If you’ve spent any time on my blog, you’ll realize pretty quickly how into the tiny house movement I am. And I know, I even feel a bit preachy when I call it a movement. But it turns out, the tiny life isn’t just about tiny homes.
There’s a whole lifestyle and active community involved in tiny living. It starts with the idea of having a smaller home, but it turns out there’s a lot more to it, and even if you’re not ready to move into a 100 square foot home on wheels, you can still embrace the tiny house movement, wherever you are.
What Is The Tiny House Movement?
On the surface, the Tiny House movement is about people tired of living in big homes, saddled with debt, and surrounded by stuff.
That’s certainly part of what led my interest in tiny living.
Most people who live tiny live in 100-400 square foot homes. That’s a lot less than the national average, which is somewhere around 2600 square feet!
Like anyone else, I grew up with the “more is better” attitude
Like anyone else, I grew up with the “more is better” attitude. But I live in an urban area where space is at a premium.
And with over 70% of Americans spending between ⅓ and ½ of their income on housing, not everyone’s in a hurry to go for bigger and better.
But the tiny house movement is not all about the square footage either. It is, at its core, the antithesis of that.
Less room means less waste, and less being tied down by a sense of responsibility to things, instead of to people and experience.
A 2,000 sq ft home is a big responsibility to keep clean and maintained, and more often than not, it comes with a big mortgage price, and years of debt.
A big purchase, like a standard-sized three bedroom in a good neighborhood, means knowing where you’re going to be, and what your financial responsibilities are for the next 10-25 years! Who wants to do that?
The bigger the space, the more you feel a need to fill it up.
Usually with stuff you don’t need, and sometimes with stuff you don’t even want, because you feel obligated to live a certain type of freedom. A 400 square foot home accommodates much less than a 2,000 square foot home, so you create less junk and clutter, and you also create much less waste!
Why Do It?
Different people have different reasons for making a move to a tiny house.
For some people, it’s about being off-grid, and self-sufficient
For some people, it’s about being off-grid, and self-sufficient. Tiny homes can be constructed out of anything from little houses you build yourself, to a tree house, to a converted bus or RV.
If your carbon footprint is a concern, you may rely on solar or wind power to keep everything going. Anything is possible when you’re doing it all yourself.
Other people need to live small out of necessity. Maybe they live in a city where space is at a premium, and want to find ways to create a space they can live comfortably for less.
Creating less waste and making the most of your space is no easy task, but it has net-positive results in our modern world, for the environment, and for your well-being.
For myself, I’m drawn to the freedom of it.
I would love to live the kind of life where I can save for experiences, rather than to pay bills, and I could comfortably pack a bag or two, and start my life somewhere new.
Lots of tiny housers I know are raising their kids out of campers or converted vehicles, giving toddlers experiences I didn’t have until my 20s, when life was already so full of responsibility, that I had to carve out time to just enjoy life. It’s something I’d love to do for my own kids one day.
Environmental, financial, and even spiritual concerns are at the forefront of the tiny life movement.
Whether you think you can handle living tiny or not, you can’t deny the many benefits to a smaller, simpler, lifestyle.
Tiny houses are becoming increasingly popular as people look to minimalize their lives. Here are some tiny house trends and styles that have become popular.
But as always, there are some hindrances on going tiny, and this kind of lifestyle just isn’t right for everyone. You can find more about obstacles for going to tiny houses here.