Reflectix Window Covers
I made these over a few settings, but ended up adding these to all of our windows in our Host Cascade.
Black Canvas Material – I used this canvas material from Amazon mainly because of the water-resistant backing. My philosophy was that when the windows get moisture, it wouldn’t seep into the cushions as easily. This material won’t be 100% waterproof after you sew it, but it would be good enough for me.
I bought a total of 8 yards which got me through making covers for every window – bedroom, living room, window by the recliners, kitchen, bathroom, both fan covers, and even two covers for the door.
I used this material on both sides.
Black Bias Tape – I had no clue how much I needed when I bought this, and still have a lot left over. Just seemed cheaper (and easier) than buying a bunch of small packages.
Black Magnets – I specifically chose these since they were just wide enough for the window and long enough to give me some leeway on my sewing job!
- I used 4 sets on the smaller windows (bathroom, recliner).
- I used 6 sets on the large dinette, kitchen, and bathroom windows.
Silver Magnets – I used these on areas that didn’t have the black outline, like the fans and the front door.
- I used 4 pairs on each of the fans
- I used 3 pairs for the upper front door
- I used 4 pairs for the lower front door
VHB – I wanted to make sure these magnets stuck and stayed there. VHB usually does the trick. Make sure to clean the surface with isopropyl alcohol before applying.
Illinois over the Years
We’ve lived in Illinois for the last 15 years – we both had great jobs in the area. We’ve stayed with Illinois this past year since Sarah (my daughter) could pick up our mail and help manage that while we were away. With her staying on campus next year at Illinois State, we didn’t think she’d have the time to dedicate to grabbing our mail quickly. So we started to look at other options.
As a W-2 earner, Illinois sucked. As a retiree with minimal income and pulling off of 401Ks or pensions, it wasn’t *awful*. Yes, property taxes and sales taxes are ridiculously high. And registering our truck and trailer and boat, well, it’s not the best. So, we were already talking about another domicile.
Florida?
Well, what other places could we go? Reading about the full-time RV community, the vast majority of folks were in either Texas, Florida, or South Dakota.
Texas was out in our opinion due to the yearly vehicle inspections. Florida won out only because it seemed to be closer to family than South Dakota (we have family in Florida, North Carolina, Indiana and Wisconsin). Honestly, South Dakota is likely more our style, but family still reigns when making location decisions.
In order to officially get out of dodge, we had to make sure we didn’t have any outstanding recurring business here, which was mainly our UPS box in town and our storage area just out of town.
One of those things we had to get rid of was our storage area, which we’ve been renting for about 15 years! Things to think of when you get a storage locker – is the stuff in there worth your yearly fee? In our case, it was but it was closer to evening out than we thought. We sold Gary’s old hot rods and then moved everything else back into this storage area until this spring.
It was the last of part of going through items from our house, and not easy. Instead of continuing to pay monthly costs for a storage unit, we chose to purchase a small trailer last year so it would be more mobile depending on where we needed the items. We’re planning on storing it at Gary’s brothers house so we don’t have to pay monthly fees (and he can use the stuff there).
And.. when we finally get back into purchasing more real estate, we’ll have the ability to haul it there. But that’s for another year…
Our Camping Locations
If you’re interested in seeing all of the places we’ve stayed, I’m keeping a (mostly) updated list on Google Maps by Month. Enjoy!
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