Tool Amour
Member
Another semi-newbie here--I found this website a few years ago, and recently came across it again. This time I've spent a lot of time reading and incorporating what I'm reading into plans for the future.
I live in the Portland, Oregon area, with my spouse and our teenage son. In the last few years I've gotten more interested in minimal living, but it's going to take some serious lifestyle changes to accomplish.
I'm looking forward about 10 years to retirement, and had planned to buy a bus and convert it for full-time living, and live primarily at RV parks. I LOVE the idea of being able to live away from the constraints of a park with someone 5 feet away (ugh). Boondocking on BLM land, Quartzite, Pahrump, etc were all unknown until recently.
Some potential issues:
My spouse R hates camping. She said she'd go camping if she didn't have to sleep on the ground, so we got a mini bus and it's been an ongoing project for several years. I love working on the bus, testing my ideas, reading about bus conversions, but R really just doesn't like camping. I can imagine her reaction to the prospect of a sawdust toilet and spray bottle showers, and it isn't pretty!
Medical care on the road--R has numerous medical issues and is under the care of several specialists. This is something that we will need to plan for.
Pets--we have cats and dogs. While the current group will most likely not be with us in 10 years, a home isn't complete without a cat, even a home on wheels.
Purging--this is going to be tough. Family heirlooms, tools, books, clothes, shoes--downsizing is a major biggie.
Security on the road--I've got some concerns about us as women traveling sans men (guessing son will be out on his own following his dreams by then). Some of the posts I've seen about groups traveling together sound encouraging.
I've lived my entire life in Oregon--in some ways this will be some huge steps out of my comfort zone.
Thanks to Bob for this website! I feel like I know many of you, even though we've never met.
TA
I live in the Portland, Oregon area, with my spouse and our teenage son. In the last few years I've gotten more interested in minimal living, but it's going to take some serious lifestyle changes to accomplish.
I'm looking forward about 10 years to retirement, and had planned to buy a bus and convert it for full-time living, and live primarily at RV parks. I LOVE the idea of being able to live away from the constraints of a park with someone 5 feet away (ugh). Boondocking on BLM land, Quartzite, Pahrump, etc were all unknown until recently.
Some potential issues:
My spouse R hates camping. She said she'd go camping if she didn't have to sleep on the ground, so we got a mini bus and it's been an ongoing project for several years. I love working on the bus, testing my ideas, reading about bus conversions, but R really just doesn't like camping. I can imagine her reaction to the prospect of a sawdust toilet and spray bottle showers, and it isn't pretty!
Medical care on the road--R has numerous medical issues and is under the care of several specialists. This is something that we will need to plan for.
Pets--we have cats and dogs. While the current group will most likely not be with us in 10 years, a home isn't complete without a cat, even a home on wheels.
Purging--this is going to be tough. Family heirlooms, tools, books, clothes, shoes--downsizing is a major biggie.
Security on the road--I've got some concerns about us as women traveling sans men (guessing son will be out on his own following his dreams by then). Some of the posts I've seen about groups traveling together sound encouraging.
I've lived my entire life in Oregon--in some ways this will be some huge steps out of my comfort zone.
Thanks to Bob for this website! I feel like I know many of you, even though we've never met.
TA
Hello and Welcome!
