We did it. Sold everything. Moved in. No safety net.
My girlfriend and I started talking about buying an RV in December with the the idea that by the end of summer we would move into it and see what happens. That plan seemed easy and doable so we started looking at various motorhomes to determine what style, size and features were important to us. With several months ahead of us we were not in much of a hurry, or so we thought.
At the end of January we went to see a motorhome that was on Craigslist that was a bit unusual in that it was painted black. We saw it, we really liked it and after looking over the inside layout I determined I could transform the coach into a living space that would function well for the two of us.
We bought it. We started on the obvious parts first and spent a few days just looking at it to visualize various layouts.
Then we get THE CALL. Cat's landlord wanted to raise the rent and not a little bit either. The rent would go up from $900 to $1.300 April 1 and no that was not a joke. We said No Way because the house wasn't really worth the $900 and the landlord said he had a tenant who would pay that amount, and we were to be out by March 31.
Now, we know we will move in 3 years for Cat's schooling. She will attend Grad School somewhere to study Physics, where, we don't know, but that is the plan so far. Additionally Cat is in a field that is saturated and changing quickly (Electrical Engineer at a solar company) so although she is employable easily, the location of where she will work next could be anyplace here in SoCal so the idea of living in one place for then next 3 years seems rather impossible.
So, we had basically two months to pull the RV apart and get it ready for us to live in.
The build blog (with photos) is here: lifeinsidejack.blogspot.com
So today I am sitting in the finished motorhome. We are parked in a RV park here in Wildomar, CA and it is going very well. With the changes I made to the motorhome the layout gives us plenty of floor space and the park gives us decent shading.
The selling of everything has its moments. Some items were no big deal, other things hurt. But, now that's done and we're down to the things that are important ... like each other.
A storage unit is silly. We own nothing worth $75 - $100 a month and that's not mobile living anyway. It doesn't make sense to us. We've scanned photos, we've sold our textbooks, we're in here with the things we really need and not too much more.
I tell you this because it was a big challenge. It took a bunch of effort and took teamwork. But here on this side of the project it is so good. We don't have a bunch of "things" to maintain. We don't have a yard to care for and we are not spinning too many plates.
Between her work, school and trying to find time to relax Cat is a busy woman. I'm disabled and an online student so my time is taking care of the place (easy enough), homework and caring for Cat and myself.
It is enjoyable to wake up and realize there are very few strings pulling on you and those strings are ones you chose anyway. We plan to pull out of the park one weekend a month (or every other month) to go to the beach, mountains, Vegas or ??? and we have to freedom to do such a thing. The last projects are to finish with some sewing and to finish the solar installation.
If you've thought about selling everything and taking on a Tiny/Mobile/RV or whatever you wanna call lifestyle with less just ask yourself why you wouldn't do it. What's stopping you? What's holding onto you? Is it your stuff? If so, you need to let that stuff go.
Be blessed, Namaste,
Montana
At the end of January we went to see a motorhome that was on Craigslist that was a bit unusual in that it was painted black. We saw it, we really liked it and after looking over the inside layout I determined I could transform the coach into a living space that would function well for the two of us.
We bought it. We started on the obvious parts first and spent a few days just looking at it to visualize various layouts.
Then we get THE CALL. Cat's landlord wanted to raise the rent and not a little bit either. The rent would go up from $900 to $1.300 April 1 and no that was not a joke. We said No Way because the house wasn't really worth the $900 and the landlord said he had a tenant who would pay that amount, and we were to be out by March 31.
Now, we know we will move in 3 years for Cat's schooling. She will attend Grad School somewhere to study Physics, where, we don't know, but that is the plan so far. Additionally Cat is in a field that is saturated and changing quickly (Electrical Engineer at a solar company) so although she is employable easily, the location of where she will work next could be anyplace here in SoCal so the idea of living in one place for then next 3 years seems rather impossible.
So, we had basically two months to pull the RV apart and get it ready for us to live in.
The build blog (with photos) is here: lifeinsidejack.blogspot.com
So today I am sitting in the finished motorhome. We are parked in a RV park here in Wildomar, CA and it is going very well. With the changes I made to the motorhome the layout gives us plenty of floor space and the park gives us decent shading.
The selling of everything has its moments. Some items were no big deal, other things hurt. But, now that's done and we're down to the things that are important ... like each other.
A storage unit is silly. We own nothing worth $75 - $100 a month and that's not mobile living anyway. It doesn't make sense to us. We've scanned photos, we've sold our textbooks, we're in here with the things we really need and not too much more.
I tell you this because it was a big challenge. It took a bunch of effort and took teamwork. But here on this side of the project it is so good. We don't have a bunch of "things" to maintain. We don't have a yard to care for and we are not spinning too many plates.
Between her work, school and trying to find time to relax Cat is a busy woman. I'm disabled and an online student so my time is taking care of the place (easy enough), homework and caring for Cat and myself.
It is enjoyable to wake up and realize there are very few strings pulling on you and those strings are ones you chose anyway. We plan to pull out of the park one weekend a month (or every other month) to go to the beach, mountains, Vegas or ??? and we have to freedom to do such a thing. The last projects are to finish with some sewing and to finish the solar installation.
If you've thought about selling everything and taking on a Tiny/Mobile/RV or whatever you wanna call lifestyle with less just ask yourself why you wouldn't do it. What's stopping you? What's holding onto you? Is it your stuff? If so, you need to let that stuff go.
Be blessed, Namaste,
Montana
