We are selling our house and moving onto our 5 acres (bought from dh father). We will either be living in a camper, or a small cabin that we will build (dh is a carpenter ~ builds houses for a living).

My question is this - What do/did you take with you during that time? What dishes, housewares, personal items, books? What would you suggest are essential? What wouldn't you do again/suggest? What did you do to pass the time during winter?

We have 2 small children (ages 3yo & 1yo), and I am going to start "homeschooling" the 3yo this fall (basically reading to her, and teaching her basic skills, along w/helping with the animals). We are also going to have a large garden, and animals. I also like to bake bread, sew (plan on making quilts, dresses,p.j.'s), and also want to learn how to spin and knit.

I appreciate all/any advice. This is something we have been planning for a while now. And I think it is starting to all come together rather quickly *Ü* Mindi <{{{><

-- Mindi in northeast WI (mgollnic@excel.net), April 24, 2002

Answers

Build a small garden shed and leave it empty. When you find you brought the wrong stuff you'll have somewhere to dump it!!! Keep it simple, the essentials plus the proven favorites. Keep new things to try to a minimum. Comfort food, comfort books, clothes, and gear. Your roughing it, enjoy the simplicity of it. It's a rare opportunity.

-- Ross (amulet@istar.ca), April 24, 2002.

If it is going to be a small space, then figure out a storage method first. Shelving units, trunks, plastic tubs, whatever suits you best.

Dual use furniture also helps. We use trunks as benches and tables. We have a big tilt top table for sewing and other projects, but it gets tilted up when not in use. Using your small space efficiently might not be a big deal in Summer, but when Winter hits you will really appreciate that extra space with the kids.

In Winter we make a lot of stuff we use during the rest of the year. Make soap, candles, carve, sew and quilt. We take turns reading out loud while working on projects.

-- Dash (forthechix@yahoo.com), April 24, 2002.

I have no great advice for you but I just wanted to say I think what you are doing is wonderful! I have been trying to convince DH to do that for years!!!! Good luck!!!

-- Najia (najia274@yahoo.com), April 24, 2002.

ok , first of all, think about your clothing, logically , how much do you "Truly" need, 3-5 changes of clothes is a lot, since you can wash and dry clothes quite easily ... i had never considered myslef a materialistic person , but when we first made outr move to the country i got rid of about 3 boxes of clothes, and later got rid of more.... even now i still have a few items of clothing i wear less than 3 times a year

the best way i figured somethings value, do i use it

yearly

Quarterly ?

monthly?

weekly or daily???

daily stuff i kept, weekly stuff i was able to pare down , and i noticed a lot of the monthly and less thigns, were essentially non essential , of course except for holiday decor, which we put in storage shed

its amazing the thing you own you dont need, its been nearly 2 years since our first move and nine months since our final one.. and there are still boxes i have yet to unpack , i know whats in them (sentimental stuff, wedding memoribilia, etc) but i have no chance/desire/need to unpack them as of yet.....

-- Beth Van Stiphout (willosnake@hotmail.com), April 24, 2002.

This is off the subject, but what does DH mean? I see it quite often.

-- Confused In Indiana (PARISH48@MSN.COM), April 24, 2002.

DH=dear husband or damn husband depending on when you ask me! ;)

-- Najia (najia274@yahoo.com), April 24, 2002.

I suggest that you take a trial run, go camping for a week and use this week as a way to figure out a lot of your basic needs.

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), April 24, 2002.

Thank you for the clarification on the DH.

-- mike (PARISH48@MSN.COM), April 24, 2002.

I agree with BC - we just went camping for a week & it was amazing the stuff we took that we didn't ever need & the stuff we needed that we didn't take! ;) A trial run, though on a small scale, is a good idea. Best wishes!

-- heather (h.m.metheny@att.net), April 24, 2002.

I thought "dh" stood for "dear heart"!

-- Paul Martin (rpm44@centurytel.net), April 24, 2002.

np ;^)

-- Najia (najia274@yahoo.com), April 24, 2002.

I third BC's answer. in a related train of thought for those of us not moving to a camper but wishing to be "prepared": step out to the garage, or closet or whatever some weekend and switch off the master breaker. what doesn't work or isn't there soon makes itself apparent.

-- B. Lackie - Zone3 (cwrench@hotmail.com), April 24, 2002.

We moved into a travel trailer on our wooded property with 3 kids, 2, 4 and 8. Water and electricity came exactly a year later, the house wasn't done for 3! Camping is exactly what you are going to be doing. Don't take to many clothes and take clothes made of cotton that dry quickly. Your first project should be a covered, sided, screened in porch so you can have someplace safe for the kids to play. It is impossible to cook with little ones in that small of space, it is downright dangerous also. Unless you are moving onto a homestead that has been lived on before, imagine that your kids are not safe outside the door, stickers, ants, snakes, no fencing so they will get lost. You can not hold them 24 hours a day, build a porch :) Though our trailer was self contained, you will want to do some cooking outdoors, especially for boiling water to do laundry, a propane stove on a picknick table was what I did, we also ate outside when it was nice. Though the laundry mat was just 17 miles into town, kids clothes and undies are just so much eaiser to boil and hang out, use town for jeans, towles etc. Don't even think about sheets and the like for kids, summers use the slumber bags, and winters we used sleeping bags. Good luck, you will either come out of it a stronger person with a very strong marriage, or learn ..............well you will just learn. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), April 24, 2002.

The trial run is an excelent idea. Even if you tent in the back yard. Make lists of things you figure you need and then cull all but the essentials. Be especially mindful of winter clothing and sleeping bags to keep the little ones warm. If you can survive one week, you've got it made. Learning how to cook and sew will help keep the 3 year old busy. Take a large needle with a big eye and a blunt tip for her to use on loose woven material or even paper. The play yard out the front door is a great idea and if you added a large dog house or small tent the kids would be happy anytime the can get out. Good luck to you. wish I had a list prepared to help more, but my list wouldn't be the same as yours.

-- Robin Downing (Southpawrobin1@aol.com), April 25, 2002.

DesertDweller...the Other BC ALWAYS has such REAL USEFUL suggestions....

I would like to suggest a couple of things that I found extremely useful. Go to your local supermarket...the deli section. Ask them to save for you their LARGE jars...pickles, mayonaise, etc. I prefered the glass ones, but also used some plastic. These are great containers for longterm food storage - Pasta, Rice, Flour, Sugar, etc. Just make sure you get as much air out by packing it full and put in some bay leaves to keep weevels out.

The second thing I used constantly was the big paint buckets...5 gallon size. You need at least three of them and a NEW toilet plunger...You now have your washing machine...

-- BC (katnip364@aol.com), April 25, 2002.

A 'net-house', where you and the kids can stay outside, undercover and relatively bug free, I think, would be nice. This shouldn't cost more than $100 for a 10 x 12 size room.

Make the outdoors another room, tarps strung up make a dry, shaded place to play and rest your weary bones.

Good luck; it sounds like you are going to have quite an adventure!

-- j.r. guerra in s. tx. (jrguerra@boultinghousesimpson.com), April 25, 2002.

We lived in our trailer every weekend for 2 years then I lived in it myself the last 3 months while our house was being built. I can honestly say that organization is a key element in making a situation like this work. The other thing is, especially with small children and a husband, be sure to have plenty of outdoor gear for everyone to wear. You're going to want to all be outside as much as possible, no matter what the weather! Find your closest public library and use it for books rather than filling up your small space with books. I did read a lot of stories about people who had moved to Alsaka to homestead. It always made me feel like I didn't have it so bad here in Wisconsin. And, try to find someone close by that is doing something similar or keep in touch with some of us that have "been there and done that" it will help you keep things in perspective. Good Luck and let us know how things are going. You can get on e- mail at that library if you don't have computer space in your trailer or cabin.

-- rose marie wild (wintersongfarm@yahoo.com), April 25, 2002.

Oh, Errrrrrrrnest!!!!!!!! ;)

-- Jenn (no@no.com), April 25, 2002.

Oh BC, I LOVE the bucket/plunger washing machine idea!!! I'm going to give that idea to our 14 year old niece who is a city girl, staying with us for awhile. She seems to think that wearing a pair of pants or shirt for a couple of hours (and not getting a spot on it) necessitates a complete washing. She can do her own laundry this way for awhile. And Mindi, this brings to mind another thing I didn't mention in my earlier response, if you're spending a winter in a cabin or trailer in NE Wisc. remember to always be prepared for frozen water pipes! It would be best if you all learned how to take a "jug shower" in front of a campfire this summer. Fill your 1 gallon water jugs with half cold water and half hot water (from a cookstove or fire) and stand in front of a campfire and dump these over yourselves to shower. It's one of the best lessons we ever learned while living in our trailer. Of course, because we weren't smart enough to be prepared for frozen water pipes!!

-- rose marie wild (wintersongfarm@yahoo.com), April 25, 2002.

The suggestion about building a porch on your trailer was a great one. I had forgotten all about that until I read it. We lived in a camper for a few months and didn't have a porch, knew someone else that did and it worked great. Heat in the trailer is also important as they use propane and have small tanks. If you seal the trailer too tight you can have problems with dampness and possibly carbon monoxide. If there are no buildings on your property invest your first money in a barn/workshop/garage. You can install a bathroom/shower in your garage and use it for living and working.

-- Emil in TN (eprisco@usit.net), April 25, 2002.