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.

The Great Stuff Purge, Part 1

On Sunday, fast on the heels of putting an offer on Clark the RV, Trent and I decided to start getting rid of stuff - the physical stuff that lies in between where we are now and where we want to be in a few months. Our current house is small - especially by typical American standards - but we'll have to give away, recycle, or toss most of our current belongings before moving out of our place and into the RV.

We started with clothes and quickly filled up five large trash bags of items to take to Goodwill. I thought this would be a painful process - mainly because I tend to hang onto things - but I quickly realized that many of my clothes didn't fit anymore anyway (I've lost about 20 pounds since last summer). That made the task more straightforward. Too big? Gone. I'm not hanging on to something just in case I gain the weight back.

See these pants and this shirt? I got the shirt in New York City when I was 13 years old - 24 years ago - and haven't been willing to part with it. Despite the fact that I've worn it maybe three times, I've carted it along on at least 12 moves. One reason is because the skyline depicts the Twin Towers, and after 9/11 it felt wrong somehow to throw it away... Like it was somehow my responsibility to keep it as memorabilia.

As for the pants, they have a story, too. In 2004 I went on an epic Outward Bound trip to Europe. We hiked in the Alps and sailed a tall ship from England to the Canary Islands. I bought the jeans during a stopover in London. For years, they were too small; now they're too big and have gaping holes in the knees. It was time to say goodbye, but again, letting go wasn't easy. Clearly I was hanging onto the denim because it represented a really magical time in my life. But I'll never forget that trip anyway, so keeping the jeans is kind of pointless.

Trent cleared out his closet, too, and then started in on old paperwork. We had copies of rental agreements and credit card statements dating back 15 years! (We're a little paranoid when it comes to keeping money-related documents.) We finally shredded and recycled them.

Trent also found a cute photograph that we definitely won't be throwing away. My mom took it in 1999, about 2 months after Trent and I first met. I'm so glad he's still up for adventuring with me!

We have a long way to go in terms of de-cluttering. The next step will probably involve giving away some of our cookware (especially the breakable stuff) and cleaning out the garage. But this was a good start, and it made us feel like we were taking an important step in making the dream a reality.