Happy Place In Our Tiny Space: Michael and Hailey
My fiancé Michael Duffy and I started full-time RV’ing for his job, he’s a corporate bankruptcy director and travels all over the world, but primarily in the US/Canada.
Before traveling, I was a special education teacher. I taught kindergarten through 3rd-grade exceptional learners. I loved my job! It was hard to leave but the opportunity to travel with Michael and his career before we settle to have children is a once in a lifetime experience. Currently, I am nose deep in wedding planning, and starting to write a children’s book! My fiancé Michael has been with his current job for 5 years now.
Our First Home On Wheels
We have a 37 ft Grand Design Solitude Fifth Wheel. We already had a truck and snagged a great deal from a sweet elderly couple as second owners.
The first full month we were full-timing, we didn’t realize that an RV toilet is much different than a residential. We wound up clogging the toilet pretty bad from not using enough water and had to have a professional unclog the mess haha. My “shitters full Clark” sign really rings true for us.
We travel with our cat Furrnando, and come December we will have a brother for him, his name is Ollifurr! Traveling with cats is so easy, and we have a hidden gem in our RV for their litter box. You’d never even know we have cats if it weren’t for the fact they are so loving!
Seeing All The Seasons
Our favorite experience besides meeting other full-time RVers has been seeing all of the gorgeous fall foliage across the Midwest this season! It has been so incredibly beautiful. I grew up in Chicago before moving to Arizona almost 4 years ago, and I really missed the fall season!
Our Advice To You
We currently use a WiFi extender to pull a stronger signal when at campgrounds. We also have a Verizon Mifi, for when we are staying in places that do not have WiFi or have a weak signal.
We have stayed at some pretty amazing campgrounds! But our favorites have been Gilbert Ray in Tucson Arizona & this gorgeous spot on the beach in Marina California!
We follow the Dave Ramsey method! We highly recommend anyone to read his book called Total Money Makeover. It has helped us, as well as millions of families, get rid of debt and change their lives forever with his simple, practical seven-step plan.
Turning Our RV Into A Home
My fiancé Michael is the ultimate handyman and has done any and all repairs other than the super clogged toilet, himself. He and I both totally renovated our rig. We started by painting the walls the color Grayish by Scherwin Williams, and we decided to leave the cabinetry their natural dark wood color. I replaced the old school valences with fresh new blinds.com blackout roller shades. People can use our code tinyhomehailey for $20 off their purchase with them, too! My fiancé also installed peel and stick subway tile in the kitchen and bathroom, as well as faux shiplap in our bedroom where the headboard used to be. We also replaced all the RV furniture and tables with residential couches and tables, this made it feel cozier. We still are making minor changes, but we love what we’ve done so far. It feels like home!
The biggest adjustment I’d say is learning and knowing how much stuff you truly never use or don’t need. We didn’t have too much stuff since we are so young, but we downsized even more from what we had, it was unbelievably freeing. Also, adjusting to a smaller kitchen space was interesting! I love lots of counter space for cooking, so that was different having to do things in stages due to less counter space.
Loving The Nomad Life
We haven’t set a definite end date yet. It could be 1 year, 5 years or even more. It just depends I suppose. Right now though, we are loving this lifestyle and exploring everything the world has to offer.
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