Tiny Houses

The tiny house movement is a magical thing to me.
So compact, so efficient, and portable too!

Of course, the reality is that if I wanted to pursue such a life, I would need to let go of everything but the basics. AND my husband too, because he doesn't want to live in anything smaller than what we already have here! LOL

Maybe, just maybe, if I can pare down my possessions to the essentials of THIS house, my life could feel more efficient too.

Alas, even though I carted another really big box of miscellany to the thrift store yesterday, and my recycling box is overflowing with random paper, I still have very much too much!

It really hit home as I was helping another friend move this month, how much I really have that I don't need.

She has hit a financial snag and had to give up the 5 bedroom house she was renting. I had helped her move in and she owned barely anything as it was with her just fleeing a bad relationship and taking her 2 teen boys with her. After 2 years there, when she found out she couldn't afford the house anymore, she pared down even further! She gave away and sold almost all her furniture and what was left fit into a small storage unit (mattresses, photos, kitchen basics, linens, christmas items and beloved things only). I'm pretty sure that unit could not even hold the contents of my kitchen cupboards! She is essentially homeless at the moment. One son is living with me at my house, and the other moved out of province, the mom is staying with a friend. I feel for her and the tough choices she has made. Living apart from her kids (even if they are older) is very tough on her too. She did the best could with what she was given, but the lesson is how she made it so much easier by letting go of the crap to lighten the burden along the way. (She is seeking an affordable 2 bedroom place right now and will worry about furniture when she finds it)

I would not be comfortable living with the level of sparsity she had in that big house. I would not be comfortable giving up EVERYTHING, but then again I don't think many people would.

Downsizing is different by definition for each person. For some it might be hard to go from 3000 sqft to 2200. For others it might be too much giving up the 2 bedroom house with a yard for a condo of the same size. The more romantically inclined might give it all up for a tiny house on wheels or backpack around the world!

And then there are the ones that are forced into it by circumstance. How they deal with the loss of their stuff and the space they live in is an interesting story... tragedy? or triumph?

My goal is to downsize my belongings to a lighter density. I will keep the fantasy of a tiny home in mind as I search for that magical saturation point of stuff/space.

Tiny home dwellers, minimalists, professional organizers and seekers of balance... thank you for sharing your experiences.