The benefits of living in a small space

As I mentioned to a friend on Instagram this morning, moving into our tiny space has involved a steep learning curve - not so much in terms of figuring out sewer/water/electric hookups or deciding where to travel, but very much so in terms of learning to live together in the smallest place we've ever owned.

Three humans and one cat cohabitating in a relatively modest-sized RV can be fraught with challenges, like when the dishes pile up (happens quickly, and can make the kitchen feel chaotic), or when someone's in a less-than-happy mood and doesn't feel like hanging out with family members, or when I reallllly want to get my yoga workout in but have to wait until Trent and Sam are off at the pool for an hour.

When the slide-out is out, this is where I do my workout. Right next to the kitty litter. Ommmm....

But! Even though it's frustrating sometimes, I see multiple benefits to living together in this little home:

1. We can keep only what we really need and/or want. There's simply no room for extraneous things we won't use or can't appreciate, so we carefully consider every single item we bring into our space. We did this before we moved in, but - because it was difficult to predict what we would actually use - we continue to evaluate our belongings. For example, the pretty serving tray that I carefully stowed into a cabinet for Pinterest-worthy dinner picnics is proving to be worthless, so it's not going to stick around. It needs to give up its home for something that we will actually utilize. 

Along the same lines, until we started preparing for RV life, I didn't realize how much random crap people are constantly trying to pass on to one another, such as the little towels that our campground gave us as a "welcome present" (they're not large enough to dry off with and not absorbent enough to dry dishes with), or the mini-frisbees and beer koozies available as "gifts" in the activity center this morning. It's tempting to take and keep these, but we don't need them and ultimately they're just going to serve as dust-catchers. Not worth it. MUST. RESIST. FREE. STUFF.

2. We have a better appreciation for what we do have. This sounds silly, but every morning I look at my coffee pot and think, "Man, I love this thing." I like its design, I like how easy it is to clean, and I like that it produces my favorite caffeinated beverage. I look at it and I appreciate it, whereas before this journey, I owned a lot of things that I walked by every single day and barely even noticed, much less acknowledged.

Coffee pot and rooster mug: Key players in my morning ritual

3. It's easy to clean and organize. Sam - the most organized person in our family - will tell you that I have a lot of opportunity for growth here, but overall I think we do a good job of keeping Clark tidy. And because Clark is small, it really doesn't take all that much time and effort. We can go from kitchen disaster zone to Instagram-worthy countertops in a matter of minutes. (Not saying that lasts long, but whatever.)

Post-breakfast is always messy, but it takes minutes to clean it up.

4. A small space requires less energy to heat and cool than a traditional home. It's hot here in Texas, so yes, we have our fan or A/C on most of the time. That said, it doesn't take much to cool the place down. Of course, our goal is to eventually "follow the weather" and get solar panels so that we can further minimize the use of fossil fuels for heating and cooling. At the very least, we're more aware now of what it takes to bring our space to a comfortable temperature. It encourages us to think about the resources and processes required.

5. We're forced to deal with interpersonal issues right away. This is a tough one even for a family that generally gets along. Sometimes our RV is like a pressure cooker! Things I've been trying to work on: not getting bent out of shape about the way Trent does the dishes (yes, I realize I'm crazy), being more patient when I need space but can't have it immediately, and talking through problems as they happen instead of letting the issues build up. This was my idea, and yet of anyone in the family, I'm the one who is most attached to the concept of a personal bubble. That part is tough for me, and I'm figuring out how to navigate that particular issue. So... yeah. Definitely a learning experience. 

6. I get to spend more time with my family. I love that. Sometimes it's really nice to hang out for hours in the same tiny room with them. As I write this, Sam is sitting across from me with a pad of paper, a ruler, and a pencil, designing a new hotel for his Minecraft world. I type, he draws, and we share ideas as we go. That kind of experience makes this wild journey totally worth it.

Planning and Preparing

Susanne is your driver for this post.

This past week has consisted of trying to meet our current obligations (work, hanging out with Sam, trying to stop the cat from going into meow meltdown mode in the middle of the night) while simultaneously preparing for our future RV lifestyle. Here's what we've been working on:

1. Setting up our mail forwarding service: We'll be using Escapees Mail Service in Livingston, TX. We're planning to become residents of Texas and want to have our mail service set up before then. The process should be relatively straightforward, but our post office lost our first application so we had to prepare a second one (a task that involved collecting numerous documents and meeting with a notary).

2. Learning how to properly clean our RV: I can't take any credit for this. Trent has been watching how-to videos produced by the RV Geeks to get the lowdown on RV DIY. He recently purchased a whole bunch of cleaning products for the exterior and interior and has been busy making Clark look his best. He also discovered an inexpensive desiccant (DampRid) that we placed in the RV to keep it dry during what is a very rainy season in southern Indiana.

3. Nailing down digital nomad jobs: Trent and I have both found flexible jobs that we can do remotely. I'll be working part time for an online college, and Trent will be working full time for a publisher. Given that both jobs are remote, we've spent the last few days wading through onboarding paperwork, obtaining more notarizations, and making even more trips to the post office.

4. Putting together a home school curriculum: My sister-in-law's kids are long-time homeschoolers, so I've been talking to her to develop ideas for how we want to organize Sam's 4th grade curriculum. For math, I've settled on Life of Fred: it looks fun, interesting, and relatable. I'm still trying to decide on grammar and social studies resources, so if you have any suggestions, let us know. Of course, much of the "curriculum" will consist of simply going out and experiencing life: visiting museums, listening to music, reading books, having adventures with other kids, problem-solving in the RV.

5. Figuring out how I'm going to exercise in the RV: I work out almost every day, and I love that part of my schedule. Because I'm kind of introverted, I prefer to work out at home rather than in a gym or outside around town. I've been using Beachbody at-home fitness programs since last summer; I like them so much, I became a Beachbody health and wellness coach. Now I'm trying to take note of how much space each workout requires and whether it will be RV-friendly or not. It looks like I'll be able to make it work, though I'll need to modify some of the routines.

6. Researching museum memberships: Related to item #4 above, I've been researching museum memberships that offer a reciprocal program. For science museums (which Sam loves), we think we'll participate in the ASTC Travel Passport Program. Another organization, the North American Reciprocal Museum Association, seems to have member art and history museums all across the U.S., so we may take part in that as well. We're open to suggestions!