Living full time in an RV brings some unique challenges. Some we were aware of and prepared for in advance accordingly. Some challenges were unexpected. It has been two months since we started this adventure. I’m somewhat proud to report that we are adjusting to the challenges and the different pace of life quite nicely.
One of the biggest challenges for us to overcome happened BEFORE we ever left the town we had lived in for the last 27 years. Just imagine having to sell EV.ER.Y.THING you own. Besides having to sell the house, all the furniture, and all the home decor items, imagine having to put your hands physically on all your nicknacks, photos, memorabilia, linens, books, small appliances, TVs, computers, dishes, pots and pans, utensils, tools, household supplies, all holiday decorations, clothes, and ALL that “stuff” you have stored in boxes in your basement, attic, and/or garage. In fact, stop right now and look all around if you are in your home. Walk around a little and look at all that you have in your home.
Next, think about having to decide what you really want to keep. This was NOT an easy task! We knew we only wanted to keep those things we had sentimental attachments to or things we would need in the RV. Just trying to decide what clothes and shoes to keep AND would fit in the available RV spaces was a BIG challenge!
Selling everything and deciding what to keep, what to put in the RV, and what to store took about two months. We were fortunate enough to be able to set the RV up at a local RV camp right in town for about the last month. That way we could load our belongings in it and then rearrange things multiple times before we had to actually be out of our house. And, BELIEVE me! We rearranged things in the RV MULTIPLE times! It also gave us the opportunity to move into the RV “full time” the last week or so, and to return to the house to clean carpets and the whole house without a lot of boxes, etc., in the way. All in all, I can say that things went quite smoothly for such a massive undertaking.
Here are just a few pictures of SOME of the stuff we had for our garage sale. This was AFTER selling most all of our furniture, dishes, and home decor items on Facebook Marketplace (THAT, too, was a MAJOR undertaking!)
We left our house and became “full time RVers” on September 1st. We’ve spent the last couple of months moving around to spend time with family and friends in different locations in Missouri and Oklahoma. I can honestly say the adjustment period hasn’t been too bad. HOWEVER, don’t kid yourself; it is MOST DEFINITELY an adjustment!
Imagine living in a 2400+ square foot house (or in our case plural – multiple houses!) for the last 27 years, and then moving into approximately an 800 square foot home on wheels. This required some changes in our routines and how we do things. Because our RV has a king size bed in the space where a queen size bed was supposed to be, our bedroom walking areas are limited. It’s a good thing we are both short, somewhat “small” people! We”dance” around each other in the bedroom and bathroom areas frequently. We ARE adjusting to that!
We have learned the hard way about storing certain things in certain places. You definitely learn the first couple of months which things you need/use frequently and which you don’t. Those frequently used items MUST go in convenient to reach spaces. You also must plan ahead for items you want while traveling down the road; there are certain spaces that are inaccessible while driving and with the slides all the way in.
Most RVs manufactured within the last ten years or so have been designed with well-planned storage areas both in the coach and underneath. I fortunately have my dad’s “packing skills,” so I enjoyed organizing things and “putting the puzzle” together to make it all fit. Believe it or not, but I still have some available spaces left to fill! These pictures show some of the inside storage cabinets and some under the coach storage compartments on the outside.
Another MAJOR adjustment is laundry. We have been fortunate enough to own our own washer and dryer for the last 40 years. Now we do laundry at a laundromat! Even though the RV has a washer/dryer combined unit in the bedroom, it is definitely NOT a practical appliance to use. It washes and dries in the same unit, so you can only be working on one load at a time. Also, the tub is very small, so small loads only. Depending on the weight of the clothes being washed, it takes anywhere from 1.5 – 3 hours to do one load (we will only use this unit when we are in desperate need). Compare that to doing FOUR loads in about an 1.5 hours at the laundromat. This decision was a no brainer. Besides, I have a great helper! Here we are doing laundry this past week.
One more, final adjustment and thing that we must remember: We are both retired now and can set our own schedules. We don’t have to be anywhere at a certain time unless we choose. Plus ….. We are finally ready to travel all through the good ‘ole USA as full time RVers now that we have worked out the kinks!
So, for now … “On the Road Again!”
Betty
