Another part of TinyHouseBlog’s series on downsizing.
It might be time to start throwing away things lying about the house.
Category: psychology
Helpful Tips For Downsizing: PART 2
From a multi-part series over at tiny house blog. I’ll post the links to the other parts as I stumble across them.
Recommendations for New RVers
Not sure if I’ve posted this before, but I was just over on The Book of Face and shared some of these with some new RVers:
- Trailer tire pressures are absolute minimums.
- Never let anyone without a financial obligation to your rig “help” you maneuver.
- Unless it says “Minimum”, it’s okay to do 10mph (or more) under the speed limit.
- Some of the most enjoyable and memorable roads don’t have “I-” in front of a number.
- It’s perfectly okay to be a tourist.
And, now, because Facebook isn’t really the place for me to post my diatribes and extended thoughts, the explanations for each of the above:
- With the exception of some limited lateral stability during turns and some braking, trailer tires provide no traction. Because of this, their pressures can run high. When inflating trailer tires, never run them any lower than the pressure stamped on them. Mine are 65PSI. Then, after running for a few miles down the highway (10 or more), check them and see if they’re hot. If they’re very warm or hot to the touch, add 3 or 4 more pounds. Those little battery-powered laser infra-red thermometers are awesome for precise measurements.
- Envision this: “Come on back… come on back… come on ba–,” CRUNCH. They have no obligation to repair any damage they inflict.
- Contrary to common belief, one does not need to drive at or above the speed limit. When pulling a trailer or driving a motorhome, patience wins the race. Lower speed means it’s easier to address emergencies, lower fuel consumption, less load and wear on the engine and drive train. While UPGRAYEDD is perfectly capable of running a 16,000 lb. fiver at 85MPH, I don’t. Regardless of trailer size, I always follow the posted Truck and cautionary speeds and warnings.
- In a car, Interstates can get you there quickly. But with an RV (and with a motorcycle), if there’s a US or State highway and no time constraints, I’ll take the nearest offramp from the Interstate to enjoy some lower speeds and better scenery.
- Yup, I’ve been a tourist in my own town. I’m good with it. I’ve also happily done the tourist thing in other towns. But my definition of ‘tourist’ may not be the same as everyone else’s.
There are more, oh, yes. But that’s all I’ve time for presently. What are your recommendations to new RVers?
Where Are We?
Here we are… 2014 is just around the corner.
We’re in our early 40’s with two two pre-schoolers. There’s the dog and two cars in our small, fixer-upper house in a generic suburb, in a city near Denver, Colorado.
I work a fair number of hours as a Sr. Unix Engineer for a multi-national company. The compensation is reasonable, but the hours can be rough. Fortunately, I do get to telecommute regularly. Unfortunately, that means that I get an earlier start and a later stop on telecommute days.
Daisy holds the urban homestead together. The hours there, too, are long.
While our little family has our little house, we feel like we’ve become slaves to everything in and around it. The mortgage. The maintenance. The bills. The community.
It’s time for a change…
We Begin at the End
Where are we?
How did we get here?
Is this really where we want to be–where we need to be?
Where are we going?
What makes us happy?
These are some of the things that we’ll explore here as we work toward making a metaphorical course change in our lives: from the big picture to some of the tiniest details.
the rest of me 