Dipping my Toes into Minimalism

As I write this, I am in the process of moving into my minivan for the summer.  I have seen many people living in a minivan or some kind of RV; not necessarily because they can’t afford a home, but to embrace a more “free,” minimalistic lifestyle.

Although I love my home in Arizona, I like to venture out in the heat of the summer and travel.  I’ve stayed in a lot of Airbnb’s, but this requires booking ahead and determining how long I am going to stay at each place I book.  It can also get expensive if you don’t book longer stays where the discount is larger.

I’ve had a minivan before and loved the freedom I had to just go wherever my heart guides me.  This is “true freedom.”  I purchased a couple hotspot units so that I will have Wifi for my work and will continue to take my clients over phone and Skype via my minivan office.

It is a project to decide what to take and just what I need.  It reminds me of earlier backpacking trips where I had to fit everything I would need for a week, including food, in a forty pound pack.  Okay, well this is much easier.  I am fitting everything I need for four months into a minivan.  I need to fit the majority of my clothes into one 7 inch high bin.  I need to fit all my kitchen items into one small crate.

I am putting my cargo carrier on top of the Van to house my tents, extra chair, camping table and things I will only be using on longer stays.  I’ve decided against hauling my bike, because in the past trips, I just didn’t ride enough to make it worth having to continually unstrap it from the back prior to opening my rear hatch.  I am more inclined to grab my walking stick and head out on the trails on foot.

When I begin to take inventory of all my “stuff,” if boggles my mind how much I think I need.  Every time I go on a journey, I get rid of more stuff, and try hard not to replace it.  Going from a nineteen hundred square foot home to an 8 x 10 cargo space challenges one’s dependency on “stuff.”

I have taken two maiden voyages in the Van, camping out on a friends property.  It gives me a sense of how it feels to stay in the van and what I need to improve on, before going.  I realized the mattress slid around on the wood frame, so I bought some of that rubberized shelf liner and put it down under the mattress.  Last time I camped the mattress stayed in place.  I bought a new coleman two burner stove and have it on a metal shelf unit in the back.  Even though I had put the “no skid” shelf paper down under the stove, it was still sliding around, so will have to bungee it, when my cords arrive.  I have a beautiful little cooler that plugs into my cigarette lighter, in the back of the van and can sit upright, just like a small fridge.  I’m going to love that.  So I have my little kitchen set up in the back, almost ready to go.

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