Life Lessons from Full-Time RVing (Pt. 1)

Living in an RV has forced us to make a lot of changes.  Not only have we had to downsize our posessions and get used to sharing space with 4 other people 24/7, but we've had to make adjustments to the timing and way we do everyday activities.

I think the most important thing we've learned is that we don't need all the things that we had previously owned.  Its amazing how many kitchen gadgets that we owned, but rarely used.  Most of our small appliances were stored away in the cabinets and were used a few times a year.  Almost all of them were purchased for convenience rather than their unique ability to complete a specific task.  I haven't missed the steamer, the rice cooker, the toaster, or the food processor since living here.

The girls have fewer toys available, but find new imaginative ways to use them.  They recently had a picnic on the floor and used toys in some new, non-traditional ways.

The person most affected by the reduced space for "stuff" is J-Bug.  He was 5 months when we made this move.  He was still using some of the larger baby items (a small rocking chair, a swing, and a jumperoo) when we left the rental house. We brought the travel swing and rocking chair, but found that the swing was difficult to get around when it was running.  The rocking chair is the one constant for him.

I know that generations of kids were raised without all of these swings and chairs, but he really enjoyed jumping and swinging.  Luckily, soon he'll want to spend most of his time playing on the floor.

Good habits that we have developed:

• Cleaning up after ourselves
• I realize this seems like an obvious statement and I suppose I could pretend that I have always done this, but I suspect that my former roommates, friends, and parents would laugh at that.  With this amount of space, cleaning up as you go is a must.  My makeup and beauty products MUST be put away before anyone else uses the bathroom, clothing absolutely has to go in the hamper, and the toys need to be picked up before moving on to the next activity.

• Preparation for a meal needs to be done before cooking. 
• There is no counter space in the kitchen. This means that chopping, mixing, and dry preparations are all done on the dining table.  In order to avoid burning the food that is cooking while I try to find space to chop the onions, I make sure all the prep is done before I light the burners.

• Only purchasing things we need at the store
• There isn't really room for compulsive grocery store purchases.  When we purchase more than what we can fit in the pantry, it ends up piling up in our living space.  When we start putting pantry goods on the table or stove, that means we need to reorganize or go through some dry goods before purchasing any more.

• This is doubly true for non-food items.  We do not have excess room to store clothing, craft supplies, or toys.

In the next entry, I'll write about some of the things that I will never take for granted after this adventure.