6 Reasons Why We Chose to Live in a Skoolie

Making the decision to live full-time in a skoolie was definitely not easy. We really had to weigh out the pros and cons of what we were doing. After months of serious emotional struggle, we finally came to the realization that this big life-change was a no-brainer.

The way that the stars lined up really pushed us in this direction and we’re very happy it did! Outlined below are the main reasons why we decided that this lifestyle was for us.

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1. We accidentally discovered that we prefer minimalism.

A couple of years ago when we had baby number two, our daughter Avery, we began to feel quite claustrophobic in our two-bedroom home. At this time we were on a month-to-month lease, so we made the decision to move into a larger house.

After finding a large, attractive four-bedroom house with a yard and a big kitchen, we were star-struck. It didn’t take long for us to realize that we had made a big mistake. The fact was not that we had outgrown our small house, it was that we had accumulated too many things and were running out of space to keep them.

This house that we had moved into turned out to be way more than we needed, and we found that we only used a fraction of the space! We then realized that we needed to begin a process of downsizing our belongings.

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2. Our 7-year-old son has special needs.

Our son, Isaac, is on the autism spectrum, and while he is very high-functioning, he does need a bit more care than a typical child. We’ve had countless tearful nights over struggles with challenging behaviors, problems at school and at home. We’ve spent endless amounts of money on trying to find the right treatments for him, some being successful and some not so much.

One thing that we know for sure is that in the public school environment with all of the stimulation throughout the day, he often struggled with sensory overload. In fact, it happened so regularly that he spent more time in the office at his school than in the classroom.

After spending hours upon days upon weeks upon months of doing my own research, I realized that in our situation, the best thing for him would be staying home with us where he can feel safe and we can keep those sensory meltdowns to a minimum.

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3. We want financial freedom.

As mentioned above, we moved into a large house that ended up really hurting us financially. For a year we had to live very frugally or we would quickly find ourselves in a serious financial jam.

There were countless times that we had to reach out to relatives for financial help just to get us through the week. The more this went on, the more we began to realize that we didn’t want to be stuck with a lease or a mortgage. If we could avoid it in any way, why wouldn’t we?

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4. We want to travel.

In addition to not wanting a lease or mortgage, we also realized that we didn’t want to be stationary to one location. Soon we began to see that having a home that is cemented into the earth is really a big commitment. We want to have the freedom to take our home wherever we roam!

We also want our kids to have the chance to see the world, a chance that many people don’t get in their entire lifetime. Moving into a home on wheels, whether it be a tiny home or a skoolie, really allows for that flexibility of a life without committing to staying in one place.

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5. We’re wary of the public school system.

We’ve had our own doubts with the school system in regards to Isaac and his troubles at school. That being said, there is a lot more to the story. We personally feel that the public school system is inadequate and underfunded.

Having the ability to homeschool will not only allow us to travel. It will also allow us to teach our children more than the public school system is capable of. Teachers are grossly underpaid and budgets always seem to be an issue.

Additionally, the food that they serve in schools is absolutely appalling. After years of working in the health food industry and becoming a crunchy mama, I no longer feel good about my kids eating school lunch. This is especially true after watching the documentary, Fed Up.

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6. We want to live life to the fullest and experience what the world has to offer!

There is so much to see and do in the world. I can’t imagine life without at least getting to experience some of that! So many people fall into the typical status quo trap of working a 9-to-5 job. People often feel as though working for financial security and climbing a corporate latter is what you’re supposed to do.

It’s not and it certainly doesn’t have to be! With everything being as technologically advanced as it is, there are plenty of opportunities out there to work remotely. There’s definitely planning that needs to be done.

However, if you open your mind to the possibilities, really you can do anything you choose! What it comes down to is making a fearless leap to live the life that you want. And if it’s worth it to you, then we say go for it!

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