Mail Call! Tight living quarters question

That looks like a pretty closed in area. I hope you all have enough room.

It isn't that bad! Our Monday - Thursday RV is smaller (pictures later today!) but the main thing is to get rid of what you REALLY do NOT need. And you figure that out quickly. I found I don't need 50 outfits. I do need clothes.

I found I could get rid of a lot of clothes... I have:

- three pairs of pants (grungy, cool and nice)
- a pair of dressy black pants (for something other than grungy, cool pr nice)
- 3 tank tops
- 3 pair of shorts
- 3 skirts
- 5 pair of shoes (flip flops, dressy, walking, boat and grungy)
- 2 bras
- 2 pajamas. Actually, they aren't REALLY pajamas, they are 2 "something to sleep in".
- A light wind breaker and a heavier jacket. The jacket is going to storage right now.
- AND 3 over shirts. 1 I throw on for cleaning. 1 has long sleeves for when the windbreaker is too much and the other I keep with me when I am wearing a tank top in case I need something a little nicer to go in somewhere while I am out and about.

Really I could do with fewer shoes, but I tend to over kill with shoes anyway. I mostly wear flip flops or walk barefoot (despite all the warnings about splinters and glass)

In the kitchen I got rid of a LOT of dishes. I didn't need 4 drawers of utensils ready to take over the kitchen. I didn't need fifty kajillion tupperware containers (with or without lids), 9 styles of spatula, how ever many pots I had in various shapes and sizes or enough complete dinner plate/ saucer/ bowl sets that would have left some left over if I served the entire US ARMY 3 meals a day. I really had too much!

I DO need:

- enough cups for each person (4) plus a couple spares in case we have guests. (plastic cups work for that)
- enough dinner plates for each person plus a pack of paper plates for guests.
- A large skillet and a small skillet.
- A spatula
- A FEW serving utensils.
- 1 fork, 1 knife, 1 spoon for each person plus a box of plastic utensils for guests.
- 1 serving platter (for large meats)
- a coffee percalator
- 2 pots

So you see. I managed to trim down everything to what we NEEDED. Not all the bells and whistles. If I need to cut food, I get a knife and cutting board. I no longer reach for the heafty duty uber food chopper, the blades, the top, the sliding piece, the measure top pusher downer thingy and all the other stuff. I just cut it myself... except for onions. I don't like cutting onions. I do have a SMALL food processor/ blend in a cup thing that I use for onions. I guess I could get really lazy and buy them already chopped, but what's the fun of that?

In the bedroom (Vee-berth), we trimmed down also. Instead of ten blankets in various sizes and thicknesses, we have 2 sleeping bags and a sheet. Instead of 5 pillows each, we have 2 per person. Instead of a box of hobbies I'll never finish, I have put them in storage or tossed them. I only keep what I am ACTIVELY working on (that would be nothing) and leave the rest out.

It doesn't take a lot to get sized down. But it DOES take a lot a learning. Half the stuff I brought on the boat, came right back off. When you have to sleep with your possessions, you learn FAST what is most important.

And it's not THAT cramped. We each have our own sleeping space. The boys have their own berth and we have ours. Plus there is the ENTIRE upper deck if we get sick of each other... or just get sick. I am NOT cleaning THAT off the lower decks!

Until next time