Have you ever thought about living in a van? I don’t mean being homeless but purposefully living in a van that has been converted into living space. This is kind of like my Tiny House idea but with a twist! With a conversion van, I could travel without ever leaving my home. No need to pack, to get someone to check in on the house, to worry about forgetting something important. Everything I own would come with me wherever I went. Just gas up the van and get on the road. A friend of mine owns one and she recently gave us a tour. It had everything one needs for living a simple life and you can take it with you wherever you go.
One of my main tenants in life is to live below my means with a focus on people, relationships, the environment – not stuff. I am always downsizing, getting rid of my things with the goal of being able to pick up and move easily without a big effort.
Actually, I am not sure that is really the goal. I like a clean, organized space and that is easier to obtain and maintain with less stuff cluttering it up. Living below my means requires that I don’t buy things I don’t truly need so that I can focus on the really important things like the people I love. Not having a lot of belongings means I don’t have to take care of them, use them, worry about them, look at them or even spend time shopping for them in the first place.
I think part of me really wants to be a minimalist but I have not fully embraced the idea. I have been on this downsizing journey for the last 7 years and have made a lot of progress. But I still have the equivalent of 2 pallets of boxes in the basement, full of stuff. I still have a closet and dresser full of clothes and more jackets and shoes than I care to admit. I haven’t been able to part with a box of photo albums, Christmas decorations or papers from my biggest money mistake (AKA house purchase).
From the Minimalists blog “Minimalism is a tool to rid yourself of life’s excess in favor of focusing on what’s important—so you can find happiness, fulfillment, and freedom.”
I love the concept of minimalism and appreciate that what it looks like in practice is very much dependent on the individual. I think my journey took a turn when I moved in with my honey. She is not interested in minimalism and has no desire to downsize. I could probably convince her to travel for a month or so in a van but there is no chance she is moving in permanently! She owns her house and it is full of her belongings that are important to her – she isn’t going for the idea of a tiny house either!
We are currently on different pages when it comes to our home life and that can be unsettling for both of us. But as our relationship is more important to me than stuff I will continue to focus my time and energy into us!
So, I am saving my money by not buying stuff and putting it away for my future. I continue to downsize my belongings to make my environment more conducive to my nature. I am focused on making good decisions day in and day out for my for health, wealth, and happiness. I am focused on my relationship with my honey, my family and my friends.
But I am not letting go of my dream about living in a conversion van or tiny house so I can take everything that remains with me wherever I chose to go. No mortgage, no rent, no yard to maintain. No junk mail delivery, no boxes of unused stuff, no clutter. I could spend the winter traveling and only deal with snow on my terms!
I like to say that I am a simple person, living a simple life but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot going on inside my head!
Lake Girl
