In todays video Ed and I want to share with you some of the things you may want to consider if your thinking about Gate Guarding. To be very transparent, it is not a job for everyone but it has sure treated Ed and I very well. If you have financial goals this job could help you meet them. If you want to upgrade your RV or tow vehicle without going farther into debt, this may be a great option for you. OR if you just want some extra cash for that big trip you have planned this may be an option for you.
We cover some of the things about Gate Guarding in this video that can be difficult. But just like any other job, there are pros and cons. Its all how you look and deal with them. We hope in this video we have found good solutions to those cons because Ed and I are sure happy with this lifestyle.
Ok here it is. It’s time we acknowledge RVers – even smart ones like you and me – do some really dumb things. “I never do anything dumb,” or “I do lots of dumb things,” are the typical responses I get when I ask the question, “What’s the dumbest thing you’ve done while RVing?” Most often with further probing, RVers confess, “Well, there was this one thing …” and out comes a tale.
Here’s some of the dumb things, rated from “Dumb” to “Dumbest,” that RVers have reported, some with further probing. As always, dumber mishaps are more traumatic and costly, which is why you definitely don’t want to make them yourself. So, read on, learn from the mistakes of others, and save yourself some serious grief and cash! Todays blog is about… FREE BEACH CAMPING.
Camping for free with a view of the ocean can be amazing but… Just imagine yourself driving on the beach for about 10 minutes when you notice a little cove that might be a good spot to tuck in for the night. As you approach, you decide to stop and check it out. Unfortunately, when you got back in to move farther into the cove, your rear tires dug into the sand. The more the tires spun, the deeper you sink, until you were up to the rear axle. Without a shovel, you use a leveling board to scrape the sand away in front of the rear tires. No luck … you now are firmly stuck below the high-water line, about two hours away from the ocean filling the inside of your RV. Do you panic and run for help? Would you ever look at beach camping again?
Well the learning lesson here… consider the type of beach and that high tides and sneaky waves could put a damper on your RV experience. Next week will be another “Dumb Thing”.
As Ed and I decompress from the Big Tent RV Show in Quartzsite AZ, we have been talking about all the gadgets or accessories that were sold at the show. Do you need this gadgets or accessories? Do you have the space to add these items to your RV? Well…… we TRY to go by this motto. 1 item comes in then 1 item goes out. But, Ed and I have found that the longer we set in one place we tend to accrue more stuff so that motto gets broken. So what do we do? We go through room by room, cupboard to cupboard and then each storage cubby.
As you declutter and downsize, you may find that it is a bit liberating. The huge collection of stuff really doesn’t provide joy. Sure, there are mementos and things that are a priority but the more stuff we got rid of, the more we wanted to get rid of.
Here are a few tips.
Organize First: Organization is the key ingredient to keeping your sanity during this process. Break down the process into manageable chunks to make it less overwhelming. Rather than tackle your house as a whole, think of major groups of belongings that you will need to downsize. As you make your decisions, keep in mind the space you have available.
Organize by Groups: Each group of belongings contains subgroups: necessities, items that would be nice to have if there is room, and items that you just will not need . . . ever!
For simplicity’s sake, we’ve listed four groups of things that you will need to examine:
Clothes and Shoes Kitchen and Household Items Files, Papers and Office Items Tools and Garage Items
Be Realistic When Downsizing Clothes. This can seem like an overwhelming task, but unless you will be working a job that requires dressy clothes, you can probably pare down your wardrobe drastically. I suggest that you make four piles of clothes starting with the stack that you will need. Basic casual clothes will be the most useful but in limited quantities. Don’t pack ten pairs of jeans or dozens of t-shirts when three or four will do!
Downsizing Kitchen Items: Moving into smaller quarters or decluttering your current RV, you may have very limited kitchen storage. So choose wisely on what items you really think you have to have. Do you need 2 sized crockpots? Do you need 5 spatulas? OR do you need those super heavy glass bowls?
Downsizing Your Hobbies: If you have hobbies that you love, you may want to allocate space for some of them in your RV. Some hobbies are not easily packed into an RV, but it’s amazing the inventive ways that people manage to take their hobbies on the road. Limit yourself to one or two hobbies, and take along some basic supplies for the ones you really love to do. Things like wood carving, crocheting, painting and drawing are easily portable. There are many people who are rockhounds, beaders and quilters who gather together in campgrounds to share their hobbies. When you set your space priorities, do find a little room for your favorite hobby!
While the whole process of downsizing may seem overwhelming, it will come together as you organize a segment at a time. Expect to feel a mixture of relief, and maybe a bit of regret as you see your things pared down to what will fit into your RV. But I can tell you from experience, that there is a huge feeling of freedom and joy when you are done downsizing & decluttering. Just please keep in mind. While your piling up items that you haven’t been used in a month etc., try to either sell those items to help fund your travels OR donate the items to someone in need.
Now that the Quartzsite Sports, Vacation & RV Show is over, Ed and I start to reflect on what we learned, assessing our knowledge, abilities, and performance during the RV Show. We feel in order to improve ourselves and It’s A Good Life RV, we need to take time and go over all the conversations and experiences we had. As we listened to people at the show, it really lit a fire under our booty’s to do better. To do better as a person. To do better as a content creator. To do better at using our platform for good. Over the next few weeks we hope to share with you what are plans are moving forward.
But, of course our goal for attending the Show was to represent J&G Security in the best way possible, but our personal goal was to showcase a GREAT company that offers great jobs. Gate Guarding is probably the best way we found to make the funds necessary to not only pay our monthly bills but to increase our savings so we can travel more than we ever thought we could. How great would it be to work 6 months to travel 6 months out of the year? If you don’t have the extra travel funds right now this may be a great opportunity for you to get on the road. OR are you wanting to upgrade your rig and it would be nice to have the extra money to pay it off sooner? OR do you just want the extra money as a cushion because you are planning a big trip that you could use more disposable income? If you answered yes to one or all of the above questions, I’d look into Gate Guarding.
We have a playlist. Gate Guarding, on our It’s A Good Life RV YouTube Channel to give you an inside look. We are very open and transparent about the job, what it takes to do the job. Our most current videos are gates that we are working with J&G Security. To be honest, Ed and I can’t understand why it took us so long to sign with J&G. The company is one that really cares for their staff and guards. They really set you up for success.
If you have any questions for Ed or I about Gate Guarding or other jobs we’ve done while living on the road please feel free to contact us at itsagoodliferv@gmail.com OR J&G Security questions please contact Jessica at recruiting@jgsecurity.com
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If you plan on attending the 2023 Quartzsite RV Show January 21st-29th, stop by the J&G Security Booth 533 in the big tent. Ed and I will be at the booth Jan.21-Jan.28th 9am-5pm and January 29th from 9am-3pm. Come say hello to us, enter into our Giveaway Contest, learn more about working as a Gate Guard with J&G Security and other ways we make income while living the RVlife.
Please take the time to view our most loved videos and we hope you will share with others. Ed and I would also love to hear from you on how we are doing and what you would like to see!
This is not our regular day to post on our blog but we felt after receiving this news, we should get this out to you incase you are traveling over the Holidays.
Since we use the Open Roads/TSD Discount Fuel Card, we received a email from them yesterday stating that; effective January 1st, they will no longer allow transactions of any type at Pilot, Flying J or One9 locations. They were not able to renew their partnership but they still have great discount locations for diesel fuel. If you don’t have their diesel discount card, we’d suggest looking into it. It does not cost for the card. You link your payment account to the card and your able to take advantage of the fuel discounts AND you can pump right from the truck lanes. Check out their website at: https://myopenroads.com
Not Your Average Explorer 