🚐 Living in our RV🚐

Save money they say.... Downsize they told us.... 
Learn to appreciate more of what you have....

Okay, let's be honest. No one said this would be a good idea. No ONE! I thought it would be fun. We have owned an RV for more than 14 years. This was actually our third one. So we know the in's and out's. WE LOVE CAMPING!!!  So of course doing this on a more permanent basis would be... FUN. Let me back up and take you to the beginning... 

Back To The Beginning

Jason and I married 💒 in Salina, Kansas. He was stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas when we met. Many years later we received orders for FAIRBANKS. I have never heard of such a place so I called the number on his orders. Let's be honest, neither of us even knew where this place was. And if it did say AK, I mean that is Arkansas right? (No, it is not! It is Alaska by the way!) I googled this unknown land of "Fairbanks". It was January 2008. We would be leaving in May of this year. 

"Ring" "Ring"

☎️☎️ went the telephone. No real memory of the soldier by name, but his conversation with me will last forever. 

"Hi. My husband and I just received orders for this place...(ect) when I went online I noticed it was like negative 24 degrees. There has got to be something wrong here, right?" 

The man on the other end of the line.... 

"Ma'am absolutely! I do not know where you were looking, but last I checked we were about 45 degrees below zero. I am sorry for that incorrect...."

 and the line just went foggy to me. I am sure he was continuing to talk... Although I may have I dropped the phone...

❄❄45 degrees BELOW ❄❄WHAT? Zero? Is that even possible? 

Well I began to plan. Organization began in hyperspeed. I mapped out the directions and locations and called hotels along the way. The amount of NON Refundable pet deposits throughout Canada was outrageous.  It was at this moment we decided to buy our first trailer. It was an 18 foot Fun Finder. ABSOLUTELY adorable. We loved it. We took 2 weeks to get to Alaska (By the way, this was an amazing location and one I would certainly visit again. We purchased our second home in North Pole, Alaska home of Santa Claus.) 

Upon leaving Alaska, four years later, we took a month to travel back into the Lower 48 and offered our House 3 sellers a 1 month long leaseback where we continued to stay in the trailer. Now, fast forward, we are onto our third trailer (and 4th house). This one is a beauty! Kids have separate bunk house, outdoor kitchen, living room with rounded bench seats, tv's (there are 3 tvs!) surround sound, oven, microwave, double AC's... really you name it. We all have space so that really wasn't the problem. We are really in luxury when we do our monthly campout. 

But enjoying a monthly vacation in the woods, stargazing🌌 is FUN! Choosing to sell your home, and put all of your belongings into storage, downsize to what fits into a 8x60in closet is another thing completely.

Enjoying a weekend vacation on the beach, sitting by the ocean, ⛱kicking your feet up to the campfire or lounging in a hammock if one thing. Choosing to live in a 30+ foot trailer with limited clothing, limited shoes and GOING TO WORK EVERYDAY is Another Thing Completely!

Meeting friends at a campground miles and miles from home for a long weekend and exploring the adventures of a new city 🗺 is a dream come true. One that for many years we enjoyed. So many friends decided to join us in our TRAILER adventures. But living with 2 kids, dogs, cat, in a condensed space is ANOTHER THING COMPLETELY!!!

The largest issue was I couldn't downsize where it mattered I went to work daily, the boys went to school daily. Clothes were a necessity we did not have a lot of room for. 

Some other concerns we found. Laundry is done in a laundry mat. When is the last time you were in a laundry mat? Y'all I could find time on a Sunday afternoon to do laundry. That was in between the soccer games, soccer practice, cub scouting events and boy scout campouts. But can you guess how many other people use Sunday afternoon for laundry? EVERYONE that is who. I would often find myself waiting around for an empty dryer or the washing machines were too full and I would need to come back in 30 minutes. I had little time and when things were full my time was MORE limited.

Hot water. Next came the hot water on demand. Our trailer was a few years old, but turning on the gas to wait for the water to heat up and take a shower fast enough for the hot water to not run out, well this didn't always work out. We stopped taking showers at the trailer and really found pleasure in the showers we used at the bathhouse with warm water, warm atmosphere and also the ability to have both kids and myself showering in separate showers but ALL AT THE SAME TIME! (The luxury of having multiple bathrooms in your house.)

Limited space. As I mentioned above space can be an issue, but I am here to talk about groceries because your refrigerator is only so big. The amount of Fridge and Freezer space certainly make it more difficult to cook healthy meals without going to the grocery store each day. And I am here to tell you, I DO NOT HAVE TIME TO GO TO THE STORE DAILY.

Although looking at the big picture, trying something new makes me wonder:

Would I have changed it? Probably not, it was an experience. 

But paying a monthly RV spot, Our RV was paid off, but a loan payment, electrical, water, lawn care, a storage shed that we for stored ALL of our household goods after the sale of our home. I do not think 💲💲💲Savings💲💲💲 and living in our RV necessarily need to be in the same sentence.