A look at our new home

I have been losing sleep the last week or so thinking of the many things that need to be done in order to complete our move. It is very difficult to move out of your home when you do not have a place to go. That thought was just really difficult to get around. Finally, Jeff and I came up with plan B. Instead of closing on the house and paying cash for the 5th wheel, which would then need to be delivered, we decided to finance the 5th wheel, have it delivered early and begin moving in so that we are mostly settled by our closing date. This has its own risks, we realize, but the other way was just not working out for us. The second part of this plan allows us to actually use the equity on our house to instead pay off ALL of our consumer debt, which is currently at a higher interest rate than the RV. There should still be money leftover to go ahead and pad our emergency fund with. This plan in turn frees up another $500 per month to add to that fund. It's a good plan, as long as closing goes on without a hitch. I'm praying all will work out.

As for space inside when we move, I still lose sleep over that one. My bedroom is awesome. I don't see that I will be bothered by that one iota. The TV and couch and recliners seem like they will work very nicely. The kitchen is beautiful, but I'm not sure how it will work out. I will need to relearn how to prepare meals for a family of 6. My most often used cookware items will not fit in the space. There are lots of big families who RV full-time who share their methods, so I will be spending more time looking at those options. I'm thinking an instant pot might be a sanity saver and an electric griddle might be really nice. We shall see when we get there. I can make due on a crockpot and a blender for now.

Here is a floor plan so that you can get an idea:


We I chose black leatherette and the more colorful curtains. It looks really pretty. The brown was just too blah for me. The color name is "stone," which one may think of as gray, but it is truly black.


The master bedroom holds a king sized bed. (We have measured and are bringing our king mattress to replace the one that comes standard.) The bed pops up so that items can be stored under the mattress. There is a good-sized closet, dresser, and a washer/dryer closet. The kitchen has a 23 cu ft refrigerator, oven and stove with fold down corian countertop, convection oven/microwave, and under-mounted double sink which has corian covers to increase counter space. The floor plan above shows a table and love seat, but we opted for the u-lounge option, which converts the entire slide into a couch with recliners on both ends and a queen bed in the center. There are 2 pedestal tables that can be installed in front of the lounge when we need them. The island also acts as a bar on that side, so our bar stools will do well in that space. There are 2 freestanding recliners (in front of the door) and  a TV that is angled across the room. The bunk room houses 3 twin beds and one futon. We will replace the kids' mattresses immediately to give them a more comfortable night's rest. They have a small closet, huge drawers, and an entertainment system in their room. They have their own 1/2 bath and an exterior door. Next to that door outside is an outdoor kitchen with a mini fridge, microwave, 2 burner stove and sink. Here are some pictures. Here is a virtual tour.

Now begins the not-so-fun portions of the move. Picking up and installing the utility pole, digging for septic, canceling services here, selling the remaining furniture and packing. Oh! And our truck broke down this past weekend. That was fun. I'm just thankful Jeff was able to get it to a safe place. All-in-all I believe I'm ready to get it all over with. Waiting and not knowing drive me a little crazy. I'm really thankful for my foam roller right now! I have been able to relieve shoulder/neck pain by myself, which is super nice! (That's where I carry my stress.) Speaking of the foam roller, I'm sure I hear it calling my name right now!