How I Turned My Dresser into a Makeup Vanity

Going from a 4,200 square foot home to a fifth wheel can be a bit of an adjustment.  One thing I liked about having a large home is having a large bathroom that had a vanity where I would get ready in the morning.  I'd do my makeup and my hair while sitting comfortably at the vanity.  Unfortunately, the fifth wheel does not have a vanity so I decided to utilize what we had to create a similar space.

First, I was lucky that our fifth wheel has a small dresser in the bedroom.  Below you can see what I had to work with, a small dresser directly under a window with a TV above it.  This photo has been brightened so you can really see the area before I did anything to it however the lighting in the bedroom was minimal, especially when the blinds were closed.

My first step was to add some lighting to the area.  I did not know exactly what or how I was going to do this so I just went to Menards to see what the options were.  I wanted to do this project myself without Cody's help even though I know he would have done it if I had asked.

At Menards I found simple track lighting that I could do myself and because the area has an available outlet I could just plug it in.

I bought a 2 foot track, 3 lights, and a live end that plugs into an outlet.

I put the live end on the end of the track and used a drill to screw the track into the base of the TV mounting area.

I used the drill to drill a hole big enough for the outlet to fit through to be plugged in behind the TV.

I ended up adding two tracks of lighting and then ordering a wireless light switch so that I can just push a light switch on the wall and the lights come on.

After I had all this amazing, much needed lighting I bought a mirror at Lowes that was the size I needed.  I kind of just slipped it under the valance and used my vanity tray to keep it from sliding down.

I turned the mirror around when taking the pictures because I didn't think anyone wanted to see a picture of me in the mirror taking a picture of the mirror.

The above picture is without the track lighting on and the below picture is with it on.

I bought a fold up chair from IKEA for less than $10 and I keep it folded up against the wall when I am not using my vanity however when I am using it there is just enough space to sit down and do my makeup in front of the vanity.

Vinyl on the Fifth Wheel

I wanted to put our website address on the fifth wheel but I didn't want to spend a whole lot on it.  I got on Amazon and looked up custom vinyl and found a very inexpensive solution.  I purchased the custom vinyl from here.  Because of the umber of letters I have in the web address I had to purchase two of them but for less than $20 I think this was a great deal! 

I used a towel with warm water and cleaned the area where I wanted to put the vinyl.  I let it dry then Cody and I followed the directions, which were easy, and we applied the vinyl.  And....done!

What I Miss About Living in a House

We have lived in the fifth wheel for 2 months now.  Although I love the adventure there are things I miss about living in a house.

• Long, hot showers - In a camper the water heater is small and doesn't get as hot.
• Kitchen prep space- Making a good size dinner takes every inch of counter space
• Bigger refrigerator - Camper refrigerators are much smaller. 
• Privacy - This doesn't mean privacy in general.  This is our code word for needing to use the restroom and not wanting everyone to hear us so they must leave the camper.
• Steady temperature - The temperature seems to fluctuate quite a bit.  Maybe it is our particular camper...I don't know.
• Thick mattress - Our mattress is pretty thin, even with a pillow top cover on it.
• Laundry not shaking the house - When I do laundry the loads always make the camper shake just a little bit but it is still noticeable.
• Not having to explain my choice of home - In a house nobody asks you why you live there, whereas in the camper we get asked why we live in a fifth wheel often and then we have to explain it and it can be uncomfortable and sometimes embarrassing.
• Normal plumbing - The camper requires work in terms of the septic. 
• Water pressure - This may not be the case in all cases, but the water we are hooke up to is a light spit at best.

Overall, living in the camper is amazing.  It is an adventure that we are happy to be a part of however we do miss some things about living in a house.

What We Save Each Month

I have not been looking forward to writing this post nor did I finish it in one sitting.  Money is such an awkward subject to discuss with strangers especially when it is about your personal finances, however, I think it is necessary here for us.  Our adventure of living in a fifth wheel has the specific purpose of us saving money in order to put a $100,000 down payment on a house, so I think it is important for you to see how we do that.

Let's start with our fixed bills while we lived in Indianapolis then look at our fixed bills living in the fifth wheel.

May - House

Rent: $1755

Electricity: $146.91

Gas: $115.99

Water: $28.95

Garbage: $38.97
Sewer: $45

Cable, Internet, Home phone/fax: $190.52

Student Loans: Natasha - $726.28  Cody - $161

State Farm: $220 (This includes insurance for our vehicles, golf cart, fifth wheel, renter's insurance and life insurance)

Truck Payment: $611

Health Insurance: $710
Tuition for Private School: $1000 ($12,000 yearly for 2 children broken into monthly payments)

Our cellphone bills are a business expense so that is not something we pay each month.  Also you can see that I did not include groceries, clothes, household items, beauty supplies, fuel, etc.

Total Fixed Bills in House: $5749.62

June - Fifth Wheel

Storage Unit: $269
Student Loans: Natasha - $726.28  Cody - $161
State Farm: $220 (This includes insurance for our vehicles, golf cart, fifth wheel, renter's insurance and life insurance)
Truck Payment: $611
Health Insurance: $845 (This amount changed because we moved to a new state and had to purchase different policies)

Total Fixed Bills in Fifth Wheel: $2782.28

What We Save Each Month: $2967.34

If we live in our fifth wheel for a year, which is about the time frame we are looking at, we will have saved $35,608.08 in fixed expenses alone and that doesn't even include the typical amount we are currently budgeting for each month to go into savings.

We are not looking to save the whole $100,000 while living in the fifth wheel, as we have already saved $60,000 before even living in the fifth wheel, however we do not only want to have $100,000 in savings and use it all on a house.  We would like to have more than that in savings so that when we use our down payment we still have emergency money in the bank.

As you can see from our numbers our expectation of putting $100,000 down on a house is very doable within the timeframe we have set.  As I have said before though, we do not know what curveballs life may throw our way so these are just our hopes and expectations if life goes according to plan and God continues to bless our finances the way He has been.

I felt the need to share the financial benefits of our journey because it is the whole reason for this adventure but it's an uncomfortable topic so I am done discussing it now. Whew....awkward finance post over!!

Keeping Jewelry in a Camper

When living in a house I had this large standup jewelry armoire that was filed with jewelry.  The first step was to decide what I really needed.  I packed the rest for storage (see how I did that here).  What I decided to take with I put in a ThirtyOne jewelry holder that I used to use for traveling.  It is small but holds each piece of jewelry in a small fabric pouch inside.

Is RV Toilet Paper Really Necessary?

I wanted to know if RV toilet paper is really necessary in a camper or if we could use the same toilet paper we used while living in a house.  The toilet paper on the right is RV toilet paper and the toilet paper on the left is Members Mark toilet paper form Sam's Club.  I took the same number of sheets and put them in water.  After about an hour I stirred both gently.  After a full day I compared the two.  I couldn't notice a difference.  I asked my significant other if he noticed any difference and he didn't either. 

We had already purchased a lot of the RV toilet paper but when that ran out we started using the Sam's Club one again and had no problems.  Now I must say that our camper is newer and has a very nice septic system so I'm not sure if everyone will have this same experience with using regular toilet paper but this has been our experience.

Camper Modifications

I wanted to write a post about the modifications I made to the camper while we still lived in our fifth wheel but honestly I was just to busy having fun.

Below are simple pictures and explanations of what we did.

I have a post about this kitchen modification here.

A post about the vent modification here.

A post about creating a place to do my makeup here.

I installed a new shower head (Oxygenics® BodySpa Handheld Shower Head).  It was about $40 and it is much better than the old one.  I also put a mount lower for my son who is 6 years old so that it is at a more convenient place for him.

Under one of the bunks that fold up there was originally a couch, however when we purchased the camper the couch had already been removed.  We put storage cubes on each side and made a desk.  Since we work from home this desk was a must for us.

This one is simple.  Add a command hook behind the toilet to hang the toilet wand.

With some unused wall space I created a command center for us as well as a storage area.  I used ThirtyOne organizing pouches on the wall that I already had before.  I added a "Menu" page and an "I Love You Because" page to the organizer because I could use an expo marker to change it whenever needed.  I also used Trone organizers from IKEA to hold shoes and other items.

More kitchen organization!  I used command hooks to hang measuring cups and pot holders,  I used a label maker to print out the size of each cup and put it next to each hook.

I used zip ties whenever we traveled to make sure the cabinets didn't open while on the road.  I learned the hard way about doing this because the first trip we took we opened up the fifth wheel after a day of driving to find all my Pyrex baking dishes had fell out of the cabinet above the refrigerator and there was glass everywhere.

I added shelves above the windows so that there is extra storage while parked.  The shelves are from IKEA.  They are actually picture ledges that I cut to size.

I hung up stuffed animal storage in each bunk.  My kids have tons of stuffed animals they like to play with but I didn't want them on the bed all the time taking up space.  I bought it from Amazon for $15 for both of them.  The pink bed organizer is from IKEA for $4.

I made curtains for the kids' bunks.  I used a shower curtain to hang them up and just bought fabric and sewed a curtain.  This way the kids have some sense of privacy.

I made a sign for the neck of the RV.  Check out that post here.


These were just some of the camper modifications we did to make living in a camper more comfortable and convenient. 

Gulf Shores, Alabama

Day 1

Tuesday

We traveled for 8 hours today, which is about half way to Gulf Shores. 

On our drive I sat in the back seat of the truck with our two youngest kids and our 13 year old sat up front with my other half. Our 8 year old doesn’t need much entertaining; give him a DVD player and a few movies and he is good to go. On the other hand, our 7 month old is a different story. She needs me to entertain her the entire time otherwise she will cry. I came up with some fun things to keep her busy for the 8 hours on the road today. 

She got to drink out of a sippy cup for the first time. 

She played with my magazine when I was done reading it. 

She chewed on an empty water bottle. 

We used a blanket to create a fort clubhouse.

We stayed in Corinth, Mississippi at Cross Roads RV. It was such a great little campground that I actually got online and wrote a 5 star review for it (I never write reviews). It was only $18 for the night. That included full hookups, nice bathhouse and free washer and $1 dryer. The manager was great and stayed on site. Just a great campground. 

Going through Mississippi was not the fastest route but we had never been to Mississippi before so that’s why we decided to go that way. It allowed us to mark off Mississippi on our RV sticker map. 

We played washers and made hot dogs for dinner. Then relaxed in the camper until it was time to go to bed. 

Day 2

Wednesday 

We were on the road a little after 8am. Another 7 hours of driving. We arrived at Bay Breeze RV on the Bay, which is a campground in Gulf Shores that we have stayed at before. We decided to head to the beach at the campground. It is a small beach but the kids were excited. We ordered dinner from Gulf to Go and spent the evening relaxing on the dock and watched a movie before going to bed. 

Day 3

Thursday 

We went to LuLu’s for lunch. It is owned by Jimmy Buffet’s sister so it has a very Margaritaville vibe. It’s super kid friendly so taking an infant there was not a problem. After lunch we ran by Walmart for a pickup. If you have never used Walmart pickup you have to give it a try. You add all of your groceries to your cart online and when you pull up to get your groceries at the time you scheduled they just bring them out to you and put them in your car. They do not  accept tips so that’s even better!

We stopped by Matt’s Ice Cream. We each got a scoop of ice cream. Then Cody, Skyla and Micah did the Escape Room next door while I went to the souvenir shop down the road. They loved the escape room. 

For dinner Cody stopped by the fresh seafood market and bought shrimp, which he made us for dinner at the RV. 

Day 4

Friday 

We went to the beach. The last time we were in Gulf Shores one of the owners pointed us to a beach that is not nearly as touristy as the main beaches in the area so we went back there. It really isn’t busy at all. You have so much space to yourself. We did drive by the popular beaches in the area and  there are so many people there with umbrellas all lined up next to each other. The beach we went to was nothing like that but just as beautiful. 

Mirabell even took a nap from all of the excitement. 

We ate sandwiches at the RV then headed to the local souvenir shops, which have a few different backgrounds and places to take fun pictures. Our oldest daughter also got hermit crabs, which we promised her at the beginning of the summer we would buy her because earlier this year our son got a pug. 

When it was dinner time we went to Tacky Jacks but when we were told it was an hour and a half wait we went to a place that had no wait, The Crazy Cajun. 

Day 5

Saturday 

Cody and Skyla started the day by going zip lining at Hummingbird Ziplines at the Wharf. 

When they got home we went to Sassy Bass Crazy Donuts. It was amazing!  Kind of a novelty place that I wouldn’t eat at often but for the novelty of it it was great and tasted so good!  They make sandwiches and pizza with donuts. I got the burger and it really was tasty!

Later we headed to the zoo. It was a smaller zoo so it only took about an hour and a half to go through but at $7 a person that was reasonably priced. We also got to pet a baby kangaroo. 

Day 6

Sunday

Skyla and I went to Tanger Outlets in the morning to do a little shopping. We picked up sushi at Rock N Roll Sushi on the way home to eat for lunch. Then Cody and the kids went The Wormhole, which is a place where they played virtual reality games. They loved it!  For dinner we got takeout at Papa Rocco’s

Day 7

Monday

I started the day by taking Skyla to The Beach Club to do a mermaid photo shoot. She loves mermaids and they offered an hour long photo shoot. She had a great time. 

Afterwards we ate lunch at Tacky Jacks in Orange Beach. 

Afterwards we went on a dolphin cruise where we saw quite a few dolphins. 

Later Cody took the kids back to another escape room because they had such a great time the first time around. After that Cody picked up food from Gulf Shores Seafood. 

Day 8 

Tuesday

Today I spent most of the day at the campground with Mirabell. I love spending time with her. Cody, Skyla and Micah went to The Factory, which is an indoor trampoline place. They also went to The Track, which is a go kart and arcade place. They spent almost the entire day doing those two things. They came back with a ton of stories about how much fun they had. For dinner we went to Steamers and ate SO MANY oysters. 

Day 9

Wednesday 

We left bright and early for our 7.5 hour drive. We stayed at Clarksville RV in Clarksville, Tennessee. We got Mexican takeout for dinner. 

Day 10

Thursday

6.5 hour drive home. We stopped at Subway for lunch. About an hour from home we had a tire pop and Cody changed it on the side of the interstate. I’m so lucky to have someone who can do something like that without complaining one bit. About a half hour from home a can in front of us on the highway fell asleep while driving and ran off the road through two backyards and hit a tree. Of course Cody jumps out to help them while I call the police. They were ok.