Full time RV living is not for the faint of heart. You have to rethink everything that society has trained you for. As Americans, it is always more, more, more. Bigger house, bigger car, more stuff, bigger dreams. Next thing you know, you are staring at a large house that is packed full of things that you don’t need.
We started the process of downsizing several months ago. We had looked around and decided that the big house and all the fancy things just weren’t us. We didn’t need a tv room, media room, play room, and game room. We didn’t need six bedrooms. We didn’t need the big backyard. We just didn’t need it…
We looked around and saw parents that were disconnected with their children because of electronics, families so busy that they forget to stop and enjoy the smiles of their little ones. But, unfortunately, that is how many of the families in our area are becoming. You get wrapped up in little league, gymnastics, ballet, sports, work and a slew of other social commitments that you don’t have time to enjoy life.
That’s when we decided to downsize. Or, as I like to call it, faithsize… The process of faithsizing didn’t occur overnight. It has taken us six months to make this transition. And all along the way, our faith and trust in God has been tested. We are constantly worried, are we making the right decision? What if we fail? Is this really what we are meant to do? But then we are given a glimmer, a sign that He is with us and always watching out for us.
So what is the process to faithsize / downsize your home?
Take it in waves. With every room we took things in waves. The first sweep / wave was always a general clearing of trash and items that we knew we didn’t want to keep. This step was the easiest because it resulted in a 50% reduction in the items left for storage / packing. Most people also do this first sweep during any moving process or garage sale season to remove clutter.
After the first wave, we went back and did a second wave of reduction. Items leftover from the first wave that we thought we wanted to keep had to be re-evaluated for overall importance and purpose. This was a little more difficult because we had to justify keeping it either in storage or in the RV, which were both limited in space. And in some rooms, a third wave had to be done. We kept repeating the process until our home of 4,400 sq ft was reduced down to an RV and items that could fit into a single storage unit.
Trust in God’s Plan for You. If you don’t know God, I encourage that find yourself a church home. He has shown us the way many times during our adventure. And learning to trust and have faith in His plan has been an experience. It never ceases to amaze me that when we believe, He shows us His grace and love in the most AMAZING ways.
But, no matter where you are going, what you’re downsizing into, or the reasons on why you are choosing to simplify your life… Never forget that God should always be in it and home is where you park it.