BarbaraOK
On The Road
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Joined: 10/27/2003
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Do you have to leave the area right away. I'd suggest seeing if you can get a month's space at a park in the general area. Just move your clothes, dishes, etc. over and start living. Whenever you want something, first see if there is something already in the coach you can use instead, if not go get it. We've been out since 2006 and until we got our park model, in 2015, we got ride of stuff every year. All pans should be multiple use - a larger pan can cook smaller amounts, but not vice-versa. Bet you have 2x or more the number of clothes you really need. Get rid of heavy parkas, etc., and think layers. Remember, that your car can hold some stuff in it. We didn't have the worry because we had over 5000 lbs we could file - never came close to it. Plus, we've got a 10K hitch, so we've never had to worry about how much our car weighed. We tow 4-down, makes life so much easier.
Barb
Barb & Dave O'Keeffe - full-timing since 2006
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RetiredRealtorRick
St. Augustine Beach, FL
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Joined: 04/17/2020
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wildtoad wrote:Load up the mh with your clothes, cups, glasses, dishes etc for two people or perhaps four if you plan to have guests, sheets towels, favorite pictures, computer / electronics, important financial and legal documents. Lock the storage area and leave. Come back in 6 months with a list of what you need and donate the rest to charity.
^^ Best idea yet ^^
A good rule of thumb (not just for full-timers, but for life in general) is that if you haven't used it in a year, you don't need it.
Important paperwork taking up room? Scan it all onto a thumb drive, then trash it (other than titles, deeds, etc., of course).
General stuff -- family stuff? Keep the memories, get rid of the stuff. Take pictures if you need to, and again, onto a thumb drive (..or two, just for backup).
When we moved from a huge brick & mortar home to a condo on the beach that wasn't even a quarter the size of the house, one of the best feelings ever was as I drove away from Goodwill after donating a LOT of stuff. Didn't need it then -- don't miss it now!
Best of luck to you in your new venture!
. . . never confuse education with intelligence, nor motion with progress
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JimK-NY
NY
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Joined: 05/12/2010
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Load you RV with the minimum amount of stuff you need; i.e., clothing, bedding, cooking gear and maybe a few decorative/memento items. Then decide on the rest. If you store it, the costs will add up over the months and years. How much is that stuff worth in value or in sentimental value?
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older_fossil
USA (fulltiming)
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Joined: 12/15/2001
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By the time we decided to go full time over six years ago, we had been making extended trips in our 27' no-slide class C for several years, so we knww we could live in a very small space and how little we actually needed. Talking to full timers in campgrounds, we often heard the recommendation not to put anything in storage, as many had regretted spending the storage fees on what had become "a bunch of old stuff". Think very carefully why you are storing things. Our son has been a minimalist for a long time and his opinions were taken seriously. When we came to the point of dealing with a house full of 40 years of accumulation, we came to realize that much of it had to do with past interests and phases of our lives and that we really had no big emotional attachment to most of it anymore. What really surprised us was the effort to just dispose of it! Some family heirlooms went to other family. The rest went to garage and estate sales, lots to charities and some to the dump. We did put some stuff in storage while we ordered a diesel pusher for fulltimimg. Once we had the new coach, what we could not fit/justify in the new coach went to charity. After six years we are still fine tuning what we add and give away.
Art
* This post was
edited 08/07/21 08:04am by older_fossil *
Art & Barbara
2016 Tiffin AB 37AP
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Alex and Tee
Jacksonville , FL
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Joined: 05/19/2021
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The stuff we put in storage was originally intended to go in the MH. Now that I see how much it is we will take what we need and get rid of the rest. We won’t be leaving anything in storage.
Alex & Teresa
2022 Allegro Open Road
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gtnsmlr
On the road
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Joined: 12/14/2004
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Good luck. After two years full time we got ride of everything we did not touch for those two years. It was about 40% not counting pots and pans (I like to cook) and we eat like kings.
The older we get, the faster we go
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2g's
Arizona
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Joined: 02/13/2021
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Alex and Tee wrote:The stuff we put in storage was originally intended to go in the MH. Now that I see how much it is we will take what we need and get rid of the rest. We won’t be leaving anything in storage.
OK... you have that figured out! However, if you have a storage unit and everything was planned to take it all along then you definitely have too much in that storage unit.
Clothes - Keep your thoughts on layering then they can serve double purpose. No winter coats. Keep shoes to a minimum.. a pr. of tennis shoes, hiking boots, a pair of good-looking shoes (no real dressy shoes).
Kitchen - think dual purpose. You don't need all those appliances. We just carried a crockpot. We used the convection oven and a BBQ (almost daily). You don't need a lot of glassware. Get coffee cups that don't require saucers. You can always pick up cheap things that are needed later on.
Tools - We full-timed 16 years with only a small tool bag. Of course, we didn't do major repairs.
Momentos - Allow a large tub and store them with family or even a good friend.
Christmas decorations - if needed, you only need a small tabletop tree and perhaps a couple extra decorations.
You'll be amazed at what you really don't need!
I would highly advise you to weigh your RV after you've packed it up and include a tank of water and fuel. Some weights given from the manufacturer don't even include the awning. It's just a bare bones weight. You'll be amazed at how things add up..... including your fishing flies!
Have fun! It's an awesome lifestyle... not a one regret here.
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Ro"n"Joe
Full Timing
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Joined: 12/09/2010
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If possible try not to go the storage route. During our research into going full time, this was generally the recommendation. Glad we didn't go that route. It's just about 2 yrs now and will be more yrs to come. Lots of monthly payments saved.
2020 Dutch Star 4328 on FL Chassis
2018 Grand Cherokee Limited
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rlw999
Washington State
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Joined: 08/19/2020
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Ro"n"Joe wrote:If possible try not to go the storage route. During our research into going full time, this was generally the recommendation. Glad we didn't go that route. It's just about 2 yrs now and will be more yrs to come. Lots of monthly payments saved.
On the other hand if you're not sure how long you'll be on the road, keeping your stuff in storage can be cheap insurance if you decide it's not right for you in a year. A year of rent on an 8x12 storage unit costs less than it would cost to replace my couch.
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