Category Archives: Airstream

Tips and Tricks for Campfire Cooking

We’re pretty much cave people now. Livin’ in the woods, not brushing our hair, makin’ jerky. Before we start picking bugs off each other to eat, I thought I’d share tips on my new favorite, cave (wo)man way to cook– AN OPEN FLAME!

The thought of a large open flame near my beautiful home still scares me a bit. I usually make George actually start the fire, but I’m not afraid to saute and grill like I’m Bobby Flay once the flame dies down.

Here’s some of the best tips I’ve learned from our campfire adventures.

1. You don’t have to go camping to cook over a fire. Building a fire in your backyard (if it’s permitted) is even more fun because you don’t have to lug all that stuff around. Plus, if you are cooking something a little stinky, like fish, it doesn’t smell up your house!

2. Build your fire with dry, untreated wood. You’ll never get a fire started with wet wood and you definitely don’t want to build a cooking fire with chemically treated wood. Umm, gross.

3. Learn how to correctly build a fire. We’re partial to the pyramid or tenting method.

4. Don’t limit yourself! Campfire cooking doesn’t have to be all hotdogs and hamburgers. I’m all for a good greasy burger and some Heb Natties, but campfire cooking can also be adventurous! If you have a cast iron skillet, you can cook almost anything on a fire! Which brings me to the next tip…

5. Have the right equipment. You don’t need a lot of stuff to cook on a fire. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. Cave men cooked with sticks. A lighter, a cast iron skillet and an old oven or grill grate works great. (Get it?!) It’s what we use! You can make almost anything in a cast iron skillet. I should be their spokesperson, I love ’em so much. I’d also recommend a heat-proof oven mit, like the Ove Glove. I thought that thing was an infomercial joke, but, man it works!

6. Remember the oil and spices! Throw some olive oil, salt, pepper, your favorite spice and a potato or protein into a tin foil envelope. And voila! You’ve got a hobo packet. Really, that’s what they’re called and it’s delicious.

7. Be patient. Don’t try to cook when the flame is still high. Wait until the flame dies down, or wait until there are only coals or wood chips left. You can even cook directly on the coals or wood chips! (See photo above!)

8. Be safe. If you are ready to go to bed or leave the area, be sure to douse your fire with water. Fires can get out of control real quick and “only you can prevent forest fires.”

9. Keep it fun. Campfire cooking is all about fun. It always requires marshmallows and ~~maybe~~ a few beers.

Have you been campfire cooking? Got any tips? Let me know in the comments.

love,
melanie

Airstream Living: An Update

It’s been almost two months since George and I have moved into the Airstream. Full-time Airstream livin’ has presented some challenges, but the livin’ is easy. (Are you singing that song in your head now?)

The biggest challenge hasn’t been the lack of space, which totally surprised me. I thought George and I would be fighting over territory at this point. Putting tape down the middle of the room, old school style. But luckily, we thought ahead and built lots of storage options into our redesign.

The biggest challenge has actually been that it’s hard to multitask in the Airstream. When I am making my breakfast in the morning, I can’t have the hot water heater on at the same time or the burner will click off. Then, when I’m done cooking, I have to click the water heater back on and wait for it to heat up. It’s been a lesson in patience, fo’ sho’.

Another challenge we’ve been presented with is the bugs. I naively didn’t expect bugs. Even though we live in the woods. Right there with nature. Amongst the trees. Now that fall is making it’s beautiful arrival, the bugs are diminishing, but we’ve been on the war path for the last couple months.

Most of all, I’ve loved how easy living in the Airstream makes it to save money. We have no rent, so I’ve been saving at least $1,000 each month. Our high rent was crippling our savings. I nick-named our savings Tiny Tim, it was so bad/sad. After our wedding last December, we were pretty much wiped out. (Although we were totally realistic and only spent a fraction of what the average wedding cost!) But nothing makes it easier to save than having no living expenses.

We’ve still got some cosmetic things to do before I share the interior of the Airstream, but I can’t wait for you all to see the before and after. It.is.so.good.

love,
melanie

Things I love about living in an Airstream

(Alternatively titled Things I don’t miss about traditional housing.)

I’m here to turn that frown upside down, negative Nancy! Last week I posted things I miss about traditional housing. But today, I’m here to post the things I love, which greatly outweighs the things I miss.

1. No rent! The Airstream is bought and paid for. At the moment, I have no rent and no mortgage. How many people can say that?! This no rent thing is helping us to save, save, save.

2. The energy savings. Our power bill is significantly lower than a standard apartment’s bill. That’s cash in the bank, baby! And I feel good about doing our part to save energy. Captain Planet would be proud.

3. The ability to travel. Want to head to the beach this weekend? We can do that and take our house with us! We’re pretty much turtles. Ninja turtles! Cowabunga dude! (We’re having a real early 90’s kid flashback here, if you haven’t noticed.)

4. The limited space. I know it sounds nut-zo, but the limited space is freeing. It took me about 5 minutes to clean the bathroom today. I don’t have to buy a bunch of furniture or stuff to “fill” the space. I know I can’t buy a bunch of clothes because I have no where to hang them. Less space is just easier.

5. The learning experience. Fixing up the Airstream was Renovations 101. Fixing a house. might be a Advanced Renovations, but at least we now know the basics.

6. The bonding experience. This experience is what rom-coms are made of. Newly married couple, fixes and lives in an Airstream without killing each other! They laugh, fight about something dumb and still like each other in the end!

7. We own something. Unlike renting, at the end of the day, we own this Airstream. Even if sometimes she’s a pain in the rear, we still own our home outright.

8. The freedom. The Airstream has given us freedom in so many ways. We don’t live in debt. We have few bills and few belongings. George now has the ability to work for himself. And that, my friends, that is priceless.

love and thankfulness,
melanie

Things I Miss About Traditional Housing

Our untraditional home

I love living in an Airstream. It’s seriously one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, but it’s not all rainbows and butterflies either. Shelli, who blogs over at The Laughing Nanny and also lives in an Airstream, got me thinking about the things I miss about traditional housing. This list isn’t all inclusive, obv. On different days I miss different things. But here’s what I’ve been a missin’ most.

1. Long showers. The water heater in our Airstream is super small, so a lady only has time to shave one leg before the water turns cold. It’s not a luxurious situation. And at this point, a tub seems like a far away dream.

2. A big stove. We’ve made the best out of our cooking situation, but I still miss having four, fast, gas burners to heat up my food.

3. The ability to close off a space. Since we don’t really have any separate “rooms” in the Airstream, when I get up, George wakes up and when George want to stay awake at night, I have to stay awake. It’s been an adjustment to have to really adapt to each others’ schedules, but we’re making it work. (As Tim Gunn would say.)

4. House-chore free weekends. Before the Airstream, we rented, so we didn’t have to take care of home chores like painting, spraying for bugs or fixing appliances. We still have a super long to-do list and I’m pretty sure we always will have something to fix on the old Airstream. No more house chore-free weekends for us.

5. Closet space. Our closets are pretty much nonexistent. I miss being able to neatly fold my clothes and not have to fold them three times to jam them in an airplane-like overhead compartment.

I love being a negative Nancy but the things I miss about traditional housing, in no way out way the things I don’t miss.

Stay tuned for that post!

love,
melanie

Essential Technology for Traveling

I have to be honest with ya’ll. Technically, we haven’t taken the Airstream on the road yet. But I’m getting the travel itch bad. I think I’ve got the travel pox. That’s a thing right? Anyway, I thought it’d be helpful/mildly interesting to share my technology setup. We’re currently working out any kinks with our technology setup before we take the Airstream on the road.

Here’s what we use.

1. iPhones for hotspots
Our iPhones provide us with the Internet which is essential. I couldn’t blog and George couldn’t do his art without it. Also, I might die from Internet withdrawals if I didn’t have it. It’s been a bit more expensive to use our phones as hotspots instead of having a direct Internet connection through an Internet or phone provider. (Our phone contracts are through Verizon, if you are curious.) It’s the best option we’ve found so far because of the excellent coverage Verizon provides. And paying for extra data is still much less cheaper than rent.

2. iPhones for photos
Sometimes I don’t feel like lugging around my giant Nikon for photos, so I’ll just snap a few pictures with my iPhone. It’s lazy and the photos don’t look quite as sharp as with my “real” camera, but it’s convenient.

3. Nikon D5000
My “professional” camera was a gift from George and it may be the best gift I’ve ever been given. It has been worth every penny. My pictures with this camera look sharp, professional and are a much higher quality than any iPhone pic.

4. MacBook Pro
For most of my blogging and writing, I use a MacBrook Pro. I’d love to try out using an iPad for blogging, but currently, the MacBook is working great. I don’t want to throw down the cash for an iPad without knowing if it will fit all my needs.

5. iPhoto and Photoshop
In terms of picture editing, I use both iPhoto and Photoshop. I think iPhoto is easier and less time-consuming than Photoshop, but it isn’t quite as customizable. When I have time, I love to throw my photos into Photoshop and play around. The pictures always look so much better.

6. Kindle
I could probably cut down on my devices if I just bought an iPad, but the $600+ price tag is painful. Reading is still super essential to me and on the road, libraries will be hard to find. I also can’t carry 100 books with me, it’s just not feasible in such a small space. For now my Kindle is taking care of my reading needs.

That’s my tech setup. What are your favorite techie tools?

love,
melanie

How to Cook in an Airstream Trailer

Before we remodeled, we had a sketchy gas stove in the Airstream that was home to a full apartment complex full of mice. Seriously, those things had made a straight up, 1970s NY high-rise in that stove. I’m pretty sure those mice were the mice version of The Jeffersons. (Insert Jeffersons theme song here.)

We couldn’t use the old oven and cooktop. It was gas, there were no indications that the Jeffersons had ever turned it on, and it was just too risky. I like my eyebrows. I have no desire to singe them off. I didn’t want to be scared every time I needed a grilled cheese– which is all the time. So we started looking for RV oven/cooktop combos, and just like everything, they didn’t come cheap. In our true cheapo live little fashion, we started thinking about alternatives.

Could we make it with just a microwave and an infomercial burner? Could we just use a toaster oven and a coffee maker? How about two sticks and panini press?! After much Amazon research, we settled on a double burner and a small convection oven. It hasn’t been the easiest change. I had an amazing four burner gas stove and oven in my last apartment, but I’m learning to be more mindful of my timing and I’ve been making things in smaller batches.

The biggest change has been the no microwave situation. It has forced me to slow my cooking down, but I didn’t want to sacrifice the space for a microwave. It also freaked me out to have all that microwave radiation bouncing around in my tin can of a house.

In terms of appliances, we also have a blender, a french press and our biggest unnecessary space hog, an electric food dehydrator. Our blender is a Blendtec and it’s pretty much amazing. It was a total splurge from before I went on a saving spree, but I love it and it blends like a dream. The french press is a total necessity. It’s smaller than a coffee maker and makes a delicious cup of joe. Coffee is my life blood. I sing a song that I used to sing in church as a kid when I make coffee. Not kidding. It’s a religious experience for me.

And then there’s the dehydrator. It may seem kind of ridiculous to have a food dehydrator when you don’t have room for a microwave, but George and I got as a (joke) wedding gift and we love jerky. At least I know when the zombie apocalypse happens, we’re going to plenty of dried food to subsist on. Just keepin’ it real.

love,
melanie

How I Pared Down My Stuff to Live in an Airstream

I’ve never been the kind of person to ho-hum and dwell over whether or not I’m going to need that second vegetable peeler or if I’m ever going to wear those stupid-high clogs (newsflash: I won’t wear them!). I usually just get real with myself and sell my unused junk or donate it.

But when George and I moved into the Airstream, I knew I’d have to take parring down to an all new level. The closets in the Airstream are New York City apartment tiny. And let’s be real, my first priority is food storage. This girl loves to eat. So when it came to choosing which “things” were essential and which I got the ax, I had to make some pretty tough guidelines. Here’s the questions I asked myself:

1. Have I used it in the last three months? If I haven’t used it in the last three months, it’s probably not very useful. Unless…

2. Is it seasonal? Is it something I can put into storage until next season? Winter clothes and boots mostly fell into this category.

3. Am I really being honest about whether or not I’m going to [insert your own hobby here]? Book collecting is a tough one for me. (And I think everyone has that one “thing” that contributes to clutter.) I always get super ambitious about how much I can read. I’m only one person, I can only read so much. And there’s always the library. I made myself get real about my book collection.

4. Does this item have more than one use? I’m big into things that have multiple uses because they take up less space. For example, my blender also food processes. It’s magical.

5. Does it need fixing? There are so many things (clothes especially) that I was hanging onto because they just needed one little thing fixed. This shirt needed a hole sewed up, these pants needed to be hemmed up, etc. If I have had the problem for over a month and I still haven’t fixed it, I let it go. Be real, it’s never going to get fixed and it’s just taking up space.

So that’s the harsh criteria I went through when I pared down my life to live in the Airstream. It was hard emotionally, but I’m done. *Angels singing* Now, the hard part is going to be not bringing any more unnecessary junk back into the Airstream.

How have you pared down?

love,
melanie

The Refrigerator of Unfun or Why Saving Money Isn’t Enough

Last weekend our Craigslist refrigerator died. We were so proud of the thing. It was only $75! The perfect size for the Airstream! And we could even spruce up the dents with a DIY project! But on Saturday night it started leaking and by Sunday morning everything in our fridge was warm.

We threw out our perishables and we knew we’d have to buy a new fridge with a warranty. 3/4 size fridges are hard to come by on Craigslist and we couldn’t afford another lemon. We were grumpy all day. It feels as if every time we try to save money, bam! something happens and our teensie savings are whisked away into working appliances or dental procedures.

As much as I budget and roll my change and squirrel away any extra pennies, it seems like we just don’t get anywhere. I’ve been reading quite a few rich-people-secrets books and blogs lately. (Ugh, yes, I’ve become that person.) The common, unfun advice is: get a second job. Ok, so the majority encourage you to become an entrepreneur on the side, but let’s be real, it’s a second job.

I’ve been reluctant to take on a second job because I value my free time. I value the time I get to put into this blog. And as an introvert, I feel that I need that time to relax and recuperate so I can be a functional (nice) human being.

Do you think the Rich Dad, Poor Dads of the world are right? Do we all need second jobs? Is it a reality of our economy? What is your best money saving/money making tip? I need answers, people!

Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

love,
melanie

How To Wash an Airstream Trailer

Before Buffing

George and I keep joking that if the rain keeps up, the Airstream is going to need to float. I’m not usually one to talk about the weather (so boring!), but trying to fix an airstream during the rainiest summer I can remember has been a challenge. I never thought I’d be envious of the folks that fix up their Airstreams in the dry, oppressive heat of the South West.

Another Before Shot

It seems like the copious and annoying rain would clean the Airstream. (Hey, it works for my car!) But, alas, rain wouldn’t wash away four (or more) years of pollen and road dirt from the Airstream’s exterior. So last weekend when we had a glorious , glorious break from the rain, I got to washin’.

There are so many tips and tricks out there to get an Airstream shiny. This is simply how we washed an an airstream trailer. I’ve seen everything from buffing the exterior with transmission fluid to an acid bath. My method won’t make your Airstream shine like a new nickel, but it will be safer. I’m not sticking my hands in acid. No way, José.

Supplies:

Vinegar
Water
ArmorAll Car Wash Concentrate
Soft cloths

Step 1: Create a vinegar and water mixture. 2 parts water to one part vinegar.
Step 2: Spray down the exterior and apply the water and vinegar mixture using a soft cloth.
Step 3: Spray off the water and vinegar mixture.
Step 4: Create an ArmorAll and water mixture.
Step 5: Repeat step 2 & 3, but this time with the ArmorAll mix.
Step 6: Towel dry.

After Buffing

Tips: Do not scrub with a scrub brush! We found that this actually hurt the aluminum. It is also very important that the vinegar is removed completely from the exterior or it may corrode the metal.

To make our home really shine, we’ve got plans (if it every dries up) to buff our baby down!

Buff-a-dub-dub!

love,
melanie

A Small Life

Teaching you to live a smaller, more sustainable life

Category Archives: Airstream

Tips and Tricks for Campfire Cooking

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Airstream Living: An Update

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Things I love about living in an Airstream

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Things I Miss About Traditional Housing

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Essential Technology for Traveling

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How to Cook in an Airstream Trailer

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How I Pared Down My Stuff to Live in an Airstream

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The Refrigerator of Unfun or Why Saving Money Isn’t Enough

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How To Wash an Airstream Trailer

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