First and foremost, it's important to start early. The sooner you begin purging, the more time you'll have to go through your things and make informed decisions. Take it one room or one area at a time, and schedule a specific day or two each week to tackle different locations. This will help you avoid feeling overwhelmed and allow you to take your time and really think about each item.
Top Tips for Purging Your Belongings for Full-Time RV Living
Simplify Your Life and Make the Transition to RV Living a Breeze
Are you looking to start a full-time RV lifestyle but feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of purging all your belongings? Don't worry, you're not alone. It can be tough to decide what to keep and what to get rid of, especially when you consider how much stuff we tend to accumulate over the years. But with some careful planning and a f
ew practical tips, you can purge your possessions and make the transition to RV living a breeze.
As you go through your belongings, try to be honest with yourself about what you truly need and what is just clutter. If an item doesn't serve a specific purpose or bring you joy, it's probably time to get rid of it. Create boxes for donating, selling, or giving away and place them in a convenient location. Whenever you come across an item that you're ready to part with, put it in the appropriate box.
One helpful tip for purging clothes is to hang all of your hangers backwards. Put them back in your closet with the hangers facing the correct way after you wear them. After a few months, you'll be able to see which items you actually wear and which you can easily purge. The same goes for your kitchen – move utensils and tools from your commonly used drawer into a rarely used drawer and see which items remain after a month or so. These are the ones you can probably live without.
Another thing to consider is cost. Don't base your decisions on how much you paid for an item – if it's not being used and is just taking up space, it's not worth keeping. Instead, try to sell it or give it to a friend who can put it to use. And when in doubt, remember that the goal is to simplify your life and make the transition to full-time RVing as smooth as possible.
Preserve Photos
If you have a stack of photos sitting in boxes, consider scanning them and storing them on the cloud or on drives. You could also create photo books with online companies.
Sell items online
To get the most money for your larger items, try selling them on Facebook Marketplace or apps like Let It Go.
Don't feel guilty about purging gifts
Remember that the people who love you give you gifts to make you happy, not to burden you with unnecessary items. Don't let guilt force you to keep things you'll have to pay to store.
Use the curb
In many areas, you can put items on your curb with a "Free Take Me" sign and they'll be gone by the time you come home from work. This is a great way to get rid of your stuff and allow others to put it to good use. Consider setting up a free box at garage sales as well.
Purge CDs and DVDs
These items take up valuable space and with all the ways to stream movies and music, you don't need to carry them with you. Consider allowing your kids to choose which DVDs they want and donating the rest. Consider purchasing movies on iTunes or other platforms as an alternative.
Purge books
Books can take up a lot of space and add weight in an RV. Unless a book is very special to you, consider donating it to a library, school, or thrift store. Consider switching to digital editions to save space and weight.
Purge electronics with caution
It can be tough to get rid of electronics because they often become outdated quickly and we often spend a lot of money on them. When purging electronics, focus on what they are worth now rather than what you paid for them.
Wipe your devices
Before getting rid of your electronics, make sure to wipe them of any personal information.
Recycle responsibly
Many electronics contain chemicals that can harm the environment, and some states have laws against throwing them in landfills. Look for recycling centers, such as Best Buy, that will take your electronics for free.
Finally, don't be afraid to keep things that bring you joy. It's important to surround yourself with items that make you happy and bring a sense of comfort. Just be honest with yourself about what truly brings you joy and what is just clutter.
By following these tips and taking the time to carefully consider each of your possessions, you'll be well on your way to a successful purge and a smooth transition to full-time RV living. Good luck!
Thank you for following along with our adventures! Let us know if you have a favorite spot you would like to suggest we search out on our travels through this great country of ours.
All the best,
Tammy & Judy
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How many times have you gone on an RV or camping trip and spent most of your time preparing and cleaning up after meals? I’ve been there too and while I have no problem thinking about food, I don’t want to spend my entire vacation preparing meals. I do a lot of cooking in our RV and learned a trick or two when it comes to preparing meals in a tiny kitchen. A few things I keep in mind when meal planning while RVing in remote areas are, keep it simple, the Instant Pot is my best friend, foil packet meals are also a huge help and not to plan any meals with exotic ingredients. Why? Because sometimes you find yourself in the mountains, shopping at an itty bitty grocery store and there’s a good chance they won’t have chia seeds or if they do, they will be super expensive. With that being said here are 30 easy RV meals that I hope will help you with your meal planning. And some of these might even work well as camping meals too.
We spent a little time in northern Alabama this past spring. We were totally shocked at some of the cool things we got to see while we were there. I can't wait to go back and visit again.
Our visits to some of Florida's beautiful springs
Incorporated in 1925, the city of Jupiter is in northern Palm Beach County, with just under 65,000 residents. Ranked as one of the country’s most pleasant and livable coastal towns by a well-known travel magazine, it’s full of beautiful beaches, cultural and natural attractions.
Savannah is one of my favorite cities, so far. I spent one afternoon there a few years ago, just on a whim, driving home from Florida. Ever since then, I have dreamed of the day I could go back and spend a little more time exploring. We were booked in Savannah for 7 days over Christmas. The weather was a little chilly and rainy, but we got 3 really nice days to get out and about and see as much as we could. On a side note, we stayed at a really nice RV park called Creekfire Motor Coach Resort. I wish I would have remembered to take picture of our spot and all the amenities, but of course, I thought about that as we were driving down the road leaving. It was a little more spacious than a normal RV parks, and there were a ton of amenities from tennis courts to large lawn chess set to a heated, winding pool and hot tub. The "office" was more like a lodge and was very inviting and cozy. We would definitely stay there again. We were also able to use our Passport America discount to make this stop pretty affordable. Forsyth Park On our first day out, we headed to Forsyth Park. We strolled through the 30 acre park located in the historic district of Savannah. It has a nice sized cafe with a large outdoor dining area, a few tennis courts, spacious open grassy area and a large play area for kids. I was excited to see the large fountain, added to the north end of the park in 1858. It was a little crowded with people taking pictures, but I was able to snap a couple pictures of my own without a bunch of people in them. There are also a couple of monuments in the park as well, The Confederate Monument and the Spanish-American War Memorial. The history in this area is just amazing.
Travel and vacations can get expensive. When you are in a new area, you want to see and do everything so you can experience every little thing the town has to offer. As we all know, that can add up quickly. I always start out by searching for the things we can do and experience in each area that are free. If we can fill up time with cool stuff to do and see that doesn't cost us anything, then we can really pick and choose what we want to spend our money on. Also, if you get to know the area a little better by experiencing the free stuff, you might run across things to do that you weren't even aware of. We had very limited time in Charleston, unfortunately, so we had one day to pack in as much as we could see. Here is our free tour of the charming city.....
We spent about two weeks on the eastern side of South Carolina and most of our adventures revolved around the beach, or close to it. Shocking, I know!
CAMPGROUND: Crossroads Coach Resort at the ROB WEBSITE: https://www.lakecityrv.com/ LOCATION: 243 S. Church Street, Lake City, SC 29560 DATE OF OUR VISIT: November, 2020 PROS: Full hook ups Accepts Passport America Brand new park Clean laundry facility with nice machines Wifi was good CONS: The train! Not much to do locally No campfires allowed ONSITE AMENITIES: Laundry Showers and bathrooms Picnic tables NIGHTLY COST: With PA, our average was $24 a night
As we quickly learned, good trip planning can make moving day relaxing and enjoyable or totally stressful. Driving a large RV is already a little more mentally stressful than a car, so you sure don't want to add to it by having issues with your route. These tools help us with our budget, route planning, fuel stops and overnight stays.
Our visit to the Smoky Mountains National Park
