We’re trying something new and we hope you’ll let us know if you love it or hate it. About once a month, we want to let you know what some of our favorite things have been lately and why. It will be a different way to tell stories that might not fit in another post, and we hope that it gives you a different kind of insight into our life on the road. We also plan to use affiliate links for Amazon when possible so that if you’re inspired to try some of our favorite things, you can find them easily. And we get a small reward from Amazon if you decide to buy it that way. Everybody wins! (We hope!)
So at the end of our first full month on the road, here are some of our favorite things! (And again, we’d love your feedback how you like this type of post!)
1. Amazon Prime. We’ve been on the fence about Prime for years and believe it or not we’re a little late to jump on board. Obviously in Sweden it’s been less useful, but now that we’re here it’s topping our list. We use it to watch movies and tv shows, and we’ve even canceled Netflix. All our kids’ favorite PBS shows that were dropped from Netflix are on Amazon Prime and they’re thrilled. Also, when we don’t stay in one place for long, the ability to get whatever we need with free, guaranteed 2-day shipping is kind of amazing. We’ve already ordered quite a few times to campground addresses, everything from a solar panel to a baby swimsuit. It definitely makes life easier. (Note: affiliate link is for a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime.)
2. Mifold Grab and Go Car Booster Seat. We traded Emelie’s booster seat, which was bulky with a headrest and cup holders and everything, for a mifold and we love it. Rather than a booster that raises the child to the appropriate height for the car’s seat belt, the mifold adjusts the car’s seat belt to the appropriate size for the child. It’s small and nearly unnoticeable when in use, which makes it perfect for older kids who are not quite big enough to ride safely without a booster but who might be embarrassed to still need a car seat. This wasn’t a huge issue for us, but what we love best about it is when it’s NOT in use. It folds up and fits easily into your glove compartment, backpack, etc. It makes it much more comfortable to fit 3 car seats next to each other, and we can easily take it with us when we travel, whether it’s visiting Sweden or anywhere we might need a rental car or to take a taxi. We love the mifold, and as the boys get bigger we will definitely be getting a second one for Peter.
3. Eva-Dry Petite Dehumidifier. Affectionately dubbed “Eva” by the kids, who genuinely thought she came with a name, our dehumidifier is an absolute necessity. As I mentioned in a previous post, winter weather in the Northeast gave us problems with condensation and humidity. Now that we’ve moved south, the challenges are different but not less. Moisture is our enemy and Eva is on the front lines of the battle. We love Eva because she’s small, super quiet (no compressor) and not overly power hungry – all big considerations in RV life. We also love Eva’s little sister, Eva2. Eva2 lives in the kids’ room. While Eva requires power, and therefore can’t be used when we run on battery, Eva2 only needs to be plugged in when she needs to be charged. She’s completely silent and most of the time does her job completely unnoticed.
4. LED light bulbs, like these and these. Switching out our standard light bulbs for LEDs has allowed us to stay longer at place where we don’t have electricity. These LED bulbs consume much less power, of course, but also can run on 12V power and can handle the fluctuating voltage of running on batteries or being plugged in. We haven’t yet switched all of our bulbs, but enough to have sufficient light without needing to use the standard bulbs at all. If we were to order them again, we would consider a yellower light instead of the “cool white” as we feel like we might prefer that light quality better. Especially for bed lamps, a gentler light is sometimes preferred.
5. Pelonis Tower Ceramic Heater. In the colder weather, we used this to help supplement our propane heat whenever we were plugged in. It helped us cut back on our propane consumption and was also a source of dry heat (burning propane produces water as a byproduct). In the warmer southern climates, this is all we need to be warm enough on cool nights. When we have a good source of electricity and the humidity is high, we run the heater and air conditioner at the same time to manage the humidity while enjoying a comfortable temperature. It has an oscillating function, which helps us circulate the air, low and high settings (important depending on our power source), and a thermostat. It tucks quietly away in the corner and was worth every penny.
So those are our favorite things this month! Small things that make life on the road a little easier and more comfortable. For us, living simply isn’t just about having less stuff, it’s about what we do have being the right stuff.
