A MUM who lives in a caravan has explained how a temporary housing solution turned into her living her dream.
Grace Brooke left behind a huge house, fast cars, posh designer clothes and luxury vacations for a more simple life after her property caught fire.
The professional organiser explained in a recent YouTube video: “I was always fascinated with living tiny, I just didn’t think I could do it – since I’m somebody who loves open spaces.
“But I loved the idea of tiny living. I just ended up considering it to be a dream.”
In 2017, Grace’s live changed forever when areas of California were engulfed in wild fires.
This led to a housing shortage, and prices of homes and rent skyrocketed.
Grace said: “We needed to find an alternative form of living,” and this is when she started researching RV living.
“I was looking for a used RV and I ended up finding one on Facebook Marketplace,” she said.
The trailer Grace bought was 10 years old and it was “dated” inside and “dark”, so she set about remodelling the interiors.
Living in a trailer was only meant to be temporary “until things had calmed down and people started to rebuild” their homes.
But Grace and her two teenagers soon started enjoying tiny living and have chosen not to go back to living in a house.
The house on the wheels features two bedrooms, a bathroom, and communal space.
In total, the RV is 34ft long, meaning space is limited inside, so Grace has to be strict about the belongings she has and where they are stored.
Whatever she does choose to buy has to have a purpose ”and it needs to bring lots of joy – otherwise, it does not make the cut”.
The square foot of where she lives is not the only thing that has decreased – Grace is no longer tied down by ”a hefty mortgage”, so she has more money in the bank.
Living in an RV means wherever they park, WiFi, electricity, and all the other essentials are included in one price.
And with the freedom to travel across the States and live on the road, Grace and her kids can explore ”beautiful new camping spots”, whether that’s by a picturesque lake, river or mountains.
I’m no longer tied down by a hefty mortgage
Grace
Perhaps the most precious benefit of living in an RV over a house is how much time Grace and her children can spend together.
She explained: ”When we moved into this fifth wheel, my children were 13 and 10. Now, they’re almost 18 and 14, and I am so grateful for the time that we have got to spend together in our tiny home.”
Keen to inspire others to downsize and live on the road, Grace and her teenagers share their never-ending adventures on TikTok.
In a recent video, the mum-of-two explained how her mindset about life and materialistic items has shifted over the years.
She commented: “Big houses, expensive cars, designers, and a fancy lifestyle is not wealth. It is debt.”
Instead, she added in the caption, focus on your ”happiness” and ”don’t be fooled by stuff” that doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.
The real luxuries of life by living in a smaller space, Grace explained in the video, was having fewer chores and less to clean up – and subsequently having more time they can spend together and build memories.
”And we get to be outdoors – which is where I prefer to be.”
You can follow Grace’s adventures on her YouTube channel.
