Have you ever heard the saying, “You can have things fast, cheap or easy, but you can’t have all three?” I’m not 100% sure that’s the exact saying, but that iteration would be the short version of why we chose to live in an Airstream instead of a tiny house. But lucky for you, I’m going to tell you the long version of the story like a grandma who has had too much wine. Continue reading
Tag Archives: airstream
Ask Melanie: Advice for Buying a Vintage Airstream
The last video I posted was our home tour back in August. Yikes. It’s been a while. If I’m being honest, I feel a lot more comfortable writing than I do speaking– especially in a video that will live forever online– but I’m trying to expand my horizons and maybe even expand my readership through a different medium.
Today I’m answering a question from a lovely reader via video. She wanted advice on how to buy a vintage Airstream. So I’m bestowing my infinite wisdom upon you all. Ha!
Please watch the video above, let me know if you like the video format and let me know if you’d like to see more videos in the future.
Thanks ya’ll.
love, love, love,
melanie
Airstream Livin’ Update: 2.5 years!
We’ve been living in the Airstream for almost two and a half years. Years, people! Some days it seems like so much time has passed and other days it feels like no time has passed at all. One thing is for certain: we’ve adapted well to living in just 188 square feet. We know how to declutter. We know when problems arise, we can solve them. And I know it seems strange to outsiders, but the Airstream truly feels like home.
In terms of upkeep, the trailer has held up pretty well. We’ve had some bumps along the way. (See: our leaky hot water heater.) We need to repaint when it warms up a bit. (See how our paint has held up.) But overall, the Airstream has allowed us to save money to travel and to build up an emergency fund. We’ve been to Austin, took a roadtrip to Florida, Charleston, Memphis, Portland and most recently we went to Iceland! And most importantly, we’ve built up an emergency savings and another savings account. And I know it sounds cryptic, but we’re trying to decide what to do with our other savings account. What a wonderful problem to have!
Let me explain a bit: at this point we’re getting the itch again. The itch to do something different. The itch to be brave. And if we’re being honest, we don’t know if we want to live in the Airstream forever. It’s wonderful and our home, but is it our forever home? We don’t know. We’d love to have some land of our own one day. (I want animals! And a big place to grow our own food!) We’re also really interested in other alternative dwellings, like tiny houses, cordwood cabins and shipping container homes. And we love to travel! So much so that we bought a van to convert into a super tiny home. We aren’t moving out of the Airstream yet, but maybe. One day. Sometime.
Are we indecisive and insane? Maybe. I truly don’t know what the future will bring, but I am excited to find out.
love,
melanie
The Small Life: Dre’s Free-Spirited Airstream
Hey ya’ll! Today I’m excited to share the Airstream of my friend, Dre. Dre is an incredibly talented artist whose work I have long admired. She lives and works out of her 1975 Airstream Sovereign! Take it away, Dre!
Please introduce yourself (name, occupation, current location, etc.)
Hi! I’m Dre! I’m an artist with a day job (the day job is visual merchandising). I have been actively working towards being a full time artist for about 3 years. I work with textiles; making quilts, tapestries, embellished re-purposed clothing, and other things! I currently live in West Virginia. I grew up in WV, and moved away to Savannah, GA for college when I was 18. I was there for 4 years then I moved to Los Angeles where I lived for 5 years and I returned to WV about 2 and a half years ago. Continue reading
Living in an Airstream: A Two Year Update
We’ve been living in an Airstream for two years now… two years! Sometimes it feels like no time has passed and other times it feels as if we’ve been living there forever. Most days it just feels normal. I go to work and come home. I come home to a home that is much smaller than average, but it still feels like a very conventional life.
Sometimes conventionality is good, but if I’m being honest, I am getting the urge to switch things up a bit. I get this urge every couple of years. We’re not planning on moving out of the Airstream, but we’d love to get a larger plot of land where we can do more gardening. George and I are also thinking more about the future of our family and what that looks like. We don’t know what the future will hold, but it’s good to question your priorities every few years.
Anyway, on to more shallow things! I’ve been getting some questions about how well the Airstream has held up after two years. The answer is: surprisingly well! We’ve actually switched very little around since we moved in. We did have to replace the hot water heater and the AC unit. Both were costly, but both were original to the Airstream, so it wasn’t a huge surprise.
The paint on the walls and on the storage units has held up well. (You can see what products we used here.) It looks mostly the same, but slightly less white from use. We’re big fans of Magic Erasers for getting dirt and marks off the walls. The paint on the counter and the paint in the shower has begun to chip a bit. (Pictures below.) We used oil-based paint on the counter (not something like this product for counters), so it is to be expected. I also put a hot French Press directly on the counter every day for two years, so I’m not surprised about that one either. This fall, when it cools down, we want to do a big repaint and clean. It’s surprising how dirty a tiny space can get.
Since living in the Airstream, we have accomplished our goal, which was to get ahead with our savings. We have jumped ahead savings-wise, but we’re still not at a place where I feel comfortable. (Will I ever feel comfortable? I don’t know.) I’ll have an in-depth savings post on how much we’ve saved on Friday.
Do you have any more questions about how the Airstream has held up? Talk to me in the comments!
love,
melanie
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A Video Tour of our Airstream!
We’ve been living in the Airstream for two years now! TWO YEARS! I can’t believe it’s been that long. Anyway, we had friends over last weekend and they commented that it was hard to visualize how the Airstream looked from the pictures. I had no idea, because I live in it every day! So, yesterday, George and I filmed a video tour of our Airstream. The video isn’t the best quality and it was filmed with an iPhone and I am super awkward, but, I think it gives you a good idea of the layout.
I hope you enjoy!
love,
melanie
Ask Melanie: How Do I Reduce My Books and Art Supplies?
Today’s question is from Grazia. She wants to know some tips and tricks for reducing books and art supplies. Today I’ve got George, my husband, helping me out. He’s the artist in the family. Take it away, Grazia!
Hi Melanie, happy to see you go on with your blog and thanks for doing it, it’s always a good reading. I know it’s hard to do it with a full time job and a life, thanks so much! I’ve read all your last posts this morning (it’s 5:30 am here in Italy, my time for reading peacefully) and want to thank you for your commitment in telling this life choice of living simply and small…
I’ve two questions for “Ask Melanie” – ok, I’m pretentious! But they aren’t anything urgent, I hope only to inspire one of your good articles.
1) You’re a reader and I’ve read you use library and ebooks. But is it enough to reduce the number of books? I’ve this trouble in living small… I’m a writer and a painter, so I have a lot of books that I need for my jobs. I tried to reduce them, especially huge art books, but I still have a full big bookshelf. I can’t find them at the local library and they do not exist as ebooks (in example Taschen art books). How do you manage this in the Airstream? I’d like to hear all your “techniques” to reduce the books space!
2) This question is mainly for George: how does he work in a so small table? I’m really impressed! 😀 He has a secret, I’m sure! I’ve a table for Mac and 2 monitors, another table for painting, a shelf for all the ‘minimum’ I need for painting, a big bookshelf and a big, old bedroom 4-drawer dresser to store my paintings and papers, with the printers on it. May he share his “tips and tricks” in working from home in a small space? Thanks!
-Grazia
Tuesday Thoughts: Things Do Not Happen. Things Are Made To Happen.
“Things do not happen. Things are made to happen.” -JFK
I’m very lucky, but most of my luck comes from plain ol’ hard work. There’s no secret powers, juices or potions. (Although I totally wish there were!) If there’s something you want, I hope you know with really hard work and perseverance, you can make it happen. We both can.
Happy Tuesday!
love,
melanie
Tuesday Thoughts: Wealth Consists Not In Having Great Possessions
Ask Melanie: Should I buy a move-in ready trailer or should I buy a trailer to renovate?
Today’s question is from a young man named Kevin. Kevin wants to know, “Should I buy a move-in ready trailer or should I buy a trailer to renovate?” Take it away, Kevin!
Hey!
So I’m 16 and my family doesn’t have much… I’ve always been into outdoor stuff. I ran across your blog somehow and I absolutely love everything. I now have a dream to live in a trailer like y’all have and live life like that. My main concern for my future is providing for myself and future family. I think this could help with those fears because of a significantly lower cost of living. I had a question about purchasing a trailer. I obviously have lots of time. I graduate this coming school year and plan on going to Clemson for forestry, but I’m planning out my future now to be “more prepared”. Do you think it’s better to find a already nice trailer or to find a cheaper one and fix it up?
-Kevin