enough with 2 little girls and 2 dogs. It would save a ton of money on gas though. And I'm not looking to have the "home" experience on the road necessarily. I want to be close to nature... I want to be simple. But I guess I wonder if trying to be too simple won't wind up complicating things.


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## IntuitiveJamie

*lightinmyhands*- I totally understand the feeling you are talking about. In fact, it hit me hard after my vacation last week. I was in Florida and saw first hand tar blobs on those beautiful white sandy beaches. Who knows what they will look like soon. It made me mad/sad/depressed and it really made me want to get on the road b/c I just want to be done with stuff. I want to get rid of everything we own (in an eco friendly way as possible) and get into an RV and live so very simply. Yes, we can do this at home and we absolutely strive too. I don't even have a huge house now or anything. But it's still more space than I need and with that space, comes stuff, otherwise you wouldn't have that much space, am I right?
I want to be on the road for experiences. When crises happen, I want to look at dh and say "lets go help right now!" and we are on our way. One of our purposes is to live a life of service for others. Another is to spread Green love.
I want to be free of the constraints of the 9-5 lifestyle so bad, I can taste it.

However, we do have small children also and it's just not quite as easy. I feel a desire to do this somewhat carefully in order to make it the most joyful experience we can have. If we have debt, it will be stressful. If we do this haphazardly it will be stressful. But that is just me and my family. I do trust the Universe and I do not think it's crazy to do so. I believe wholeheartedly in being guided and provided for by the Universe. But for us, we have decided on certain steps to take and are going that route. But I say more power to you if you just want to get on the road!!! I believe you can do it! I believe anyone can do it!

I hope one day we can all meet up and share our stories!


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## mary3mama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *IntuitiveJamie* 
does anyone have one of these? http://www.campingworld.com/shopping...el-table/22197 I am going to want one. How perfect for an extra book table!

Those are so nice. I saw one for the first time while watching the video tour on The Happy Janssens.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Pilgrim* 
When we moved into the RV, we also found it too difficult to recycle much. Most RV parks simply don't take recycles.

I was just wondering about that yesterday. We don't create a lot of trash here in our stick home and there are 5 humans. It takes us 6+ weeks to fill up the big trash barrel supplied by the trash company. BUT we fill up that recycling bin to overflowing every week.

On the subject of laundry...how big of a problem is that. I have this (complete outsiders) assumption that part of RVing full time means just having fewer clothes to start with. But I guess you'd go through all that you had quicker that way?

~~~~~
So excited to find this thread! We are exploring becoming full-time RVing unschoolers. We've unschooled for a long time but the RVing thing would be brand new.


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## MoonStarFalling

lightinmyhands I've often wondered if we could just do it with bare essentials. Being much closer to nature than we are. I know a family that did 7 months camping out of a station wagon. I'm sure it can be done. Why not try if that's what you're feeling?

mary3mama I've found that laundry has to be done once a week at the longest simply because it will mold. Almost all RV parks have laundry mats and some state parks too I think. Otherwise I send DH to a laundry mat because I detest sitting there with the kids for three hours. We have one trash can for all recyclables and most major cities have places for it. We probably just buy less junk therefore less to recycle anyway.


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## mary3mama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MoonStarFalling* 
mary3mama I've found that laundry has to be done once a week at the longest simply because it will mold. Almost all RV parks have laundry mats and some state parks too I think. Otherwise I send DH to a laundry mat because I detest sitting there with the kids for three hours. We have one trash can for all recyclables and most major cities have places for it. We probably just buy less junk therefore less to recycle anyway.

Thanks. I was telling dh that I'd want to bring along a clothesline of some sort to string in the RV at times when things need to dry more than get washed and to use outside when we were in one place long enough. I love my clothesline.









I was just thinking that all the places I've lived in the last 20 years or so had county recycling centers...so I imagine there's always one SOMEWHERE if one goes looking for them.


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## CageFreeFamily

Follow your heart, Mama.

I am all about free-falling into the arms of the Universe.








It has never done me wrong.

We didn't know what we were doing until we were doing it. We had never driven an RV, never done much traveling, etc. We did just as well as our friends who spent years researching. Take it as it comes, cross the bridges when you get to them.

Personally, I would lose my mind trying to live out of a suburban, but that DOES NOT mean that you would not love it.
I prefer having immediate access to our whole "house" without any set up. It makes moving easier. It makes keeping my kids happy easier. It is a beautiful thing when your tired as hell, hit a traffic jam or just get hungry.

We had our ups and downs for sure, (beginning here) but anyone full-timing does. Also, on hindsight, most of our ups and downs had nothing to do with traveling or our preparedness. It was just life happenings.


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## sapphos

subbing to a great thread...we hope to eventually be able to do some full time living in an RV for a year at least and then who knows what afterwards. We're unschoolers so it's easy for us to get on the road once we've lowered the number of pets we have. Looking forward to reading everyone's experiences.


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## IntuitiveJamie

Quote:


Originally Posted by *CageFreeFamily* 
Follow your heart, Mama.

I am all about free-falling into the arms of the Universe.








It has never done me wrong.

We didn't know what we were doing until we were doing it. We had never driven an RV, never done much traveling, etc. We did just as well as our friends who spent years researching. Take it as it comes, cross the bridges when you get to them.

Personally, I would lose my mind trying to live out of a suburban, but that DOES NOT mean that you would not love it.
I prefer having immediate access to our whole "house" without any set up. It makes moving easier. It makes keeping my kids happy easier. It is a beautiful thing when your tired as hell, hit a traffic jam or just get hungry.

We had our ups and downs for sure, (beginning here) but anyone full-timing does. Also, on hindsight, most of our ups and downs had nothing to do with traveling or our preparedness. It was just life happenings.









Beautifully put!


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## mary3mama

For those of you with children old enough to participate in decision-making about RV living:

How did you approach your children and help them be truly part of the decision-making process?

What was your experience doing so?

What kind of BTDT advice can you provide?

~~~~
My children are nearly 11, almost 7 and 3 1/2. Almost 2 years ago my husband changed jobs which involved an interstate move. While the boys were fully involved in the decision and excited about it, I don't think they really had a context for what we were asking them to do or what it meant. Then 10 months later we moved from an apartment that clearly wasn't meeting our family's needs into a home that we purchased (and again they were VERY involved in the process of choosing the 'right' home.)

It is now, almost 2 years later that they are starting to realize what they left behind. And that combined with how much they love our current home has led them to talk about 'never leaving.'

Dh and I believe that they will be fully 'on board' with full-time RV living once we talk it through (and if they aren't we won't go this direction) but there will be an adjustment period. And I'd like to know things to talk about, watch for, etc.

TIA!


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## tayndrewsmama

Do any of you use RO filtration systems? I am so sick and tired of bottled water and desperately miss our home RO system. That Penta water is crazy expensive stuff. I see there are a few on the CampingWorld website, but I can't really find any good info/reviews on any of them. I really want to order something NOW.


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## goldenwillow

I am all about this!!!! Love it!!! Glad I am not alone in thinking this could work! Question..... how do you support yourselves? Odd jobs? Killer savings accounts? Selling at farmers markets?


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## accountkilled

ADMIN - please delete my account due to a domestic abuser using hacking tools to stalk and harrass me family online. Thank you for your prompt attention to this serious matter.

*https://www.accountkiller.com/removal-requested

*


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## lookatreestar

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nicole_marie* 
Our new digs are almost ready to go! Gosh, I'm SO EXCITED!







I just want to live in it RIGHT NOW.

I started blogging about it and posted a sneak peek of the renovations. I'm not a great blogger, but I think it will be a good way to document our journey!

http://livingabsolute.wordpress.com/

wow i cant wait for more pics!!


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## MoonStarFalling

nicole_marie looks awesome!

Xantho We haven't figured out how to fully finance ourselves on the road. DH worked odd jobs as a carpenter, his profession. I've considered getting my photography going again, doing crafts. We used a substantial part of our savings account which was money from selling our home and possessions.


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## IntuitiveJamie

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nicole_marie* 
Our new digs are almost ready to go! Gosh, I'm SO EXCITED!







I just want to live in it RIGHT NOW.

I started blogging about it and posted a sneak peek of the renovations. I'm not a great blogger, but I think it will be a good way to document our journey!

http://livingabsolute.wordpress.com/

That looks awesome. I echo the sentiments that I can't wait to see more. Wow, you are so close, I'm very excited for you!!


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## MoonStarFalling

We're due to start moving into a stick house in just a week awaiting the birth of this baby which is still 6 months off but with the heat index being 105 here I'm anxious to get into a house where I can run the A/C AND have the hot water heater on at the same time! We can't do anything with the A/C on since we're just plugged into a house. I'm starting to think of all the reasons I'm going to miss living in the camper.







It's a little scary thinking about all the extra house to clean, yard to mow, furniture and other junk we'll be dealing with.


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## IntuitiveJamie

MST- I just know you are going to be just fine!


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## IntuitiveJamie

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nicole_marie* 
Our new digs are almost ready to go! Gosh, I'm SO EXCITED!







I just want to live in it RIGHT NOW.

I started blogging about it and posted a sneak peek of the renovations. I'm not a great blogger, but I think it will be a good way to document our journey!

http://livingabsolute.wordpress.com/

I commented on your blog







I'm so excited to see more pictures. More pictures! More pictures! And how are things coming along anyways?


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## goldenwillow

Thank you MoonStarFalling. That was my thought. I have put the bug in my partners ear and he is all but packed. We lived out of our van and loved it. I guess I thought I had to get all formal (house) with a child. Now more than ever I have cabin fever and feel the need to play. No time like the present!


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## VroomieMama

RV living sounds fun! I have a question, but maybe stupid question to all of you. My DH and I have been wondering if infants will need to be in their car seats when traveling in RV?


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## Babyzen

I SOOOOOOO want this and SOOOOOO almost had it but my partner chickened out at the last minute. DANGIT! We bought a 30f 5th wheel, she traded her truck in for a doolie with enough power to pull it around. then 6 weeks before 'take off' she said she wanted to stay where we were=(

I keep crossing my fingers that she'll get laid off and we'll be able to do it anyway-lol.


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## Lovemytwogirls

Anybody have any recommendations on an efficient washer/dryer for their rv or 5th wheel. We will be moving into our 5th wheel in a few months and I really do not want to give up cloth diapering my two little ones. It is hard to find any reviews online for rv washers and dryers.


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## VroomieMama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *VroomieMama* 
RV living sounds fun! I have a question, but maybe stupid question to all of you. My DH and I have been wondering if infants will need to be in their car seats when traveling in RV?


My dh and I are still curious about this. Will someone please answer our question. Thanks.


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## Pilgrim

Different states have different laws about it. In the state of TX, it is actually legal to have a baby out of the carseat (in the back) but it is NOT legal to put the baby in the carseat on the sofa going sideways down the highway because the law is that you must use the carseat how it was designed to be used (forward or rear facing, but not sideways facing.)

That said, we still put our toddler in her carseat. It is safer than not, and it is still a moving vehicle when all is said and done.


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## MoonStarFalling

VroomieMama, it's my understanding that it's usually not possible to install a car seat correctly in a motorhome. You have to use a forward facing seat that is securely attached to the body of the motorhome (not just screwed into the plywood floor). I'd be curious if anyone here uses the front captains chair. Some families remodel their motorhomes to include extra forward facing chairs that are securely bolted so they can safely accommodate carseats. This was one of the reasons I choose to get a truck and 5th wheel. So both the kids could be properly buckled in a standard seat.


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## tayndrewsmama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nicole_marie* 
Our new digs are almost ready to go! Gosh, I'm SO EXCITED!







I just want to live in it RIGHT NOW.

I started blogging about it and posted a sneak peek of the renovations. I'm not a great blogger, but I think it will be a good way to document our journey!

http://livingabsolute.wordpress.com/

Awesome!

We are super cramped right now with the five of us and two dogs. The plan is get something larger. I have been trying to talk my husband into buying an older camper and semi-gutting and fixing it up to meet our needs. He is reluctant to do that. His reason is that he is afraid we might unknowingly put too much weight on it with the additions/replacements.

So, how did you guys keep track of the weight of supplies you were using and adding? I need ammo to help my case here.


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## txmom4jc

Hi there! We are a family of 6, very new to full time rv'ing. We homeschool 3 of our 4 and baby #5 is due in Oct. We live in a fifth wheel and have bunk room for the kids. I feel like my head is spinning at the thought of lifestyle adjustment plus homeschooling in an RV AND a new baby to boost! I don't regret our decision to go full-time.....I just need to know I'm not the only one living in an RV with kids, homeschooling, and expecting. Thanks for listening


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## Pilgrim

Welcome TXMom!! Did y'all just move into your RV? There seem to be lots of us families on the road!

We are from TX too (DFW). In fact, we just left there to do a big tour of the NE. We just landed in Memphis last night. Graceland - here we come!

Oh, are you going to stay put to have the baby somewhere, or keep traveling? I know of an EXCELLENT doula in DFW in case you need one.

We considered getting pregnant (decided not to.







) but I wondered what we would do for the birth. Last birth we had a big birthtub, and I would want that again, so I think we would have found a nice birth center. OH - the FARM! Hummm.....


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## IntuitiveJamie

Quote:


Originally Posted by *txmom4jc* 
Hi there! We are a family of 6, very new to full time rv'ing. We homeschool 3 of our 4 and baby #5 is due in Oct. We live in a fifth wheel and have bunk room for the kids. I feel like my head is spinning at the thought of lifestyle adjustment plus homeschooling in an RV AND a new baby to boost! I don't regret our decision to go full-time.....I just need to know I'm not the only one living in an RV with kids, homeschooling, and expecting. Thanks for listening










Hi and Welcome! I only say welcome b/c I have been on the thread for a short time, I am not yet, on my RV however. My dh and I are slowly working our way towards that. We will be putting our house up for sale in the next few months and then after that, it's just about when it sells. We are extremely excited and getting so anxious to go. We have two young boys 4 & 2. They are well aware of our plans. We go look at RV's all the time and talk to them about selling the house etc.
i have already started letting go of a lot of things in the house. Donating, selling etc. But it's not fast enough for me, so I'm going to up the ante here soon.

I hope next year we can plan an MDC RV families on the Road meet up. How awesome would that be?


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## WTHamI?

Hi everybody! Excited to find a full time RV thread







Subbing.

We travel with DH's job and are full time in a 1980 Winnebago travel trailer, saving to upgrade to a bigger & newer 5th Wheel in the next year since we are TTC #1 and our current rig is not baby-friendly in the least. His company mostly works in Texas, but one job site could be four hours or more from the next so RVing is really the only thing that makes sense for us right now. Storm work takes us to other states, too. Just got done with a month and a half on tornado aftermath in Oklahoma.

Anyway, just stopping in to say hi! I've only met two fulltimers with kids IRL (ones who actually travel anyway, not counting people who live full time in one RV park and never go anywhere) so it's good to know there are more out there since we hope to be in the "full time RVing with a baby" category in the next year.


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## starrmama

Hi everyone, very inspiring thread here!

My dp and I have just started seriously talking about living in an rv full time in order to save up money to build our dream off-grid little eco home. Whatever RV we end up with would be parked at my parent's house (pending the big conversation with them!), which is also where we are hoping to build once we have enough $ saved up. I know this is a pretty different scenario then travelling full time, but I thought you ladies might still have some suggestions for me







My 2 girls are 7 and 2 btw, homeschooled, and my dp works a 9-5 job which he intends to keep until we are all the way debt free, with our off-grid house built mortgage free.

My thinking for the RV is that we would pay to have electricity and maybe a water line run to where we'll be parked... will probably do humanure so we won't have black water, and then I'd hope to build a simple graywater system to filter our graywater... I should be able to do laundry in their house.

Not sure what type of camper to purchase though. Was thinking something cheap and old (since we don't need to do much driving with it - maybe only weekeds at nearby state parks here and there if we need a break from my parents (or if they want a break from the kids!).

So if we bought an old class C or Class A in decent condition for 5-8k in cash, do you think we'd be able to save lots of money (I'm thinking, NO MORTGAGE, NO RENT!)? Will there be a lot of maintenance that I'm not aware of or thinking about? Neither my dp or I are very mechanically proficient. also not sure how exactly we will handle overwintering as it gets cold here.

We'd store a few things that we want to keep for the new house, and otherwise sell/get rid of the rest of our stuff that fills our current stick house.

What do you ladies think?

thanks in advance for any insight!


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## Irishmommy

Motorhomes are made to move. Buying one to live in and not travel is imo, a waste of money. You would be better off buying a trailer or a mobile home instead.


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## starrmama

Hmm, thanks irishmommy. I will look more into trailers. I was thinking a mobile home would end up costing us more, because I thought I'd probably need to pay more for one, and then we'd have to come up with some kind of foundation, right?... and also pay to get it moved and put onto the foundation... and then when we're done with it, pay to have it removed if we can't find someone to buy it... also wondering if we'd have other fees/property taxes with a mobile home? Well, I'll start researching a little more


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## WTHamI?

*starrmama-* For what you want to do I think your best bet is going to be a bunkhouse model travel trailer. Bunkhouse models typically have a queen bed in front (keep in mind an RV queen is smaller than regular queen) and bunk beds in back, with kitchen/dining/living in the middle. If you aren't planning on traveling a lot, a motor home is going to be an unnecessary expense. Travel trailers have very low upkeep unless something breaks and needs to be fixed, whereas a motor home would need regular maintenance just like a car but more expensive. Plus it will cost you more to begin with for the same length in a travel trailer, and the 5-6 feet at the front in a motorhome is not really livable space.

I would not do a mobile/manufactured home for the reasons you listed, i.e. transport, proper pad or foundation etc. Again, unnecessary expenses. Although in most states you wouldn't have to worry about property taxes if it wasn't tied down and skirted, if you just have it set somewhere temporarily then it's considered personal property instead of real estate. (I worked as a Realtor for several years so I can at least say this is the case in the state of Washington, most likely similar rules elsewhere.)

I prefer 5th wheels personally because they feel more open inside (higher ceilings) but if you don't have your own tow vehicle that's probably not the best option. With a travel trailer though it would be easy to find someone who has a pickup with a tow package to help you get it to where you want it. Some lightweight models can be pulled by an SUV, but you'll probably want something bigger for a family of four. So if I were you I'd put your money towards buying a 30 to 35 foot bunkhouse or park model travel trailer off Craigslist. (I wouldn't go smaller than that with four people - we just have two in a 27' with no slides and it's awfully cozy for full time living, but then again our floorplan is crap and that makes a difference.) If you can find something that has a living/dining slideout that makes a big difference in livable space and you could probably find something with one in your price range if you're willing to look at late 80s/early 90s models.

I would highly recommend that when you do buy something you take along someone familiar with RVs and make sure the seller can provide hookups so you can test EVERYTHING, including water and electric systems but especially the fridge/freezer and A/C, before you buy. An RV fridge/freezer unit costs about $1400 to replace (not kidding) and a rooftop air conditioner is about $1000 installed. So you want to be sure those are in good working order when you buy, or if not, that the asking price is low enough that you're willing to pay that much to replace them yourself.

Hope that helps!


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## starrmama

Thanks WTHamI !

This is super helpful info. My dad has an old friend who knows RVs so I'm hoping to bring him along to look things over before we buy anything, as you suggest... if not him, I'll have to dig around for another expert. Yes, a 5th wheel sounds nice, but I don't know anyone with a dually who is close by to move it for us... would rather not have to buy a towing vehicle ourselves for sure! Hmmm, I do have old contacts with a truck that could do it, but they are 2 hrs away.

Next step is actually talking with my parents to see if they are cool with the idea. Plus I think I'll be on Craig's list a lot!


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## IntuitiveJamie

starrmama- I love your etsy shop. What a great idea! Those cloth diaper cakes are awesome!


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## starrmama

Thanks! Actually I was just thinking I needed to change my siggy since I'm going to take a break from the shop while I sort out our plans and work on moving and then finishing the research for the dream house... plus I think I'm breaking a rule ?







I created that when I was a paying business member or whatever its called...

But glad you like them


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## MoonStarFalling

starrmama I agree that a TT or 5th, 30-35 ft w/ bunkhouse and 1-3 slides would be a great choice. You should easily be able to find someone to move your TT or 5th wheel for you. Is summer heat or winter cold an issue where you are? I would just make sure you get a camper that has what you need for temperature control. You'll need a shady spot and 2 a/c units in the summer if it's 90-100 degrees like it is here. If it freezes there you'll need a 4 seasons camper with proper skirting.

We stayed on our in laws land the last 2 months. We ended up spending all the money on gas because they live 45 mins from town! lol There are no RV parks in town so we didn't have much choice.

tayndrewsmama about weight, we found that we were 400 pounds over when we first weighed. My DH has a ton of tools, and then we had brought too much stuff plus the mods we did. We tried to lighten the load and never move with anything in our tanks. When we do end up setting out again I will be bringing a lot less stuff (far fewer homeschooling books, toys, clothing) so we have headway for more mods, bikes, things we'll actually use. You could weigh all the bits of building materials you use, we will weigh the new laminate flooring before we put it in, but also be sure to weigh your rig.


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## starrmama

Thanks MoonStarFalling!

Yes, we are in KY, but near Cincinnati OH... it does indeed get into the 90s here in summer and very humid, but still gets cold in winter with snow, and below freezing temps regularly. Do I need to try and get factory skirting, or can I use "homemade" versions? I actually just saw a '97 Jayco 30' 5th wheel on CL that's been lived in at a campground year round with skirting and 1 slide and a 12 X 14 addition that can be detached - guy is selling the 5th for 6k and the addition for 2k. Not sure we're ready to buy just yet though. We're not sure if we're going to try and move in the fall or wait till next spring. I think I will be less stressed if we wait (more time to prepare, sell, pack, etc), and then we'd have much more time to get used to RV living before the weather gets cold.


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## IntuitiveJamie

We have talked a lot on this thread about what everyone has brought like which plug in appliances and such are needed. But I would love to know what has ended up being dumped. If everyone who has or is currently travelling and has dumped stuff, what went? I bet there are many things in common and from that I could potentially help myself pack less to begin with. I have seen and heard so many people say they brought too much stuff and things had to go.

I know when we set off we want:
1 bike per person (4)
Rollerblades for me and dh
scooters for boys
Childrens books and some homeschool material.
Solar oven -kinda big, but not heavy

But everything else, like toys is optional.

So what did you really learn that you didn't need like you thought?


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## lisarussell

This is an excellent question. We are preparing to hit the road in mid August. We'd like to spend next year touring in the RV, so our trip in August will be about a month long "trial run" whereby we come home a little more informed about the logistics & make smarter plans.

so far I want to bring:
7 bicycles (one with trailer or baby seat for my 2 yr old)
juice machine and George Foreman grill (the only kitchen gadgets I need)
blow-up water toys
tents for sleeping outdoors
lawn chairs, patio furniture
ONE crate of art supplies
Everyone's laptops
ONE crate of books- mostly field guides, survival skills, etc
Writing journals

We're buying a used diesel RV, converting it to run on veggie oil in September (when we're meeting up with other RV families)

Familiesontheroad.com is a great place to find other families who are doing this, so is NuRVers.com - their message boards have answered so many of our questions. I've been blogging my story of "next month... no next month... no next month" for... well... months now, at gypsymom.com

There are TONS of families doing this, and the FOTR has an annual meetup, too. I think it's in Feb.

I totally underestimated how long it would take us to prepare for this.


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## IntuitiveJamie

Hi Lisa,
I follow several of the RVing full time blogs. I would love to read yours as well. I have started one as we prepare our journey to getting on the road: www.LivingInspiredTour.com
We will be hitting the road whenever our house sells (once we put it up in Sept or Oct). We are taking our time about this too. We are also going to convert our RV to veggie oil as well. We are going to get a Class A. I have read about the FOTR and the NuRVers and can't wait to meet up with everyone. I am totally excited about that.

Thanks for the reminder about patio furniture as well as blow up water toys (Fun!)

I'll be checking out your blog! Good luck with everything!


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## starrmama

Hi again...

I was trying to do a little searching on my county's website to make sure that full time RV living was allowed here without any weird restrictions or anything (why do I always feel like everything I want to do is illegal?) But anyway, I can't find anything on it. I'm thinking just to be safe, I should call the courthouse and ask? They have an internet request for info form, but I'm feeling like I'd almost rather call because it would be more anonymous, and I don't want to attract attention! Any ideas about the best way to check out this stuff?

Also, has anyone experimented with doing your own greywater filtration while living in an RV?

thanks again for any thoughts


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## WTHamI?

Quote:


Originally Posted by *starrmama* 
Hi again...

I was trying to do a little searching on my county's website to make sure that full time RV living was allowed here without any weird restrictions or anything (why do I always feel like everything I want to do is illegal?) But anyway, I can't find anything on it. I'm thinking just to be safe, I should call the courthouse and ask? They have an internet request for info form, but I'm feeling like I'd almost rather call because it would be more anonymous, and I don't want to attract attention! Any ideas about the best way to check out this stuff?

Also, has anyone experimented with doing your own greywater filtration while living in an RV?

thanks again for any thoughts









I can't imagine it being illegal. But if you're planning on parking it at your parents' house just make sure they don't have CC&Rs where they live that don't permit parking RVs. More likely in a nicer subdivision, probably not an issue if they're on acreage. The only thing with acreage I could see being a potential problem is that septic systems are approved for a certain number of bedrooms, and if you are living full time in an RV on the property that might exceed the septic certification. This would apply whether you were actually using their septic or not, and in some places "alternative waste management" such as composting toilets are not an acceptable substitution for septic according to county rules. A person who lived out in the boonies near my hometown in a homemade cabin with a composting toilet was forced by the county to put in a septic system or live somewhere else, so that's a legitimate thing to check on. This would be hard to check on anonymously though because it would probably depend on the location of the property. But honestly as long as your setup looks temporary and you're "just visiting" I doubt anyone would ever even say anything.


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## starrmama

Thanks again WTHamI

Yeah, they are on 18 acres of their own land, so I don't think there are CC&Rs, but I still figure I better check to make sure the county doesn't have any weird ordinances or restrictions.

Will it look like we're "just visiting" if we get a water, sewer, and electric line run right up to the camper lol?

I know my parents used to have septic, but now they might have hooked into county sewer... not sure... will start getting all this info. nailed down once we have the "big talk" - hopefully tomorrow!

We may go ahead and hook up either to septic or sewer, for greywater and in case anyone asks... but I'm pretty sure we'll do our humanure pile anyway, and just hope no one notices that part!


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## mydannyboy

Hello all fulltimers from someone hoping to become one. We are in a predicament where we feel like we can do one or the other and we're nervous about taking the plunge. Our lease is up and our current landlords have someone ready to move in next month. We have just enough $ to move into a new place which is already lined up - or - just enough to buy an rv. If we do move into this new place, we will still be paycheck to paycheck, and i don't know when this opportunity will arise again.
We do not like where we live, dh HATES his job, and have been fairly miserable here, struggling financially, v. few if any like minded people around us, etc. So I was thinking about this rv thing, found this thread, and are seriously considering this.
The problem is, we are seriously worried about the financials. DH has a good trade, and could most likely find work around the country. My main thought is hopping from organic farm to organic farm finding seasonal work if he can't find stone jobs (his trade), possibly communes here and there for work exchange (already been to The Farm, so thinking about a period there), and then thinking about the possibility of traveling with the renaissance faire. (He's an old world style stone carver and would fit right in with that too.)
I just want to hear from someone who has done any of this. I know some of you have jobs that can telecommute, I just want to know if anyone has done the farming thing or anything similiar.
We have three kids 7, 3, 1, (homeschooled) and I do think after an adjusment period of course, they would enjoy the lifestyle as well.
Don't want to go on and on, we were just wanting to know if anyone has made it financially like this. DH is just worried that we'll end up destitute in a crummy park somewhere worse off than before. If it were just us we would be gone yesterday! But of course we're worried about the kids. Looking forward to any and all opinions!


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## IntuitiveJamie

mydannyboy- HI! I have not btdt, yet. Hitting the road soon though. But if you read through the thread you will find your questions answered. Finances have been talked about several times. From this thread and reading blogs of famililies on the road it's totally feasible. And every family has a different way they are supporting themselves. Some through photography, blogs, day labor work etc. So much depends on if you have debt, if you will be purchasing your RV outright, or have a payment etc. Gas and lodging (rv camps) seem to be the biggest expense as far as I can tell. Anyhow, this whole thread has tons of great info. I know, cuz I asked a lot of questions. lol

And I have a new question. How many of you have Ladders? My hubby wants to bring one. It condenses to a decent size, but it's heavy. I think we only need our little step ladder. Thoughts?


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## mydannyboy

Thank you so much, i'll read through - how do you make money blogging?


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## indianagrl

Yeah! We have our fifth wheel and just purchased a truck to pull it with while we were out in Washington. Now we just need to sell the house!! I am so excited to have no lawn to take care of and so much less stuff (and cleaning!). Probably won't be totally full-timing until the first of the year, but we are moving closer!!


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## Pilgrim

Congratulations Indianagrl!!

So I have been wanting someone to benefit from what we've learned recently, so I'll share it here.

Recently, Thousand Trails put out an offer that if you paid $450, you could have either a west or east half of the US membership for a year. We decided that since we average about $35/night, this would be worth it for us. Well, we've been using it for a couple of months now, and it totally rocks!!! I can't believe how much money we are saving!!

Pros:
usually the campgrounds are very large and spacious. Most times it feels like a state park w/ lots of trees & privacy.
We are saving a lot of money
Many, many amenities
Usually built around a lake
The pools have all been large and wonderful.
They ususally have a large, air-conditioned activities building.

Cons:
The TT campgrounds appear to have been built in the 80s, and not well maintained. For example, they might boast tennis, basketball, shuffleboard, etc, but these are all crumbled and not maintained.

They are usually out in the boonies, meaning that getting internet can be problematic, and you must drive to the town you are wanting to visit.

But all in all, we have saved so much money already!! Our biggest inconvenience has been that sometimes we can't get internet (even w/ our wireless card) and DH has to go drive somewhere to work. But that hasn't happened too much.

At the moment, we are staying in an Outdoor World (that's in the TT system.) The OW totally rocks! It *is* well maintained and we love it! And, it's close to what we are visiting (Williamsburg, VA). and btw, Williamsburg, VA is so much fun!!!!!

Anyway, they aren't offering the same offer we got, but they still have a special offer going where you don't have to buy the entire membership.

Also, we've saved a lot of money using Passport America. (Preeeety sure MoonStarFalling gave me that great advice - thanks!







)

Anyway, we spent so much money our first year of fulltiming, it's such a relief to be doing this for so much less money!


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## MoonStarFalling

indianagrl congratulations! I totally agree not having a lawn, a bunch of stuff, house etc there is so much more time left in the day that isn't spent cleaning and mowing.

IntuitiveJamie: my DH is a carpenter so we did have a ladder in the bed of our truck but I'm pretty sure we never actually needed it.

Pilgrim thanks for the review on TT! Wow yeah that would really help keep expenses down.


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## IntuitiveJamie

Indianagirl-Hooray. Good for you! That is wonderfully exciting! I know a couple of mamas on here are veeery close to setting off themselves.
Pilgrim- Thx so much for the heads up. Ive been wondering about y'all and how you are doing.









MoonStarFalling-I really don't see a need for a ladder. I just can't figure out why we would ever need one. But dh is worried I'm missing something with that?


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## MoonStarFalling

Small possibility you would need a ladder to get on top of the camper, to check the roof for leaks or A/C damage etc. That's if you don't have a built in ladder on the back of your camper. Otherwise, I can't think of any reason.


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## Adasmommy

This is terrible. This weekend we decided to sell our house and start RVing, and for three days I've done nothing but obsess over the RV life. Not only am I NOT getting my house ready to sell, I'm not even keeping up with dinner! I'm in loolah land!









So even though I don't need to know any of this until much farther along in the process...

Anyone living in a Minnie Winnie? We want to stay as small as possible for ease of getting around, and ability to make do with bikes and no tow car. It's me, dh, a 6 year old and a 1 year old. Who likes this size?

Who recommends buying a used RV? We can't afford new, but I'd love to hear from people who have had great experiences with older RVs.

I want to make expenses as low as possible so I'm thinking veggie oil and solar panels. What else can I do to keep us more comfortable boondocking?

I'm thinking one year old would be in the front passenger seat in a car seat and dd and I would sit at a table with lapbelts and do puzzles/play games. Is that the sort of set-up others have? Is it possible to safely have a lap and shoulder belt installed in a seat that only has a lap belt so that dd could be in a booster? How concerned is everyone about that sort of thing?

Oh, and instruments! DH wants to travel around playing music but as it is he makes me set the thermostat to 79 in our house to protect his guitars. How does this work in an RV? Won't it heat up (or get cold) whenever we're out? And won't we be out a lot? Suggestions? Experiences? I know there are other musicians living on the road!

By the way, we're in Clearwater Florida, and 79 is cool here


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## IntuitiveJamie

My hubby and I made the decision in Feb. So I've been obsessing for 6 months now!







We are taking it slow, getting all our ducks in a row. We are getting close now though! Good luck with everything!


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## lisarussell

We pick up our 36 ft - big @$$ RV on Thursday- my husband went out and paid for it today, we're having a little work done on it right now.

exhale....

we were going to do it next week, we jut got lucky.

I'm so ready to go.

We're supposed to leave by the 30th to get to Dallas for labor day weekend, but I'm ready to go NOW.

exhale...













































































:lo ve






































































:jo y






































































:lo ve


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## IntuitiveJamie

This is FANTASTIC news Lisa! I couldn't be more excited for you...and totally envious!




















































































: joy


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## Pilgrim

Congratulations!!





















That is very exciting!

Where is everybody? We are in DC for the week.


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## IntuitiveJamie

Still at home in Mississippi.








But putting the house up for sale in Sept.
Painting guys are coming in two weeks to do freshen up some rooms and then it's on!


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## accountkilled

ADMIN - please delete my account due to a domestic abuser using hacking tools to stalk and harrass me family online. Thank you for your prompt attention to this serious matter.

*https://www.accountkiller.com/removal-requested

*


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## IntuitiveJamie

Nicole- CONGRATULATIONS!!






















How wonderful! And what timing, huh?
I wish I had some advice for ya, but I haven't done this before either.
I will be interested to hear what ppl have to say.
No matter what, I'm very happy for you and your family!


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## Pilgrim

Congratulations Nicole!









I have often wondered what we would do in a similar situation. I decided we'd go live near The Farm and have the baby there!









But given your two choices, it really depends on your finances. Have you checked out how much it costs to be in FL in the winter? Depending on where you go, it can be very, very expensive. So that might make your decision for you right there - very expensive vs. free.

And I would stay in our RV and find a birthing center that's all set up for a water birth. I think it would be a lot of trouble to find a rental house and move into it. Heck, it was really a lot of trouble when we stayed with my parents for 6 weeks in their house. It was sooooo much work to put our things back into the RV, and we didn't move all that much stuff into their house, kwim?

So that's what I would do personally. Yes, I've thought about it!


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## accountkilled

ADMIN - please delete my account due to a domestic abuser using hacking tools to stalk and harass my family online. Thank you for your prompt attention to this serious matter.

*https://www.accountkiller.com/removal-requested

*


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## Etoy

Sooo glad to find you wonderful ladies. We have sold everything in our home, bought a 3 bedroom, 2 bath-5 slide 5th wheel, truck, sold one car, sold 4 motorcycles and put house up for rent all within one month. When the house rents, we are on the road with our two 5 year old boys whom I will be homeschooling. We are all so very excited and will be glad to leave this TX heat. We just got back from Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado where the temp was in the 40's at night and the 60's during the day, which is so much better than our 107 degrees. Already have received the boys' homeschool materials and have started our lessons. They are very excited about their lessons. Not sure where we will go first when we head out. We've intensely put all our energy into getting ready to go, but not had a lot of time to figure out where. But, am sure it will be cooler. Does anyone have any tips for homeschooling on the road?


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## IntuitiveJamie

Hi Etoy!
Congratulations on getting on the road soon. That is very exciting! Sounds like you are well on your way. We will be putting our house up for sale in the next Month and hopefully it will sell quickly. We also have one car to sell, although the more I think about it, I may donate it. It's pretty old, but runs well and still gets great gas mileage. I know there are places you can donate cars.
Anyways, sorry to derail.

Do you have a blog where you will talking about your journey or anything, I would love to keep up with you. I follow several blogs of full time RVing families.


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## lisarussell

Welcome Etoy, your RV sounds awesome- 3 bedrooms? Wow







Your adventure sounds like an education all its own, I can't imagine the boys would need much more than the stimulation of some serious traveling to keep their wheels turning.

Nicole- congratulations, I'm not sure what Florida's homebirth laws are, but you might want to check into that while you're planning, if you plan to birth outside of a hospital. Especially if you think you want to hire a midwife. I'm a UC mama, but if I could park at The Farm, it would be like a birthing bonus miracle, that would be so awesome.

News on our RV-

It's parked in the driveway listening to me debate the merits of integrating Steampunk elements into the otherwise gypsy-ish decor.

So far we're NOT leaving today (as was planned) because our gas budget for this trip was consumed the day I had to have my husband towed out of a 9 foot ditch, then repair the tow truck damage to the fiberglass, then replace a door handle, something in the brakes, something in the fuel something, another greasy thing, generator, batteries... stupid f'ing "safety" factors. Plus the sales tax and registration for the vehicle.

But it's here, and this time next week, knock on wood, we SHOULD be heading down for a test run to California for 2 weeks.

When we get home, my husband has work to do while I decorate and then right after Thanksgiving we get to leave again, to spend our winter on the East coast.


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## Familyofmovers

Hi, I am ready to hit the road as soon as we purchase our Rig. We will be full timing with 3 kids and a giant american bulldog. we have a blog that we set up detailing everything we love to full time rv living! i can't wait --so good to find other momma's out there like us. we are living simple, green and spreading our love of Jesus.


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## sommervette

rv rental

I always thought using a rental was risky, I was unsure if some dishonest company would try to blame existing damage on my family. Has any one had a good experience renting a rv or smaller camper?


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## Familyofmovers

We decided on a Travel Trailer, the cost has been justified! We looked forever it felt like it at Class A and Class C's, neither have the beds that we need. I like that the kids will have their own room! It's going to be a lot of fun! I can't wait, looks like next week we'll be on our own!

Lynne
family of movers dot com for the blog


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## MoonStarFalling

That's awesome Lynne! I know you'll have an incredible time on the road. Thanks for sharing your blog.


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## ImaSophie

Quote:


Originally Posted by *lightinmyhands* 
My DH and I have decided we're definitely going to do it, and do whatever it takes to make it happen. Dh, dd 1 and 2, myself, and the 2 dogs are going to get in an an RV and take off for untold adventure. The question that remains for me is how prepared do we need to be? A little background--- I've grown up in the city we currently live in and watched it turn from a cool hippy haven to more of a police state over the years and have a lot of toxic memories from here, besides. I don't want to be here, it's seriously negatively affecting my happiness level. And in order to more quickly save money to get on the road we are moving in with my parents next month. My parents being nearly as toxic as the city.....don't get me wrong, I love my mom..... it's just not good energy to be subjected to...she's got a lot of personal work to do. And my step-dad, well... he's another story entirely. So the quicker we can get on the road, the better. We want to own our rig outright so we have less money worries on the road, just food and camping. We're thinking smaller is better, even so far as to think a class B may be the right choice. We don't want an RV and a vehicle..... and we don't want the worst gas mileage ever either. We're happy getting anywhere we can't get in a class b on our bikes....but..... the reality of a class b with two small little girls and two dogs? (the dogs are smallish, one 40lb shepherd mix and a mini dachshund) I want dh and i to have good hiking packs, a good tent, all of us to have good sleeping bags, etc. how much stuff do i need to leave with? and how much can I have faith in collecting on the way?

also, I'm a licensed massage therapist.... is making money on the road going to be as easy for me as i imagine? And would it be better to bring a massage table? or a chair?

if anyone has any time to comment, it's appreciated.

Love and Light!

Hi, I am also a LMT, the tricky thing would be your license is only good in the state in which you received it. So anywhere else you practice you are doing it unlicensed so if something happened a. your malpractice insurance might not cover it, & b. you could get in trouble legally as well.


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## ImaSophie

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sommervette* 
rv rental

I always thought using a rental was risky, I was unsure if some dishonest company would try to blame existing damage on my family. Has any one had a good experience renting a rv or smaller camper?

We like to RV for long vacations but do not own yet. We rent from cruise America and have always had a good experience with the rental. I would not do it long term though it would get really expensive.


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## txmom4jc

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nicole_marie* 
Lisa, congrats!! We are also launching the 30th (or close).

I could use some advise. We were planning to head out at the end of this month from Minnesota, through Colorado and to the Bakersfield area for the fall/early winter. After winter we were planning to head east to be in Savannah, GA for my sister's late spring wedding. We have a place to stay free in Bakersfield and we have never been to California...however, I just found out that I am pregnant (after several pregnancy losses and 5+ years of infertility). I would guess I am due in March or April.

Desperately seeking advise pretty pleeeeeaaaaassssseeee!? What would you do? Head toward Florida and spend the winter there, lessening our travels...or stick with the free place to stay near Bakersfield? Stay in the RV at the time of birth or find a temporary place to rent?

Congrats! I know you posted this awhile ago, however, I haven't been on here in awhile. We are full timers with our 4 kiddos and sweet dog. I am 37 weeks preggo and awaiting the arrival of our precious baby girl. We made our decision to go full-time when I was 4 months, a summer of travel and now we are in our hometown in TX.

We were going to go with a birthing center, however, home birth is really what has been in my heart since the beginning, so we found a midwife and will be having a home birth in our home which is a 5th wheel. Water birth at that! No we don't have a tub.......we are renting a birthing pool.

It took us lots of back and forth with what is best, etc., and it all came down to what was truly in our hearts. Hope you are feeling better.


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## kimsmarkin

I found a thread similar to the archives but can not find the current. mommas RV you still there?


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## IntuitiveJamie

We're here. (I'm not on an RV yet) Need to sell my house first. But we have plans that are full steam ahead.
There are many active on this board, but busy. They'll chime in eventually.
Good luck with your upcoming labor and birth and a early Congratulations to you Kim!


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## Adasmommy

Quote:


Originally Posted by *txmom4jc* 
Congrats! I know you posted this awhile ago, however, I haven't been on here in awhile. We are full timers with our 4 kiddos and sweet dog. I am 37 weeks preggo and awaiting the arrival of our precious baby girl. We made our decision to go full-time when I was 4 months, a summer of travel and now we are in our hometown in TX.

We were going to go with a birthing center, however, home birth is really what has been in my heart since the beginning, so we found a midwife and will be having a home birth in our home which is a 5th wheel. Water birth at that! No we don't have a tub.......we are renting a birthing pool.

It took us lots of back and forth with what is best, etc., and it all came down to what was truly in our hearts. Hope you are feeling better.

This was very interesting to me because I am a couple months pregnant, and we would love to get on the road soon. I also LOVE homebirth and would not be as happy in a birth center, but since we're looking at a 20 ft trailer...I don't think that will work either. I want a pool too.

Still trying to work out the best scenario, and have lots of time, still. Wont let that stop us from selling our house and going FT if we can!


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## meenajo

subbing &









Glad to have found this thread and am enjoying through the archives. My dh & I are just getting serious about this. We've always been drawn to the idea but didn't have the work flexibility to really consider it, but it looks like we might be flexible enough in the next year or so to join you on the road









Busy reading, reading, reading and trying to figure out all the logistics. Look forward to following your stories!


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## LeslieB

Hi! Time to rejoin this tribe. We've lived in our van off and on over the years, and we're moving back into it again at the end of the month. My husband will be transitioning out of the Army in April, so we're trying to save money for when the paycheck disappears.
Our setup is pretty simple. Just a van (Dodge Sprinter) with a bed that my husband built. We have a stove and cooler for food, and an inverter for charging things. It will be dh, 4 year old DS, our two dogs and me. Tight space, but it works well. We like to stealth camp more than use campgrounds, so having a van that just looks like a van, as opposed to a camper or an rv, makes that easier. As usual, we'll use the gym for showers.
Looking forward to it. I'm always sad the first day we leave our house (whichever one it is), but then the feeling of being free takes over and I get back into the groove of van living again.


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## MoonStarFalling

Leslie, I hope everything goes smoothly with your move. Love that feeling of freedom!

We are finally getting around to remodeling our 5th wheel. We had some rain leak in last week and the carpet was trashed from our dog anyway so it got gutted. All the flooring, dinette and couch. I think we'll put some laminate wood flooring in and build a new bench seat dining area and loveseat. We need to think about making it work well with #3 coming. I'm hoping we can take a trip out to Vermont the first week of November before I get too pregnant.


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## BirthTender

I had always wanted one, so I finally bought a 34 ft. Travel trailer. I did not want the kind that you actually drive, so I got the kind that you pull behind a strong truck/SUV. I set it up here in the foothills of the Blue Ridge on my lovely acreage. It is availalbe for folks to come in and stay a bit or I also Plan on using it for ladies/families to birth in, if their homebirthing/out of hospital birthing situation is not working out.
One of these days, I'll travel in it as a traveling midwife, but for now, It is a peaceful resting spot for expectant families. I have Totally Winterized it, too!


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## gardenvarietymama




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## ~Boudicca~

I'm crashing your thread!









There is a possibility we will be a full-time RV family next month. I have one question though. How do you travel with pets?

The reason I ask is because I have 2 cats, one is a 5 y/o male who is too smart for his own good, and a 12 y/o female (she's my first "kid") who is a big marshmallow. Both are indoor/outdoor. We are tentatively shopping for a 30-footer, preferably with a slide-out, for the 4 of us plus the cats, but do cats do ok with this kind of lifestyle?

I really, really don't want to get rid of them. I really don't think any of my friends/family would be willing to take them, and I can't even deal with the thought of a shelter. Especially for my older cat









Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I am so stoked at the possibility of doing this but the cat thing is really worrying me.


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## crazyms

We're looking into living in an rv full time also although we won't be technically 'on the road'. DH has a contract job that moves him around a good bit but he can also be in one place for months at a time. We have been working on downsizing and selling our house to move out of state but are considering me and the kids hitting the road with dh for a while before trying to set up a new homesite.

We actually lived in place in a 35' 5th wheel for about 3-4 months a few summers ago and it wasn't that bad. Once we parked the camper in the backyard back home we actually didn't "move out" of it other than using the house bathroom for probably another month just because it had become habit. The house seemed large and spooky







.

Right now DH has a 27' bumper pull set up near his job site and we stay a few days every other week (he's only an hr from home but I'm still working part time). I'm downsizing and browsing for new campers while getting the house ready to sell. We have two littles with a third on the way so definitely need a larger camper than what we have. I'm excited though!


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## MoonStarFalling

Quote:


Originally Posted by *~Boudicca~* 
I'm crashing your thread!









There is a possibility we will be a full-time RV family next month. I have one question though. How do you travel with pets?

We had two cats and a dog in our 30ft 5th wheel plus two kids, two adults. It worked out really well. We crate the cats and kept them in a secure space in the camper while we traveled. You can crate them in the tow vehicle but we just didn't have room to do that. They were only slightly stressed out with the traveling. Once we got stopped and set up they were back to normal.

Good luck crazyms. I know some other families who have contract jobs and stay in one place for several months. They say it works out really well.


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## Pilgrim

Where is everybody these days?

We are working our way to north FL and should be there in less than a week.

Is anybody going to the FOTR rally in January? we are!


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## accountkilled

ADMIN - please delete my account due to a domestic abuser using hacking tools to stalk and harass my family online. Thank you for your prompt attention to this serious matter.

*https://www.accountkiller.com/removal-requested

*


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## crazyms

Wish I was in TX! I can't wait to find out where they send DH next. There's some talk about Oregon and it sounds exciting but I hope we can get the house finished and a new truck/camper before a real move.

I see some other moms on here are expecting and hashing out different possibilities for the birth. I've been considering this too (14 wks now) but I'm a little lost on a few things. The info I found on applying for a birth cert. in most states has a requirement to prove residency. How does that work if you deliver somewhere you aren't a resident? And at home unassisted? At this point I'm thinking a up/uc will work best for our situation. I'd love a midwife and would be ok with a birth center but I have no way of knowing where we will be at the time of birth. How will I get a bc if I'm not a resident of the state and have a uc? Any thoughts?

On another note... I've seen a lot of mention on ft rv sites about domiciles and residency. A lot of fters seem to file for residency of another state (most common I saw were FL, TX, SD) and use mail forwarding services there. We will be stationed in one spot for a little while at a time just following dh's contract jobs so should I just apply for residency in the state we are currently in or use one of the services like other fters do? We won't be traveling that often but I don't see the point in changing residency every couple of months either. Right now I'm leaving things like they are until we've sold the property and cut ties with the current home state anyways but just trying to think things out for later.


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## Pilgrim

I would definitely not change your residency every time you move the RV. Changing residency means getting new drivers' licenses, registering vehicles (and paying all applicable taxes and fees!), and getting new votor registration cards.

I don't know all of the details of how to handle a birth away from your "residence," but surely that happens enough in this country. I'd keep digging to turn up the right information.


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## BirthTender

I have had folks to come to me & set up on my farm and have their baby in my huge home on my private 8 acres, or in my RV set up on my farm, which is located at the end of a rural road.
I have also traveled as a midwife. If you would like to discuss, please get back in touch with me


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## incorrigible

Does being a midwife give you the legal right to file for birth certificates in your state? So, if someone birthed at your farm, you would be able to bypass the miles of red tape they may otherwise encounter UP/UC away from their home state?


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## BirthTender

Folks go to the county health dept. and declare the birth and file for the birth certificate. It is not miles of red tape. It is also not difficult for me to sign birth certificates, but I do not want to go through the miles of red tape in that I might be considered running a birthing center, which I am not. Folks just happen to come here to birth in their own RVs/campers, sometimes my home or outside. I have also had clients to come to this geographical area and birth in their friends/families homes or in motels, and BedN Breakfasts. The process of acquiring a birth ceritificate is not difficult here.


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## LeslieB

Hi all! We just made the move back into our van a wek ago today. So far, so good. It's pretty easy to get back into the groove of it. We have a different setup this time so we're still working out where to put everything. Our son was excited to move into the van and hasn't had any adjustment issues. He seems to be enjoying it. On weekends, we're staying at a campground, so that's nice for cleaning dishes and have a shower right there. During the week, we just park "wherever" and use a gym for showers. It is starting to get chilly, but since we're in eastern NC, it won't be so bad.
I wish we were around some of you other folks; it sure would be nice to be with people like ourselves.
So anyway, good luck to those just getting started on their rv/van living journey.


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## incorrigible

We bought our RV yesterday! WOOT! We're almost there. We're FT Nov. 30!


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## MoonStarFalling

LeslieB, glad to hear all is going well!

incorrigible, congratulations! How exciting!

crazyms, I know quite a few people give birth in other states. Sometimes because of better laws. I would just give the address where you are camped at. We kept our residency as our home state of IL where we're from. That's where our vehicles and driver's licenses and health insurance was from. I can't think of any reason to change residency. Some people get their truck registered in a different state because it's cheaper or for income tax reasons. We had our mail sent to my in laws so MIL could pay a bill or two that came. All other bills were done online. So we never needed a mail forwarding service.


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## txmom4jc

We're in Austin! How is your pregnancy? I gave birth in our 5th wheel 3 weeks ago to our baby girl. It was awesome! I walked around the rv park the last month of my pregnancy and I got to know many people around the park. Our baby was the first baby born there! That was neat. though my husband left the bedroom window open so I'm sure some people were wondering what in the world was going on in our RV! Enjoy Austin!


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## MoonStarFalling

Congratulatons on your RV birth! Boy the walls in our camper are so thin that's probably what I would worry about lol. We have a stick house for the winter and for the birth.


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## Familyofmovers

We are a full timing rv ing family that travels with Wilson our 100 lb american bulldog. Some campgrounds are really cool and let your dog run off leash if they are trained. we travel in a travel trailer. To me the only thing different about living on the road is the "new neighbors" I get to meet usually every weekend! Other than that, you just live in a smaller space, live more intentional (water, propane usage, laundry) we blog at family of movers dot com


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## Familyofmovers

We are living in our RV in the winter in the mountains. Living in the winter with an RV is doable - -we have cheap heaters for $10 in the bunkhouse and in our room, we have a heater in our living room - the furnance never turns on at night. Last night got down to 28. Skirt the underbelly and if you can find a heated water hydrant, if not--fill your fresh water tank daily and use your water pump, place a heater underneath and wrap all exposed pipes with heat tape. It can be done.

check out the blog at family of movers dot com -- -Lynne


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## MoonStarFalling

Hi Familiyofmovers! We were staying in plenty of cold places last year. It was snowing in MT and then we got to OK and it was -4 wind chill! We stayed plenty warm though. Wish we would have had the time to skirt the camper but it all turned out ok! Being able to drive away from the cold was a nice option!


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## LeslieB

It seems no one has posted lately, so I thought I would. How's everyone's winter going? We've had major cold weather for NC in December, which may not be cold to others, but for us, who have no heat, it's meant some rough nights and mornings. I'm not complaining, though. It is what it is, and I firmly believe it makes us tougher. And it's doable when the temps are in the teens and 20s. Next year at this time, we'll be living in NH, so we will have to probably rethink the van. We will really need some sort of inside heat source. I'm not sure if we'll rent an actual house or what, but a winter rental is a possibility.
We have gotten into a groove so that always feels good. We're outdoors a lot of the day with our 3 dogs (we just got a puppy 2 weeks ago; some might think we're nuts got that.







). Our son has just rolled with it all and seems to like it.
In 2 months, my sons, 2 dogs and I will be moving into my parents' house for months, while my dh and one dogs hike about 500 miles of the Appalachian Trail to celebrate getting out of the Army. For most of May and half of June, we'll be staying in my in-laws' vacation house in NH. So for a good 3 months, I won't be living in the van anymore, but I expect us to move into it again through the summer and maybe until mid-October.
So anyway, that's what's been going on here with van living. I hope you're all doing well!


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## incorrigible

Leslie - I remember our house furnace going out in Chicago in January when the kids were little. The fear the cold brings is the worst part. Once I got past that, it wasn't so bad. Just another quirk of life. Back then, we all just piled into my son's bunk bed at night. I used about every blanket in the house to turn the bottom bunk into a kind of tent. It got so warm we were all kicking off the covers at night. lol While, outside our little tent, the water I left on the dresser was frozen solid by morning!

We're doing well. We've had a crazy holiday this year. Our propane leak detector started leaking! So we disconnected the propane. We're on the road at a rest stop. We go to turn on the brand new generator. It starts leaking gas! It wasn't too cold out but it was still a bit of a chili night. We were moving slow the next day. Way behind schedule, with somewhere to be. We run out of gas. Our auxilary tank has got some kind of clog in the line! We deal with it and get moving again. Finally things are going as they should. It's 7pm Christmas Eve and we're just trucking along great when the RV loses power. It won't even try to start. The alternator belt snapped. We're in the middle of nowhere! We call Good Sam Club. They find an RV park about half an hour away that will take us after hours. They were having a heck of a time finding a tow truck though. There weren't many out and the soonest one could get to us was like 12 hours. A tow company in the town we're headed to convinces a driver to leave his wife in labor at the hospital to come get us!!! No kidding! We finally get to the RV park at like 11:30 and the manager turns us away. He was still up just watching TV, but it's late and he doesn't want to deal with checking us in. He tells us to come back during business hours. The RV is on the back of a tow truck right behind us when he's saying it. There was no where else to go! The tow driver talked his boss into letting us spend the night in the tow yard. At least we had somewhere safe to stay for the night...and no, the Christmas story parallels aren't lost on me! lol Christmas morning we had our pick of RV parks, and are in an area with a wide variety to choose from. We decided to go ahead and drop more of the emergency budget and stay in a really nice RV Resort. We could all use the moral boost right now. It's a far cry from our plans to be dry camping in the Mojave desert for Christmas, but it makes up a bit for the kids missing their ride on the Polar Express that we have tickets to for tomorrow night. This place doesn't normally let rigs as old and beat up as ours in the door, but they're feeling the Christmas spirit. I showed up with barely any voice (did I mention I've been fighting bronchitis for the last 2-3 weeks?), told them the whole story about no one taking us, and they called the owner and got special permission. We can stay up to 28 days. We're debating staying till mid Jan, when I get paid again....if we pay for the repairs right now, we'll have to go somewhere cheaper. We might wait till january to do the repairs and just enjoy the stay here, though.


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## MoonStarFalling

Wow incorrigible sounds like a real trip! Lots of unexpecteds. I guess people like us are probably pretty good at dealing with the unexpected or else we wouldn't be living in a camper







Staying at a nice resort sounds like a great cure for a bad day on the road! That's what we tend to do too.

Leslie, you're a brave woman but I wish I was there! I just had a baby last week. We're in a rental house buried in the snow. We have plans to get on the road in our 5th come spring. I can't wait! We'll be heading to Missouri and then on to west Colorado, Vale area I think and hopefully DH will be working there a bit with friends.


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## crazyms

How is everyone doing? I haven't been on for a while. My grandmother was in the hospital and then passed Thanksgiving week and it's been hectic holidays for us. Things are starting to calm down a little though. I quit working so we can stay with DH fulltime yay! We have still been working on getting the house up for sale although I have had some interest already. DH has a few days off at the end of next week and we'll be going back to finish up the house to put it on the market. I hope it sells. *crosses fingers* I have figured out my birth drama. We found out where dh's next location is and should be moving sometime in February. It's about 1-1 1/2 hrs from our home town. I found a midwife in that town that will travel to our home town for the birth as well just in case dh gets moved just before the birth and I have to go home. We're fulltime in the rv now and it's not too bad although I really wish we had more space with the baby coming. We're hoping to get a new camper before the baby comes though and that would make things a lot more comfortable. How is everyone else?


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## greenacresmama

Getting so sleepy, got to page 10 tonight. We have decided on a Class B, a little Roadtrek 210 Versatile to be kind of exact, or something like that in diesel. Right now we are taking our compact car w/ roof rack & huge Thule Cargo container to LA (leaving Hawaii) & going to being driving & searching for something used. Checking out all kinds of Class B's w/ 4 captain chairs. I'm excited; many reasons got us to the class b, having two kids are the 1st.

I'm going to love traveling & I feel like Aimee & I have very similar DH's though, so we actually had to do a lot of mental compromising & growing at different stages about the idea. The Class B really fit the dream. At 22 ft or less, we are excited about staying in many parks (state, nat, & WLRs) also just having the ability to park in a parking lot (some places). DH started out pretty scared & freaked out by my 2.5 year journey, & he is requesting till late fall & then we do some renting - I can live w/ that. I really love the outlook that he has always been geared towards finding (marrying) our new home & I've been much more dreamy about traveling (he & I meet at 35 & 20... guess who had already been everywhere?) Now. As we release 10 years of stuff living in Hawaii, it is amazing to me to listen to him so pumped up for adventure. I'm so happy about this! I've been preparing since last April but we have just now really gotten our minds made up. First I wanted an Airstream, good used one, but now I'm seeing almost limitless interactions w/ nature in a Class B. I like that. I actually found a huge amount of confidence before I gave away my backpacking books, I leafed through them & it all came back to me (long hiking trips on Kaua'i) & I really became more comfortable thinking of it like hiking w/ a cozy bed . At some point our sheepskin (big) is going to come along & we can take it outside (on a tarp or sheet, & then cover w/ another sheet to keep it clean) It is a very warm thing & I'm so glad it is coming. I actually don't think I will be hiking much w/ the kids, but we will try, hiking is more like walking down a road w/ a double stroller now days. That is the only thing I'm struggling w/. I can see a single in the future probably . Hey & maybe it will be a Quinny. Ha-ha. Yeah, well we will see.

Money is kind of an issue for us as well. We are very green & organic people. The change will be from fruit trees that so often give, & kale & carrots 'oh my' here. Our family is so sad that we are never around & we are very excited to be seeing them again, so the RV takes on a vital role in our first year back on the mainland. We are unjobbing, but not exactly, I mean I think we are. I would love to find other friends to start our company up w/, but it really is about negotiations & communication (answering the phone) for right now. I have a pretty sold green invention. Basically used the shelf parts of other inventions. Blah. Lots of loyalties to pay. BUT it IS going to make us all greener & happier so I'm finding a lot of passion to try & do this w/ my honey & not sell it out so quickly.

We vacillate I think still. Not enough money yet to retire & not enough will to grow all our own food. Maybe bc we love oranges, mangos, avocados, & coconuts. Raw food has been growing steadily in my diet for a while now. Looking into a solar oven, but camp fire/ camp stove is fine. Stowing pounds of fresh produce is going to keep us busy, but then again, a nice pace of soups, rice & beans is what everyone else in the family likes...

We love the adventure vibes making us so happy right now! It is a little fun too that we decided to marry a place, which means we go from $5500 a month down to... honestly? I'm not sure. We need to meet everything in that new small town, but I'm on the hunt for an East Coast "Transition Handbook" crowd or semi crowd. I want to be slow family living so much! So much! I want to home school by taking an easel to the countryside, the kids to a CSA, farm, garden and garden community at the elderly widow's house by the people that need a plot . I want to walk to the organic co-op, farmer's market, playground, waterfall, lake, & library... then every other weekend driving off to a festival or big city museum far away (in class B? COOL!) Or in a hybrid mini van. Totally want to rock off the grid & w/ an electric car. The setup small town feels so right to me. If many hippies lived there too even more awesome (raw food potlucks at my house ), I know the off the grid living can be an expense, so I want to really be as frugal as I can get w/ attractions right now...I really want to have all extra any dough go towards the garden patch. Seems like there could be more freedom long term if we think that way. Not to say I don't want to rock out at u-pic farms and playgrounds along the way, but a Disneyland or children's museum is where I want to pass this year, although festivals are calling us and thinking of any alternative news on the net to try to get me at good ones. I've also been looking into tiny house living, yurts, domes, & anything else. The idea being to find a double wide, or anything still functioning & standing for about 30-50k & start trying to live the off the grid dream. Earlier people compared that expenses & that is one we could be cheering about having, but really, I feel like getting a frugal place for at least winter, or even renting to get paid off is what where we see the RV living/semi full timing as fun! The other deal is we have family in WNY & WNC, so we are looking to be near them lots more. We are interested in checking out VT, NH, & Maine, but also all the way down. From the macro prospective, I'm worried about a lot of "other' stuff that is out of the range of my healthy lifestyle & connection to nature. Like a coal factory, factory farming, fast food major areas. Need some crunchy vibes to come out rocking when I come to WNC. All I'm getting is fancy golf resorts & a few organic places. I want food culture. We are thinking of maybe even buying two homes one day, one in WNC & the other maybe in New England... that dream doesn't do farm pets very well .

Anyway! My resources are from a FOTR post, I asked for "crunchy places you have been" & "Organic, natural resources" but everyone seems "off the grid" right now . Or for the past 2 weeks anyway! It is hard to plan where I want to go exactly bc small walkable food culture towns are way below the radar... & we want a low real estate price range.... I basically want to find a "Rainbow tribe family" in a small town!!!

"I know they are on the East Coast because of this map: http://ofrf.org/community/maps.html and this one.http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2009/05/03/business/03metrics.gra...

I also love this one: eatwellguide.org GO EXPLORE IT entirely! It is a great road resource!

On Etsy you can look locally and find out the vibe of the crafts.. I think that says a lot actually. :http://www.etsy.com/shop_local.php?ref=fp_nav_local

This one helps you find lots, and they have one for festivals : http://www.pickyourown.org/

A good Renaissance Fair (check on pricing) seems like a great way to find people.. but I can't eat at one... Or I guess the only one I tried was all meat and beer.http://www.renfaire.com/Sites/index.html

Okay this one is just a pure search and select... I think .. "Sheep and Wool Festival"

"Organic Festival" came up with some great ones!

Anything else you use?

Would be fun to collaborate with a map or calendar program of some kind to share with everyone.. assign mamas to each website to extract location data.. even like WLR or NP and SP, Beaches entries, etc. That would be mega awesome." end quote


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## greenacresmama

God bless you if you took the day to read my post! I do have a question I didn't want getting lost.. okay..(breathing) I suffer from repressed freak flag flying due to being a VIP wife on a pretty small island that felt such a strong grossness towards my DH whenever I brought up my earthness and "rough it/live simple/stay connected to the earth" ways at the "bank" functions... even the richest most affording of organic food where looking down.. it took a long time for people to point at me and say "You ARE crunchy!" I feel a little weirded out by this actually. I have kind of felt a pull to take only my hippie clothing and vintage looks... I can't say I have had time and money to figure it out for the kids, (but want too!) and so, DH and I were playing a game that was taking turns saying "bumper stickers" we would pick "if" we thought that they were a good idea..o.m.goodness! MY sweet BF is a flaming earth, peace, food activist (plus good parenting)! It was amazing, but it made me sad in a way, he doesn't look it, all but the few shirts I have been buying him for presents in the past few years. If we ever did go to a Rainbow Tribe gathering.. would people even be friendly to his haircut? KWIM? (The other night we were walking on the beach at the NS and I passed a yellow shirt and wanted to pick it up.. he yelled "Eww no!" and I just had to pick it up on the way back, turned it inside out.. I cursed words under my breath.. it is the most awesome shirt I would have never bought him! It says "Free your mind" on it with this head with all the nerves and muscles showing growing out of the earth into the sky and the dude is wearing head phones.. "Okay, but wash it twice for me?" is what he said. He has been wearing it like a fav  .

Are we going to attract more of our "tribe" by dressing this way? Is this.. along with the camping smells going to get us bad service? Do you know what I am talking about? Should I bring along my white turtleneck attire  when I am in not so crunchy places? It is my only fear actually. And I freaking hate it! I hate to think like this.. I need support on this issue! Also the bumper stickers, gains you anything?

I just turned 30, right? I mean of course! And I asked him the other day.. I was kind of flipping out feeling this "free her!" feeling inside me, trying to relate to my honey that hippies are beautiful and responsible parents, etc.. and I asked him "Do you think I am beautiful, cool or just crazy?" and he answered.. "You are crazy (laughing)....... but I have never lived more than I have in my life right now..I am jobless, yet feel so alive when I am with you and the kids.... all I pray for now is that we are happy, healthy, and together." He has been writing me love notes all the time now.. I do wonder if me dressing this way is deep, not wishy washy, but also great for my marriage! I think it invites him into the "Janglin' Souls" crowd and I really love it there...

Namaste!!! XOXOXO!! Hare Krishna!! (Yes, I visit temples of all sorts and plan on making these clear "attractions" and also any health food healing meccas - resources for those please?)


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## Rainey Daye

We hope to be able to put our house on the market next spring (can't do it till then, cause we got the homeowner's tax credit and paid off our truck with it). Once it sells and we have an RV and we've got a good location independent kind of job for DH then we will finally be able to hit the road. We've been dreaming of this since last July and I THINK we've got it narrowed down to three RV's that we like...two fifth wheels and a toy hauler. I can hardly wait to get on the road...but meanwhile we are on a serious minimizing and simplifying kick...getting rid of a lot of junk we definitely do not need!!


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## mamayogibear

I don't really belong in this tribe but I just read the whole thread and love it! I really wish I could afford a RV of any size that runs off of veggie oil. That would be a dream come true. I would pack up my kids and my dogs and head to Alaska to start at the northen most point of the Pan Am highway and then spend a year driving it to the southern most point in Patagonia. Right now that's truly just a pipe dream as I can't even afford to fix my van to move in in the fall! But one thing I've learned from lurking on MDC is that with some mindful living anything is possible! Love the thread mamas-

ETA: I've been researching this like crazy over the past day. Living in a Skooly/RV would be an ideal solution for me. My ex got evicted from a house that was somehow still leased by me and he had an aquarium that flooded and did water damage so the owner is trying to sue me even though I told the landlord I moved out and had been living in my current rental for six months! So bottom line is when my lease here ends I doubt I'll be able to rent anywhere else and I am planning on moving into a more rural town this fall. I have found a few Buses in my area that would be suitable for two kids a mama and a big dog. i just need to find a way to fund it! One is the just a little more pricey than my van so if I sell my van I can buy it the other is just way to expensive at the moment.

http://www.salmonbaymarina.com/RV-1969GilligPhoto.htm is twice as much as the other bus but would be so perfect! Any suggestions on how to fund this expedition? Also do any of you full time rv live without a hubby there? Thanks


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## MoonStarFalling

Texanromaniac, what an exciting time! It feels so good to get rid of all that stuff.

Mamayogibear, I love the look of the converted school buses. DH and I have talked about doing our own conversion some day. I've never been in one personally. That would be an amazing trip. I think we will try RVing to Alaska some day.

We are remodeling our 5th wheel right now. DH is putting down vinyl flooring that looks like hard wood. It looks really nice. We are getting back on the road in one week but it's only temporary. I wish we could find more work for DH on the road. I hope to work that out. He's a carpenter that can fix or build anything but it's still been difficult finding work for him while traveling.


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## Adasmommy

mamayogibear, that bus you linked to is awesome! Have you contacted the seller? Maybe they're open to bartering or a payment plan? Rent to own?

I'm so excited! We are finally going to live on the road, starting FRIDAY! Such an adventure! I've got too much to do and should get off the computer!


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## trekkingirl

nak

my DH and I have just decided to sell as much stuff as we can, store what we can, dump what we can and breathe! Once we figure out how to come up with the funds we want to get a 90something bounder or similar class A. We are trying to dump debt dave ramsey style so not sure how to come about purchasing the RV but I have faith that it WILL happen. We want to be out of our stick home (rental) by Spring. We both work retail and plan on keeping our jobs but working as little as possible at first so we can spend some time adjusting to our new life and what adventures it brings. We are very excited! We wish we could start tomorrow but we know its going to take baby steps. We have three kids, DD1 is 7, DS is 4, DD2 is 5mo. We homeschool!


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## Rainey Daye

We found out last week that I am expecting baby #2, due mid-March (which was right about the time we were planning on putting the house up for sale)...so we may need to wait till a couple months after the baby comes to put the house up for sale and then cross our fingers and hope and pray that it sells fast!!

Something that popped into my head today was if we only didn't have to wait to put the house up for sale and if we could go ahead and have my husband cut back at his current job to at least no more than 50 hours a week (he has been working around 60 and has had a few 70 hour weeks) and spend the time difference getting started on alternate sources of income and go ahead and see about getting our RV...there is an RV park out in the country right off I-35 that is literally around the corner from the birthing center my midwife from my pregnancy with Bug recently opened. Too bad we couldn't already be in our RV and just bring our Sprite home to our little house on wheels!!


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## trekkingirl

congratulations *texanromaniac*

couple of questions...

how much does it cost on average to fill up the RV? How often?

When boondocking in a residential area do you have to not run anything and keep the lights out real stealth like or can you just be?

What did you tell friends/family? Any sugar coating?

Have you ever been asked to leave a place you were parked at?

Any families fulltime who aren't traveling and are staying in their local area?


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## trekkingirl

bumping in the hopes that my questions will be read.


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## incorrigible

Sorry, I haven't been watching this thread much. We landed in a condo for a few months, and are heading back out in the RV at the end of August.

Our RV has two 25 gallon tanks. We alternate which tank we're using so the gas doesn't sit, but we usually only have to fill up one tank at a time. We're dropping about $70-80 per fill up.

How often you gas up REALLY varies between families. It depends how long you stay in one place. Our cycle is 2 weeks dispertion camping, then 2-3 days in a motel nearby (real showers, TV, internet, TOILETS - oh how we miss flush toilets on the road! lol) Then we drive a day or two of easy travel to the next location. We fill up about 2x per month at our pace...but sometimes we land somewhere for longer and don't have to buy gas for a while.

When we visit friends in residential areas we just call the local police dept and find out the laws regarding our RV ahead of time. Sometimes it's illegal to park an RV on the street and we have to find a local business willing to let us use their lot. Sometimes we need a permit. Sometimes there's a time limit. Each town is different. We don't ever stay in residential areas unless we're visiting someone, though. If we wanted to live in a neighborhood, we'd be living in one, you know?

We totally sugar coated things at first. We still do for some people, and we are brutally honest with a couple people we trust.

We never park anywhere without permission, so we haven't been asked to leave. We camp on BLM land where we sometimes have to check in with a camp host but often don't...most of the time. We stay at rest stops when we're traveling, and have never had a problem. If we have some mechanical or someone's sick or something and we need to stay at a rest area for more than a single night we just call the highway patrol. Call the non-emergency number and tell them you're having mechanical issues or whatever and want to see if it's ok to stay at this rest area for a couple days until you get it resolved. They've always been really understanding and without fail tell me "that's what rest areas are there for!"

We've met loads of families staying in one place living in their RVs. I don't suggest boondock one area for too long with kids. Eventually someone will catch on and CPS will get involved. If you're staying in one place, I highly recommend an RV park. There will be other families, and all the luxuries that CPS considers neccissary for raising children so it's treated like just another kind of house. If you want to do long term boondocking, BLM land is the way to go. If you do it in a snowbird area, even better. There are communities that are comprised of 75% RVers half the year. Sticking with the snowbirders will give you the stability of staying in one place, but without the dangers of being "too different".


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## trekkingirl

*incorrigible* thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Sounds pretty much as I pictured. I'm unfarmiliar with BLM land and snowbirders so I am on my way to google it. Thanks!


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## MoonStarFalling

We have a 5th wheel so when we fill up the truck it costs about $100 in diesel. We get about 12 mpg with our F350 pulling. We have only really boondocked at Walmarts, Flying J's, rest stops. We usually go in and ask a manager to make sure we can be there. We don't have a generator so we don't have to worry about running that. I pretty much waited until the last minute to tell family. Like after we bought the camper and put the house on the market. That way it was too late to say anything! Never been asked to leave a place. I try not to stay in one place too long. It makes me nervous that someone could disagree with our lifestyle and call CPS. Especially with homeschooling laws being different in every state.

incorrigible, too funny about the toilets. I prefer our camper toilet. The one thing I do miss is my recliner, a decent shower or bath and laundry. Camps usually have showers and laundry so that's a rather minor inconvenience but we seriously need to find furniture for our 5th that is more comfortable.


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## Seedlinghugger

Hey All! My husband and I are starting to plan for a year of full-timing. We are new to this and have a toddler and expecting one in February. Can anyone give us advice about pediatricians on the road? Mostly concerned about the newborn's vaccines but also curious about wellness checkups.


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## incorrigible

moonstarfalling, our RV is 70's model with almost all original everything, so the toilet is nothing better than functional! lol We don't have room for furniture in the RV but we set up our own little gypsy camp when we land. The RV has the beds, toilet, and kitchen. We set up a big tent outside with rugs on the floor and bookcases and things with books/toys/school supplies and whatever else. We have a folding table and chairs and hammocks that get set up outside. When we land, our little 24' motor home bursts open into about a 2 bdrm apt. lol We could probably even cart a recliner around with us if we wanted one, but it seems like more hassle than it's worth for me personally. lol

seedlinghugger - part of living on the road is making decisions for your family yourself. So, you just decide what immunizations and check ups you WANT for your kids and stop into a clinic wherever you are to get them. Just like grocieries. Decide what you want, when you want it, then go to a store that sells it and buy it.  If one of the kids has a special medical issue that you need to have someone oversee, they are usually willing to arrange some kind of distance care program with you. My son has some issues I can't just go into a random doctor that doesn't know his case history for...so we have a kind of distance plan with the best medical professional that's ever worked with him. We do everything by email or phone. She tells me what to do, or she can order tests or prescriptions to a lab or pharmacy near wherever we are.


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## Rainey Daye

Incorrigible, I'd love to see any pictures you have of your "gypsy camp"!! I love the idea of living both indoors and outdoors most of the year (but in Texas that will never happen)!! I am anxiously anticipating the time when we can head out on the road. I think I must have a bit of gypsy in me, I get antsy living somewhere more than a year or two...and we've been in our house already 2 and a half years!! It's a gorgeous house in a nice neighborhood and I like our neighbors...but I'm still antsy!!


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## MoonStarFalling

I always plan to spend more time in an outside living space but I fail at that a lot of the time! We should get one of those tents or something where the baby can play easily now that he's crawling and soon to be walking. How do you occupy a new crawler/toddler on the road or at your campsite?

Seedlinghugger we don't do any WBV. I would consider just making an appt wherever you are and telling them what you want. Depending on your insurance if you have it and what dr they will cover. Or try the local health department, they do shots and check ups. One thing we did do was get our xrays from our dentist and took all that with us in case we needed it. You may have other medical records you need to bring with you.

Our camper is in the shop. We had a tire that went bad. The treads just sheared off on the highway and damaged the underbelly. DH happened to notice something flapping in the side mirror but who knows how long it was like that. When we stopped to change the tire we got out and about two minutes later DH starts yelling there are ticks. I checked me and DD over and hopped back in the truck but DH killed over 50 on himself in the time it took to change the tire! It turned a sort of stressful thing into kind of a funny. But CRAZY! He said they were swarming the jack even. It's been ten days and we don't even have an estimate from the shop yet. There is only one shop in the whole area. I sure hope we get it fixed quick so we can get to Colorado next month! How late in the year would you drive through the CO mountains? I'm really paranoid about that.


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## incorrigible

I don't have any pics of our set up, but I'll get some once we get back on the road.

If you are staying in RV parks, I'd do Colorado as late as Oct....but the way we camp, I don't want to be that far north past the end of Sept.


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## FloOKy'ala"FriBBLe

I am really enjoying reading everyone's experiences. I am anxiously counting down to when my family starts our lives as Full Time RVers. I cannot wait for an outside living room, but most of all, an outside shower ...how freeing will that be?


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## TheStarCat

I am brand new to this community, though we have been nomads for the last two years. We originally left Hollywood for a more serene lifestyle, and have been spending a few months here and there across the US, with our Jeep, trailer and 200 sq ft canvas tent, and absolutely loved every minute of it. After finding out I was pregnant, we anchored in the woods in No. Cal. so we could get consistent prenatal care and determine what to do next. We traded the tent for an RV, and I'm about to pop next month - which means we get to go back on the road with our new addition.

I am very excited about being mobile again, but I don't exactly know how to handle the baby's first batch of pediatrician appointments. We don't have health insurance and I'm not really interested in getting any, unless someone happens to know about a comprehensive plan that will cover us interstate without issues - otherwise we'd just pay cash, I suppose. Does anyone have any experience with this? I can't seem to find anyone mention it in blogs or forums, but perhaps I am not using the right search terms.

Please let me know if there is already a thread on this discussion and I would love to hear about any personal experiences. We are quasi-crunchy, and would welcome all opinions and perspectives.


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## MoonStarFalling

A lot of RVers just pay out of pocket. Private health ins is pretty expensive. Though you can just buy limited coverage in case of a hospitalization. Our plan, since we are low income, would be to apply locally for state coverage if we had a major incident. Try the local health departments though since they offer services on a sliding scale fee.


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## MoonStarFalling

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *FloOKy'ala*
> 
> I am really enjoying reading everyone's experiences. I am anxiously counting down to when my family starts our lives as Full Time RVers. I cannot wait for an outside living room, but most of all, an outside shower ...how freeing will that be?


LOL I have thought about getting an outside shower. We used to camp backwoods style as a kid and had a little portable shower.


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## featherstory

Hey. We're in a motorhome in an RV park for now. We're trying to get our finances and plan set up before we travel. We also want to stay places for extended periods of time rather than do a lot of traveling. We have two small girls and traveled for 6 months when our first was 1.5-2yrs. We just had a car then and camped in different places. I wish I'd known we could get an RV sooner, cause it was definitely something I wanted to do.

If you're staying at an RV park for awhile, look into the set-up of the park before you decide what kind of RV you want. If our home was good and dependable the size would probably be fine, but since it is not, having a 22footer for a family of four is not working for us. If we didn't have to spend so much time in it I wouldn't care. But we're not really ready to travel yet. We're actually getting a 32 or 35 foot trailer in the next week.

Then I guess we'll have to get a truck or something to tow it, although I kinda think I'd rather sell it when we get to the point of traveling. I think I'd like to have a motorhome. Tent trailers seem really cool to me too though.

Has anyone driven across borders, especially US/Mexico or other Central/South American borders? We're planning to move to either Central or South America in about a year. Not sure what it is like to do that.


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## Adasmommy

We've been on the road for two months--what an adventure! Not a lot of spare time, though. We're busier than ever. But I'm trying to keep up with a blog: www.freerangedreams.com
Cassidy was two months when we hit the road and he's never been to a pediatrician so that solved that problem.


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## UnschoolnMa

*Hi everyone! So my hubby and I are living in an old 1966 28 ft Kenskill camp model trailer. We love it. We're getting ready to take the benches out and put a hideabed in, paint, etc. We are parked on the back patio of my in-laws for the last almost year. It's not the worst thing, but obviously it's not ideal. We really really want a piece of land where we hope/plan to build with cob, scrap. etc. We are tiny, alternative house peeps!*

* Anyway, just popping in. I guess we aren't RV'ers in the technical sense as we are stationary right now, but close enough.*


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## cynthia mosher

Hi everyone!

We have a new feature that allows forum members to create "clubs" of their own that have many of the same benefits of a forum, including multiple threads, a member's list, and group messaging. All tribes are invited to switch from the one-long-thread here in FYT to the new Social Groups. You can read more about it *here. *Let me know if you have any questions but please post to that thread so I can keep everything in one place.


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## trekkingirl

I just read about that and came over here to mention it to my fav tribe


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## sarmis35

Hey Everyone. My husband and I own a construction company that has a very specific specialty. We are branching out to building in other states and I really want the family to stay together and go on this adventure together (we have two little girls 1yo and 4yo and a dog). We are looking at the idea of getting some type of rv to live in while on the road. This summer we borrowed a friend's travel trailer for a two week trip and we loved it. But it was only for two weeks and we didn't bring our dog with us. I think we will have to have our dog with us if we are going away for months at a time. Anyway, I was wondering what the situation is like at an RV park regarding multiple vehicles. I mean we would have an extra truck with some equipment for work pulled behind it along with our RV and perhaps another car/jeep. Do you have to pay for two spots in this situation or is there a parking lot at these places? This is such a weird question. I just don't even know where to start with this idea. I feel like it might be better than living in hotels all the time but I am not sure how logistically this can happen. Anyone have any insight into this?


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## trekkingirl

there is an RV park a few blocks away from my house I'm moving out of. We plan on starting out there with the RV.l They have a parking lot as well as RV stalls.


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## featherstory

At the park I live in we can park as many vehicles as can fit in our space. We only pay for our space and utilities. Lots of people have work vehicles, motorcycles, more than one RV or more than one car. We don't get charged extra if it fits. If it doesn't fit there are spaces that you have to pay extra for I think it is only $25 a month. We moved into a travel trailer and it is great! We're going to sell the motorhome and just wonder what we're going to do when we decide to travel. I want to go on a trip in about a month to visit my family. Not sure if I want to drive a car, or get a small RV since we'd be going all the way across the country or a camper van. When we decide to travel full time we're either going to need to get something to tow the trailer with or sell the trailer and get a bigger motorhome. I'm undecided.


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## trekkingirl

I applied for a $5000 loan even though I'm supposed to be doing Dave Ramsey's money program and to my surprise I was denied. So now I am going back in with a family member on Monday to have a cosigner. I found a bounder that I really like at a price that I love. I hope the seller hasn't found another buyer over the weekend. It really meets every requirement we've been looking for.

Those of you with kids in a class a, do you prefer the two twin beds or the one queen bed? I was thinking that if I got one with two twin beds then the kids could each have their own beds. What have you found works best for you?


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## incorrigible

I think it would depend on the kid. Having some kind of personal space is important to mine. Those twin beds function like bedrooms for mine. We put curtains up between them and the rest of the RV so they have privacy. They picked out their curtains and sheets. They have posters and art up on their walls and ceilings. They each have a built in cabinet in their bedroom so they can store some personal items in a private place. Living in such tight quarters, it meant a lot to them to have somewhere of their own.


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## trekkingirl

well that bounder did get sold over the weekend. Does anybody have any suggestions on which class A they think I should consider? Anyone know of a good spot to buy an RV? Dealerships or classifieds online? Thanks I have about $6500 to spend!


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## MoonStarFalling

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sarmis35*
> 
> Hey Everyone. My husband and I own a construction company that has a very specific specialty. We are branching out to building in other states and I really want the family to stay together and go on this adventure together (we have two little girls 1yo and 4yo and a dog). We are looking at the idea of getting some type of rv to live in while on the road. This summer we borrowed a friend's travel trailer for a two week trip and we loved it. But it was only for two weeks and we didn't bring our dog with us. I think we will have to have our dog with us if we are going away for months at a time. Anyway, I was wondering what the situation is like at an RV park regarding multiple vehicles. I mean we would have an extra truck with some equipment for work pulled behind it along with our RV and perhaps another car/jeep. Do you have to pay for two spots in this situation or is there a parking lot at these places? This is such a weird question. I just don't even know where to start with this idea. I feel like it might be better than living in hotels all the time but I am not sure how logistically this can happen. Anyone have any insight into this?


sarmis35 we do construction as well. Most sites we have used only allow a motorhome plus one vehicle or a truck/trailer plus one vehicle. The extra vehicle would require an extra fee. Occasionally they might have a parking lot you could use. Sometimes these parks are super small. Some sites are barely big enough to fit our truck and 5th wheel and nowhere to park on the street. What we do is have DH's work truck which also pulls the 5th wheel and now I have a van as well though for over a year I had no second vehicle I just biked. We look for parks where the spots are big enough to fit the truck/trailer and van since we don't care to have our neighbors right on top of us anyway. There isn't always an option though.


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## sarmis35

Thanks so much for info everyone. I think we are going to take our time and really figure out if this would be a fit for us. I enjoy reading about everyone's adventures on this thread. It is enticing!


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## trekkingirl

turned out I didn't need a cosigner after all! The bank made a mistake on our monthly figures. So yeah, just waiting for the right time to give notice on the rental and waiting for the right RV. Would love some advice on what and where when it comes to buying a class A. Our budget is $6500. Thanks


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## incorrigible

It really depends on your area. I do almost all of my vehicle buying on Craigslist. It seems by-sale-by owner deals there are SO much more honest than any other source I've found. That may not be the case in all areas, though.


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## trekkingirl

So far I tend to agree. A guy offered to sell me his rv with a downpayment of the cash I have and 4 months to pay off the remaining money. Pretty nice of a complete stranger. I think I'm going to drive the four hours to go look at it in a few days.


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## MoonStarFalling

We looked into private party but ended up finding what we needed at a dealer. We got a good deal and were/still are really happy with it. They had a full service shop so it was in tip top shape. We did look at some older class A's in your price range. I really liked them but it wasn't practical with our business. If you get something older some places have rules about how old your camper can be. But the nice thing is you can paint and remodel inside without much worry about loosing it's value.


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## incorrigible

Very true on both counts.

I am wondering if we're just that smooth or if others are finding RV parks loosening up restrictions? We are young with kids and pets and an RV older than anyone in it. We have yet to actually be turned down by anyone, even when we should. If we ask they have always been willing to "make an exception" for us. Several have mentioned sales being down, and it's seemed like they were just willing to take what they could get. When our RV is too old, they've stuck us in the back of the park so people wouldn't see us, and given us a strict time limit for our stay. When we're not supposed to have kids or pets, (or if we're even too young) they've laid down strict rules about their behavior and monitoring. We don't stay in one place for more than a few weeks max, though. I doubt they'd let us slide like that if we were staying months.


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## trekkingirl

have you found one of those patty o rooms worth getting, or not so much? DH wants an RV he saw that has no leveling jacks. They seem like they would be mandatory for full timing? What has your experience been?


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## trekkingirl

Looks like we may be getting our new home on Sat. Its a 93 thor pinnacle. 30 ft with low miles. We got a great offer on it. Only $5000 and no major issues. Wish me luck. I'm not as excited as I thought I would be. I guess I'm scared.


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## incorrigible

I've moved a lot, and that's pretty normal. The planning is exciting and fun, but when it comes time to take action things become intimidating. That's why most people don't take risks. They stay in the same area their whole lives, and cling to the familiar. If you just push through the fear, the excitement will come back. You'll be glad you followed through on your plans. Something will go wrong, and you'll get hit with regret and wish you'd never taken the risk....but if you push through that when it comes, you'll be even more glad and excillerated by your adventures. =)


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## trekkingirl

wow great advice, thanks. I'll let you guys know how it goes


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## jrabbit

Has anyone wintered in a Hybrid? Specifically, we're looking at a 2008 Jayco feather (23B, I think) that really seems like it's exactly what we want NOW. The only thing that makes us hesitate is thinking about winter cold. Mainly, we'll spend winters in the south, but that could still be cold, we know. We're in Texas now, and we figured we'd spend the winter in the south/Florida/whatever. But, we've got a job offer in Calgary this Oct/Nov, so we're looking at driving there (the job would pay for a house while there). We've rented a hybrid and driven to Wisconsin in September and really enjoyed the open air. Yes, it got chilly, but it wasn't winter.

Looking for input fast! We don't have a lot of time to think about this. We are not in a position to buy a truck, so whatever we have will need to be towed with our Ford Expedition, which can tow up to 5,200 safely.

--janis

(3 girls, ages 2,7, 11)


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## trekkingirl

Well we got the RV today! I am keeping my rental until November 1st, then we'll be official fulltimers. The place I had lined up for $80 RV storage fell through and now everywhere else wants over $300+







DH is really nervous about leaving it on the street so I hope we find something soon.


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## incorrigible

You could ask some local businesses. When we first landed here, we left ours for "just a couple weeks" at a time in a string of local parking lots until we figured out what to do with it. Turns out there's a big empty few lots with an abandoned house on the property a block from our place. We watched RVs slowly collect on the property and no one seems to care, so we put ours there too with a note in the window with our phone number. It's insanely expensive to tow an RV, and most tow companies will expect the business to pay for the tow then go after the RV owner for the total. They won't just tow and charge the owner like with cars...so businesses will call the number in the window (we post it front, back, and at the door) rather than deal with the hassle of towing. We always try to get permission if we can, though. It makes life run so much more smoothly.


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## trekkingirl

interesting I'll tell DH. We need to get t insured ASAP


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## featherstory

We're in our new trailer, trying to clear out the motorhome and sell it and really looking into moving. DH has a security guard card and I've seen a few spots in the area that are work/trade for security. I don't know how they feel about kids, but they have a lot more space, are in better neighborhoods and a lot cheaper. Our rent at the park here is going up next month and the environment is not the best. We also saw a couple that are cheaper but not work related and one a couple that are rural and completely free. I really want to move. I really want to find out how I'm going to move as well. We have a travel trailer, and no way to move it right now. We also have a little wrecked compact car and I'm not sure how this will fit in with our lifestyle.

We want to stay somewhere for 3-6 months at a time. We would like to be able to go on weekend trips. We plan to work from the computer with a home-based business and do events/workshops, etc. I guess I don't really need to worry about that part right now, just how to move, where to move and starting up our business now. All the places we're considering moving to would require getting our own internet set up and since we're vegan and car-less being in the middle of nowhere or just not close to farmer's markets is a cause of hesitancy...decisions, decisions.


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## incorrigible

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *trekkingirl*
> 
> interesting I'll tell DH. We need to get t insured ASAP


That's probably a really good idea. We've had our RV for a year now and still haven't gotten around to insuring it. It was kind of a "starter" RV we only intended to keep until we had a better idea of what we really wanted, but we had really meant to insure it. I think my regular insurance wouldn't cover it because of the age or something, and then I just kept procrastinating and forgetting about deciding who we should use. At this point, it's parked while we make some upgrades to get more out of it when we sell it. We'll sell in the middle of snowbird season, when prices are highest around here, and buy our new set up at the tag end of snowbird season...when the prices are near rock bottom, but there's still some selection.  And I will be making a point of insuring the new vehicle RIGHT away. It won't be an actual RV though (we're doing something a little different, next time through) , so I will be able to just added it to our existing policy.

We DID sign up for Good Sam Club right away though, and that has been a miracle of a program. Absolutely sign up for them or another comparable club. They have a tech line you can call and they'll walk you through about any repair or upgrade you are willing to do your self, even if you know nothing (which was us at the start), and the roadside assistance takes hours, but really takes care of you right.


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## trekkingirl

someone suggested foremost insurance. has anybody heard of them?


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## MoonStarFalling

Congratulations! We just insured through our vehicle insurance but I know you're really supposed to insure with someone that offers full timing RV insurance. Good Sam has it I think?

Featherstory, congrats on your move and good luck with all your decisions. I was trying to stay raw vegan while on the road but it is really tough in some areas! Some places we stayed at you could barely find any fresh produce at all.

jrabbit, I'm not that familiar with the hybrids. Our 5th wheel is not set up for freezing winters though I assume the hybrid would be about the same. We wintered in south Florida and that was perfect. Anywhere where it's not below freezing for more than a few hours.


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## caspian's mama

i'm finally hoppin back on this thread.

i'm fed up with forever barely making rent & possibly never simultaneously owning a car.

i squander any money i do get on crazy neighbors or landlords & i'm always missing my faraway friends.

time to take the plunge!


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## trekkingirl

caspians mom welcome

have you fulltimed before? We are taking the plunge on Nov 1st. We bought our RV last Saturday and are fixing it up for departure! Have any of you done disneyland in Aneheim, Ca? I think my RV needs to be looked over before I take her over the grapevine. She sat for a while and probably needs all thge fluids changed.


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## featherstory

Congrats Caspian's mama and trekkingirl.

Thanks *moonstarfalling!* Yeah, living a raw vegan lifestyle also means planning out where we're going to go ahead of time, which we didn't do the last time we did long-term travel(we were in a little honda and just camping out in our tent and in state parks). We also want to stay in the places we visit for at least 3 months at a time, we have a few spots on our list that really seem to fit what we want to do, but we're so not there yet. We don't have enough income and DH has some health issues he needs to tackle before we start.

Our rent in our RV park is going up next month and it is stressing me out a bit. DH wastes our money and every single month we're low on money by the end of the month. Even this month when we only had to pay $125 due to a credit we used. It doesn't seem like we'll be able to move before the 1st because although there are cheaper and nicer parks than ours, we have bad credit and DH's dad had to come 8 hours to co-sign for us, with our bad credit. We'd also need the money to get our trailer moved. We're still trying to clean out and sell our motorhome and since our car wrecked a few months ago we're very reluctant to move somewhere that isn't in a great location, which, although its a little gritty, everything we truly NEED is in easy walking distance.

DH kinda picked up some bad habits from our neighbors and desperately wants to drop them but has failed each attempt he's made. In some ways I wonder if we went all out of our way to move and really had to struggle, if he would find a way to set himself straight. We do have some really great neighbors though and there's another family with kids around the ages of our kids and all the kids and the neighboring adults played outside with glow lights and sparklers and all kinds of toys and sang happy birthday to my 4 year old tonight, it was really very sweet. They also got her a present and I was really surprised and appreciative of that! I'm really glad we're here right now, I just wish there was more space, more grass/nature, and cheaper rent, or the ultimate goal, a decent income...getting there slowly but surely.


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## incorrigible

oh...one of my fave resources for food on the road is http://www.bountifulbaskets.org sometimes it's the only source of organic (and ds goes through phases where anything non-organic makes him sick)...and you can get loads of fresh produce uber cheap, and other random breads and things too. They have tons of drop sites in loads of different states. You have to have internet access on a monday afternoon, a credit card (even a prepaid just for this purpose will do), and know where you're going to be on Saturday. Drops are Saturdays.

Even now that we're mostly stationary again this is where we get our produce and bread. It was far better than anything else in the area in a LOT of places we traveled through in the RV!


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## trekkingirl

it's good to hear that other RVers are stationary too. I wasn't sure if we were an exception to the rule


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## Rainey Daye

Tried looking up that site and I believe it's bountifulbaskets.org that you meant.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *incorrigible*
> 
> oh...one of my fave resources for food on the road is www.bountifulbaskets.com sometimes it's the only source of organic (and ds goes through phases where anything non-organic makes him sick)...and you can get loads of fresh produce uber cheap, and other random breads and things too. They have tons of drop sites in loads of different states. You have to have internet access on a monday afternoon, a credit card (even a prepaid just for this purpose will do), and know where you're going to be on Saturday. Drops are Saturdays.
> 
> Even now that we're mostly stationary again this is where we get our produce and bread. It was far better than anything else in the area in a LOT of places we traveled through in the RV!


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## incorrigible

doh! you're right! edited! thanks. lol


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## trekkingirl

I am thinking about mounting a small flat screen tv in the bedroom of the RV. I think the wall probably needs extra support but it seems doable?! Have any of yall done this? Any pointers, success stories, or failures you'd like to share?

I was thinking about maybe turning the big carpeted hub in between the two front seats into a coffee table. Not sure if my crafty DH could pull that one off, but in my vision it's a huge success! I would love to wall paper over the 19 year old wall paper but my DH thinks our 1 year full timing plans don't include redecorating.


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## ahimsamom

Hi all!

I have been lurking around this thread for months...and my husband and I just took the plunge and bought a 28" 1985 RV! It has a great engine, low miles and we bought it off my mother in law so we only payed $4000. We're slowly sprucing it up, getting ready to live in it full time (and looking forward to it because we live with my parents).

We just put in cork flooring and I am really excited! It was our first major rennovation and I am so glad we went for it.


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## Momma Ruby

Hi all,

I've been looking at information about full-timing off and on for a few months now. DH just brought up the idea about a week ago, but I've been thinking about it for longer. (He would love to sing for a living and find other ways to bring Christ to those who would never step inside a church.) We have 2 kids so far (dd almost 5, and ds just turned 3) and we both want more. I've been looking at different RVs and really don't think a trailer would be best for us, and most RVs in (what I would consider without talking to dh first) our price range would be a "master bed" and pull-outs for the kids. Because of this I was thinking of an "entertainer's bus" which dh has a little more knowledge of having traveled a couple of weekends with a Southern Gospel group/two. I do have some conserns about full-timing because of wanting a growing family. What's the best way to have an infant in this type of vehicle while traveling and to deal with pregnancy (and infant) check-ups?

Along the same lines do you have to get a special license (CDL & the like) and how do you go about getting them renewed when you don't know how often you will be in your "home" state? Do you suggest taking any special classes before setting out (for things like RV maintenance and repair)?

Like I said, I'm just looking at information right now. DH says he doesn't feel called to this life yet, but I've wondered about it before and now he's saying stuff about it. I'm one of those that likes to be as prepared as possible for anything that God may ask of us.

Thanks in advance to anyone that takes the time to answer,

Momma Ruby


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## MoonStarFalling

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *trekkingirl*
> 
> I am thinking about mounting a small flat screen tv in the bedroom of the RV. I think the wall probably needs extra support but it seems doable?! Have any of yall done this? Any pointers, success stories, or failures you'd like to share?
> 
> I was thinking about maybe turning the big carpeted hub in between the two front seats into a coffee table. Not sure if my crafty DH could pull that one off, but in my vision it's a huge success! I would love to wall paper over the 19 year old wall paper but my DH thinks our 1 year full timing plans don't include redecorating.


We mounted a 42 inch flat screen (it was a gift) which required putting extra support in the wall behind it to screw the mount into. It all went inside a cupboard so it wasn't noticeable. We took the TV down while on the road so it didn't fall.

ahimasmom, congrats! I think cork flooring would be a really good choice!

Momma Ruby there are some big families on the road like http://ticknortribe.blogspot.com/ I don't know much of anything about driving a Class A motorhome tough. Car seats were one of the reasons I choose to get a truck with 5th wheel trailer. RV maintenence and repair would be so helpful to know if there is some type of class, I'm not aware of them. Definitely read your manual very well! There are books out there like Full Time RVing by Bill Moeller that go over general maintenance and system functions. I was pretty nervous about all that when we started out.

For us, we just got our camper back from the shop after our blow out damage July 4th! Crazy! I'm glad we made it home and have a stick house rental!


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## trekkingirl

for some reason the new posts didn't show up on my subscriptions. sorry guys, didn't know you posted. *moonstarfalling *what happened on the fourth of july?

How is homeschooling going on the road. We started up again this year with a charter school and I'm not really lovin having to be accountable. Makes things a lot more rigid when I have to turn in work and study up for standardized testing.

so we did decide to not bring the RV to disney land. Instead we plan to begin fulltiming as soon as we get back. So were out of our rental Oct 31 and will be fulltiming by Nov 6th.

I called the local car wash and they don't wash RV's. So how do I get my RV washed, waxed, and shampooed? Lots of things I never thought about. I keep telling DH he is supposed to buy some sort of sealant to coat the roof with? Anybody know about this? Is that something you pick up at the hardware store and just paint on?


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## eveblac

Wow! I've come a long way since then!

I "housed up" for the remainder of my pregnancy and had my UC and got the birth certificate the next month. Then, a few months later, put my tax refund to work to get us a 78 Dodge motorhome! 

We've been living in the RV full-time for the last 8 months, however we haven't moved from the campsite since we got here 

I am looking to move, though, in the next few weeks, and either park at a friend's for a couple of months and then go traveling, or go traveling outright! Big changes coming, and I am getting really excited!!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MoonStarFalling*
> 
> Welcome ~D~, abinormal324, 3crunchycarrots and eveblac
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> abinormal324, we're in FL right now and it's getting hot! Get one with a good A/C that's for sure. You might want two A/C units if you've got a 30 footer or more. These things heat up like crazy.3crunchycarrots, wow I admire all the work you're doing to green up your motorhome. My DH was completely against converting to veggie oil but I still hope to turn him one day.eveblac, I know that it's easier to get a UC birth cert in some states. I would find out which one was the best and just go there. I entertained similar thoughts of birthing on the road and traveling to wherever it made the most sense.


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## incorrigible

You can buy sealant at a hardware store, but they often have no idea what you're talking about so the first time, I'd get it at an RV supply store. You can call a local RV Park to ask for suggestions. They usually either have a guy that washes RVs or can refer you to someplace local that does. Honestly, about half of what we learned about RVs was either from the managers or neighbors at RV parks. When we first got on the road, just the RVing was intimidating so boondocking was more than dh could take...so we stayed in RV parks a lot the first month or two.  They do offer their benefits. The places that big rigs get washed is where RVs go...most of us don't know they exist until we hit the road.  Most RV owners I met wash their RVs themselves, though.


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## trekkingirl

thanks *incorrigible*


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## featherstory

So we just had our first rain and my frickin' kitchen roof poured rain from two sides of the kitchen for like 2 days! DH put up a tarp over it while it continued to rain, but we were told that we're not allowed to have tarps up in the RV park. He cut a whole in the middle of ceiling. It was leaking from the two panels on either side, so when he did that and shook and pushed on it a bit it all came pouring out the middle.

We dealt with rain in our other RV but that one was obviously in very bad condition, this one seems to be mostly fine except for that. We need to get the sealant for it, but we are low on money this month, so I'm praying for no more rain until we get some money. Yeah, it is only like $10-20 but we have no transportation and we are literally that broke this month. Our rent went up at the RV park this month and we had some kind of inspection recently, though I'm not really sure what it entailed, apparently we passed or we would've heard more about it, I think.

I'm really eager to leave this place behind. I've been building up my business and we're close to selling our old motorhome, we just need to get something to tow this trailer with and a plan. I've been seeing lots of options, I just need to get DH on board, and really get some income coming in so I can save.


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## MoonStarFalling

featherstory, ugh sounds terrible. I honestly don't know anything about the roof, we haven't had any issues with that. Good luck with your goal to start moving!

eveblac, congrats on your birth and I hope you can get on the road too!

trekkingirl, the treads from one of our trailer tires sheared off on the highway and did some damage underneath. We also got our awning replaced after some rain damaged it. In all it was $3000 worth of work but insurance paid all but our deductible. They took three months to fix it though. I am so mad. It's going to be winter soon and I refuse to winter in Florida again. Where could we go that is not touristy? I like peace and quiet.

I did time4learning online curric for a while but DS kind of lost interest. I think it's a fun program and affordable. So glad you will be fulltiming soon!

Washing the RV is a pain, I really don't enjoy doing it. Some campgrounds won't even let you wash it there. We called a carpet steaming service once but they charge a ton for campers because of all the little nooks and crannies you have to clean around.


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## trekkingirl

*moonstarfalling *if I were looking for a serene spot away from Florida I would probably head over to Arkansas. My brother lives in the northeast corner in Jonesboro, about an hour from Memphis Tennesee. So much culture and kind people. Great food and music in Memphis. Oh and they have a really fun childrens museum. Everything is really affordable in Arkansas and if you're into nature and wildlife, I think it's one of the best spots america has to offer.


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## trekkingirl

So we have been in the rv for a few days now. I can't seem to figure out how to get the fridge to work and am bummed that the microwave doesn't seem to work either. Just got the water running today. So much to figure out! Can't wait til things are cozy.


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## trekkingirl

nak bump


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## onlygirls

We currently live in TX and are thinking about moving to CA to live in a 5th wheel until we get settled and buy a house. We have a travel trailer but would like more room, so we will trade it in for the 5th wheel.

Is it difficult to homeschool in a RV?


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## trekkingirl

my DD is difficult to homeschool anywhere. She just has a hard time getting things done. She would rather go play. There are two homeschool groups we belong to and they both meet at a park once a week for interaction and play. The lack of space makes it hard to do projects but compared to other homeschoolers her age we are doing really well.


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## trekkingirl

I finally got my DH to remove the captains chair that was taking up all the floor space we had. It is so much more open now. The kids have a place to play with their toys on the floor. It is amazing what a difference some extra floor space makes.

We are hanging in at a more expensive location through the winter because my DH would be commuting on a motorcycle and it's just too cold. This way I am close enough to drive him to work. I've been on disability. I hope to find a cheaper spot in April. It has been 30 degrees here at night! Crazy cold for California. We haven't been able to figure out an inexpensive way to heat the place. I'm assuming using the central heat that runs on propane would be too expensive?

How are you doing? I would love to hear from you.


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## trekkingirl

bump


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## featherstory

I left CA just after Christmas with my girls...dh is still there...I'm looking for places for us to go with more space... something either community-like or work-trade/workcamper-like in a natural setting. We were going to sell the motorhome to a woman who wanted to live at the park but she decided to move in with someone else there so dh had it towed.


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## trekkingirl

oh wow sounds tuff let us know how your search goes and where you end up.


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## DarkLotus

So...how many seatbelts does your rig have? Does anyone just have a drivers belt? If so how do you secure kids carseats?

THANKS


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## trekkingirl

Welcome to MDC darklotus

my RV has seatbelts in all the seats so I'm not much help but I wanted to say welcome


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## DarkLotus

thanks for the welcome mama!

i've been dreaming of living on the road for years but have not taken the leap. i'm thinking i will when i get my tax refund this year! however i will be on quite a budget and think i will have to settle for what i can get and modify it paycheck to paycheck...

i'm looking into an older rig with only one seatbelt so i'm really concerned about my kiddos in car seats. i'm thinking i could come up with something secure using the latch system on the carseats and adding some type of anchoring bolts to the furniture?

my second main concern is with laundry as i have two in cloth, use family cloth and mama cloth and i don't like the idea of going to the laundromat several times a week. has anyone installed their own washer/dryer without spending a fortune?


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## trekkingirl

I have a 93 Thor Pinnacle. 30ft class A RV. Purchased for $5000. You look long enough, you'll find what you need for the price you want. Put your offer out as many times as you need to till someone takes it. The RV I bought was listed on Craigslist for $8500. You just never know!

As for cloth, sadly I did have to give up cloth diapering and it just kills me to use disposables. I go to the laundry mat twice a week and the machines are just covered in Tide and other detergents that would just strip the diaper to useless! Thankfully I did find a mom in need here on MDC and I sent her my cloth.


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## crazyms

Very true! We needed a new camper because the one we have is small and I just landed a 36' Fleetwood Prowler with two bedrooms, sliding glass door, laundry room and triple bunks for $2000! It needs a few repairs but still a very good deal for the price and I'm sooo excited. I can't wait to make it mine and get on the road in it! Now we just need to find a new truck and decide where/when our first destination is. Anyone else working on remodeling projects or any projects for stuff for their camper?


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## trekkingirl

I need to do some remodeling but sadly we aren't. We are trying to become debt free and then buy a house. All our money is going to that avenue. Oh and can't forget the $3500 I'm shelling out for a new transmission on my car!


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## crazyms

Ugh that is terrible. We have to buy a new vehicle too but I found one today so happy happy girl. Gotta wait to get the rest of the money before I can actually buy it but he's gonna hold it for me so yay. I just brought the camper home today and tomorrow I will go through the new camper and get a better idea of what all we need or will want to do to it. We don't have a vehicle to pull a camper right now so I paid a guy that works with my mom to bring it here and he pulled it here with the truck he's wanting to sell so I know it'll do what we need to do with it. I know I'm going to want to do some fixing to the camper but I'm not sure yet how much I'll do right now. I just can't wait to get in it!


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## roadfamily6now

Love this thread! We have been on the road before, hence the username.  But this time will be for longterm. We just bought our school bus and apparently inflation knows no bounds, as the darn thing cost $4500 but it was the best one available. Could have spent less and gotten a money pit.

We hope to leave Alaska before snow falls in the winter of 2012. That gives us 7 months MAX to turn an empty school bus into our Motor Home! Can't wait. I'll have to take pictures so people can follow our journey!


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## trekkingirl

That sounds great, you should start a blog about your remodel and then about life on the road


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## featherstory

Dh and I have split up...our trailer is in storage and we're both living with family...I have the girls. I'm putting together my business to go on the road and looking for a bus to do that by the fall hopefully. I also need to get a car, as my wrecked one is now being totalled and we're going to a few places starting in the summer. I'm mostly just figuring out exactly what I want right now and searching craigslist to see what's available.


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## trekkingirl

hugs *featherstory*

Sounds like you're going through a lot. Since we moved into our RV DH has had major anger issues. He was put on Ativan because it was just getting too hard on the kids. I think that's one thing that people don't account for. Relationships are really put under stress when you're in such close quarters. How are your kids doing?

AFM We are thinking of moving about 45min north of where we're docked right now. I've taken on a job in a new field, in home care. My client lives up there as well as my mother and a handful of friends. The rent for the RV is about half as much up there. Currently we are paying $800 a month for the park were at. That just seems really expensive for what were getting. Another option is to move into the apartment next to my mom. It's $1100 a month. That way she could watch the kids while I work. Might be nice for next winter, I don't know. So much to think about. DH wants to stay here and over pay for rent and pay to commute for work. BLAH!!!!!!!


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## roadfamily6now

Travel when you have medical issues???

My husband has type 1 diabetes, we have always been travelers and traveling but this time it will be for a LONG time, not just weeks. He is concerned with getting his medication and test strips while on the road. We have Tricare (Military for Retirees) Insurance so it's universal and we can use it just about anywhere in the World and through out the US. Of course, getting medications on a military base is Free, while out in town will be low-cost.

I'm suggesting he carry around a copy of his Rx for the pharmacy. Will this work? He is good for 6 months between Doc visits as well. Any thought of suggestions are welcome! Thanks


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## crazyms

featherstory: I'm sorry to hear about everything going on. Just take your time and keep a watch out for deals. I was stressing how we would budget everything to be able to go in the next couple of weeks but I lucked up and found a camper and a truck for what I expected to have to spend on the truck alone. Keep faith and everything will be great!

trekkingirl: I would definitely move maybe your dh will come around.

roadfamily: I'm not sure about the medical stuff but I would think any pharmacy can fill it if you have your prescription. I usually get my prescription and just take it to any pharmacy so I don't see how that would be any different. The bus idea sounds awesome though!

Well our move out of our temporary rental got bumped up and we will be out of here before the end of the week. Our camper is of course not ready yet but dh got home from Seattle last week and so luckily he's here to help. We parked the camper at the in-laws since they have a hook up and will be staying there until we figure out when/where we are moving. The new siding will be in tomorrow and hopefully weather will let dh get some of the major fixes done on the camper. If I finally get a weekend off this weekend so I can get some packing and sorting done!


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## roadfamily6now

I have our website up and running. Hopefully will have a paid site soon.

Here ya go.

www.TheRoadFamily.webs.com


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## mamayogibear

Would it be too crazy to try to live in an RV in a city for two years with two kids and a dog? I am facing out of state tuition and with maximum financial aid it will barely cover my tuition and my kids daycare fees. So I'm daydreaming about living in a RV for the next two years while I finish up my BS degree. The school is in a nice neighborhood with lots of street parking (and I might be able to convince a current neighbor or two to let me park in front of their houses) so I could boondock during the week and dump on the weekends.


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## roadfamily6now

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mamayogibear*
> 
> Would it be too crazy to try to live in an RV in a city for two years with two kids and a dog? I am facing out of state tuition and with maximum financial aid it will barely cover my tuition and my kids daycare fees. So I'm daydreaming about living in a RV for the next two years while I finish up my BS degree. The school is in a nice neighborhood with lots of street parking (and I might be able to convince a current neighbor or two to let me park in front of their houses) so I could boondock during the week and dump on the weekends.


I don't think it's crazy. how old are your kids and how big is your dog?!?


----------



## mamayogibear

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *roadfamily6now*
> 
> I don't think it's crazy. how old are your kids and how big is your dog?!?


My kids are going to be 2 and 5 by the time I start this mission. My dog is only 50 lbs and a total couch potato. I will be in school/work all day for at least 8 or 9 hours so my kids will be in daycare and I might need to find a dog walker. I truly dream of living in an ecofriendly, wvo/solar skoolie some day but for now I think I'll have to start with a cheaper rv off of craigslist...


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## trekkingirl

Do you plan on driving it? Do you have any experience driving large vehicles? If you are boondocking you have to have substancial battery back up. I have four deep cells and they last about three days with no vacuum or hair dryer types of power drain. Other than that, I can't think of any reason why not?


----------



## mamayogibear

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *trekkingirl*
> 
> Do you plan on driving it? Do you have any experience driving large vehicles? If you are boondocking you have to have substancial battery back up. I have four deep cells and they last about three days with no vacuum or hair dryer types of power drain. Other than that, I can't think of any reason why not?


My plan would be to drive it on occasion like summers and weekend camping trips but mostly parking in town close to the campus during the week. I have no clue how to drive an rv or a bus, lol. I think that's the first thing I will learn once I get one! I will probably drive it every couple of days just to keep in valid free parking (avoid street sweeepers and tickets). Thanks for the words of encouragement!


----------



## trekkingirl

your welcome, good luck! I love full timing. My DH however, seems to be real depressed about our living situation as of late. I think sometimes he feels homeless. I never feel that way, just mobile. I love being close and cozy with my kids. Plus a lot less to clean and stay on top of.


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## trekkingirl

I'm so excited! I just found the best RV Park I could imagine and it's one third the price of all the trashy trailer parks that I've been looking at! It is run by an organization called The Moose. They are an international fraternity. They have tons of events happening at the park and they do wonderful charities. I am so amazed at how I found them. I had to mail a letter but couldn't find a blue box. So I saw a mail truck and decided to follow it. The mail truck stopped in the back of a parking lot. My DH says, hey what is that? And I kid you not, right in front of us is an RV park! So I went and talked to the host and it turned out it belonged to the Elks, another fraternity. They were not the right match for us but he told me to go down to the moose lodge and say that I want to be a "moose." So I scoped it out and just couldn't be happier! Hundreds of dollars cheaper, a great organization, a quiet park with only four other full timers, and an amazing historic district neighborhood! Everything I need is in walking distance. There is even a wonderful waldorf school in town where I sent my daughter for kindergarten. My son just turned five and I'm going to enroll him. It's a public school so no tuition!


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## featherstory

Wow trekkingirl, sounds awesome...where the heck are you?

On another note, I'm in the market for another RV and I'm hoping to get a converted bus. I'll be going back to CA this summer and will need to find somewhere to park, but my kid's father is back in our trailer and back in the park we were in together, I don't want to stay at that park again!


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## featherstory

Hey trekkingirl, I'm just seeing your previous posts about your husband. I felt the same way about RV living, so much simplicity, closeness, etc. does your DH get out into nature much or have his own space? I've read that using the home space so much, especially if you don't take pride in your space can fuel a sort of dismay about it...you know.

I always felt like living in an RV would help us to experience not being too tied down to "home" or being at home, or spending too much time inside... my former partner definitely seemed to experience less, get out less and just kinda hang out outside our trailer all the time and never really created his own space, although I created spaces for him, he never maintained them or took ownership of them...I think a big problem was that the RV park we lived in was horrible and he spent all his time with the neighbors, sitting behind our trailer drinking and smoking. Then he'd come back home to our small space and never really have a change of scenery. I do think he felt relatively homeless and shameful about the way we lived as well, but I don't think he would've felt that way if he wasn't so involved with the social drama of our environment. He was taking it all in and defining himself based on what was surrounding him. He also had little hope or motivation to achieve mobility or to move on from that particular park, as crappy as it was. I had to ask him often how he felt about getting to the next level and he would often say "yeah it'd be nice to..." or "yeah this sucks..." but feel no power to do anything about it or even believe it was realistic...and other times he'd say he liked it there...

Whereas I was always taking our girls to the pool, to the markets, on walks and visiting people whenever we could. We also needed to create a space for the kids, which I think would've helped him feel like he had more space, but essentially it was just a problem that RV living magnified, not created.


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## trekkingirl

North of san francisco about 30 miles.

My dh does have his own activities like motorcycle rides with friends and such.


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## mom2childs

Hi everyone. I've scoured this thread from top to bottom. I appreciate all the tips that have been passed out throughout.

I'm a single mom and plan on taking my girls out on the road fulltime starting June 2013. I'll need to sell/donate/giveaway most of our stuff, and I'll need to work on the road while homeschooling. It won't be easy but I suspect it will be lots of fun.

I do have a question for those of you with bunk houses with access from the outside. I've looked at a bunkhouse that has outside access through the 1/2 bath door and one that has access into the bunkhouse from the outside. I'm nervous about letting my girls sleep back there where some random person walking by could just open the door/access panel back there while I'm in the front sleeping. What are you doing for security for these issues - or maybe why don't you consider it a problem? So far that's my only struggle - I've love the 2nd bath, but I'm not in love with the access from the outside. While I don't think I will run into or stay in "bad" places, stuff happens. I did come across a quad bunkhouse with the 2nd bath without outside access but I can't find it again. I may need to go looking this weekend and write down the make/model.

The biggest issues for us hitting the road will be that I don't have good credit, and I'd need to trade in my car (huge depreciate hit of about $4k) for a 1 ton truck, and that my mother lives with us. I'll tell her soon of our plans but she will be very negative (and I don't think the concern will be that I'm taking the grandkids away from her) because I'll be leaving her stranded (she's lived with me for 5 years - I think it's time for one of my other siblings to take her in) and she'll think it's the stupidest idea I've had yet.

But thanks for keeping the conversation going. I'm loving it.


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## mightyquinn

please, can you tell me what you do for online income? we are planning fulltime rving next summer, but need to trade in husband's high paying tractor trailer driving job for an online source of income that will support our family of 5 on the road. i feel like every online job is just a scam, and need an honest legit source of income. have social security disability, but its only $700/mo..better than nothing for sure. thanks a lot.


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## mom2childs

I'm planning on starting next summer. I'm a business analyst and am taking a 1 year certificate program in computer applications programming. I feel that having a stronger technical analyst background will allow me to make a good hourly income by telecommuting. I joined flexjobs today (for $35 after 30% discount) to look for telecommuting jobs, and, lastly I'm a blogger making between $500-$1200/month working part-time. But I've been blogging for a few years now.

I feel that between the 3 areas (technical analyst, blogging, flexjobs for side jobs), I should be okay. If I can maintain my income, we'll be good, but if i can increase my hourly rate I can work less for the same income which is even better.

I'm also a single mom so I'm doing this all alone.


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## trekkingirl

No online jobs here. Dh and I both work at grocery stores. I just started a blog too but I didn't realize it could generate income ? I'm not very computer savvy


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## mom2childs

When I started blogging I did it to get free books to read - I wrote book reviews (and still do). But now companies pay me to write a post on a specific topic. I get paid anywhere from $15-$200 per post. Today, for example, I'll put up 3 posts (only one which took effort, the other 2 were copy/paste), and I'll have $55 in the morning. It's not get rich quick, but it's not bad either. Literally $55 for less than 1 hour's work. I know bloggers who make just under $100k/year, but they've been at it for years and they work 10-12 hour days. I don't do that.


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## trekkingirl

Thats awesome! Wish I could do that


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## mamayogibear

Right now I am seriously looking at two busses and am hoping to pick one and begin calling it home early next month. The first one is a 1980 International school bus that has been converted to run on WVO and has an interior from an old fifth wheel in it, my main concern with it is that there are no electrical outlets and only one deep cycle battery to run the necessities. I think I would have to modify this in some way so I could use my laptop and have clearwire for internet. The person is asking 4k but said they might take 3. The other bus is an older transit bus 1980 GMC which looks more like a motorhome than hippie bus; it has a new engine and new transmission that only have 10k on them (this alone makes me think it's the better deal), it was a custom professional conversion instead of being done by a person. However the lowest the owner will go is 4k.

Whichever one I get I will be planning to live in it starting in July and full time while in nursing school for the next two years. I plan on mostly boondocking and emptying tanks at local places where if you make a purchase you can dump for free. While I am in school my schedule will be hectic and my kids will be in daycare most of the day. I am hoping to get my dd in a charter school near the university. The bus would mostly be where we eat dinner, read and sleep.

There is a giant public park that runs along the campus where I could probably park and there is a 24 hour grocery store across the river which has a lot of RV's in it's parking lot all ready. I do aspire to take weekend camping trips and longer road trips on school breaks. It would be killer to have WVO and solar but I think we might be able to survive without those. However with the tax benefits of solar I might consider the investment worth while if I can ever afford it.

There have to be some important things I am forgetting to think about. One of my biggest concerns is leaving my dog in the bus while I am at school or work. Is it possible to expect a dog to stay in a bus unattended 5 or 6 hours a day, parked in the shade an with windows open of course.

Okay I'm done rambling and appreciate any advice/motivation from you ladies!


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## mom2childs

That's awesome. I'd go with option #2 based on your description, but I have 0 experience.

Come back and let us know what you decide to do. And upload pictures too.


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## jrabbit

Hello! We sold our house in April and have been living in our RV since March. We have upgraded to a 36' 5th wheeler with a bunk room, which has been awesome for our kids. I love the fact that we are living so much simpler. We are going to Portland Oregon in a couple weeks for the summer. DH has a traditional job, which has kept us in Houston thus far, but we hope to be able to travel more soon,

I am looking for advice about how to eat well on the road. Our preference is to have fresh produce all the time, but it is hard to do with a 7.5 cu ft fridge and infrequent access to good grocery stores. I am looking into buying a portable freezer, so I can get the good food when i can and freeze it for later.

Other than that, I am loving this experience so far and the people we have met!

(we are in New Caney, TX right now)


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## mom2childs

Hi jrabbit - what model 5th wheel do you have that you can put a freezer in it. I thought about that briefly and putting it in the kids' bunk room, but wasn't sure that would work very well. I'm glad you're enjoying this time in your life with your family. Hopefully I will be in a similar position in just over a year.


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## jrabbit

We have. a 2010 Mountaineer. The under-storage is massive. our kid aren't quite as excited about downsizing as I am, but we at working on it!

I haven't made up my mind about the freezer, but I am so frustrated by the inability to have good organic food. When we are in big cities, I am ok, but even now, it is 20 minutes to a half-decent overpriced store. Longer for better.


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## mamayogibear

Maybe http://search.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/ could help you find markets where you are at the moment. I would try getting a dehydrator and storing extra food that way, it would take up less electricity and less space. Another option would be canning but that would end up taking up a bit of space after a while.

Congrats on selling your house and hitting the road!


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## jrabbit

My primary desires are to have fruits for smoothies and veggies for dinner - I have never canned, and I don't really want to carry that much weight  - how can a dehydrator help with anything but "snacks"? (sorry, but I really am clueless)


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## mamayogibear

Dehydrated veggies are great for anything cooked you can use them in soups, or just rehydrate them and cook for whatever. I get bulk organic dehydrated veggies from a natural market and use them whenever I 'run out' of fresh veggies. You can soak in either water to rehydrate or marinate in a sauce to give it some character. I agree with dehydrated fruits being just snacks since I've never actually cooked with them I suppose you could put them in smoothies or granola. Also with a dehydrator you don't have to dessicate food if you plan on using it kind of soon, you can leave some moisture in it and it takes less space in the fridge. Dehydrators also rock for preparing 'raw' foods, like raw vegan burgers, if you're into that kind of thing. My favorite is taking almost old fruit and blending it with leftover qunioa to make 'candy bars'.


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## mamayogibear

So my bus search is still the two semi local busses (each about 1.5 hours from me). However I now actually have money to get either one! I do not know anyone that knows about diesel engines to have them come look at a bus with me. The more I talk to the person with the '60 bus with a 'new' engine the more like a salesman he begins to sound. It turns out the bus wasn't really his and he is selling it because he got it as a trade in for another vehicle. The school bus seems like a better bet now. The person sems to really care about the bus since he converted it to both an rv and to run off of veggie oil himself. He told me he is in no hurry to sell it and would only sell it if I could promise to never sell it for scrap even if it meant taking less than scrap value when I was finished living in it. I just wish I knew someone in Eastern OR that has knowledge of diesel and veggie oil to pay to look at the bus for me!

Any suggestions?

Thanks


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## jrabbit

Mamayogibear -

Contact the folks at http://www.ecowomb.com/ We met them in Florida. They have a bus that runs on veggie oil.

We're going to be in Portland by the end of June - wish we could help !

--janis


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## jrabbit

We are leaving next Friday for our next cross-country adventure! We're heading to Portland for DH's work. We will be there 3-6 months - not sure what we'll do after that.

We're taking it slowly - driving only on the weekends. DH will be flying to Portland for the work weeks. Our first stop is Tucson, second is Los Angeles, then somewhere in northern California.

We never did anything about the freezer. I am looking for a better cooler and considering getting a portable ice maker. Still trying to decide. Since we're going north for the summer, I figure we can handle the fruits and veggies for awhile, at least.

--janis


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## trekkingirl

I'm in northern california, Petaluma to be exact.


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## featherstory

Do you eat dates? You can purchase dates and they keep unrefrigerated for quite awhile... they're also extremely filling and full of energy...if you blend them they make great energy drinks. If you shop every weekend I think you should be fine for produce if you make sure to get some foods that don't need to be refrigerated...like get bananas that aren't ripe and let them ripen, get apples/oranges, figs, nectarines, melons, mangoes, these things don't need to be refrigerated until you open them...also most veggies(greens, celery and herbs) can be put into water to make them last longer and kept out of the refrigerator. I also leave tomatoes out of the refrigerator and actually find that most fruits/veggies do better when they're not cold, unless they are in danger of over-ripening. Also look into local farmers, gardeners, CSA's, co-ops and community gardens for better produce costs.

As for diesel in Oregon, I know an RV'er in Portland who may be able to help you...sounds like a great deal! I would love to find a WVO bus!

Blogging is great but I personally have yet to be really consistent at it, though I have only recently put the monetizing aspect in place. I'm trying to get some help with my blogs because I have some positions in niche communities that could be really beneficial to companies and I am in the process of asking for sponsorship to help me start my business and go on tour this summer at some events in my niche.

Congrats JRabbit!


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## roadfamily6now

Wow, look at all the updates!
I'm totally jealous of the buses you gals are finding that are fully converted AND just $4000.  Up here in Alaska a $4000 is the cheapest bus you can find and it's just a bus.

Our conversion is going along fairly well but we are running out of time. We have to be out of our house June 1st to the Renters can move in. We could technically move into the bus and work it fairly well but then we'd have to finish is while living in it. If anyone has remodeled you know how long THAT can take.

www.TheRoadFamily.com


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## mamayogibear

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *roadfamily6now*
> 
> Wow, look at all the updates!
> I'm totally jealous of the buses you gals are finding that are fully converted AND just $4000.  Up here in Alaska a $4000 is the cheapest bus you can find and it's just a bus.
> 
> Our conversion is going along fairly well but we are running out of time. We have to be out of our house June 1st to the Renters can move in. We could technically move into the bus and work it fairly well but then we'd have to finish is while living in it. If anyone has remodeled you know how long THAT can take.
> 
> www.TheRoadFamily.com


I totally didn't notice you were from Anchorage! I lived Anchorage when I was little. Totally off topic sorry!


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## lovemyzoo

We just got a new trailer trailer. In the spring(2013) we will be living in it full time. But not moving around much. We are moving from NY to AZ which will be a 2-3 week trip. Then in a general area of AZ for a good while. 4-6 months and after that depending staying there or moving again not sure.

We have 8 kids and 1 dog so it will be an adventure that is for sure.


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## mom2childs

Lovemyzoo - what kind did you get?

For those who are interested in blogging, I've set up a forum at http://forum.mamarvthereyet.com/index.php, so stop on by. I'll have to manually approve you.


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## featherstory

I saw some really cool things in Petaluma and may need to check that place out when I return trekkingirl...we spend most of the summer in Dillon's Beach and in the Sacramento area.


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## trekkingirl

Awesome featherstory, come be a moose!

lovemyzoo what are you going to do with all your animals?

mom2childs I couldn't figure out how to sign up on that linky


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## mamayogibear

So I don't even have an RV (or bus) yet but I'm just wondering if you ladies prefer triple A or Good Sam? I figure it's best to be prepared! When i drove a VW Westfalia I had AAA but I don't think their RV coverage offers more than 100 miles in towing. What is good roadside assistance for RV's? What is good (affordable but decent coverage) insurance?
Thanks


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## mamayogibear

Oh and I'm thinking of letting go of my dream to get a bus for now and getting a regular motorhome or a truck with a camper canopy... it wouldn't be as awesome but it would be a bit more practacal in terms of repairing if it broke down..


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## lovemyzoo

We got a salem bunk house with 2 slide out in the bunk rooms. We pull it with my full size van. We are looking at Sam Goodie but aren't part of either yet.

The dog will go with us, the cat will either stay in the barn when we are sell or go to a friend for her barn(it is a barn cat so isn't much options on that) and the chickens will end up in the freezer as they are reaching the end of their laying life anyway.


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## lovemyzoo

OK what do you all do for washing laundry? I can't image laundry mat with all my kids but can't figure anything else out either.


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## trekkingirl

laundry mat with three kids here! unless one of my relatives takes pitty on me and lets me wash at their house. which usually doesn't happen. I even had to give up cloth diapering because the diapers weren't holding up in the Tide stricken fabric softner stricken machines.


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## featherstory

Yeah cloth diapering is hard with laundromats. I would wash my diapers either in the kiddie sandbox(plastic turtle) that we used as a kiddie pool sometimes or in the bathtub(pretty stuffy in there). My plan was to get a wonderwasher, but we moved out of our trailer around the time I thought about getting one. Other than that yeah...we used the laundromat. Drying clothes outside of the trailer was pretty easy though until it got rainy. I think I will get a Wonderwasher this time around or something similar...I know there are some electric washers and some manuals that are portable.


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## trekkingirl

my mom has a wonder washer, she loves it!


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## lovemyzoo

I was thinking diapering I could go to flats, they are about 60% of my stash and easy(or the easiest) to hand wash) and wool which I already use 90% of the time and has to be hand washed anyway.

I guess I don't have to take all my kids since my older ones can baby sit, but we have 8, by then 9 kids and we will not be anywhere near families. 6 hours from his dad, 3 days from my side. I will havea friend in the area she will feel bad for me but I hate to impose.

I was looking at the portable washers since we didn't get a bigger rv with hook up. I don't mind line drying did it most of the time in Korea too.

The 1st month we will be on the road, how do you all find places to stay while on the road? The older girls(14,12,10) want to plan places to check out and see on the way-NY to AZ.

Then we will be in one place for the summer, and then either finding a place for the winter or leaving DH and go somewhere better weather to spend the winter. It is AZ but mountains and it gets cold and snowy up there.

I am excited about it, most of the kids are. I just worry about DH, mainly getting bored and the 14 year old-she is a teen so yea.


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## cynthia mosher

You have quite an active thread here. Would you be interested in opening your own Group? It would give you the ability to have more organized discussions as you'd be able to post separate threads for each topic - almost like a subforum. If you'd like to open a Group you'll need two volunteer group leaders. Discuss it and if you decide you'd like to, just send me a PM and I'll get you set up.


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## featherstory

I'm cool with an RV'ers group and don't mind volunteering. Anyone else?


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## lovemyzoo

Sounds awesome to me to. I check the board daily so if you need help I can.


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## trekkingirl

Yay! I really wanted a group without the commitment of being a leader


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## Ydolem

WOW!!! This thread is AMAZING!!! I have not read all of the comments yet but I can guarantee you that I will. Finding this is priceless as we are going to buy an RV and be out of our home when our lease is up in October. Soon my DH, two teenagers, and 3 yro son and I will be on the road. We have decided to make a radical change to down size and simplify our lives.

We have always been movers. Within the last 10 years we have lived in WI, CA, MN, IL, WA, OR and now currently FL. We have always found the beauty in seeing new places and have always been up for an adventure. But lately we have been feeling like we would like to settle. We are almost 40 and would love to find a place to live off grid. I need to fulfill a dream from when I was in my 20's of living in the country and having my goats, chicken and a HUGE bad-ass garden. 

Now, since we have terrible credit and with it almost being our official "second half" of our lives we are forced to look at alternatives to making this happen. So, we are planning to buy an RV within 3 months. Sell the old 1999 Saturn and buy either a scooter or motorcycle to put on the back. We are tired of paying 1000 a month for rent and utilities on top of that so we were thinking that if we could be mobile for the fall and winter that we could save any money we make towards some property. Now, once we have decided on where (could be WA or CO. Open to suggestions) we can either do owner financing or buy something small. We can park the RV on it as a temp house while we work and save towards building either a cob or straw-bale hybrid home. They are very environmentally friendly homes to the earth and couldn't be better for our health. I figure it will take a year to two to finish. I would LOVe to live in a yurt as a temp dwelling but they are running 10-15,000 for a 30' with the proper additions.

As a plus we home school so I do not see a problem with the kids. But taking off in an RV to some place with a mild winter and hoping to find a job scares me to death. There are so many of you on this thread. How do you all do it? I see that some of you have sold a home or have jobs online that help fund your travels. But really what does everyone do to keep gas in the tank and food in your mouths? Who has done this with their fingers crossed and succeeded? Who has not and what did you do? We have moved from state to state many times with a U-haul full of our belongings and have always eventually found a job. Altho Portland OR was a bit rough. YIKES! Anyways, I would love some advise. What do you think? What would you do? Lets talk....


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## trekkingirl

I still haven't figured out how to make money on the road so we live in our area out of the RV and still work at our traditional jobs. Were saving up for our first home purchase.


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## trekkingirl

To the two of you that volunteered to start the RV group, Cynthia says you have to post to the DDC thread in questions and suggestions stating that the two of you will facilitate the group and what you want it called so on and so forth. Or you can PM her.


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## lovemyzoo

Posted asking for it.

We will be living in one spot at lest for the spring and summer,early fall in the rv. DH has a normal job lined up when we move(once he retires from the army) but it will be in an area that won't allow winer living in an rv(mountains) so we are hoping to spend the spring-fall in it and then have a house/ranch/farm again. If we aren't able to when winter starts me and the kids will move a few hours south were we can stay in the rv for the winter and dh will rent a small place in town then come down on the weekends/holidays. My hope is to only have one summer in it, I will miss my animals and garden. Then once our kids move out more we can spend more time in it and when he retires for good live full time in our rv. I am a traveler at heart and if I could have some animals and move often I would do it..


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## lovemyzoo

we have a group 

http://www.mothering.com/community/groups/show/35/full-time-rv-living


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## bmdatx

I just love this site. As soon as I think I'm the only crazy mother out there I find so many other like-minded moms thinking along the same lines. We are about to hit the road in a fifth wheel with our 6 month old and out 100lbs dog! I would love to connect with other families with babies on the road!


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## Ashleigh Priest

Hi ya'll. I am from Florida. We got rid of our house in Feb 2012 because my husband travels for work and it was becoming too expensive for 2 households. We have a 9 month old son and a baby on the way (8 weeks). My husband is a union plumber/pipefitter. We travel everywhere


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## crazyms

Hi everyone. Well we moved to MO with the camper and took traditional jobsfor awhile but dh finally left out again so our next post is Annapolis MD. It will probably be about two months before we are with him since my Durango needs some repairs but I'm excited. I just quit my day job and will be home with the kids full-time again! Trying to get the camper in order before our move and plan the kids curriculum for this year. Can't wait for more updates from everyone!


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## crazyms

Where is everyone now? We made it to Maryland and are set to be here til about the end of tge year. The park we found is nice but doesn't allow for a full hookup so I'm looking at making our RV more self contained just not sure how I want to do it yet.


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## trekkingirl

We have a group now, come check it out that's where everyone went.


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## JustJenny

I can't believe we have a group!! SO cool. We are currently living in our RV and on the road in the southwest. Hubby and I both work over the internet. We are currently TTC our first child. BTW - those of you with children in diapers.....Do any of you cloth diaper? I would love to hear what diapers systems you've used. Also how did using the laundromat go? Do you have any creative ideas for a setup in tight places in your RV?

Jenny


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## jrabbit

We are in Portland still - we've been here since June. Not exactly the nomadic life we were expecting, but we are soooooooooooo glad not to be in the south for the summer! And, it is a good thing that we have regular income  We love the Portland area, but I am looking forward to some more exploring and less settling into routine in the coming months.

--janis


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## truckerfam2013

We are planning on starting to full time next year with our son in a semi. I'm going to homeschool our son while my hubby drives. He will be an owner operator so we are not concerned about us living out of the truck. We all love to travel and my son loves it too. Hes a great traveller and we are all are super excited. My question are there any other families that are currently full timing in a truck? Anyone that has done it in the past with any wisdom to share?


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## bmdatx

How do we find the group?


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## ~adorkable~

on the top menu bar, where your profile is and other menu stuff, purple stipe if you have the normal set up, you will see a menu item called groups, they are all listed from that page.


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## trekkingirl

http://www.mothering.com/community/groups/show/35/full-time-rv-living

Just click on the link


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## mamabear0314

This thread is old but I'm bumping it anyway...off to read all 26 pages!


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## trekkingirl

the reason it isn't active is because we actually have a group now!!!! come check it out in the mothering groups section. I think I put a link up thread.


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