My husband Jon and I dove into the full time stationary RV lifestyle pretty quickly because of circumstances, as From Condo Living to RV Living Full Time: The Decision explains. It was a last-minute-ish decision with everything lined up just right so I just knew it would work out; and so far, it has! Minus a few little things we wish we would have known first; such as not leaving awning out when I am not home, or not spending the extra money for a better hose which only ended up costing more money in the end anyways.. See What to Look for When Purchasing an RV for more details.
Check out RVs
To decide if full time stationary RV living is right for you, the first thing you need to do is head to RV dealerships and check out some RVs. Take note of things you have that won't fit into the RV and decide if you can live without them. I suggest getting the biggest RV you can get within your budget. When it comes to living full time in an RV, bigger is better because it is still smaller than an apartment or house.
Some RV kitchens are pretty small, as is ours. We compensate with this by having a second kitchen outdoors and that has been pretty cool so far.
When looking at RVs be sure to ask about how the tanks work. Using the bathroom is a slightly different process in an RV than in a house or condo apartment. More on that in Things to Consider with RV Bathrooms. Remember that you will. have to let the toilet tanks fill up first before pulling levers to empty them.
Research and Call RV Parks and Resorts in your Area
I researched RV parks and resorts in the area and discovered that they were all different in their own ways. They each charged a little differently for utilities with some parks including all, some or no utilities while pad rents varied in price from place to place and time of year. There was really no consistency among the RV parks in our area in terms of how long you can stay before you have to move on to another RV park or pay double in the summer as tourist season begins.
Each park in our area mostly had laundry facilities on site, but we opted to have our own. This is mainly because I hate the cold and do not want to walk in a snow storm, rain or ice to do laundry. This was a must for me, but having laundry facilities sure did come in handy when our washing machine broke! More on that later.
Check Out and Visit RV Parks and Resorts
My husband was not sold on the idea of living in an RV full time to save money until he saw some of the RV resorts and parks in the area for himself. Some parks come fully loaded with amenities such as a swimming pool, hot tub, BBQ area, common gathering room in the club house, dog runs, recreation areas, etc.
Make sure to inquire about availability and ask to be put on a waitlist if there is no availability. Also make sure you can receive mail.
Now that you've decided the full time stationary RV living life is for you, it's time to start sorting your things! :)
You need to grab the items you won't part with and put them in a pile to figure out how you will keep them in an RV. The hardest things for me to part with were my plants. Luckily I work with amazing people who allowed me to bring my most prized plants into my office so I now have a jungle office. I do, however, still miss having the jungle home! It was still worth it for us and I have a nice outdoor jungle now instead!
Make the same piles for items that you intend to sell, donate and throw away. This will definitely make your life a lot easier when it's time to move.
Get a WiFi Booster
A lot of RV parks and resorts say they have free WiFi but the reality is that depending on where you are parked within the park, you may be out range. We used a simple Netgear plugin WiFi extender that was really easy to set up and did the trick.
Utilize Your Storage Spaces
As I mentioned in The Pros of RV Living vs Condo or Apartment one of the biggest perks for me is about the storage space in the RV. It really makes life in an RV far easier because there is a space for everything which equates to no more clutter.
If you are living in a colder climate you may need a skirt to go around the belly of your RV to keep the cold out from coming in through the RV floor. We nearly froze this past winter without one. More details on that in Full Time RV Living Must-Haves for Beginners. I have been looking around our own RV resort park for ideas and I really like the vinyl ones that can also act as a storage space under a fifth wheel!
Start Selling
As RVs come fully furnished you can start selling your furniture and make some money in doing so! I posted everywhere I could think of. Our local used.ca site, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Kijiji and so on. Luckily we didn’t have an issue selling the big items, but just in case you might, I would try to make sure there is enough storage in the belly of your RV or invest in a storage shed (assuming the place you intend to park your RV will allow it). We still have a few odds and ends that are still listed for sale despite being here for a few months.
Set up Your "Yard"
I saved the best for last on this one! Coming from a condo with a tiny balcony, I never had space for outdoor plants. Frankly, I didn't really think about having outdoor plants much since I couldn't enjoy them anyways. So, setting up our little space outside has been so sooo FUN! I can finally enjoy plants all the time and show them off a little too! I think we, at our RV park, each get ideas from each other's decors and setups outside. I must say we have some extremely creative and fun neighbours indeed!
So, for us, the decision was easy and it only took a month before we were signing the dotted line to RV ownership. Once you check out RVs, RV resorts and RV parks you will know pretty quickly whether this is the lifestyle you want yourself. Once that decision has been made, start hammering through and enjoy RV living!
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