Every time I visit someone else’s RV and hear the water pump kick on right when a faucet opens, the rattling of pipes, and the pulsating trickle of water from the faucet, I can’t help but think about how much better I have it in my rig. Given that I’ve never seen a few of…
Electrical Myths, Part 3: Mixing Batteries of Different Ages/Capacities
We’ve all been there at some point–a battery in a multi-battery bank is in need of replacement, and the salesperson is telling us that they should all be replaced together. Is mixing batteries really a bad idea? Or is it just a ploy to sell more batteries?
Fixing My Portable Icemaker and Making Clear Ice
This post will take me longer to write up than it did to actually do the project. I have a portable icemaker that’s several years old sitting right behind the passenger seat. It keeps a fresh batch of ice ready all the time, but it recently started showing the “add water” light even when the…
Health Care Sharing Ministries Comparison Part 2: Medical Qualifications
Ok, you’ve survived the ethical and religious qualifications test. Next up is an overview of what medical qualifications you’ll have to meet, or what might be excluded from coverage based on your medical history. Will you qualify? Unlike traditional health insurance under the ACA, health sharing organizations can (and do) ask a series of medical…
Hosting Pictures on your own Domain with DreamHost
This is intended to be a step-by-step tutorial for getting your own website up and going for the primary purpose of hosting pictures that you can link to from other sites (including forms such as rvnetwork.com). The intent is to get you in control of your own information, and get unlimited storage and bandwidth for…
Health Care Sharing Ministries Comparison Part 1: Religious and Ethical Standards
I was tempted to call this post “sex, drugs, and worship,” but thought it might leave way too many people disappointed. One of the first questions for anyone considering participation in an HCSM is whether they can honestly agree with the religious and/or ethical standards laid out for the group. This post will outline those…
New Awning Fabric, Under $100!
It’s new awning time! After a tear in the Sunbrella fabric that was put on in 2012, it was time for something a little different. I was never happy with the Sunbrella material–it tore easily, and was too tightly woven to allow light breezes to pass through. In other words, it was always fluttering. At…
The HCSM: Healthcare Sharing in General
After a couple of dense, long posts that were kind of dreary in tone, it’s time to shed some light on a set of viable options for RVers. Generally, what I’m referring to in this post are Health Care Sharing Ministries (HCSMs). WARNING: This series of posts about insurance contains some political commentary, along with…
ACA/Marketplace Insurance Policies for Full-Time RVers: One Size Fits Few
By the time you’re done reading this post, it’ll probably be pretty clear there’s little love lost on the insurance providers I’ve dealt with. They don’t get what full-time RVers do, or they get it and don’t like it. I don’t get anything for my opinions here (if I was, I probably wouldn’t get away…
“Insurance” for Full-Timers
Phew! Yes, this post and the ones that follow on this subject are going to touch on some sensitive subjects, but dealing with medical care is both sensitive and plays a large role in our comfort, security, and freedom to travel. This first post is intended to outline some of what conventional insurance is and…