Living in An RV -- Our Third Anniversary

 It is hard to believe -- but we are starting our fourth year of living in a fifth-wheel. 

This is actually trailer #2.   The first one had water damage, unnoticed by us -- but caught by the insurance adjuster when we had a fender-bender. It was totalled, and we had 24 hours to get everything out before it was hauled off. 

     Fortunately, the insurance reimbursement paid for a slightly-larger version with a few more bells and whistles, including a solar array up-top. The Brick bargained the price down at least $5000. (He's amazing that way.)

And, except for a few periods (like the world cruise), we've been living in it ever since. 

There have been a lot of bonuses:

*Being able to quickly move, when we need to.  (Like last October, when The Mama was seriously ill.)

*Staying for longer periods, when we need or want to. The Michigan trip for The Mama's sake was 6 months. The winter before, we volunteered for Ethnos360 in Arizona for two months. 

*Bringing the dogs, when we go. No having to search or ask for doggy-sitters. 

Our beloved Charley was able to finish his life with us...

Ruby continues to patrol as the Faithful Dog in Charge.

*Bringing my family with, when I've got a gig to do. Staying in hotel rooms or at someone's home was nice...but got old very fast. Now our family, dogs included, goes along.

*We've stayed comfortable -- warm during blustery days, and cool on hotter days. (Thank you, air conditioning, and the electric fireplace when we don't feel like starting up the heat.) 

*The sleeping area is snug. It is almost built like a captain's bed, set back away from the closets and cupboards. (The bedroom, as well as the living area, has electric pullouts.) I love looking out the side windows when it's snowing, and listening to rain pattering on the roof. 

*The bathroom and shower are there to use, when needed. A full-sized shower, too...and a separate bathroom sink with mirror for primping.

*LOTS of windows. Big ones, that let in the light and show us the world around us. Deer stroll by at sunset, and munch in the field above. I love watching panoramas like this. 

*There's room. Not as much as our house, of course. But with planning and care, we have plenty of room for our daily needs. The oven, microwave and sink area are very usable. 

*The 'basement' lets us store extra food, tools and parts. Underneath the living area are several large compartments with doors that open to the outside. The Brick uses one side for tools, etc; I store nonperishables and some canned foods on the other. There's even enough space for Christmas ornaments...and dirty laundry! (We have a nifty opening under the bathroom sink for tossing it down -- it lands in the basket below. I wish I'd had something like this before  in our previous houses.)

*Costs are minimal. We have a wonderful spot to stay when we're home in Colorado. (We pay our utilities, keep an eye on the ranch when our friends are gone, and help out with chores when needed. We love this quiet, peaceful place...and they seem to enjoy having us here.) When we're not at home, we can easily boondock, or stay for free in places like Walmart parking lots when we're traveling. And when we're staying somewhere, we've been able to swap our time and efforts for (mostly) free parking. 

     Given that we don't have to pay property tax, utilities for areas we're not using, home repairs and other homeowners' joyous responsibilities -- we've saved a LOT of money. 

Now for the negatives.  (There are always plusses and minuses.)

*It can feel crowded. Bringing items back from The Mama's estate really jammed things, until I could sort through and pass them on to the girlies. The Brick and I have learned the "Fifth Wheel Waltz:" If one person is cooking, the other backs off to give them space to move. (Now if we could only get Ruby to do the same thing.) We took out the lumpy couch, and moved the two chairs in that space. When the Brick gets a desk built under the big picture window, I can clear off the 'dining room' table. These will all help with the use of the space. (Which is really important.)

*It can feel a bit claustrophobic. On really hot days, we need to keep the windows closed and shaded. It starts to look like a cave, during times like that. (I have more trouble with this than the Brick. I like my views.)

*Storage space fills up quickly. I can't stock up like I used to on groceries -- a real problem, now that prices have risen so quickly. (On the plus side, we have extra leftover cans, bottles, etc. from our previous 'life,' which we are still using up. Our friends have been kind to let us store these in their garage.)

These storage chairs seemed like a good idea -- but they quickly broke down.

We're back to regular chairs.

     We were storing extra furniture, books, etc. in the third bay of The Mama's garage. Now that the farm has sold (in April), we had to put this stuff somewhere. Fortunately, family members bought the farm. They're letting us keep a snowmobile trailer, filled with our overflow, on the property for now. (Thank you, Dears.)

*No room for lots of books. I love being surrounded by books, but it's not possible in the fifth-wheel. The Brick has been kind enough to install a small bookcase, which helps. 

*No bathtub! I miss the steamy sojourns I used to indulge in.  (Yes, I'm that kind of girl.)

*We still have breakdowns and needed repairs. The solar panels have never worked at 100%. (Hopefully we can put in the batteries needed for collection soon -- they were just too expensive to indulge in right now. And we've had access to electric connections.) The awning never worked properly -- and was ripped right off, when a stray branch caught it. The roof needed replacing. (Now we have a lifetime guarantee on that, thankfully.) Our sink needed repairs; so did the trailer struts. Fortunately, the Brick can fix nearly everything. But this takes time, energy and $$.

*The blackwater (waste), gray and regular water tanks need to be filled. And/or emptied. Regularly. Watching our poop emptying out through the necessary clear pipe is one of the more 'urp-ier' experiences I've ever had. (The Brick usually takes care of it, poor guy.) We connect to water when we're parked in Colorado, so we don't need to keep filling that tank. But when we're on the road, we must be careful how much water we're using. 

*If we're moving around...and even if we're not -- no garden. I miss growing lots of vegetables, though our friends have generously let us use a smaller space. (Currently greens, perennials and a few zucchini are growing there.) I can scrounge around, keep a small pot of greens and admire other people's gardens and yards. But it's not the same. (On the plus side, out here in the arid West, we save a lot of water.) 

*It costs -- big-time -- to move. Why? Because gasoline prices have gone through the roof. It cost more than $2000, just to get the fifth-wheel back from Michigan, down to Arizona (to get the roof replaced), then up to Colorado -- and home. 

* * * * * * *

I've learned some tips and tricks to help us live better in this portable home. Those will be the subject in the next post...and should help you too, whether you live in 200 sq. ft -- or 20,000. 

Would we do it again? 

Absolutely.

Look for Part II soon.