In mid-October of 2017, we ceased to be homeowners and moved into 32-foot Travel Trailer to begin our attempt at RV living. It was one of the best things we ever did.
I don’t think RV living is for everyone, but it definitely was for us. We were tired of the stress and cost of being homeowners. We found it particularly stressful due to a rapidly ageing home. Our house was in need of renovations. We didn’t have the time, money or the energy to complete everything that needed to be done. Ultimately, we wanted freedom more than home ownership so we decided to sell our house.
We are now about 6 months into our full-time RV living and we haven’t looked back.
There has been a significant money saving for us. We have said goodbye to homeownership costs. There are many other things we now save money on as well. We have saved on the cost of furniture and décor items to fill spaces we hardly used. We have also saved the time it took to clean those spaces and as well as the cost of the cleaners, vacuum, vacuum bags…you get the idea.
Lots of ‘stuff’ isn’t really an option when you live an RV lifestyle. When we went from a large 5 bedroom home to a 32-foot travel trailer we didn’t get to bring much with us except the basics. At first, that was super scary. We were so accustomed to our stuff that the thought of life without it almost stopped us cold from considering RV living as an option.
Once we were freed from that stuff that goes with owning a home that there are actually very few things that we missed. I do miss having my sewing machine handy. There aren’t as many family photos up due to lack of wall space. But beyond a couple of items, I don’t miss the stuff.
(Read about the changes we made to make our RV more comfortable here.)
We spend so much more time outside now enjoying nature instead of outside cleaning up, pulling weeds and watering plants. I know that many readers will say that they enjoy that part of home ownership. That gardening is therapeutic for them. It wasn’t for me, so I was glad to not have to do it. I can still have some plants here. Things that are ok for pots are perfect for RV living. You can still have a garden, it just needs to be compact and portable. With a bit of planning, however, you can have one.
Finally and probably the most profound part of this change for me has been finding a sense of freedom I haven’t felt before.
We are currently living in a beautiful campground in Nanaimo, BC. We are very happy in our current location, but we have the freedom to move when we want a change of scenery or when we want new neighbours or really for any reason or whim. There is so much freedom in just having options even if you don’t choose to use them. Choosing to stay where we are has been just as freeing as choosing to go.
We still have ties to our current community as we are small business owners that have many active local customers so we don’t plan on doing extensive travelling at the moment. Even though we are staying in and around Nanaimo, BC, we feel that we have so many more options open to us. These options have made living in a small space worth it. Any of the drawbacks, for us, have been eclipsed by the many positives we have experienced. We may choose, one day, to go back to ‘big home living’ but for now, our tiny house is everything we need.
Shelley E Stringer says
August 6, 2018 at 5:58 amGreat article! We are in the process of going from HOME owner to full time Rv living. Im excited and nervous all at The same time, but we are really looking forward to more freedom and less stress from home ownership. Can’t wait to read more of your articles for more advice!
Deb says
August 6, 2018 at 8:54 pmThanks for the comment and congrats on your change to RV living! I’m so excited for you. I love this lifestyle so much. I hope you do as well. Please keep in touch. It would be wonderful to hear how you are enjoying it!
Tess says
August 7, 2018 at 1:08 amMy husband and i are in the process of switching to RV living.
Home is in Ladner, Mom (our motivation) is in Sidney, and our 28 ft trIler is in Fanny Bay. Not sure how this is going to happen, but it is happening!
Ps i cant get the caps off. Sorry!
Deb says
August 7, 2018 at 3:55 pmThanks for the comment Tess! Where there is a will, there is a way! So excited for you! I hope you get to do it soon. The island is waiting for you! 🙂
Judy says
August 10, 2018 at 6:22 amIm glad you’re enjoying yourself and the freedom of RVing. What are your plans for the winter? Are you heading south or staying on the island?
Deb says
August 10, 2018 at 2:16 pmWe are staying on the island for the winter at our favourite campground, Living Forest Campground and RV Park overlooking the ocean. We stayed last winter as well.
Kim says
August 13, 2018 at 7:43 amIs staying at rv parks expensive?
Deb says
August 13, 2018 at 6:43 pmI think it depends on the area you are in,the type of park you are in and the time of year. Where we are it is a bit more expensive in the summer time but in the winter it’s less expensive then renting an apartment in the area. We live for less and our quality of life is higher than when we owned a house. So in our case no, it has been much less expensive for us when you factor in all our previous costs of living.
Gina Lundberg says
November 2, 2018 at 10:02 amHi there debbIe!
My name is gina and am orgin from vancouver.my husban and i juat sold our home in Peterboroygh NH ! We are in the process of purchasing an older class a diesel pushEr! We are in a major deliema about purchasing a forty foOtEr or try to witall All are stuff into a 34-36 footer! We too have a ton of stuff and Well me more than Tom lOve my stuff!? I am hoping to avoid buying one and then selling and buying again a few years down the Road ! We will be stayinf innplace for months at a time for work and then hoping to do some Boondocking as much as possiable ? Open to any suggestions you may be able to share!
Deb says
November 3, 2018 at 1:58 pmHi Gina! Congrats on your new adventure. When we decided to move into our RV I wasn’t sure about giving up all of my ‘stuff’ either. The things that didn’t fit into our RV but I wasn’t ready to give up went into storage. I gave myself a couple of months to figure out what I would actually miss after being without it for a while. Then I went back and looked at it. If I hadn’t thought about it at all in those months without it I knew I could get rid of it without too much worry. I obviously didn’t miss it if I hadn’t thought about it. There were a couple things that I missed and had thought about but still couldn’t fit in my RV so I still have them in storage for now. There are no easy answers but you will find that you don’t miss most of the ‘stuff’ at all. Please let me know how you make out! I would love an update on how it is going for you.