What Are We Doing?!

We are downsizing from our townhouse into our 13 foot Scamp travel trailer for the time being.  This is some serious downsizing we are talking about too.  We began going through every nook and cranny of our home beginning in mid-April.  It has been a job! 

Culling out what we only need for daily survival, then adding in a few items to make it nicer and more comfortable has been easier than I thought it would be.  I am finding in this process that I don’t want to be encumbered by my stuff and I am happy to let things go.  If we don’t love it then it needs to go.  If we love it we will take it with us.  It has amazed us all at how much stuff we have hung onto that we really don’t care for.  Kind of nuts, really.

Our RV has an abundance of hidden storage so you can pack a lot inside.  More stuff than you need, actually.  In one area I have our bedding and linens all organized in clear zipper bags (the ones comforters and bedspreads come in).  In another we have our electrical cords, hoses, heater and fan stored.  We have an area for games and craft supplies, another for pots and pans and a third for miscellaneous items. 

Our clothing has been seriously scaled back to fit inside our existing suitcases.  I did not want to purchase anymore luggage because that would mean we’d just pack more stuff. 

I am adding a shell for our pick up so we can have additional storage and we can keep those items locked and secure. 

Our patio furniture all folds flat so we’ll be able to take it along and enjoy using it.  Compact is really the name of the game.  Outdoor living space will be key to making this workable and more comfortable.  I plan to set up an outdoor kitchen space on our folding table whenever we stop, just like when we go camping. 

The old ice box is our pantry, a cooler our refrigerator, the toaster oven and microwave plus a hot plate and a kitchen kettle will help us conserve propane when we have access to electricity.  We have battery powered lights as well as electric. 

Small items that multi task are even better.  The bin that holds the linens can also hold dirty laundry and be used as a bathtub.  Our pasta pot will be used for cooking and to heat water.  My laptop will be invaluable as our communication center, home office and as our TV/DVD player, among other things. 

It won’t always be easy but we’ll make it work.