Living the Winnebago life
Our new lifestyle is a far cry from our previous way of life
We are now living full-time in our Winnebago Eyre, a small RV or motorhome.
Bought brand new in late September, we have travelled more than 5000 km around central and southern New South Wales, and we are having a ball.
Here we are camped in Goulburn South Caravan Park. See the doggies' mobile home beside the door?
Alternative lifestyle
for we older persons
We have always lived in a house all our adult lives, but through a set of not very nice circumstances we are now living in a motorhome permanently.
You can read about what happened on my blog
We sold our country home at Rylstone.
Update
We had to trade our Winnebago and now we live in a little piece of paradise, Cudgegong Waters Park, near Mudgee, New South Wales.
What next?
Getting ready
After trading our little A-liner caravan in on the new RV, we proceeded to find out what a change in our lifestyle would mean.
There are many ways to downsize, and we think that we've tried them all now. Our new lifestyle means camping on the side of the road, albeit in luxury, or in caravan and tourist parks.
We have our two little dogs with us, so even caravan parks can be a problem for us, as dogs are not always welcome.
Storing our possessions
was going to be expensive, so...
... we started to give away many of the things we had accumulated over the last forty or so years.
The local patchworkers were thrilled to have a great portion of my studio contents — fabrics and books, and other odds and ends.
Vinnies were gleefully thankful for our many, many visits with load after load of goodies.
The original quote was for 67cubic metres, and when we finished we had just 43 cubic metres.
What a process!
Deciding what to take for a new way of life
in a motorhome is not easy
Delete, delete, delete...
It's all just stuff, you know!
When you go on a holiday, you can make do without odds and ends that you forgot to pack, but when the vehicle is your home, you must have the things that you need to make life liveable.
Figure out what we absolutely must have - in the way of supplies and equipment
(not too many, there's not much space)
- Kitchen utensils, pots and pans
- Crockery, cutlery, glasses
- Bathroom supplies
- Small appliances
- Broom, mop, dusters, bucket, etcetera
- Sheets, pillowcases, towels, tea towels, pillows, quilts
- Clothes for warm weather
- Clothes for cold weather
- Shoes, thongs, scuffs
- Wet weather gear
We also needed - entertainment items
for long cold days and nights, and places where we have no electricity
- DVDs
- CDs
- Playing cards
- Board games
- Art supplies for me
- Saxophone and music for Bob
- Tri-ominos
Playing triangle dominos is great fun and we love to get the tin out when guests come, or we are staying somewhere where there is no television reception in the Winnebago.
Bob's grandson had never played dominos, triangular or otherwise. His thing is video games, of course, so he was less than enthusiastic at first. He watched the adults play one game and decided to try. He was hooked! Every time we sat down, he asked if we could play a game.
Sometimes the non-computerised games win!
Important items - in case of emergency
- Jumper leads (special type for new computerised motors)
- Toolbox with spanners, screwdrivers, multigrips, shifter, sockets, WD40, hose clamps, hammer, assorted fuses
- Tarp or similar for lying on when under-vehicle repairs are needed
- Gaffer tape for running repairs
- Air compressor for tyre inflation
- Hoses, and spare fittings for different sized taps in campsites
- Floor for under the awning and anti-flapper devices
- Wheel chocks for hilly ground
- All purpose water filter for drinking water hose
- An amphibian electricity connector for when you visit the family
The view outside our window - on our first free camping night
Bob having his breakfast - at our first official free campsite
We bought a generator
to supplement our power supplies
We had solar panels added to our roof when we bought the motorhome, but sometimes it's raining or cloudy for days, so...
Bob chats to everyone wherever we camp, and after talking to a chap on the banks of the Murray River in New South Wales, he decided that it would be prudent to buy a generator.
A lovely dealer in Wagga Wagga organised for us to get one at Temora (the next town) because he had no stock. Country people are very obliging, aren't they?
Researching online led me to a small Honda 'whisper quiet' generator.
Do you think you'd like to leave the 'rat race' behind - and live in a motorhome?
Would you give it a try?
© 2012 Jan T Urquhart Baillie
