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I'm not exactly sure who or what I’d picture, if I was told to imagine a single mum living in a caravan due to cost of living… But I definitely would not have picked myself as the image.
And yet, here we are.
It sounds like a sad story but it started as a brave and exciting one! Then it got very depressing and now… it’s complicated.
I'd describe motherhood as joyous, despite the exhaustion, until my son learned to walk and talk. From that moment, I'd describe motherhood as a complex daily extreme sport, testing patience, endurance, stamina and the ultimate limits of one's mental capacity. I am very, very tired. I miss his naps.
Parenting is challenging but achievable, as long as you're not also trying to work, housekeep, and have an adult life. Then it's chaos.
So how did we end up living in a caravan park?
I was exhausted, working four days a week as a teacher, growing a social media account and starting a new business, travelling every five weeks with friends and family…
And paying rent. Then rent went up. And so did electricity. Gas. The cost of BERRIES. And my son's safe food, of course, is a yoghurt pouch that costs $2.20 a serving.
Now, I have to be fair to my landlord — he was apologetic about the rent going up; he didn't put it at market value (though he could have!) and the price was beyond reasonable. But. It all added up.
At the time, we travelled about once a month for 3-30 days and paying rent for someone else to stay in my rental, cat-sitting for months a year, seemed bonkers. So I had the (not so) genius idea that we'd move into a motorhome, I'd be able to work less and still save money for a deposit. I reduced my work days to two, bought a motorhome and off we set.
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