Living in the RV is changing the way I shop and think about possessions. I have long tended towards impulse purchases and overshopping, especially as regards groceries. Now when I go grocery shopping, I have to consider exactly what will and won’t fit in the fridge, freezer, and slide-out pantry. We have very limited space, so I buy less at a time and shop for frozen goods and perishables more often instead. I avoid buying “exotic” things that I have no immediate use for. I can’t just hang onto ingredients in hopes of one day using them. I find myself going through my kitchen shelves periodically and weeding out things that I am not likely to use (something I did en masse before we moved in). While we still eat fast food or go out for dinner periodically, it seems we are eating at home more often, I imagine because I’m more aware of what there is to eat because there is less of it to mentally sort through.
Grocery shopping isn’t all I do differently. I don’t really engage in “retail therapy” like I did before. There’s no place for ornamental items, loads of craft supplies, or items that aren’t used on a regular basis. Our basement storage is already full, so I can’t add anything new, at least not without getting rid of something we already have. We haven’t bought knitting, crocheting, or spinning stuff in ages. We need to use up what we already have, but we just haven’t been doing that much crafting of late.
The upshot of this is that I’m doing less frivolous spending in general. That’s not to say I’ve not spent a lot of money since we moved in here, but most of that money has been spent on items for the RV itself: rugs, dishes, stabilizer jacks, water filters, light bulbs, and other necessaries. Admittedly, the reclining lawn chair I bought was not a necessary item, but my old lawn chairs were getting pretty worn out and I did decide to forego real recliner for inside the house. Yay rationalization!
Lex was asking me what I wanted for Christmas and for my birthday, and the truth of the matter is that everything I can think of is really something for the house, not for me specifically. I saw this nifty RV shower head that is supposed to maximize water pressure so it’s like taking a shower in a stick-built bathroom. That would be lovely. I also want this folding clothes dryer that attaches to the ladder on the back of the RV. Since we’ve joined the pool, we constantly have wet suits and towels that don’t have many places to dry out unless they are draped over the shower stall (a problem when we need to take showers). And, of course, the holy grail of “I wannas” is my Splendide washer/dryer combo. I’m going to have to save for that myself. It’s a big ticket item that I’m not likely to receive for a gift. Installed, it’s probably going to run around $1400, and we’ll have to take the RV to Jersey to Camping World to have the installation done. Not sure when I’ll scrape together the pennies to make it happen. Perhaps I’ll scare up the cash when I teach my winter session class. I’m dying to get the thing, though. Going to the laundromat is going to wear thin very soon.
Aside from stuff for the RV, the only thing I really want is another RV. I think I mentioned our brainstorm about having a “vacation home,” a small camper we could use just for short weekend trips since this monster is a lot of trouble to get prepped and to move. Specifically, I’ve gone all dreamy over vintage compact travel trailers – the 12-16 footers, like Serro Scotties and Shasta Airflytes from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. If I were handier, I could probably pick one up for under $1000 and restore it myself. I don’t know enough about carpentry or electrical work to do that sort of thing, though. Perhaps I could take a continuing education course and learn a bit about it. Might be worthwhile not only for restoration projects but also for upkeep on the Big Blue Beast. The real impediment to such a restoration project is that I don’t have a place to do the work. I can’t keep a second camper here at the site; I’d have to pay to store it. Most storage places don’t let renters do repair work on their vehicles. For that kind of thing, I’d have to rent garage space, and that’s more costly than standard storage, and I can’t afford hundreds a month just to keep a pet project.
Already restored vintage campers can be bought, but they start at around $3K. Again, that’s not cash I just have laying around. It’d take saving, and right now I’m trying to save for our big trip next summer and maybe a shorter one this winter. Doubt I can do both. That doesn’t stop me from dreaming, though! I’ve been cruising sites like Tincantourists.com and the Craigslist RV listings.
Another option may be a pop-up camper. That’d suit me, but I don’t think Lex would much care for one. They don’t tend to have plumbing beyond a sink, and they are essentially just big tents on wheels. Lex doesn’t care for using campground showers and toilets, so she’d probably hate it, and I doubt I could convince her that a porta potty would be much better. Still, the pop-ups are smaller and lighter, even easier to tow, and wouldn’t require much prepping to get ready to move. We could fill up the fresh water tank, make sure the propane tanks were full, tires had air, and we could roll. The most time-consuming piece would be setting up and breaking down the tenting itself. Still, most of these things have hand cranks that open up the camper, so they aren’t that much of a hassle. Older pop-ups in usable shape can be had for about $1,000…not bad! Wouldn’t break the bank, either. Might still have to pay for storage if the landlord didn’t like us parking it here on site. It’s not like pop-ups take up very much space, so we might be able to pull off keeping it here.
Again, all this is just dreaming. Not likely to pick up a “vacation home” anytime soon. Right now, I need to think more about getting our leaky sewer valves repaired. They should be covered by warranty, but I need to get it done soon, before it gets cold. Can’t have sewage freezing in the lines. It needs to stay in the heated holding tanks where it belongs. I need cash for winterizing the place, too. I’ll have to buy heat tape, some insulation board, foam pipe insulation, a dehumidifier and other little things that will help me keep the cold out and the warm in.
It’s clear that I’ve got lots of things on my shopping list despite my assertions that I’m buying less than I used to. I suppose I’m just spending less on “fun” and more on day-to-day needs. That’s fine right now because learning how to maintain the RV really is my fun these days.
Tags: accessories, maintenance, rv, saving, shopping, spending, storage, supplies, vintage campers
