Small space living
In order to live in a small space there are a number of adjustments you need to make in the way you think. For me, the biggest change was considering the difference between wanting and needing things. I want to keep in contact with the Internet and I want wireless Internet, however I don't need that. It is not a need, I can live without it. I also want a full height book shelf to store my books. I don't need it though. I can manage with a small book shelf and keep only the books that I really want to keep. I want a small and quiet generator but they cost a pretty ridiculous amount so I brought a small cheap and noisy one. I need it because there have been days when the solar panels did not receive enough sunlight to power the fridge and other appliances.
The other thing that I had to get used to was storing things in their right place. I had to take a good look at what storage spaces are available to me. My van has a lot of storage space compared to for example a car. It does not have a huge amount of storage space compared to a house though. I have a lot of storage space under the bed, but it is not easy to access. One under bed compartment can only be accessed by lifting the bedding and then lifting a hatch under the bed. Obviously that space should only be used for items that I would not be accessing often. I have to wonder though why I would be keeping items if I won't be accessing them that often.
Elsewhere under the bed I have room for big storage containers. There is also a storage compartment under the bed which is accessible from the rear hatch of the bus, meaning that I can put items into it from the outside of the bus. This compartment is used to store my deep cycle batteries and and the bus battery. The main reason for choosing this compartment was its closeness to the solar panel controller and that it could be easily ventilated to outside of the bus. This would prevent a build up of hydrogen from charging batteries.
I also have a number of cupboards in the bus. These fall into five main categories. Cupboards for storing clothing, cupboards for storing food, cupboards for storing cooking materials, cupboards for storing bedding and cupboards for everything else. Light items get stored in the roofing cupboards. The bus was not designed to be used as a motor home so the weight of cupboards and other material near the roof line can make it a little top heavy. Heavy items get stored as close to the floor as I can get them, or even under the floor. The diesel tank, water tank, gas bottle, hot water service and water pump are all stored below floor level.
I have found that plastic storage containers are most useful for storing items in.
