A Women's RV Forum run by Women RVer's!

Yesterday I reserved my space for my new residence and I am excited about starting my new life RVing. You can check out the park where I will be living at http://www.RayfordCrossing.com. I think I will really enjoy the new lifestyle and will be able to remain close to my work too.

Anytime I venture into something completely new - I look back later and say to myself, "I wish I would have known that." Since I am about to make the transition from an 1800 sq ft brick house to a home on wheels, the decisions about what to keep and what to sell can be a bit overwhelming. I am looking for someone with experience to give me advice.

Would you be willing to share your "TOP 3 Essential Things to Keep" list? -or- perhaps an easier thing to share would be the "TOP 3 Things to Learn about RV Life."

Please know that I appreciate learning from all of you. I will learn how to post photos soon and share those with you.

When I went fulltime I found I took too many clothes. That may not apply to you since you're still working. I ended up taking my sewing machine with me - I've made sofa/dining set slipcovers and I use it to mend things. If you're not a sewer it won't be important. I took too many cooking pot and pans. I find I don't really cook much in the RV (I'm the microwave queen). I put all my music from CD's onto SD cards to play on my MP3 player - saved a lot of space and I was able to delete those songs on every CD that you don't really care that much for. Are you going to have a storage unit or leave some stuff with family? I put a lot of my clothes, pots, pans, cd's, etc in storage for a year along with tax returns. If I hadn't missed anything in a year I gave it away. By doing that I really didn't have that "wish I kept such and such". I do carry a printer with me so I can print that odd coupon, receipt, etc. Bought a small, inexpensive one (Kodak) that the ink cartridges are cheaper. I do carry some tools, hammer, screwdrivers, duct tape, etc. I do laundry once a week so don't need extra towels or sheets. I use Dish and have a satellite on top of the RV. I have a Verizon phone and use Verizon's aircard so I'm not dependent on RV parks wifi which can be undependable and Verizon is a lot more secure to pay bills and do banking. I put as many things as possible on autopay and pay everything else like credit cards on line. I've gone with paperless statements wherever possible, If I feel like I need to keep copies I copy them into a file folder on my computer rather than paper file. I can't remember when I wrote a check last. I have a credit card that gives points and I charge everything (gas, monthly RV fees, food, etc) then pay the card off at the end of the month. I very seldom use my ATM card - there are usually fees if you're not using your own bank's ATM and if you get a bad product you can't challenge the purchase like you can on a credit card.

This is probably more information than you asked for.

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I've always been curious - what do fulltimers do for (emergency and non-emergency) doctors, dentists, maintenance drugs (like mail order diabetes stuff), and hospitals???

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Kathi, I'm curious, how did you make reservations at the campground without knowing what kind of RV you will have or when you will purchase it? They ask you for length, how many slides, width, everything I've never even been asked before! Are you willing to pay for the reservation even if your RV purchase is delayed if you can't find the right one for you?

Mitch, I see my doctor once a year and she refills my diabetic prescriptions which I order 3 months worth thru the mail and they mail them to wherever I am. In an emergency there are always clinics or hospitals nearby - would be the same if you were only vacationing. My insurance premiums are on autopay and since I'm on medicare its available all over the country. If I weren't on medicare I'd be sure any insurance I signed up for I would be able to use all over the country.

ok, most important thing to have is a crock pot but I mostly use the microwave
so I'm another one that has too many pots and pans. I just do not do that much real
intense cooking. I'm parked in a park long term so I acquired a shed from someone
that was moving on down the road. I do keep my seasonal stuff in that but for the
rv itself, I have two sets of sheets and about 4 blankets. (because of my dogs and
if something gets soiled I want clean until laundry day) I have very few social gathering
type clothes cause I wear uniforms to work and thats the majority of my wardrobe.
(I know, its pathetic) I have two sets of bath towels, and for the kitchen I have about
4 tea towels, then of course a couple of potholders. All my dishes and flatwear are
settings of four, but theres only me, someday I might have a guest, you never know.
Coffee maker, toaster, (I love toast) and I have a pressure cooker and food processor.
I use those on occassion and can't be without them. The normal utensils, knives and
turner, masher and can opener, big spoon and ladel, tonges and an electric hand blender.
I have the variety of tools, a screwgun with a variety of bits, a hammer (just in case
I can't fix it I kill it) just kidding. Also most important.....a tape measure cause
your gonna want to redecorate and that means taking measurements. Thats all I can
think of for now but I'll think of more.

Thanks Karen, Great advice!

I will be reducing my "stuff" to a 10x10 climate controlled storage space...plus the travel trailer. Because I will have to continue working for a year or two (or more), I will have to retain more clothing than would be required if I could retire.

My plan is to reduce to basics only and only replace clothes when they wear out or no longer look professional enough to wear for business. No more "cute but uncomfortable shoes"...only what fits in a hanging storage thingie. Reduced self-care products, cosmetics and supplements with a "use it or lose it " policy on everything.

Should I save things like step-stools or even small household ladders? I am a cook and it will be the biggest (maybe the only) thing I will miss about living in such a small space. I assume that I will want to go back to basic pots and pans to avoid the clutter of small appliances.

Should I get something like a safe deposit box at the bank for the few really valuable items I want to keep? Does everyone use notebook computers? or do some use a desktop? I have used a notebook for as long as 4 years...but I always go back to the comfort of working on a desktop. I'm just concerned about space.

Vickie - this place is flexible about when I move in, but they are not committing for much more than 2 months of availability because so many people come to this part of Texas for the winter. There seem to be only 2 sizes and the smaller ones were full...so I am paying $20 per month more for a space much bigger than I will need. Once I get my funds from the estate sale, I will move quickly to purchase my trailer because I want to get started on this new adventure ASAP!

It sounds like a lot of you are crafty - sewing machines and measuring tape - but that is not my skill set. I hardly ever eat anything that I have not prepared from scratch, so microwave fare is rare.

Avalen, you seem to be using a lot of small appliances. Do you have any storage issues? I usually have a well-stocked pantry and would probably take the storage space for food rather than appliances. Does that make sense to anyone?

here's a tip for when ya get parked in full time,
when you get the sewer hooked up, keep the black tank closed and only empty it
when its full. If you know your going to empty the next day, close the grey tank
and let some of the dish water build up, that way after you dump the black you
can then flush it down with the grey. I do have a flush king on mine but I only
go through that process every few times I dump. For me personally, it takes me
about two weeks to fill the black tank. I leave the grey tank open all the time
but do close it before I open the black cause I don't want any of the nasty stuff
to rush up into the grey tank pipe. Then when I'm done with the black tank,
close it and then open the grey back up. Some people use chemicals in their
toilet and some don't. I do, I prefer the granular TST MAX, I buy it at Walmart
in the rv supply section and can also get it at Camping World but it costs more.
I do not like the blue stuff as it stains everything and really is only a deodorizer.
The TST has enzymes to help break stuff up. I'm sure the other ladies will chime
in as well about the chemicals and stuff.

all my utesils and flatware fit in the top drawer, and all my tools in the bottom. Two other drawers
for stuff like saran wrap and baggies and other odds and ends. One other large deep
drawer keeps bread and sugar and pot holders, tea towels. I have lots of large cabinets
plus the tall narrow pantry closet with the slide out shelves. I have another drawer
below the oven where I keep my oven pans and I also end up storing cookie sheets
and muffin tins inside the oven. The hand blender is the type you use for milkshakes
and gravies so it fits right in the drawer as well. I have a fifth wheel so I have a bit
more storage area than most tt. I still have one large cabinet above the microwave
I don't keep anything in.

Appliances- INSIDE: small crockpot, small coffee maker, toaster, George Foreman grill, small electric chopper, small toaster oven, 12" electric skillet.

Appliances - OUTSIDE: small butane BBQ, icemaker.

Rather than carry all my clothes, I put my winter clothes in the storage unit in the summer and vice versa. A safe deposit box would be good for insurance policies, will, etc BUT if something happens to you, who would be able to access the box? I carry copies of my medical records with me.

Definitely a Laptop computer and a printer. I back my documents and pictures on memory sticks so as not to lose anything if computer crashes.

I got myself a PO box at a UPS store because they have an actual street address (xxx Quinlan St. #274) because some things can't be mailed to a PO box. When I leave town I leave some money and they forward my mail (first class only) about once a month.

I got a Magic Jack phone so I can make phone calls without using all my Verizon minutes. Plugs directly into computer. Check our their web site (www.magicjack.com) Can be purchased at Walmart.

a full size ladder is a handy thing to have and most folks I know in an rv have one
besides their ladder that climbs the back of the mh, and if you notice going down
the road, thats where they bungie the ladder. I don't have a step stool, if I
need to reach upper cabinets I stand on my chair. My sewing machine is tucked in
a corner next to my computer (standard desktop computer) and all my yarn and
sewing stuff is stored under the bed.

Good morning Ava and Karen,

You both are full of great advice. The recommendation about how to handle the black and grey water is exactly the kind of thing that comes from experience. I know that I will be given instructions, but your story of just how to do it step-by-step makes a whole lot of sense.

I have tried the Magic Jack on my desktop and it really froze it up. I have heard of it happening on other computers...but I also know several people who have had really good luck with it. Right now I have Vonage and I hope to keep my telephone number because it is "out there" for my business.

Although I can have street address in the place where I have a reservation, it may make more sense to find a post office box somewhere for my mail. That way, it won't cause me restriction or hassle if I decide to find another park. If I transfer all my bills to paperless, I could actually use my real estate office to get my mail. MMMM - something to think through as much as I can.

In my business I am percieved as a real techie...but the truth is, I have trouble processing new tech issues. For example, using flash drives to back up has caused me challenge. I am told that some of the portable hard drives have pre-loaded software that will make it a little more idiot-proof for me. Since the price of used computers is almost zero, I think I will store any unused computers in my warehouse space until I am really clear how all this will come together then donate them when I am sure I have it all like I want it.

I am assuming this still applies; be careful with donating your old computers. Even if you erase the hard drive, info is still there and can be found but knowledgeable techies. When I donated my old desktop, I literally removed the hard drive and then drilled holes through it before trashing it.

On backing up I'm not talking about extra hard drives, I'm t alking about those little things you plug into a USB port. Copy and paste your pictures, etc onto the flash drive, unplug it, label it and store somewhere. In two or three months, plug it in, delete everything on it and recopy OR copy and paste only the new stuff.

The only problem I've had with my Magic Jack is that sometimes the sound cuts in and out and other times the quality of the call if great. Can you continue to use Vonage when you're in the rv park? Its a computer phone, right?

Another item you should really consider is a surge protector that goes between the park's electric and your RV. Yes, they're expensive BUT if there is a surge it protects your whole rig ie. microwave, AC, etc. Its a lot cheaper than replacing all that stuff including your converter box. Especially important if you travel much and stay in an older park. Don't go for the cheaper one cause it only protects against surges. The better one also protects against low voltage which can be more of a problem cause it burns stuff out slowly and you may not know you have a problem until something catches on fire.

Great advise about your black and grey water dumping. Another thing is don't try to "save" water unless you're boondocking. The water in the tank is what keeps it liquid and dissolves the paper and stuff. Just had an RVer here with major clogging problem cause they tried to save water so they "wouldn't have to dump so often." Stuff dried up and they had to have the tank reemed out - expensive and not fun.