Welcome to episode #6 of the Livin Lightly Podcast! We haven’t released an episode in a few weeks like 12wks but we are back from a little summer hiatus and have some good episodes in the hopper. We are going to do our best to be on a regular 2-week episode release schedule.
Today’s show is all about Questions & Answers. We’ll be giving answer to questions we often get from our blog, email, Instagram and in person. But first here is our Show Shout Out!
SHOW SHOUT OUT
Tiny House Magazine is an digital magazine all about simple small space living. Lots of inspiring articles of people that choose to trade space for more freedom plus lots of howtos, product reviews and tiny house tours. We’ve had the privilege to write for Tiny House Magazine and we are currently in the middle of a 5-part series on Simple Off-Grid Solutions for Tiny Spaces. This month we shared about our small DIY Solar System. In the coming months we will share about our pressurized shower, small wood stove and composting toilet. Checkout Tiny House Magazine!
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Let’s get into today’s show!
Q & A Session
How long did it take us to renovate our Airstream and how much did it cost?
• Short answer: 2+yrs & $3-4k in parts. TONS of labor!!!
Bought in Summer of 2011 (Gutted over the winter)
Started in Summer 2012 (Sealing Exterior, running lights, Fantastic Fan, Frame Repairs, Floor, Black Tank Repair, all new running lights)
• Fall Winter Spring (New Buck Rivets, Plumbing: PEX, water pump, fresh water tank, new vents, cabinets, counter tops)
• Summer 2013 (Paint, floor, upholstery, stainless counters)
• Would I do it again…probably not! Good learning experience but would have rather invested in a less needy trailer!
• Airforums: Invaluable resource for anything Airstream! http://www.airforums.com/
Where do you park your trailer while you are working on it?
• gutting it & first summer – house
• winter – family
• Ideas: Storage Facility, Friends/Families, Craigslist Ad: “Shop Space”
Where do we dump your composting toilet while on the road?
• Not the Trash
• Campground Composting Toilet
• Compost Bin in Kansas
• (4) 5 Gallon Buckets
• Urine Diverting Insert for Longer Capacity
Where do you go?
• Why we travel – to see friends and family.
• Cool Places & Explore is a Bonus
• Midwest in the Fall, End up in Florida by Spring Break, Back up to Idaho
How much does it cost to live nomadically?
• Varies Wildly!
• Base Expenses $1000 (food, cell phone, car insurance, medical premiums, personal spending allowances)
• Parking can range from 0 – ($20/night $600, $30/night $900)
• Gas/Travel
Income? (How much do you make?)
• Outdoor School
• Teachers Pay Teachers https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Michaela-Peterson
• We make less than $30k
How much do you work? (Work Schedule)
• Depends. Outdoor School 12-15hrs day (3wks/year)
• Past Year was the year of no sleep.
• Average 15-20hrs / Wk
• Teachers Pay Teachers Income is largely passive. Unless creating new content.
• Struggle: pull of family & pull of work (both suffer)
• New Schedule: Shae Tuesday, Nick Wednesday & Thursday. WAY more productivity!!!
Internet
• Tether iPhone (10GBmonth / Rollover $150/month)
• Gyms, Libraries,
• Verizon Unlimited Plan
• Fancier Setups: Boosters, Antennas
Mail, Residency & Permanent Address/Physical Address?
• Postal Plus (Private Mail Box with forwarding $8/month)
• Residency: Idaho – we will eventually live here permanently.
• Physical Address:
Health Insurance?
• HSA Plan $350
• Ryder Traditional Plan
• Exchange $50 comprehensive plan
Should I live in a RV?
• Maybe…
• We choose to so we could afford to have Shae be at home with our kids and so we can travel to see family. We make it work but it’s not an ideal living space!
• It may not be any cheaper!
3yrs and counting… How much longer on the road? What’s next?
• 1 day at a time
• Like to continue to travel for the next 2yrs
• Eventually we want to get some land and start a permaculture farm.
• Even when we settle down we would still like to travel…maybe 2 months out of the year?
That wraps up this episode! If you have any further questions you can head on over to the show notes page (livinlightly.com/podcast6) and leave a comment and we would be happy to answer your questions there. Or you can always emails us or connect on instagram @livinlightly.