Why We Chose RV Living
RV living has become increasingly popular over the years for many reasons. Some people have chosen the RV lifestyle out of necessity, because jobs keep them on the road. Other people have chosen RV life for the luxury and freedom to travel wherever, whenever they want. While RV life isn’t for everyone, it definitely has its perks. Here are five reasons we chose RV living.
We chose RV living to save for our dream home
We were gifted some property and wanted to build our dream home. That meant we needed xxxxx amount of dollars for a downpayment to begin our build. At the time, we were renting a 4-bedroom house at a reasonable price, living within our means, but we weren’t saving any money. When we looked out our income and budget, we realized there wasn’t much more we could do on one income. I could’ve gone back to work, but the cost of childcare would’ve counteracted the extra income and wouldn’t have made a difference.
At first, we looked at downsizing to a small apartment, but apartments in our area were the same price or more per month than the house we were renting. So, we decided to utilize the property we already had and get an RV. We were able to eliminate rent, water, internet, and lawn service and decrease our electric drastically. Now we are saving a ton of money!
Quickly, we realized that we could do this lifestyle for a few years and pay cash for our house. That became our goal!
We chose RV living to have financial freedom
Who doesn’t want financial freedom, buying power, and to make their money work for them. We were tired of pinching pennies, stressing during emergencies, and settling for things we didn’t love because we couldn’t afford what we really wanted. When we first started looking for RVs, we had $6,000 in our savings account. We couldn’t get approved for an RV loan and didn’t have the money for a downpayment. Can you imagine not being able to afford to DOWNSIZE?!
RV living has given us the ability to save and invest in ways we never imagined possible. It has given us the ability to invest, put money into savings, create an emergency fund, make big purchases, and set up investments for our kids. Ultimately, it removed finances as a major stressor in our lives.
We chose RV living to travel more
Financial freedom also meant we could travel more, which is something I desperately wanted. When you work/run a family business, days off don’t come around often and the work day never really ends. This is the story of our lives. Traveling often forces Logan to take time off, which we both need. I thrive off of a change of scenery and Logan needs the opportunity to check out work and find rest every now and then.
In our family, we value experiences over stuff. That’s why we choose to invest in travel to give our kids more experiences. Not only did they learn so much, but we are making memories that material things could never give us. I have no doubt that when our kids look back on these years, they will remember the places we explored and traveling together.
Most people assume that since our home is on wheels, we mostly do RV travel. Honestly, that’s not the case for us. Because our RV is our home full-time, we don’t feel the need to take it on vacation or travel in it often. While it’s nice to have the option, it’s also nice to leave it behind and stay elsewhere. We recently purchased a 2021 Keystone Sprinter and now have the perfect set up for more RV travel.
We chose RV living to embrace minimalism
More stuff will not make you happy. Say it with me. More stuff will not make you happy! In fact, it will probably do the opposite. That’s something we’ve learned over the years. Each year we moved into a larger house and accumulated more stuff, which brought more stress and frustration. I got to the point where I wanted to throw away everything and start over. Essentially, that’s what we did. Except we did it in 250 square feet.
RV living has taught us not to hold so tightly to material things and really evaluate what we have. There isn’t room for much and most of the things we do have serve multiple purposes. Because our space is pretty maxed out, if we want something new, we have to get rid of something old. It has made me slow down and think about my purchases and decide what I really need/want. I became a minimalist by accident.
We chose RV living to spend more time together
RV living has forced us to spend more time together and has made us so much closer. In a tiny house, there is no space to have your own space. Every space is shared. I won’t lie, it was the hardest adjustment and something I still struggle with on hard days. But ultimately, it has been the best thing for us, especially the kids. Our kids have become the best of friends and have the strongest bond. I love watching them grow up together.
Living in the RV has also forced Logan and I to invest in each other and our marriage. It has helped us learn to communicate better and be more aware of our own needs. Like I said, every space is shared and there is no place to go. That’s tough when you’re angry or annoyed with each other. It has forced us to deal with issues head on and immediately. As someone who needs time to process my thoughts and feelings and would much rather avoid hard conversations, it was REALLY tough. But our relationship and our marriage is stronger because of it.
RV living is a lifestyle change we didn’t know we needed until we started living it. There are so many reasons people choose the RV lifestyle and it can fit almost anyone’s needs. Although, there are some people who shouldn’t choose the RV lifestyle. My friend Sammy, from Big Hearts Tiny Spaces, wrote an incredible blog post about the 10 Reasons RV Living Is Not For You. If you’re considering this lifestyle, I highly recommend you check it out first. But don’t worry, if you’re an adaptable person, you’ll adjust to RV living in no time!
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[…] As a family, we want to encourage other families to live a life that benefits them, regardless of what others think. If you want to learn more about our RV lifestyle, check out 5 Reasons Why We Chose RV Living. […]