We have been living full-time in the RV for a few months now. Many of our friends expressed great surprise when they heard that we had bought an RV. “It’s a gas guzzler!”-they would exclaim! “Aren’t you guys environmentalists or something?” We have only taken a few small trips in the RV, so we will leave the “carbon footprint” discussion for another time. Today, I want to share with you some of our observations about living in the RV. As a home, a tiny 250 square foot home.
It turns out the the RV is a super efficient, green-living machine.
Here is why:
- Small, slightly uncomfortable shower=water conservation.
- Small stove, oven and microwave=less dishes to wash.
- Our special RV dish set is used Corelle Diningware from Goodwill. It doesn’t break! It is plentiful and cheap at Goodwill, so there is no need to buy disposable plates.
- Manual flush on the toilet=much less wastewater wasted.
- Easy to heat and cool (especially in the shade).
- We had the choice between using propane or electricity to heat/cool/cook. Choice is great!
- Small fridge means that you buy only what you need. Space scarcity=food that gets eaten instead of hiding in the back of the fridge.
This is our shower!
Our super efficient kitchen
We have lived really inexpensively at the park. Our July electricity bill was $64.34. Add onto that the $100 monthly rental fee that we pay and we have lived for $164.34. Water and internet are included and since there is no such thing as a home phone in the RV (we use our cell phones), we are living on the cheap this summer. Green and frugal!
We have also observed the following on the few trips that we have taken in the RV.
- What you use in gas on your trip, you save in hotel fees and food that you can cook yourself instead of eating out for every meal.
- Traveling in the RV allows you to eat locally as you can stop at road side stands, farmers market and stock your fridge as you drive.
- Most RV parks recycle and offer other “free” perks like internet and cheap laundry machines.