alisasings Report post Posted April 14, 2012 Hello everyone! We are Tim and Alisa Sheets. We live in Nevada and are in our late 40's/early 50's with grown children and 12 grandbabies & one on the way . We've recently bought a 1987 Bounder and will begin full-timing at the end of April. It's both exciting and scary . We're going to Washington to do a gate attendant job for 5 months up by Spirit Lake. We're looking forward to it; it sounds really pretty there but I'm kind of worried about not having any electricity. We are walking away from our home & selling practically everything we own. Deciding what to put in the motor home is pretty daunting. I don't even know where to start. We don't want to have to rent a storage shed for anything. Any tips for downsizing? Also, I'm used to having a well stocked refrigerator. How do y'all shop and store food with those small fridges? I know that people are able to have TV and internet when they are RVing.... how do you do that? Sorry, lot's of questions. I'll be browsing this site to see if I can find answers. Any hints/tips/advice will be greatly appreciated. ~Alisa Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest BillAdams Report post Posted April 14, 2012 Q: Also, I'm used to having a well stocked refrigerator. How do y'all shop and store food with those small fridges? A: Shop more often and store only what will fit. The only other option is to replace the RV fridge with a household fridge if you have the room and the budget. Q: I know that people are able to have TV and internet when they are RVing.... how do you do that? A: DirecTV and Dish offer service for TV. You need to buy an antenna either manually pointed (cheap but a lot of work) or automatic (expensive but super easy). Internet will likely be an air card from one of the major providers. Verizon has the best Nationwide coverage but where you travel may effect your choice. If you want internet service anywhere and everywhere then you need satellite internet which can be very expensive to start up and generally costs more than cellular. The difference is that it works everywhere. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alisasings Report post Posted April 14, 2012 Thanks Bill, I appreciate the info. ~Alisa Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fossfactor Report post Posted April 15, 2012 Hi Alisa and Tim! You will be just fine.. BREATHE! Like Bill said above, you will shop a little more often and become creative about how to stock the fridge. We settled on a weeks worth of winter clothes and a weeks worth of summer, add as you need (mid weight shirts and jackets) We did the same for bedding also. A portable electric heater is nice then you aren't using the propane as much. The kitchen gadgets are hard to give up but you get by without and figure out what you need. I forgot a hand mixer, so I bought a hand blender with a whisk and chopper attachment. That's all I needed. It all works out in the long run. Blessings kathy and brad Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alisasings Report post Posted April 15, 2012 I'm selling all my kitchen gadgets at the yard sale. I hardly ever use any of them anyway. I was surprised to see what all I had stashed in my kitchen cabinets! LOL! As long as I've got a good, sharp knife I'm happy We have a pretty good size closet so carrying plenty of clothes shouldn't be a problem. We're going to put our winter clothes in a space bag in the basement....no wait, under the bed! (maybe) I just found out today that there is a door at the foot of the bed and it's storage all underneath it. I just have no idea how I'd get the stuff out that ends up clear in the back Anyway I really appreciate the advice! I'm learning soooo much! Y'all are making this a lot easier!! God Bless y'all! ~Alisa Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillO Report post Posted April 15, 2012 A couple the handiest things for out-of-the-way storage are Rubbermaid type storage boxes and a long hook. In the basement you can use pretty good size storage containers. Under the bed you might find the ones made for underbed storage at home (the low profile ones, sometimes with wheels) might fit. The long hook lets you retrieve those containers when you push them way back and you may already have it. I use the same long hook that was supplied to pull the awnings down. The other tactic with smaller refrigerators is to buy in smaller package quantities. For example, instead of the family size mayo, I buy the equivalent in two smaller jars. One goes in the fridge and the other in back-up dry goods stores. It is a bit more expensive that way, but in return you get a more widely stocked fridge. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adriscoll Report post Posted April 15, 2012 To fit more in your freezer, repackage store wrapped goods in those stackable rubbermaid containers and just label them with contents and date. That way you can stash a lot more in and can see what you have without having everything falling out on you as you search for something. Be careful of taking too much with you and exceeding your weight capacity in the motorhome - it is very easy to do. Follow the motorhomers rule - one new comes in, one old goes out. I hated giving up all my kitchen gadgets as I love to cook so I always had to be careful not to accumulate too many of those in our 11 years as full timers. Books were my other love that I missed but with the new ebooks that problem is gone. My husband used the basement storage for tools and he accumulated so much over the 11 years that when we cleaned out the motorhome when we built our new house, he was amazed at what he had - some he could not even remember buying. We now use our motorhome for shorter trips and vacations and I am amazed at how much better it drives and how much better gas mileage it gets without all the weight. It is an amazing way to see the country though and I'm sure you will love it. You will meet the nicest people in your travels. We have made lifelong friends that we would have never met if it were not for the rv lifestyle. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ClayL Report post Posted April 15, 2012 While acting as a gate keeper your lifestyle is going to be pretty limited if you don't have electricity. Are you going to have to run your generator all/most of the time? If so how will you refuel your motor home? The generator will probably use about 1/2 gallon per hour at half load. You can use an inverter to change the 12 vdc from your battery to 120vac so you would not have to run the generator all the time. There are some items like AC and electric heaters that won't be practical to use even if you have the requisite inverter and battery bank. Do you have a way to dump your waste tanks and take on water where you will be staying? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest BillAdams Report post Posted April 16, 2012 Most gate guarding jobs include good 50amp power plus unlimited water and sewage (either actual connections or via portable dump and fill). We will have to hear from the poster but I suspect they will be in very good shape. Gate guarding for the oil rigs (Texas and elsewhere) can also be extremely profitable with some "guards" reporting income well above $50,000/year. The bad news is that it is a 24/hour/day job and you are usually way out in the middle of nowhere. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fossfactor Report post Posted April 16, 2012 I repack my meat into 2 serving size containers, I am the rubbermaid queen! it stacks well in freezer! also holds 1 pound of ground meat I am talking the square sandwich size ones. they have the cheapo ones also, you can get 2 chicken breasts in one container. saves space in there! like Bill said smaller jars instead of economy size. Happy packing! kathy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alisasings Report post Posted April 16, 2012 Thanks for the replies everyone! ClayL, We are going to be gate attendants/selling permits in a day use only area 5 days a week for people to ATV/motorcycle/bike ride, pick berries, gather firewood, hunt, etc. We will have sewer and the company will bring water once a week. Our refrigerator and hot water heater will run on propane and we'll only run the generator some in the daytime (& we have 2 deep cell batteries plus a backup generator). We have four 5 gallon gas cans to bring gas back to camp when needed. I doubt that we'll be running the AC and we won't run any electric heaters. all in all, I think the setup will be pretty good. Been reading like crazy all the manuals and info that came with the RV. So glad the people we bought it from kept all that stuff! Wow! Making some headway in getting it packed up (finally). New questions, do y'all travel with water in your tank? Full or just 1/2? I'm just thinking about the weight. The books say we have a 100 gallon freshwater tank. Also, do people travel with their refrigerator turned on? I suppose that would run off the battery while going down the road and then when we stop we'd switch it to propane.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillO Report post Posted April 19, 2012 New questions, do y'all travel with water in your tank? Full or just 1/2? I'm just thinking about the weight. The books say we have a 100 gallon freshwater tank. I too have a 100 gal fresh water tank and don't consider hauling 800 pounds of excess weight around unless I'm going into a situation (like a rally, or repair shop, etc.) where I know I won't have a water hookup. Traveling alone, I only carry 25-30 gals which is enough for an overnight (or two, or three depending) in Flying Js in between campground hookups. You might want to start out at one-half and then adjust after some dry stops of your own. Also, do people travel with their refrigerator turned on? I suppose that would run off the battery while going down the road and then when we stop we'd switch it to propane.... Lots of debate over this one. The most adamant on one side say turn it off and the insulation will hold it for the day's drive. I'm not sure of that, myself. In my case, with a fairly new reefer the temp will go above 40 in an hour of off time. On the other side are those who say that the propane system was designed to run while underway, so use it. I've moved over to that side too. My reefer runs on propane or AC only. Now, I can run over-the-road using the AC option through my inverter. However, the AC reefer element is listed at 700 watts which means the inverter has to pull about 60 amps DC to make that. That is an awfully big load to put on the alternator (to keep the batteries up) in addition to the other loads that the alternator has to support underway. If you also have a DC option on your reefer that might be viable while driving. Usually, the DC equipment for RVs is more energy conscious and may not need as many watts for temp maintenance, but I've no direct experience with that. If you have the reefer manual, or access to the back plate with specs, you should be able to find the wattage, or current draw, for DC if available. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alisasings Report post Posted April 19, 2012 Thanks BillO. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted April 19, 2012 You are about to live Willies song, "On the road again". Alisa you spoke of a storage door under your bed. Lots of MHs have storage under the bed that can be accessed by lifting the deck the bed sits on. A far as cooking, check to see what kind of Micro Wave you have. If you have a Convection Micro Wave you can do alot that you were able to do in your stick house. Carrying water, how much? As said here try half a tank and adjust from there. Dry camping is not so bad but hook ups are nice. Consider the cost of dry camping to RV Parks. In really hot weather you will need AC. If you have to run the Gen. the whole night there will be a cost. Your Gen. will consume 3/4 to 1 gallon per hour under full load, at todays cost of fuel that could be $3.75 time 10 hours = $37.50 per day. For that cost you can go to a RV Park have Elec. Water, Sewer and Showers. Just a few thoughts I had, hope they help. Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest BillAdams Report post Posted April 19, 2012 There is no reason to turn off your RV fridge while traveling. It is designed to continue to work while using propane as you drive. I do not recommend turning the unit off but if you have a 12V option you may be able to maintain the cool on this setting. The fridge uses so little propane that I would still recommend staying set to propane at all time (except when fueling, of course) until you are connected to shore power again at which time the fridge should automatically switch. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vmnickel Report post Posted April 19, 2012 I'm still fairly new to RV'ing, but did pick up a trick or two. I have used my toaster oven for many things: baked corn muffins and biscuits, heated up a cup of coffee when coffee pot broke, heated microwave meals (removed from plastic container to disposable aluminum container) when micro was on the fritz. I also try to have at least two uses for anything I bring into the RV and ask myself if I really need it. You are going to be surprised at how inventive you will become . Enjoy! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted April 19, 2012 The fridge uses so little propane that I would still recommend staying set to propane at all time (except when fueling, of course) until you are connected to shore power again at which time the fridge should automatically switch. Bill correct me if I'm wrong. If the 1987 Bounder has the original fridge it would have a pilot light? That along with cooling may use more Propane then a newer fridge. I also think that back then the propane tanks weren't that large. Alisa, Has your fridge and or micro wave been up dated? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alisasings Report post Posted April 19, 2012 I don't think the fridge and microwave have been updated. We have a 20 gal propane tank. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest BillAdams Report post Posted April 20, 2012 hermanmullins Correct you if you are wrong about what? A propane fridge of any age uses very little propane with or without a pilot light. I was talking about (and the poster asked about) traveling with the fridge on. I recommend traveling with the fridge on propane in all circumstances. I am sorry if there was something confusing about that part of my post. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted April 20, 2012 Bill, I was saying that older fridges had pilot lights (propane) while the newer ones have spark ignighters. I agree that when moving that LP is the way to go. I always keep ours on Auto so when we have shore power it will switch to AC. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ponder Report post Posted April 20, 2012 Dear Tim & Alisa, We haven't been on this forum for a while, to busy traveling. We have been full-timing for the past 7 years. I agree with most of what you have been told. Just a word of caution, you will not want to depend on very many electrical appliance of any kind without electric. It will amaze you how fast your batteries run down and your generator will go through gas. We have small 12 volt clip on fans to put beside the bed at night to make sleeping easier. No AC when boon-docking (camping with no hook-ups) Very little TV, we use the radio in our rig which runs off the engine battery and then crank our coach every couple of days to keep that battery charged up. Good for it too if we are sitting still for long. We also take the rig out for a drive every month to 6 weeks if we stay in one place, to get it's juices flowing and keep the tires in better condition. We stay out around 30-45 minutes. Know one has mentioned the date codes on your tires, make sure what they are and know that no matter the milage on the coach or the appearance of your tires after 5-7 years the tires should be replaced. Especially if coach has been parked and not driven frequently in the past few years. Yes it is alot of money but so is a blow out going down the road. If you have hobbies, take the basics of those things with you, or you will soon see yourself replacing the things you just sold or donated. We were able to store a few special pieces with family and thankfully our kids took some of our favorite things so we can go and visit them when we see the kids. We travel all over the country, had solar put on the roof to stay out in the desert longer, but you can buy alot of gas for the generator for the cost of solar. We just couldn't stand the noise or smell after a while. We have workamped and joined the Elk's club to have access to there campgrounds. There are other groups that have inexpensive campgrounds as well. We find that the Escapees RV Club meets our needs for socialization in many ways because the chapters are based on interest not just on geography. Many of the members travel full-time or did at some point. Hope to meet you down the road. we will be at the Northeast rally in Vermont in July this year while visting daughters and grandchildren. Jim and Cynthia Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billkoboldt Report post Posted September 4, 2012 If a person sells their home and goes full timing 100% of the time, what do you do for an address for your drivers license and voter registration? Most everything can be done online now, and there is direct deposit for SS checks and what ever income you have, so that is not a big problem. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RVerOnTheMove Report post Posted September 5, 2012 Most? Not sure anyone can answer most. If you have a source of income from any kind of a retirement plan you will want to consult a tax attorney to ensure your choice of locations will not have an adverse effect on that income (taxes!). Many people who need an address sign up for an address in SD. You can Google SD mailing address (or similar) and you will find that you can make SD your State of residence without much effort. Some use TX and Escapees and others use a family members address as their domicile. There are many choices but on one choice is right for everyone. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbutler Report post Posted September 5, 2012 There is an older discussion that deals with the many aspects of full timing and choosing an address. Full-timers' residency requirements has links to other discussions as well. I suggest that anyone in the process of establishing a new address study the possibilities carefully. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
