Merry Christmas!

This year we celebrated Christmas, Florida style, in shorts.

Camping in the cold

This October, Mike and I went to Montana to visit his family and he warned me in advance, that we would have snow while there, but it would melt.  When we downsized and loaded up the camper Mike made sure that we were prepared for any kind of weather condition, IE: a winter coat, boots, thermals, rain coat and rain boots, etc.  Good thing he did, as we did have snow as well as below zero temps for a few days.  When we were at Aunt Betty’s, our hot water tank line froze up overnight when it got to single digits, but thawed out with the warm-up of the day.  We have a fireplace under the TV in the living area and we have a free standing temp control electric heater in the bedroom.  Running those with our propane furnace we were able to keep toasty warm, along with additional clothes and thick blankets.  Mike puts reflectix in the windows to keep the cold air out and the warm air in.  When it did get below zero all the water lines froze so Mike thawed them out with my hair dryer and then blew out the lines to semi winterize the rig until the temperatures were finally above zero.  We were blessed to be staying at my mother-in-law’s to use her shower and cook in her house as needed.

NOTE: We were using the fresh water tank, both at Aunt Betty’s and my mother-in-law’s, so we didn’t need a heated hose.

Downsizing

For us to go from a 1,600 square foot house to a 350 square foot 38 foot travel trailer to live our dream of full time RVing and travel America, we had to downsize and downsize big time. 

If you are looking to downsize or even minimize your lifestyle, these are the steps Mike and I took to do it.

• Change your mind set.  You have to remove emotions from things.
• Stuff is just stuff.  I know that some of your treasures are treasures of your heart for sentimental reason, but remember it is just stuff. 
• Don’t let your possessions possess you.  Once I realized that we are working so hard to store our stuff, it was easier to give away or get rid of the stuff.
• Need vs want.  Do you NEED it or WANT it, know the difference.  You might need 4 – 8 forks, not 20.  How many coffee cups?  Two to four is needed NOT ten.  Instead of books, how about using e-books.
• More than 1 use.  For example our toaster oven, it is an oven, toaster and broiler.  Multi-functional is key.
• Have you used it in the last 3 years?  If not, then you don’t need it.  This includes clothes.
• Ask family and friends first.  See if your family or friends want any of your treasures.  This way you know they are going to a good home.  You can even ask them to hold your treasures until you are ready to take them back.  This helped me give them away.
• Have a yard sale or advertise online.  Why not let the stuff you no longer need make you some money.
• Giveaway or donate.  Giving brings joy to others as well as yourself.  Donate to a church rummage sale, Salvation Army, Goodwill, or any other charity.

I hope this was helpful.  Do you have any other suggestions?  If so, put them in the comments below.