(Two-thirds of the items I put in the storage unit for the rig are not in the rig today.)
There’s no doubt it was a guargantuan effort to downsize from a 2,700 square-foot house to a 34-foot long motorhome. On my one year anniversary I wrote about some of my favorite things for the rig. Those were the hits; these are the misses.
Printer (And Other Office Products)
I am not a workamper; I left my job in 2015, and I am not employed while I’m on the road. Why did I bring a printer and office products with me?
The printer took up valuable counterspace in the bedroom. (A jewelry box is there now.)
To be fair, ever since high school I have had some sort of home office. It was crucial to my schoolwork in college and law school, and in Atomic Abode I sometimes worked from home in a room dedicated to that purpose. It was hard for me to imagine a world where I would not need a three hole punch, paperclips, and stacks of Post-it notes.
I assumed the printer would be useful if I needed to print a ticket or entrance form, or to scan something to a doctor or accountant or the like. That’s true, on the very rare occasion when it arose. The rest of the time, the printer was the size of two large telephone books (even though it was one of the smallest units on the market), took up a lot of space, and due to its infrequent use and being jostled about, never worked when I needed it.
Today, if I need printing, faxing, or scanning, I go to the front desk of a grocery store, Staples, a FedEx office, or any other packaging/office store. Taking photos of documents and emailing them from my iPad or iPhone also works well.
Collapsible Salad Spinner
Do you shop at thrift stores? Ever notice how many salad spinners are there? That’s because a salad spinner is one of the most useless kitchen tools of all time. Wet clothes and records may need a spin, but green leafy vegetables do not.
Lettuce is 96 percent water. Sixty percent of the human body is water. I think I can manage a few droplets on my lettuce. If not, here’s a novel idea – I will pick the lettuce up and shake it over the sink.
And the kicker – did I pack the spinner that was in the back of my kitchen cabinet for 13 years? Oh no. I sold that one at the estate sale. I bought a new, different salad spinner for the rig. It was collapsible! I fell prey to the collapsible-things-for-the-RV market.
Party Plates (And Plates In General)
When I purchased Corelle dishes for the rig, I bought a service for 12. Yes, you read that right. In my mind I envisioned outdoor parties at the RV park, where paper plates were tres banal and guests were too forgetful to bring their own plate. On top of the Correlle service, I also kept various and sundry party plates, such as the small round type with a place for a wine glass. I packed 20 of those suckers.
Since embracing this lifestyle I have learned a handy phrase when discussing room in a coach:
“Cocktails for six, dinner for four, sleeps two.”
This is a motto to live by for full-time or frequent RVers who value their privacy, and their relationships with friends and family who visit. There will never, ever be a time where I am serving dinner to 12 people. I now have a service for six.
GLASSWARE
I won’t bore you with the incessant downsizing I do to the cabinet with the cocktail glasses in it. I will say that, when it comes to specific glassware, I refuse to give them up simply because I live in a small space. However, I have downsized to six of each, including copper Moscow Mule mugs, mint julep cups, martini glasses, rocks glasses, wine glasses, champagne glasses, coffee mugs, espresso demitasse cups, vintage plastic tiki god glasses, and the like, and on several occasions I have needed all six of a certain type of glass while entertaining. Remember the rule above – cocktails for six!
LINENS
Not surprisingly, I packed too many linens initially. I am now quite happy with four towels, which double as beach towels; two sets of summer sheets (one for the guest bed, or I can throw one set on my bed while the other is in the wash); and one set of flannel sheets. The down comforter can be compressed in a vacuum bag and stowed in the warmer months, when I use a light blanket.
What about you? What did you pack initially that left you shaking your head and making a run to Goodwill later?
This Post Has 8 Comments
Well I am laughing as I read your blog! I am 4 weeks from out of the apartment and FT. Yes I was planning to take the printer! Lol! I did get a storage unit for the things I just couldn’t part with yet. I have sold all of my furniture with the exception of a few things. Wonder what a year will bring?
I laughed out loud when I opened your email – not at you, but with you!!
We are going through the same thing right now in order to get ready to go full time, for the first time, in 5 weeks! Thank you for your guidance.
And, I’m with you… cocktails taste best in the right glasses!!
XO
We are in the process of getting the house ready to sell and getting rid of shit… I mean valuable personal possessions.? We have a 4500 sq ft house. What were we thinking? Right now if someone walked in and said can I have all this stuff, I would kiss them.
We have the same weaknesses… printer, Corelle dishes, glassware…. I have a tiny printer though, that is smaller than a shoe box and it folds up, so . . .
I am so with you on purging. It is very satisfying to get rid of stuff!
I haven’t ever heard that quote, but I LOVE it. I’ll remember it and heed your words of wisdom.
Bakeware. I had muffin tins, loaf pans, cooling racks….I hardly have room for a cutting board on my counter (got rid of that, too), and I was planning on baking? And I took along a lot of spices. I find I’m not cooking much, which is a good thing because all of my spices turned to rock while in the Florida humidity last winter.
I’m just getting started. Got the RV 4/3 – finally. This was a wonderful piece and did laugh. I just added flatware for 6. I do cook and have one pull out pantry drawer dedicated to spices – labeled and in semi-alphabetical order. I’m still thinking through kitchen gadgets. My downfall is clothes. If I like it, it fits, and is comfortable, I want to keep it – but I know I don’t need all these clothes. I don’t want things all over and crammed cabinets so I’m trying to be careful. Also, I’m trying to live in the RV while getting the house ready to sell and I don’t want to sell something I own and have to buy it again.
I love that. Only for me it would be ‘cocktails for four, dinner for two, sleeps one. Lol.
I’m still in the initial downsizing stage. I just want it to be over already, I don’t know how many times I’ve been tempted to just chuck it all in the dumpster. But some of my stuff is actually worth something and the frugal scott in me just won’t let me do that.
And I can’t say no to all of my vintage lamps. I’ve tried. One of the smallest ones is getting re-wired to run on 12v and I already know where I’m putting it in the Rv.