My first road trip

[akanevsky]

The Coleman burners that are for sale in Walmart don't have a wind screen. I guess I can make one from aluminum. It seems there aren't any threads in the Saving Money forum. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?

Thank you for suggesting that I should try not to blow my budget. The problem is, I don't know when I will be coming back. If at all. So I'm trying to think of everything that I might need. It's probably stupid to do so because by all likelihood I can get items later somehow. Plus part of the goal of my road trip is to find a better place to live, preferably somewhere in the southwest where it's warmer than in the northeast.

I was thinking of getting the following things:

• Some sort of an all season travel jacket (but I think I'll just make do with the two jackets that I use most often, even if they take more space).
• Cooler (definitely need this)
• Single burner portable stove (so that I can save on food by cooking it myself)
• Butane canisters (definitely need this to power the stove)
• Sleeping bag (probably not necessary)
• Sleeping bag liner (probably not necessary)
• Tent (probably not necessary in the summer; I can just sleep outside on a bench or under a tree)
• Mini cutting board (they have these for $2.95 ea at REI)
• Outdoor cutlery set (maybe I can just take some of the cutlery I already have instead; a three item set at REI costs $15.95 which is expensive; I just have to figure out a way to stop the knife from making holes in my plastic bag)
• Wash & drain bowl (probably need this; but going to see if I can get it for a better price than the $24.95 at Macy's)
• Camping bowls and plates (gonna visit Savers and/or buy at REI in the worst case scenario; the problem with Savers is that I don't know which plates are heat resistant)
• Quick dry tea towels ($8 for 2 towels at Walmart; a bit expensive, but I couldn't find anything better; maybe I will just use microfiber rags that I already have and that are washable)
• Hiking pants (I bought a pair of convertible pants at REI for $49.95, but the bottom parts have mysteriously disappeared even though I left them in my wardrobe; now I need a replacement)

So it seems that most of these items I wouldn't actually need in practice, at least not in the summer. The total for all these items would be about $200. So thanks again for reminding me that it's really not necessary to buy all of them in advance.

The page with travel advice is great! I like everything I read on there.

[akanevsky]

I guess my main concern at this point is how do I make money on the road... I'm considering wwoofing, helpxing, and volunteering at hostels. I look through the forum section on this, but it didn't help much. My main skill is computer programming but I'd like to do something more directly involved with other people. Any thoughts?

[glc]

It seems there aren't any threads in the Saving Money forum. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?

At the bottom, under Thread Display Options, Show Threads From The......

I guess my main concern at this point is how do I make money on the road

Don't count on it, unless you can use your programming skills remotely. Employers always prefer locals for casual labor.

[Lifemagician]

The Coleman burners that are for sale in Walmart don't have a wind screen. I guess I can make one from aluminum.

If I am not wrong, Coleman only make Propane stoves. They are a pain, as you have to have the cannister at a particular angle with most of them, which when there is not something heavy on the stove, makes it tip up. Check for the small butane stoves. I don't know what the brand is, but the stove is about 12"x 15", the cannister is in the stove and the stove comes in a carry case - which I use as a wind break, when necessary. It is another item I have in my van in the US and my van at home.

The problem is, I don't know when I will be coming back. If at all. So I'm trying to think of everything that I might need.

Why worry about that now. Where you live now is not the only place you can get things. Hit the road and buy things as you need them. As I mentioned there are lots of ways to improvise, and when sick of improvising, go out buy IT!

What makes you think you will not be able to get it on the road. Maybe even cheaper than what you are trying to get at home. And don't overlook sites like Freecycle and Craigslist. More than half of what I have is second hand. Why pay new when you do not need to. Don't only look on Craigslist where you live. Look at other areas as well, areas you think you may be travelling through. Negotiate coming past in xxx weeks time to pick it up and pay for it. That will also give you a purpose to head out a specific direction.

(but I think I'll just make do with the two jackets that I use most often, even if they take more space).

Good thinking.

[*]Single burner portable stove (so that I can save on food by cooking it myself)

Yeah, but if you can't find one before you leave, keep looking and in the meantime.... choose motels where they have a microwave, campgrounds which have a camp kitchen or other cooking facility, or buy ready to eat at the grocers (like I had to do today.)

[*]Butane canisters (definitely need this to power the stove)

Buy just ONE pack of two or four cannisters, when you start using the fourth one, go shopping for more. By then you will know how long a cannister lasts. No point in having them stocked up unless you are going into an extremely remote area.

[*]Sleeping bag (probably not necessary)

For summer a blanket will possibly do. Or whatever it is you have on your bed at the moment.

Once again, there are thousands of sleeping bags in cupboards and other places, been used a dozen times or so, and never been used again. Freecycle and Craigslist are your friends. Most of these belong to people like you who wanted to get everything so they were set up, and then discovered that thety did not enjoy it, or could not use it as often as they liked. (The sleeping bag I bought was probably bought for more than a hundred dollars in 1980, used a few times, and never used again, till I bought it in 2004.)

[*]Sleeping bag liner (probably not necessary)

In more than half a century of using sleeping bags I have never used one. Aired out daily and laid out in the sun regularly will keep them fresh. This of course assumes you are clean when you crawl into it. I do however like to put my head on my own pillow, enclosed in a regularly washed pillow case.

Every few years or so, put the sleeping bag in a bath with good quality soap and wash it. Squeeze out the water and lay it out in the sun to dry. Good down bags take less than a week to dry, and even quicker in summer.

[*]Tent (probably not necessary in the summer; I can just sleep outside on a bench or under a tree)

Yes it is. If you are not going to get a car in which you can sleep comfortably, you need a tent. I am not sure about beaches (you'll be going a long time before you get to them), but it certainly will be frowned on in quite a few official places, and extremely dangerous in unofficial places.

[*]Mini cutting board (they have these for $2.95 ea at REI)

Less than 50c in the various dollar shops! Do without till you see of them cheap. I do not regard $2.95 for a mini cutting board *cheap* A plate makes a good cutting board till then. You could probably pick up one in a charity shop for peanuts!

[*]Outdoor cutlery set (maybe I can just take some of the cutlery I already have instead; a three item set at REI costs $15.95 which is expensive.

Absolutely tons of cutlery available in charity stores..... usually 20c a piece.

I just have to figure out a way to stop the knife from making holes in my plastic bag

An old Tupperware container will do, or any other plastic container with a good fitting lid. Until you see one of thos in a charity store, a cardboard box will do. Go to any shoe store and ask if they have boxes. Choose one to meet your needs. Put an elastic or rubber band around it. (Same goes for other stores who have products delivered in boxes, just ask what they have. They have to pay to dispose of some of this stuff. If nothing this week, go back next week.... and the week after, etc.

[*]Wash & drain bowl (probably need this; but going to see if I can get it for a better price than the $24.95 at Macy's)

A bucket has many uses. Filled half full with hot soapy water will wash your dishes. Dry them as you wash them, no need for a draining board.

(Heck, I thought it was you who is the minimalist, but you dont 'sound or plan like one.)

[*]Camping bowls and plates (gonna visit Savers and/or buy at REI in the worst case scenario; the problem with Savers is that I don't know which plates are heat resistant)

Lots of table ware in all charity shops. Why do you need heat resistant? Are you going to put them on the stove, or a fire? I have broken quite a few plates and bowls and mugs. None have ever cost more than a dollar, and most very much less. A couple of bowls, plates and mugs, and you're done set up.

[*]Quick dry tea towels ($8 for 2 towels at Walmart; a bit expensive, but I couldn't find anything better; maybe I will just use microfiber rags that I already have and that are washable)

Microfibe is fine. But why do they have to be quick drying. Hang them up in the car. They will easily hang over a string or a coathanger. A great use for wire coathangers. They'll be dry long before you need them again. Why not ask mum if she has a few old teatowels for you. If she uses a dishwasher, I would venture to say there are a few in the linnen cupboard.

[*]Hiking pants (I bought a pair of convertible pants at REI for $49.95, but the bottom parts have mysteriously disappeared even though I left them in my wardrobe; now I need a replacement)

You'll probably not need those bottom parts for some time. Why not just take them and see how you get on. Save your money, you may find you'll do very well without them.

So it seems that most of these items I wouldn't actually need in practice, at least not in the summer. The total for all these items would be about $200. So thanks again for reminding me that it's really not necessary to buy all of them in advance.

I have never kept track of it all, but I think if I were to add it up, The stuff in my van would be a hard to try to make $200.

The page with travel advice is great! I like everything I read on there.

Good! I definitely think it is among the best. I still refer to it often.

[akanevsky]

Regarding being a minimalist, if you only knew how many things I'm getting rid of... like I said, I'm getting rid of 90% of all the things I have. I come from a hoarder family that likes to keep everything "just in case" and it's very hard to change your thinking even though I've been living on my own for almost two years. Let's just say that I'm an *aspiring* minimalist. I've been sorting my things over the past few days in preparation for a yard sale, and I'm finding new things to get rid of on every pass. Like I said, I want to keep all the smaller items that I take with me to one or two bags max.

I thought I need heat resistant plates so that I can put hot food from the pot onto the plate without it cracking. Am I wrong?

I have tea towels, no need to ask mom. I didn't think of using a hanger to dry them in the car. Good idea!

Thanks again for all the advice.

[Lifemagician]

... I've been living on my own for almost two years.

So why are you looking at buying anything new?

Look at what you have around you, and what you use almost every day. Those are the things you need and take. The bed clothes you use now will do adequately till you find something suitable along the way, or circumstances demand that you need something else.

Two plates, bowls, mugs, forks, spoons, knives etc. Just take that which you use most often. No need to go to much expense to get on the road.

A tent, sleeping bag/mat and camp stove is probably all you need. All can be got sencond hand, through the sources already mentioned. To that I would add a top end Swiss Army Knife. They are invaluable. Make sure it is the real thing, and not some copy.

Pack up all your work, and hit the road. Sounds to me that you have most of what you NEED. Be careful not to pack those things you WANT.

Wants is what hoarders live with. Needs is what minimalists stick to. Be sure you know the difference. All easy in theory, but Oh! so difficult to put into practice.

Lifey

[akanevsky]

So why are you looking at buying anything new?

Well mainly because (a) the regular cotton towels that I have take forever to dry and (b) the regular plates that I have are heavier than plastic.

Wants is what hoarders live with. Needs is what minimalists stick to. Be sure you know the difference. All easy in theory, but Oh! so difficult to put into practice.

Exactly. I'm trying to minimize what I'm going to take with me. I'm having trouble with it. I wanted to take only two bags max, but I think it's going to be four bags plus boxes. It's too much. Still, I don't know what to eliminate. I've got my whole living room filled with stuff that I'm going to get rid of either through sale or donation, but I'm still not down to 2 bags as far as what I'm actually going to take. I feel overwhelmed with all these things. Plus it's hard to sell anything even using online Facebook sale groups.

Help!

I'm actually considering buying only a small cooler for now. I will not buy a camp stove or a tent or a sleeping bag until later. I guess I will initially be staying at hostels, and looking for work-live arrangements along the way. They have kitchens, so I will probably not need to even take my plates in this case.

[Lifemagician]

Well mainly because (a) the regular cotton towels that I have take forever to dry and (b) the regular plates that I have are heavier than plastic.

All will do fine until they need to be replaced. Unless the plates are extremely heavy pottery ones, their weight will not be a concern. Most of mine are regular stone plates and mugs, purchased in goodwill. (None match!)

Exactly. I'm trying to minimize what I'm going to take with me. I'm having trouble with it. I wanted to take only two bags max, but I think it's going to be four bags plus boxes.

Yes, I know. It is extremely difficult, especially when you find no one wantts what you have. Moving into a smaller home recently saw me with the same dilemna. In desperation I gave ten large boxes full of books to the prisons department.

It's too much. Still, I don't know what to eliminate.

That will come with time. When you find you have things in the car which are not earning their space, you donate them to the next charity or even at a hostel.

I've got my whole living room filled with stuff that I'm going to get rid of either through sale or donation, but I'm still not down to 2 bags as far as what I'm actually going to take. I feel overwhelmed with all these things. Plus it's hard to sell anything even using online Facebook sale groups.

From experience I find that selling *stuff* is quite difficult,. Donate it. Besides charity stores there are usually folk around who look after the poor, and under priviledged. They are bound to take some. If the rest does not go through Freecycle - then ditch it.

I've just ditched a lot of stuff out of my van. Stuff I did not use all that much last trip, so decided this trip I shall go without. Besides, I needed to make room for my little scooter.

I'm actually considering buying only a small cooler for now. I will not buy a camp stove or a tent or a sleeping bag until later. I guess I will initially be staying at hostels, and looking for work-live arrangements along the way. They have kitchens, so I will probably not need to even take my plates in this case.

Good thinking. Get them when you feel you need them, and then look for bargains. Don't forget Craigslist wherever you are. Rarely do you need to spend money on anything new.

Who knows, we may run into each other..... not literally.

Lifey

[DonnaR57]

Craigslist....well, I haven't tried to sell anything for money on it. None of our local thrift/charity stores wanted a sofa bed, with or without a mattress. So we advertised it for free on Craigslist, hoisted it out to the sidewalk in front of our house, and placed the FREE sign on it. Had a couple of bites, and about 5 hours after I placed the ad, it was gone. If your area doesn't have an ordinance against putting your stuff out on the street with a "FREE" sign on it, try it. My husband and I started a trend in our neighborhood, and most everything "FREE" is taken within a day or so.

My daughter has bought some things through Craigslist, usually agreeing to meet someone in a public parking lot.


Donna

[akanevsky]

Yeah, getting rid of things is my main challenge right now. I am pretty much set with everything else. I posted in multiple places, and am getting very few responses. Might as well end up donating because I want to get rid of everything by the middle of June.