Five Luxuries to Add to Your RV that are Worth the Cost

When we park our RV and look around, it is obvious we all live on different budgets. Some of us tow small trailers behind even smaller cars. Some drive motorhomes that cost more than my house. No matter your lifestyle, I have found some items that might be worth a little extra money, if “extra money” is a thing.

Old bodies need comfortable beds

My husband and I come and go. We may spend a week at our house and then two months in our RV or the other way around. Wherever we lay our heads, we find cozy repose on our Sleep Number mattress. (No, I do not own stock in the company.) Fifteen years ago, the purchase was a HUGE splurge; however, I believe it saved our marriage or at least made it a happier experience. I sleep best on a board, and he desires a sponge. A Sleep Number mattress allows each of us to adjust the firmness to our needs making us so happy that we often meet in the middle.

I will admit this product can be expensive so imagine our excitement when we found an older couple advertising theirs on Craigslist. We couldn’t hand them the money fast enough. Now, when I wake up, I have to look around to identify my surroundings because the consistency of sleep is the same no matter where I am.

He needs the Golf Channel and I enjoy Hallmark

When we are in our home not on wheels, and the weather is not conducive to golf or Randy has not healed from the latest injury from one of his extreme sports, watching golf on TV is the next best thing. Thus, we subscribe to Dish TV. It is a considerable amount of money but worth every penny to keep my man happy, especially when he is in pain. Just having golf on the TV decreased the amount of pain pills he needed last month when he flipped over the handlebars on his motorcycle.

When I am cooking and cleaning, I enjoy watching the predictable movies on Hallmark. Since they all follow the same plot with different characters in a different setting, I never have to worry about missing the dialogue if there is a need to run the garbage disposal or vacuum because I will miss nothing when the noise from the contraptions block out the words.

Once we discovered for $5.00 a month we could add Dish to our home on wheels, we signed up immediately. When we are not traveling, we can pause our subscription and have enough money for a fancy coffee. Of course, there is a one-time cost for the thingy that goes on the top of the RV, but we paid for it with the money in our swear jar that accumulated each time Randy couldn’t watch golf.

Bigger is better — in the kitchen

Until we traded our 22-foot trailer in for a 40-foot motorhome, I didn’t know there was such a thing as a full-size refrigerator in an RV. It increases the meal options by allowing space to put all those little bottles of teriyaki sauce, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, fresh ground garlic, barbecue sauce, and the list goes on and one. An ice maker was a dream come true and has made instant friends of neighbors in need. If you have the option, don’t see it as frivolous, these two items are life changing when on the road in an RV.

Farmer’s sink with soap dispenser and spray nozzle

Thank goodness I am married to a handyman. Red Green was so right when he said, "If the woman doesn't find you handsome, she should at least find you handy." I am a lucky woman because my man is both.

Our motorhome came equipped with a double sink, but the one side was so small it proved worthless except to wash vegetables. After I moaned and whined for a couple months, Randy came to my emotional rescue. He purchased a farmer’s sink form Home Depot that had room for a soap dispenser and a state-of-the-art faucet.

Since the soap dispenser is attached, there is no longer a bottle of Dawn dishwashing soap rattling around in the sink, and I have increased ease of squirting a little soap in my hand when they are gooey and sticky. The faucet has a spray nozzle that with the extra size of the sink, allows me to bath our dog with ease.

Let the music play

Unfortunately, the trailer we traded in had outdoor speakers and the motorhome we brought home does not. We purchased a portable speaker that connects through Bluetooth with our phones. Such a simple item but so comforting to be serenaded by our personal playlist while we bask in the sun.

If there is a choice, purchase the RV with the outdoor speakers. If there is not, find a way to broadcast your tunes.

We all know the saying, “Money is no object” to be false. Money must be a consideration especially for those of us on a fixed income. However, these five luxuries add happiness and ease to our RV experiences.

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