Live economically in your travel trailer.
It's the dream of many people: sell everything, buy a travel trailer and hit the open road. The trailer lifestyle may offer scenic vistas and great variety but this scaled-down existence holds its own set of restrictions. Your lack of basic living space means that you have to get by on the bare minimum sometimes, and everything you purchase must be in small quantities. Get creative and you can save money on just about every aspect of living in a travel trailer.
Laundry
Washing your clothes in a laundromat may be the convenient thing to do while living in a travel trailer, but it can add up to hundreds of dollars every year. Invest in a portable washing machine made for camping and dry your clothes the old-fashioned way on a clothesline. With the price of washing a load of clothes running 2 or 3 dollars, you will pay for the washer in just a few months. Many of the camping washers don't need electricity and can be stored in a very small space.
Reading Material
Save on space, weight and cost in your reading material by investing in an eBook reader. Basic readers can hold hundreds of books in a space the size of one paperback or smaller. Though less expensive than the printed version, for an even better bargain, become a member of a public library that is a member of the Overdrive Resource Center. Many public libraries are members, and offer current bestsellers and old favorites in eBook form for loan. Check out the book by downloading it and it will expire when it is due back to the library. Once you have the library membership, you can download books from anywhere in the country.
Seasonal Parking
Living a travel trailer life means that you have the ability and desire to move your living space on regular occasions. Research where the peak tourist seasons are at each time of the year and avoid those spots for cheaper prices. While you may not want to stay in northern Michigan in January, the weather in April is usually tolerable while the prices are still off-season. The same goes for other parts of the country, depending on their climate and tourist attractions.
Storage
Even though you are living within a smaller living space, you can still take advantage of bargains afforded with buying bulk products. Invest in some good-quality freezer bags. Buy large containers of laundry soap powder, snacks, crackers and other staples. Package each item into many smaller bags. It's often much easier to find room to store smaller bags here and there in your trailer than it is to store one large box or bag. Keep spare bags in overhead compartments or other out-of-the-way spots.
Tags: travel trailer, living space, living travel, living travel trailer, means that