6 Months In – Guest blog by Aimee

We did it! We have survived 6 months of fulltime RV life! It seems to have gone by so fast, but looking back, the beginning seems so long ago.  Life on the road is much different than I anticipated. I actually worried about getting bored. I pictured myself in a hammock reading and napping.  HA! We are BUSY! Between work, roadschool (which has been a total trip) and sight-seeing there is NEVER a dull moment. And oh, the things that we have learned!

13 States, 13 National Parks, 25 RV Parks, 3 stays with family & friends, 3 casino parking lots, 21 different boondocking locations, and we wouldn’t change a thing. Okay, maybe that one RV park. It was pretty sketchy but we survived.

I remember when we purchased our new-to-us motorhome, The Beast, in May of 2016. We knew nothing, and I mean nothing, about them, or camping. We drove to Houston to pick her up and we literally watched YouTube videos on how to drive one. That makes you feel safe on the road, huh?  Jimmy has a hilarious post about that excursion: That There’s an RV.  I would fall asleep at night on several occasions reading RV camping terminology. We had no clue what a dingy was, or a toad, or a pusher, or what boondocking meant. But here we are, six months later, we no longer feel like newbies, we still love each other, we still love our kids, and we haven’t lost the dog.

When we started to downsize, I had no clue what to bring with us. I mean, I knew we needed clothes, but how many and for what kind of weather. One of the most common mistakes I kept reading that newbies make is overpacking. I was so paranoid about overpacking that I completely went the opposite way and underpacked which, I will tell you, is just as big of a mistake as overpacking. It killed me every time we had to make a run to Target to purchase something that was sitting in a stupid storage unit a thousand miles away.

So now that we are six months in, I’ve discovered there are a few things that I wouldn’t want to do without while living on the road. This is my short list, Jimmy has his own.

#1.       Melitta 1-Cup Pour-Over Coffee Brew Cone

I cannot live with without my coffee and my family doesn’t want me to either.  I’m the only one who drinks coffee regularly so I didn’t want to lug my big coffee maker along. This this is awesome and takes up no space at all.

#2.       America the Beautiful National Park Pass

For $80 you can purchase a Park Pass that allows you entry into all the National Parks in the US for one year.  We have visited 13 National Parks and Monuments so far on our journey and have saved $169 using our pass.  They also have a Fourth Grade program which allows any Fourth grade students, their siblings and parents entry into the parks free of charge.

#3.       Instapot 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker

I cannot even tell you how much I love this thing!  They are relatively inexpensive, easy to use and easy to clean up.  I have this one but I think there is a newer, fancier version available.

#4.       Newwave Induction Cook Top

This thing makes me happy! Our motorhome has a gas stove which I have never even turned. I’m assuming it works but I wouldn’t know. I use my induction cook top for everything (unless I’m using my Instapot.) When I’m forced to go back to my brick and mortar I would love to replace my stove with induction. It does require magnetic cookware but Ikea has a nice inexpensive line.

#5.       Nutribullet

We use this every single day.  There is fancier blender equipment out there but this has worked perfectly for us. It’s small so it is easy to store in our small kitchen but we even used this piece in our stick and brick.

#6.       Lularoe Leggins

            No I do not sell them although I can hook you up with my girl Alicia if you’re interested. Seriously though, I could wear them every day of my life but they are the BEST for travel days and they require little space in my dresser.  You can wear them with flip flops or chucks in warmer states and Uggs or combat boots in colder states.

As you can see, it’s really the simple things that make living more simple. And it has not gone unnoticed that 4 out of my 6 favorite items are food related.

Each day has brought new discoveries and challenges. We can’t wait to see what the next few months hold for us. Thanks to all our family and friends that have been so supportive and encouraging over the last six months! We feel blessed beyond measure to be on this journey and are thankful every day for this time.

** If you happen to be in the market for #1, 3 or 4 we would love it if you’d purchase from the links provided.  Amazon gives us a tiny commission.**