A big day!: An interview with the nomads

Your driver for today's blog is Susanne.

Today's a big day: we're bringing Clark the RV home! In anticipation of this, I asked Trent, Sam, and Biscuit (and myself) a series of questions.

We're bringing our RV home today. What are you most excited about?

Trent: I’ve been reading and watching everything I can find about how RVs work, what needs to be done to maintain them, and how to prevent common problems.  Before we started down this path, I knew almost nothing about RVs and the RV lifestyle.  I’ve learned a lot. However,  what I’ve learned is general information.  For example, one of the things I’ve learned the manufacturing of RVs is very different from that of cars. Each car that rolls off the lot in a given model year is almost exactly like every other car in that model. This apparently is not the case in RVs. They make minor changes in materials and parts within a model year. What is listed in the manufacture’s brochure for a given year is not necessary what is exactly in your RV. I am most excited about being able to go to the RV and find out what exactly is in Clark and then being able to go learn all I can about the specific equipment, systems, and materials that make him work. I can start skipping resources about systems and materials we don’t have and instead focus directly on what will help us make this journey as smooth as it can be.

Susanne: I'm excited that this is actually happening. We're past the "castles in the air" phase and into the stage of putting foundations under them. I'm also excited to dig into the nitty gritty of getting rid of more of our stuff and figuring out how to organize the RV.

Sam: That we can go to the beach!

Biscuit the Cat: Running around the RV like a crazy cat lunatic. Can't wait! [Yeah, Biscuit. Neither can we. Sounds like a blast.]

What are you most concerned about?

Trent: I’m most concerned about the electrical systems in the RV and at the parks we stay at. We are a truly modern family. We use a lot of electricity to power our lifestyle. Clark has a generator to supply AC power and is built to draw from 30 amps (that’s not a lot) from electrical hookups to power our AC equipment. He also has two 12-volt batteries we can use to power any DC systems in Clark (e.g. lights) or our AC equipment if we buy an inverter (to change DC to AC). In our current home we don’t have to monitor our use of electricity at all. We use all we need and pay a very moderate bill for it. In the RV we will need to be aware of exactly how many amps we are drawing, what the status is of the batteries, and how best to prevent any electric problems. We don’t currently have to think about any of this in our house.

I’m also concerned about electric systems in RV parks. From what I’ve read they are unreliable. Damage from spikes in voltage can be avoided fairly cheaply by using surge protectors at the hookup and at the outlets in Clark. However, it seems like low voltage is a bigger hidden problem because it causes your equipment to draw more amps. Drawing more amps than the equipment  is designed for damages it over time as it causes problems like overheating. We can limit the danger from low voltage by using a voltage regulator. These are not cheap but I think we need to get one to protect our expensive electrics.

Susanne: I'm concerned about a bunch of weird things over the next three months or so... Like, if we have a bad tornado season here, how will we protect the RV from damage? What's the best way to prevent mold in Clark given how humid and mold-friendly southern Indiana is? I'm also concerned about learning how to use the RV hookups - especially the black water tank. The last thing I want is for us to accidentally contaminate our water.

Sam: The lack of snow. [We're planning to move with the seasons and avoid snow if we can. The adults are fine with this, but Sam loves snow.]


Biscuit the Cat: I will be afraid if the RV moves. ...Does it have to move?

What is the first thing we should do with the RV after we get it home?

Trent: Clark will be winterized when we pick him up. We can’t really fully use him until we de-winterize in the spring. This means he mostly will be sitting in our driveway for the next few weeks. I think the first thing we should do after we are done inspecting everything is do what we can to protect him from the elements. We should clean and then apply wax, UV sprays, and any other covers or materials we can to protect him. I also think we should consider installing a remote humidity monitor in him. We get a lot of rain here and the last thing we want is a lot of humidity inside of him that condenses at night when the temperate drops. If we find humidity is a problem, we can run a dehumidifier or take other steps to limit moisture. We need to avoid mold at all costs.

Susanne: Wow, Trent and I are totally on the same page here. I am worried about mold and exposure to the elements. I think we should get a cover for Clark, but I also don't want to trap in moisture. I also want to spend more time just inspecting the storage in the RV and planning out where everything should go.

Sam: We should go to the beach! [Susanne: I could get on board with that.]

Biscuit the Cat: I'm going to invite my boyfriend Rufio over.

Data diet!

Trent is your driver for this post.

We are going to need to go on a major data diet when we start full-time RVing.

Based on the past 4 months, we used about 416 GB per month via our home modem. Yes, that is a lot of data and no that is no misprint.  The primary source of our internet in the RV will likely be Verizon. Their largest advertised data plan is for 100 GB a month and that costs $710. Their overage charge is $15 per GB. So our average monthly bill would be about $5450 ($710 + (316 GB * $15).  They say veterans can get 15% off any plan, so maybe our bill only would have been $4632.5. Clearly, a bill that high would be a budget buster. This amount of data only costs us about $95 a month via Time Warner Cable.

We both work online and we will be paying more for our data than we are in our sticks and bricks home. However, clearly we need to cut back.  I know we can cut a lot of data, I just don’t know how much that cutting will help. Here is a list of things I know we can cut or cut back on:

1. Netflix: We watch a lot of streaming Netflix shows. I would guess 95% of the “TV” we watch is via streaming Netflix. Our blazing home internet connection allows us to receive high definition videos. Susanne and I watch a show every night, Sam watches his kid shows, and sometimes we all watch our own shows on are own screens at the same time.  We can stop streaming Netflix shows. I think this will be a huge data savings. Instead we can rent DVD’s from Redbox, get Netflix disks via the mail, or get them from libraries. We can also just watch less and get outside more.

2. Backups. I back up everything online. Every picture I take gets sent to the cloud, every file and change I make gets sent to Dropbox, and I have other cloud based systems in place to backup data that just automatic happens.  Turning these off or waiting until I have cheaper internet to do the backups will provide a major saving of those internet bits. The computer geek in me will not be happy, but that red Hulk doesn’t have to pay the bills.

3. Youtube: We (well Trent) has been watching a lot of Youtube videos about RVs and Full-time RVing. I can cut this back to just watching videos about potential next  stops or videos about how to fix whatever problem we are facing.

4. Podcasts:  I listen to a lot of podcasts (this is an understatement). However I download even more than I ever hear (so is this). We currently have great and relatively cheap internet so I always make sure I have enough podcasts to listen to as I run or do household chores.  I can easily cut way back on the number of podcasts I download.

5. Automatic updates: I have automatic updates on for our mobile devices. I can turn this off and only check for updates when we have good free wifi.

6. Web surfing: Now when I want to read the news I click on my news tab and 20 news sites automatically load. It’s 10 tabs for sports.  I can cut my news reading back to the NYT, CNN, and a locally focused news site.  I can easily cut my sports news back to only ESPN (you can pry the PTI podcast from my cool dead fingers).

7. Work related data: I don’t think we will cut back here. Maybe just narrow down any Dropbox syncing to just the files we need, not all the files we could ever possibly need. We will just have to pay for whatever work related data we need.

8. Other: Ghostery and unsubscribe. I already use Ghostery to block unwanted ads and trackers and I’ve been unsubscribing from many email lists. I do love that thing I bought 4 years ago, but I don’t need to pay to get that email about the new deals.

One possible solution: Unlimited plans - If we can get one, we will. T-mobile does offer an unlimited type plan for watching Netflix, HBO, and the like. However, they are too far behind Verizon in terms of coverage to count on them for work. They might be the back-up service we use.


What other suggestions do you have? If I am missing something, let me know.

The Great Stuff Purge, Part 1

On Sunday, fast on the heels of putting an offer on Clark the RV, Trent and I decided to start getting rid of stuff - the physical stuff that lies in between where we are now and where we want to be in a few months. Our current house is small - especially by typical American standards - but we'll have to give away, recycle, or toss most of our current belongings before moving out of our place and into the RV.

We started with clothes and quickly filled up five large trash bags of items to take to Goodwill. I thought this would be a painful process - mainly because I tend to hang onto things - but I quickly realized that many of my clothes didn't fit anymore anyway (I've lost about 20 pounds since last summer). That made the task more straightforward. Too big? Gone. I'm not hanging on to something just in case I gain the weight back.

See these pants and this shirt? I got the shirt in New York City when I was 13 years old - 24 years ago - and haven't been willing to part with it. Despite the fact that I've worn it maybe three times, I've carted it along on at least 12 moves. One reason is because the skyline depicts the Twin Towers, and after 9/11 it felt wrong somehow to throw it away... Like it was somehow my responsibility to keep it as memorabilia.

As for the pants, they have a story, too. In 2004 I went on an epic Outward Bound trip to Europe. We hiked in the Alps and sailed a tall ship from England to the Canary Islands. I bought the jeans during a stopover in London. For years, they were too small; now they're too big and have gaping holes in the knees. It was time to say goodbye, but again, letting go wasn't easy. Clearly I was hanging onto the denim because it represented a really magical time in my life. But I'll never forget that trip anyway, so keeping the jeans is kind of pointless.

Trent cleared out his closet, too, and then started in on old paperwork. We had copies of rental agreements and credit card statements dating back 15 years! (We're a little paranoid when it comes to keeping money-related documents.) We finally shredded and recycled them.

Trent also found a cute photograph that we definitely won't be throwing away. My mom took it in 1999, about 2 months after Trent and I first met. I'm so glad he's still up for adventuring with me!

We have a long way to go in terms of de-cluttering. The next step will probably involve giving away some of our cookware (especially the breakable stuff) and cleaning out the garage. But this was a good start, and it made us feel like we were taking an important step in making the dream a reality.

Today we bought an RV!

Today we purchased an RV... Our very first RV. It's a used 2015 Coachmen Freelander. Just in time for Valentine's Day, we're in love. We're calling him Clark.

Here's Clark from the outside. He currently needs a bath because he's been sitting on a huge dusty lot for several weeks, but we think he'll clean up quite nicely:

Here's Clark on the inside. He's extremely beige, but he also has a lot of features we love: plenty of space for people to hang out, multiple sleeping areas, a double sink, an oven, tons of storage, and linoleum flooring throughout:

The restroom. Clark has a large crack in the shower floor, and that's one thing the dealership has to take care of before we pick him up and take him home:

Lots of seating and storage. The couch pulls out to become a sleeping area (though to me, it doesn't look all that comfy):

The cab area, the overhead bunk, and our driver:

The kitchen. We're pretty pumped about the relatively decent amount of counter space here. There's a microwave, an oven, and a double sink, plus a folding countertop that we can set up if we need some extra room:

After we'd toured the RV but before we sat down to crunch numbers, the sales guy took us out to an empty truck stop parking lot and had us drive Clark around. To our surprise, it was a pretty smooth ride; Clark is easier to handle than we expected.

What we're thinking right now: Wow... We're really doing this. We're all in. And we can't wait!