Honey, I Shrunk the House: How to Trade a Palace for a Tiny Home (and Keep Your Sanity)
Coffee in hand, I stepped into the garage and…promptly tripped over yet another box of…stuff.
In my morning daze, I remembered parking my car outside because the garage had become a permanent PODS container.
I have no idea what's out here anymore—just-in-case things, maybe? Stuff we need but don't use? Boxes upon boxes of the unnecessary? Consumer goods unused since the era of the Flintstones? Maybe my next mortgage payment if we can shift and sell it?
I can see the pernicious cycle of buying, hoarding, storing, and buying more in my more lucid moments. It's a peculiar American habit of consuming without aim but with detrimental consequences. We live in a realm of nagging headaches generated by the incessant acquisition of stuff and the need to manage and maintain all our stuff.
There must be a quieter, more straightforward way to live without burdening ourselves with debt, expense, and the burning of our time.
And there is—tiny living, decluttering, and minimalism. The benefits of moving to a smaller house are freedom, simplicity, and–oh, yeah–less cleaning.
The Big Home Connumdrum
When I sat down and figured out the cost to me personally—the literal cost and the time and energy spent—I concluded it wasn't worth it. The mortgage is horrendous; the interest could buy another house, the hidden maintenance fees of the yard, the outside cleaning of the house, exterminators, plumbing, electricity issues, the maid service because we are so spent from work, the car maintenance, various and sundry insurance plans for said stuff, and–well, it leaves little for “real life”--whatever that is!
This is the price of consumption, the imprisonment of “stuff.” I was up in my attic going through—you guessed it, boxes of stuff–to find one big dilapidated box used by movers to carry clothes. Only this time, it was being used to store–I shit you not–smaller boxes. I don't even know why we kept boxes within a box. SMH!
A Gorilla on My Back and Money Out the Window
Let's face it. Homes have become debt traps that bend our backs with unseen expenses. One of the fastest-growing sectors of commercial real estate is off-site storage. I’m not talking about PODS here but about permanent storage.
Why? Our homes have tripled in size in the last half-century. And you know what that means, right? More stuff. Some studies have indicated that the average house has 300,000 items, anything from bobby pins to cars. Oh, wait. Scratch that. The vehicles are outside because there’s no room for them inside the structure! And that, my friends, means the car maintenance goes up.
The conclusion is obvious: I don't need or want the mental and physical strain this puts me under. Dream homes are becoming prisons of a psychology of spending, consuming, and spending again. This activity moves us away from peace of mind each time and pushes our finances closer to a breaking point.
A Tiny Epiphany
There is a rescue from the drowning of stuff, the emotional and spiritual buffeting I feel from the accumulation of material “wealth.” It is doable, healthy, and responsible. Perhaps, for someone like me, I would also say transformative.
Tiny living in a tiny house.
Did you hear that chorus of cries just now? “What? Give up all my stuff?” The irony of yelling that after yelling about all the stuff in your house isn't lost on me. We’re so married to consumption, the accumulation of stuff as an emblem of wealth, that we no longer understand what being prosperous and happy is.
For a refresher, this is what wealth and happiness truly is:
Freedom from financial ruin
Mental and emotional clarity from decluttering
The ability to focus on the happiness of:
Relationships
Personal growth
Friendships
Good health
When anyone can wake up and feel refreshed by the simple notion that their tiny home will be clean in fifteen minutes, that the coffee is no more than six paces away, and that they are not being crushed by insurmountable debt, well, how do you think that would make you feel? It makes my mind feel light as a feather.
Mapping My Way to Tiny Living
Transitioning from a large home to a tiny home is more manageable than it might first appear. Five thoughtful steps can help you downsize to a tiny house.
Change Your Mindset
Embrace the idea that less is truly more. You already understand the gargantuan weight of all that stuff; it is too much to contend with the expense of money, energy, and time just to manage it.
Visualize keeping what is truly needed and decluttering the rest. Imagine yourself in a smaller, cozier space.
Start the decluttering Process
There are rules you can follow like:
Embrace the 1-Year Rule- if not used in that time, then chuck it!
Use the 3 Box Trick: Keep, Donate, Chuck-it.
4th Box: Be kind to yourself. Use the 4th box to hold those things with sentimental value. Promise to revisit them next month and reevaluate.
Check out Marie Kondo for more decluttering ideas.
Look at Your Options
Adjusting to a minimal lifestyle after downsizing doesn't mean living in cramped discomfort. It means acquiring those things you need with thoughtful intention.
Many options can be determined by budget, lifestyle, and need.
You can live in many tiny homes, such as Tiny homes on wheels, modular homes, and modified shipping containers.
These come in many sizes and shapes based on your needs.
Prices can range anywhere from DIY costs of 10-30k to a 42-foot-long custom tiny home on wheels at a few hundred thousand dollars.
Minimalism isn't minimal; it's intentional and thoughtful.
Think about a Plan of Transition
There are practical steps in this new life that, when executed correctly, will set you up for success
Decide if you are best served by selling your home or renting it. In today's economic climate, renting may be a better option until interest rates fall. This will depend on your area. Talk to your broker and financial advisor.
Two specific aspects of tiny home living are absent from other real estate types.
Finding a parking spot: Decide where you will put down roots with your tiny home. Will it be on your land, in an RV or tiny home community, or your friend's backyard?
Zoning and permitting: In conventional home ownership, these things are taken care of for you; however, the tiny homeowner must figure this out themselves. If you stay in an RV park or tiny home community, these issues are already figured out, and you will be told about them. However, if you are buying your land or even staying in someone’s backyard, it's up to you to clarify and understand.
Step into it! Make it yours!
One of the most positive aspects of your tiny home is its ordinary customization possibilities. Even if you buy a company’s set design, there is usually room to make changes like two lofts or none, stairs or ladders, stoves or burners, cupboards or floating shelves, shower or bathtub, stove heating, or mini-split. This makes a tiny home yours. In comparison to a conventional home, customization is less expensive.
The elements unique to tiny homes make them charming: inside and outside showers, stairs as storage, and multipurpose furniture that can recline, break out into separate pieces, and function as a supplemental bed. Tiny house living for former large home dwellers is not just different, freeing, and exciting; it's also a welcomed paradigm shift.
And Then There Were Kids, Pets, and Stuff (different “stuff”)
I’ve found that tiny homes can often present funny questions. The challenges of moving from a large house to a tiny home are fairly straightforward: where will I put the stuff I keep, where do I park the car, how do I hook up the electricity, etc.? But what about where I put the dog bed? Where will the dog sleep if there is no room for the dog bed?
That's easy—your bed! And then there is the one about the cats. Where do we put the litter box? That's an easy one, too. When you see a cat dart out from under the stairs (no, really), they build a “secret” compartment under the stairway that holds the litter box and is vented to the outside. Sometimes, a whole “catio” is built around that area.
But then there is the big one that seems to hit new owners once they face the dimensions of their tiny home: how will the family function in such close quarters? There are working solutions for this challenge.
Like a conventional home, we need outdoor spaces for children and pets. Many tiny home communities are generous with space; often, a deck can be built around the tiny home, expanding the livable area.
Other facets of downsizing and minimalism are respect for space and time. Set a time and place where each resident can be alone for personal time. We should also encourage quality over quantity in belongings. This frees up space but ensures everyone has what they need.
Go On, Dive In-Take That First Step
Empower your intention now! Start decluttering and get on the road to better freedom and clarity of mind. Put the rat race and the toxic habits of consumption and consumerism behind you. Remember, nowhere in here have I said this is a life of sacrifice–this life is about freedom and living intentionally.
If you are still unsure of yourself or would like more information on–oh, I don't know, everything–you can check out a new handbook called the Tiny Home Ultimate Handbook. You can download a free 85-page version before buying the complete 150-page edition.
Get your FREE copy of the Tiny Home Ultimate Handbook here.
Remember: The coffee in a tiny home is always six paces away from where you are!
