Compared to most of my friends, our house is small for a family of five. Two of our three girls share a bedroom, and gasp, we only have a one-car garage! That’s why I was fascinated to come across the story of mom-of-four Heather Harger, who created a functional, cozy home for her family in an RV. Yes, an RV!
“We are a crazy and ordinary radical family of six that left a wonderful, comfortable life in suburbia U.S.A.,” Harger explains on her blog, No Muck. In fact, the Hargers used RV living to prepare them for a move to South Africa, to serve others in poor communities.
Pretty admirable, as is the way Harger maximized the space inside the RV to accommodate their family. Take a look!
As you can see, extending their living area onto an outdoor patio with the picnic table, which Heather says she uses for family meals, and for homeschooling, makes the useable space much larger.
Take a look at this video that shows even more in-depth how the Hargers make RV living work for them.
Taking advantage of every inch of storage is clearly also key in making the space work. For instance, Heather uses the microwave to organize resource materials about one of her children’s food allergies, since she doesn’t use it for preparing food, in an effort to be as green as possible.
What I love are all the personalized touches inside the RV that makes it feel like a home, like the hand-painted lettering that says, “You are my sunshine.” I’m also extremely impressed by some of the inventive ways Heather has played with the space to make it usable for her kids, like the baby tub she placed inside the shower.
More than anything, it’s truly inspirational to see a family that is downsizing, and focusing on what they truly care about in this world: each other, and helping others. If you want to learn more about the Harger family, visit Heather’s blog, and You Tube channel.
If you live in a small space with children, how do you make it work for your family?
Share hereAll images courtesy of Heather Harger
