The Time is Now! (But not just yet)

Working as a caregiver, I see many a deep epiphany at a bedside of the ill and dying. I have heard over an over" You know, you get old, work hard all your life and its a shame you don't get to enjoy it" or, I thought we had more time. I find moments like these a confirmation to pack up my home and hit the road with my hubby. As for now, as a traveling musician (and already a minimalist gypsy at heart), we are downsizing so as to travel more. So that all sounds fine and dandy, but there are some practical measures that need to be addressed before you take on a minstrel type life and do not want to have to sleep at bus stops ( I need my a.m java, p.m essential oil diffuser and my air purifying salt rock..or someone will get hurt). So let's break down some dow and look at some areas that must be addressed for you to be able to maintain what you deem comfortable (and so you do not hit any snags down the road). Some people busk full time and live full time on the road and some maintain a home and busk seasonally. We will look at both options.

• BE SURE TO PREPARE TO TRAVEL BEFORE YOUR LEASE IS UP: If you are renting, do not create a mess by being impulsive and breaking a lease. We have begun packing and organizing and have a full 2 months before our departure to a smaller home. You can obtain storage for furniture or give things away. Just be sure to tie up all loose ends if you are leaving a dwelling. If you will not have a forwarding address, a p.o box option may be good for you. If you want to stick with the USPS service, click here. USPS even gives options for getting a mailbox online. Visit virtualpostmail.com for more information. If USPS is not what you're looking for,  Fed EX or UPS also has mailbox services. Your landlord may even be able to deposit your security deposit in your bank with a money transfer if you do not have a p.o box. Family, blood and or soul, are good for this. Think of someone who you will keep in contact with and can trust. Keeping a small place (we will be going from a house with 4 giant rooms to one with 2 or less) on family land or next to the family as a home base, is a good idea also. If you can have a team of people who love you check on your base often, that is even better.

• IMPULSIVE DOES NOT MEAN UNEDUCATED (RESEARCH): I have found many helpful sites online. RVing for beginners on Facebook has so much information when it comes to starting the RV lifestyle. The Frugal Minimalist is a great group for getting information on how to go far on a little. Their before and after pictures on decluttering taste like organized eye candy. Yummy. I know for me, the most important question when I decided I was ready to let go of stuff to grab experiences was, how do I tell people to stop giving me crap. These groups even address how to tell grandma to keep the flamingo figurine. You can begin to see what your motivation is for being a minimalist means to you, as you learn what it means to others. For many, it is a look, for some, a mindset. That brings us to the next point.

• BE REALISTIC ABOUT YOUR MINIMALIST GOALS AND RV GOALS: Throwing your things in storage and hitting the road may not be feasible for you. Not everyone is 4 feet 9 inches and fits amazingly well in an A-frame trailer on wheels (and has adorable freckles to boot). I love exploring what other people are doing to live their best possible life. Rock what you got and be you. I love the mega-weekend camper. I cannot afford (or maneuver)  a giant glam- glam camper. I think anything less than 2 weeks at a campsite is a waste, yet the glam-glam camper brings a mansion, a car lot load of ATVs, boats, and scooters and stays for 3 days like a boss. Diversity is not only the spice of life, it provides a place to plug in your salt rock and take a shower because of your awesome family/friends who enjoy the pride of ownership and staying put. I can not stress enough this is about you finding the depths of who you are and garnering experience you desire to have in your life. DO NOT NOT COMPARE YOURSELF TO ANOTHER PERSON OR CHASE THEIR DREAM! Sorry, but not sorry, about having to scream at you but this is of the utmost importance.

• BANKING APPS AND AUTO DRAFT BILL PAYING:  There are so many ways you can earn on the road (we will really get into this in a future post, yet you still need to get that money in a bank or at least have access to one if needed. DO NOT RUN AROUND STASHING MONEY ON YOU.  We find banking apps lifesavers. Technology has made this so crazy easy. We can take a pic of a check from a gig and have it uploaded to an account. We will get deep into electronic ways to boss your gypsy life in a future post.

So start to brainstorm what this type of life would look like for you. Begin to troubleshoot possible problems that may arise (for us we learned to reserve our camp spots online). Remember just like buying a house and sitting in one spot may drive some crazy, being stuck in the woods, living in a tree covered in moss and fairy dust may suck for others. Look into your motivations and make a list of why you want to take on or live deeper in this kind of lifestyle. Make a list of things you want to do. One of mine was to steep tea in a hot spring...done.