Is Tiny Living an Option for You
We’ve all heard the philosophy of downsizing. it’s not the material things we acquire in life that matter but the relationships and the experiences that we gain.
But how are we supposed to pick up and just move out from under all the things that society says that we are supposed to have? How do we step out of our established lives and quit the jobs we are supposed to go to every day and pay those bills that go with the big house and the mortgage that came with it? How do we pay that electric bill, the sewer, water, etc., etc.?
What if we decided all that wasn’t important anymore? What if there was a way to drop that mortgage payment, get rid of the sewer, water, electric bill? What if we could be mobile and take our homes with us and set it up on a small piece of land for very little investment?
What if we downsized so much that we could put all our belongings into a tiny, portable home that was self sufficient? We could stop working those outrageous hours, stop stressing over those bills and start living life.
Society has indoctrinated most people into believing that being responsible means taking on a big mortgage and all the bills and paying for them with your time and energy working for a paycheck. Perhaps you are looking for an alternative to that societal pressure. Perhaps you are looking for alternative ways to live and finding that perhaps the philosophy of less is more is becoming more and more appealing.
The Tiny Home movement is exploding as people are starting to get tired of the daily grind. They are looking for freedom from the debt of a huge mortgage, the inability to be mobile and the lack of options that make them feel trapped under all those material items that seem to make life so complicated.
Many Tiny Home people have designed and built their own homes on trailer beds but the movement has become so popular that there are now several predesigned tiny home blueprints available for purchase as well as companies that will fabricate them for you, although that raises the price quite a bit.
The beauty of a Tiny Home is that it can be as tiny and portable as you like by building it on a trailer frame or if you have no desire to move around, it can simply be set down on a piece of property and built.
Most Tiny Homes are equipped with solar cells for power, a small bathroom with a composting toilet, a loft for sleeping, a kitchen, a general sitting area and water catchment systems. Most areas of a Tiny Home have multiple uses and many decide that a porch is important to create a more open feel. Tiny Homes can range anywhere from 180 square feet up to 500 square feet and cost anywhere from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands depending on your design and how you acquire your materials. There are weight and dimension restrictions on portable trailer built Tiny Homes as they will be pulled on public roads and under overpasses and tunnels.
Also be careful of zoning laws which can prohibit the use of Tiny Homes. It is probably best to find tracts of land first that have no such zoning restrictions to place your tiny home.
Other than governmental restrictions, the tiny home is perfect for those who would like to get out from under mortgage debt, or who wish to not be saddled with mortgage debt to begin with, downsize and create a simpler life finding the joy and freedom that comes with less material possessions and living off the grid.
Many people are now creating Tiny Home communities and finding greater peace and camaraderie interacting with like minded individuals and enjoying the freedom from debt. Many people are finding more time to enjoy each other, commune with nature and to follow their soul paths.
Since lifestyle changes of this magnitude are very difficult to gauge, there are several blogs, videos, and sites online that document people’s experiences with tiny living. There are also sites that offer test runs in a tiny home to see if this is a good fit for you. A trial run is recommended before diving into this change as some find that the reality of tiny living does not match their ideal living arrangement. But for those that find it freeing and exhilarating, there are many options to personalize your space and create a smaller footprint with larger opportunities.
Tiny living is not for everyone. However, there are many who love their tiny homes and have found not only economic freedom but also freedom to explore life on their own terms. If you are looking for living alternatives, perhaps tiny living is for you.
Kiki Davis