Heather, Author at A Happy Hive

The BIG purge. Downsizing from 2,000 to 200 square feet.

Shared April 5, 2015

Project-Downsize-550-Take-That-Exit

Of all the things we’ve done to prepare for life on the road – I’d rank downsizing as one of the most exhausting tasks.

When you live in a big house you tend to fill it up. It’s human nature. It’s consumer nature.

All the kitchen gadgets you thought would rock your world. All the Target red-tag-clearance-treasures you just had to have. The clothes that you thought you’d fit into some day. It all adds up.

And I have to say – it feels a whole lot harder selling it then it was buying it. 🙂

I considered donating and giving it all away. That seemed noble and it sure seemed easier.

BUT – I knew we could use the funds. Prepping for a life on the road was expensive, getting our house ready to sell was expensive, my husband giving notice at work was scary.

I was determined to try and sell my items for as much a fair price as I could get. So I started February 1 and I’m so glad I did – because it has taken me weeks of constant effort to sell my items.

1.) Find a local Facebook Buy, Sell, Trade group to sell your items

2.) Sell used books on Amazon {see my tutorial on selling used books on Amazon here}

3.) Have an epic garage sale (or two?)

4.) Donate items to Goodwill or local thrift shop

5.) Give items away to friends and family

6.) Rent a storage unit for meaningful items

If you’re planning to downsize for full-time travel, I recommend starting immediately – give yourself as much time as you can. You’ll earn more if you take your time and sell items online or in Facebook groups than you will if you just have a big garage sale.

If you want very detailed updates on our 2015 Downsizing progress, I’ve been blogging about it over on my Queen Bee Coupons site –

Week 1 update here – earned $548.16
Week 2 update here – earned $1,283.47
Week 3 update here – earned $432.40
Week 4 update here – earned $300
Week 5 update here – earned $395
Week 6 update here – earned $160
Week 7 update here – earned zilch, nada, nothing!
Week 8 update here – earned $645!!
Week 9 and 10 update – earned $715
Week 11 update – earned $3,280.88 {garage sale}
Year-to-date – $7759.91

I can’t wait to hit the road without the burden of STUFF pulling me down.

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Places and people we’d like to see {a growing list}

Shared April 3, 2015

We are less than two months to take off and we have only one campground reservation and only a basic idea of where we want to go. We want to follow the good weather – sticking to the northern states in the summer and heading south and southwest for the winter.

Here’s a general sketch of places and people we’d like to see along the route. Organize alphabetically by state. This list is not complete – not even close – but it’s a start. We haven’t even really begun to research and plan. It’s a brainstorm of sorts.

We will be updating this list as we get closer – and of course, sharing our adventures as we go!

If you have a favorite place you think we should see – leave a comment and let us know!

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How can we afford full-time travel?

Shared April 1, 2015

How we afford full-time travel?

The burning question – “How can you afford to do this?”

The question everyone wants to ask, but only few do. It’s okay. Ask us. Let’s talk about it.

We don’t have trust funds. We didn’t win the lottery. We are not independently wealthy.

Here’s the top-level 10-seconds-in-an-elevator answer – We lived frugally – spending the last 11 years living below our means, even when some of those years were extremely lean. We clipped coupons, shopped discount racks and second-hand stores, and said “no” to a lot of purchases. We paid off all our student loan debt ($80,000!). We worked hard to build an online business that allows us (Heather) to work remotely. We paid extra on our mortgage every month. We avoided consumer debt. And we saved. . .a lot.

It is that simple.

When we decided to take the plunge into full-time travel we had saved enough to pay cash for the tow vehicle and the trailer. This was key for us. We didn’t want the pressure of debt on the road.

We are debt free on the road, have a savings account/emergency fund, investment accounts and have a steady livable income from our online business.

An added bonus is our cost of living has dropped dramatically since moving out of our “traditional home” and traveling full time. Think about it – no bills for heating, electricity, water, cable, internet, landline phone, security system, homeowners dues, property taxes, mortgage, daycare, preschool tuition. . . and so much less consumer debt – you’re not heading to Target and filling your cart with clearance treasures because you don’t have any place to store it!

Of course everyone’s situation is unique, but I would encourage most families considering full-time travel to :

1.) Start debt free

2.) Have an emergency fund established (3-6 months living expenses)

3.) Have an income source in place that allows you to make money on the road

4.) Have a monthly budget that keeps you in the green and make intentional choices to follow your budget

If you have any other budget questions – ask! We hope to be as transparent as possible so that we can help other families pursue the dream of full-time travel.

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What about school?

Shared April 1, 2015

This is one of the most common questions we get about traveling full-time – what about school for our kiddos?

This upcoming year Liam will be in the second grade and Hadley, although only turning 5 this August, will start Kindergarten.

We will homeschool both of them. I NEVER thought I’d homeschool my kids, but I’m finding myself really excited about homeschooling on the road – which is often called Roadschooling.

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Our tow vehicle – 2015 Ford F-250 Diesel

Shared March 14, 2015

After we settled on the Airstream 30-ft Flying Cloud bunk trailer, we had to find a truck to tow it. Oh, this decision was stressful. Although I grew up driving my parent’s big trucks in Alaska, I’d never actually owned a truck. And neither had my husband.

We spent hours researching trucks and brands online – Dodge, Chevy, Ford – we had it narrowed down to the big three brands. You’re probably thinking, “Well, duh!” but seriously – we had to start somewhere!

And we knew we wanted a diesel truck – hands down they dominate in the towing world. Check. At least that choice was easy.

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Why we chose an Airstream trailer

Shared February 28, 2015

Airstream vs. other “RV” brands and and styles

When we first decided we wanted to travel around the country in an “RV” we had no idea what type of house with wheels we should choose. We started researching online – everything from fifth wheels, to motorhomes, to trailers. There were pros and cons to all these options.

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Why we decided to travel full-time

Shared February 5, 2015

Why We Decided to Travel Full-Time

What made you decide to travel full-time?

This is a big question. To answer it, I feel like you need a little background.

For the past few years we’ve been saving our pennies with plans of buying a newer, bigger, better home. We wanted a house with an office, more closet space, a bigger garage, a gourmet kitchen. . . .

We had saved a sizable down payment and we spent the last year touring beautiful houses in our area. Good school districts, offices, closet space galore, huge garages and gourmet kitchens. Dream homes, really.

But nothing felt just right.

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The BIG purge. Downsizing from 2,000 to 200 square feet.

Places and people we’d like to see {a growing list}

How can we afford full-time travel?

What about school?

Our tow vehicle – 2015 Ford F-250 Diesel

Why we chose an Airstream trailer

Airstream vs. other “RV” brands and and styles

Why we decided to travel full-time

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