Giving up a spacious home for a motorhome or RV isn’t easy. Lots of your stuff won’t fit in the vehicle, and if there’s two of you living in it, imagine how much you’d need to let go. But the promise of never-ending adventure can be enough to push a wanderer to live in an RV, despite the sacrifices involved.
If you live in a beautiful country such as New Zealand, you’d never run out of scenic spots to see, hence many residents of the country travel or live in an RV to wake up to a breathtaking place each day. International tourists flock the country to experience its extraordinary charm, too.
So, if you’re a Kiwi who hasn’t seen much of what your home country offers, perhaps you should consider RV living, too. There are heaps of motorhomes for sale in NZ, so if you think the RV lifestyle is for you, check out your RV options.
But even if the RV life is exhilarating and fulfilling, it’s not immune to struggles. Space is a major concern in motorhomes, and chances you need more storage items than aesthetic furniture and decor you see on Pinterest. If you’re an RV dweller who’s also bombarded by space problems, here are some tips to help you:
1. Perform a Major De-clutter
Before moving in an RV, get rid of all unnecessary stuff that will only consume space. If you currently have a mountain of things to sort, de-cluttering will be overwhelming, so just set a schedule — an hour a day will do — for sorting and de-cluttering that’s convenient for you. Tidy up one drawer at a time, or one shelf at a time to avoid mess-related anxiety.
When you spot an item you don’t need anymore, immediately decide on what you’re going to do with it — donate or dispose of? Don’t keep it aside and make a decision later, because that would defeat the purpose of de-cluttering.
2. Outline Your Necessities
Whether you’re just about to move or you’ve been living in an RV, you’ve surely accumulated piles of necessities over time, such as clothing and household items. Your already limited space will be further cramped if you keep all of those things, so retain them only in the amount that your RV can handle.
For clothes, determine how many of each garment will be enough. Do the same for kitchen utensils and wares. For other items like decor, keep the ones that won’t be an obstruction, like rugs and wall hangings.
3. Stock Up on Must-Have Storage Items
To make more storage space in an RV, you need to be a little more creative and resourceful. Here are some must-have storage items for your RV:
- Dish drainer rack that fits in your sink
- Bedside caddy
- Shower pocket organizer
- DIY toothbrush holders, you can attach to the wall
- Waste baskets inside a cabinet
- Wall hooks that can hold your tablet or smartphone and on-the-go items
- Under-table drawers
- Bed frame with compartments
- Custom built-in cabinets or shelving
4. Know Your Space-Saving Hacks
Even with some cabinetry, there may still be some essential items that won’t fit in there, like bulky mason jars. The counter space will also be a problem because RV kitchens don’t offer much of those.
To fit mason jars in your kitchen cabinets, mount the lid to the ceiling of the cabinet so you can store them suspended, and save vacant spaces below for other items. To add counter space, have a big cutting board and place it on top of the stove as you chop meal ingredients.
Stick magnetic strips along your walls and at the underside of cabinets. Cut smaller strips for your kitchenware like cutting boards and cutlery, then use the magnetized cabinet underside as a storage for the cutting board, and the magnetized wall to hang the cutlery.
These space-saving and maximising tips are guaranteed to improve the quality of your RV life, making you live big in a small space. You can focus more on every adventure with a tidy and workable living space.
