Living in a caravan you really don’t have the space for unnecessary items. This encourages you to only use the things that you do have, look for ways to make do, and to reduce your belongings down to only what you really use. Seeing as you only have limited space in the van this also makes it tough to randomly buy things that you do not need.

Surprisingly you don’t actually realise how much “stuff” you can accumulate over the years. And man it feels great to just go through every cupboard in the house and let go. Take it one step at a time and ask yourself, do I need this? When will this be used? Does this actually give any purpose to me? We’ve minimised our belongings to just a few boxes, stuff that will forever have a meaning to us like old scrapbooks, photos, artwork, a trophy Mitch couldn’t let go and Clover’s first year of clothing. We’ve stored these with our family for when we return.

Life of a Van Wife – Downsizing and Being Organised in a Caravan

Organised Living in a Van

Life in a van can feel real stressful at times but the key to making your life run that little bit smoother is by being organised in every possible area – the storage for your camping gear, the pantry and fridge, clothes and toiletries etc.
● Put away clothing as soon as you’re finished wearing them or getting them off the line/laundromat. There isn’t any room to just have a pile of washing accumulate, you don’t have that chair in the corner of your bedroom anymore. Your hats, shoes, dirty socks and undies, they all need a space to be stored away.
● You’ll also need to rotate your winter and summer clothes. In summer the winter woollies can’t stay in the everyday wardrobe or draws, they have to be stored under the bed or some other equally annoying place to get too.
● Having a weekly meal plan is an essential task we do to save money. By doing a grocery shop once a week and setting out your meals in advance you can avoid food wastage, eat a lot healthier and save more by not spending on takeaway! Because our fridge in the caravan is quite small we have a second fridge in our car. This comes in handy to carry more fresh food and for when we go on day trips or off grid without our caravan.

Embracing Life in a Van

You can easily bring more happiness into your life by slowly testing what you can live without. At the end of the day, minimalism is about creating the time, space and freedom to enjoy a happier life – and we just love this life. Sure there’s some things we miss about having a place to call home but we don’t miss the big mortgage, other bills and being stuck in the one place with annoying neighbours.

Much love, K
– Life Of A Van Wife