Preparing to move into an RV, whether full time or part time, means paring down to the belongings that comfortably fit in the space. Even if you choose one of the largest RVs on the market, you will likely need to be choosy about what you bring with you to avoid feeling cramped and cluttered in your new home on wheels.
If minimalism is new to you or you're looking for tips to help make simplifying your life easier, you've come to the right place.
Incorporating Minimalism for Your New Life in an RV
Put Method to the Madness
An obvious first step is decluttering and choosing what to keep, sell, donate, or throw out. However, this process can get pretty disorganized pretty quickly. Have a plan and make sure there is a method to the madness.
If possible, give yourself ample time to sort through your belongings. A few months before your move is ideal so you can break down the process into manageable tasks and tackle them one at a time. Begin by understanding what you truly need in your daily life. Consider the essentials for cooking, sleeping, personal care, and entertainment. As you are deciding what to bring with you, familiarize yourself with the storage spaces in your RV. Knowing the dimensions and layout will help you decide what can realistically fit.
Next, declutter room by room. Once you've decided what will absolutely be essential to bring with you, go through your home one room at a time to work through the decluttering process and decide if there are any other belongings to bring with that are beyond the list of essentials. Sort your items into categories: keep, sell, donate, and discard. Be honest about the necessity and frequency of use for each item. Many people find the 90/90 rule to be helpful in this process: consider whether you’ve used an item in the last 90 days or if you will use it in the next 90 days. If not, it’s likely non-essential.
Prioritize Multipurpose Items
After you've decided what you're bringing with you from your home, you may need to buy some new things that better fit your space in the RV. This is often true for furniture and storage systems. Look for furniture that serves multiple purposes, such as a sofa bed or a dining table with storage compartments because they are a much more efficient use of space. When your square footage shrinks, it's important to not waste any space.
Choose kitchen appliances that can perform multiple functions. For example, a pressure cooker that can also work as a slow cooker and rice cooker makes more sense than storing all 3 appliances. There are also many kitchen and bathroom items specifically designed to save space. Opt for items that can be folded or collapsed when not in use, like collapsible bowls, stackable pots, and folding chairs and stools.
Digitize Wherever Possible
Thanks to innovation in technology, there are so many ways to simplify storage of both practical and sentimental items by digitizing them. Here are some ways to do that:
Convert physical books, DVDs, and CDs to digital formats. E-books, streaming services, and digital storage can significantly reduce bulk.
Scan important documents and store them digitally. Keep only original copies of essential documents like birth certificates and passports.
Scan old photographs and store them on a hard drive or cloud service. Display a few favorites in small frames or a digital photo frame.
Display kids' artwork by scanning pictures and adding them to a digital photo frame.
Replace your recipe books and cards by coping favorite recipes and putting them in a file on your phone, tablet, or computer.
Choosing the Right Place to Park
For some RV owners, the dream is to be on the road. However, many long term RVers recommend choosing a home base, or at least planning some longer stays at an RV park you know and love. This makes it easier to rest, connect with like minded people, and take time to enjoy your RV rather than traveling most days.
If you're looking for a place to land in the Dallas area, we'd love to host you at Southern Belle RV Park. The park features a long list of amenities that make it quickly feel like home, including:
Fenced dog park
Wash house
Fire pits
Picnic areas
On site laundry
Vending machines
On-site management
Pet friendly animals
Ready to learn more about bringing your RV to our welcoming community? Incorporating Minimalism for Your New Life in an RV does take some practice! Check out our availability at Southern Belle RV Park today.
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