Family Update… and Some Rants…

Macy, I’m considering a lot of options including tiny but more likely slightly bigger than tiny. I’m probably one of your few followers who can see both sides of the coin easily.

I’m not one of those folks into status symbols. But I used to (and still kinda do) really, really like stuff. Not just any stuff, though. Not the latest gadget or the newest car. Not the “right” house on the “right” street. I like stuff that speaks to me with its energy and its history.

What makes me reconsider tiny (or very small)? Here’s a few.

I like old things. Tiny would mean new, although it could use reclaimed old materials it’s not the same energy that a very old home has.
Tiny also doesn’t have space for antique furniture that has amazing energy but isn’t terribly practical for use.

Tiny means that I have to downsize my books, again (I used to have over 5,000, I am down to around 500 or so). And no, I really don’t like reading on an electronic device. I do that too much with my computer and lying in bed with a good book made of paper is important to me.

Tiny means downsizing my wardrobe. I don’t dress up often anymore, but when I do, I like to go with what fits me at the time (my weight fluctuates a great deal so I keep many different sizes and styles) as well as what colors and styles feel right for me that day. And then there are the shoes… what ever do we do with the shoes in a tiny house? Alas, most would have to go away. It broke my heart just a little to recently donate 15 pairs of office and elegant type of heels… if I had to do the same with the rest of my shoes I’d be sad. Sometimes the right pair of shoes really can change your mood!

Most importantly, tiny would mean having to let go of furniture and other items that I consider heirlooms. My father never could express love and stopped speaking to me when I was 31. But before that, he built me two amazing bookcases to house my paperbacks (each shelf the right depth and height for that size book!), and also a gorgeous Victorian style jewelry armoire. Lots of other things that are a bit smaller, but won’t fit in a tiny. There are also other special things: the triple dresser that was a wedding gift to my parents (yes, they were married in 1969 and I still use that dresser) and its matching nightstand. Boxes of wedding memorabilia that’s packed up despite the marriage ending (I will always love him despite him acting like a jerk and leaving me!). Lots of things that have special meaning to me, and that I feel love beaming out of when I touch or hold these things.

So, I don’t think these reasons have anything to do with what the nasty people you read about meant when they were attacking that poor man. But they are my reasons, and the reasons why I waffle a bit about going very small.

I live in a 940 square foot house, me, husband, 2 kids and a cat. I can tell you more pros. My husband always complains about the noise and thinks we should have separate play rooms and our room far away on the other end of a large house and I keep saying no. I know what the kids are doing. They will not be smoking pot some where i cannot see them, they will not be sneaking in and out at night without getting caught, they will not be sneaking people into the house at night. I see what they are doing on the computer and I see what they watch on the TV. I think that having kids live separately and always ‘with their peers’ in a separate living space while adults do their thing is one of the problems with America. I know what my kids are doing. I can hear them and when it goes silent, I know they are either asleep or up to mischief. The only thing I would like differently is a more usable kitchen and some decent closet space because we do a lot of games, crafts, recycling, donating etc… and I would like room to do those things with room in a close to store them.

Our current house (with 3 adults, a dog and 2 cats) is around 1200sq ft. One of those adults is our daughter who will be moving into her own place at some point.

We are working to get to the point where we can sell our house and buy another with the proceeds (no mortgage!) and I want a one level house at around 900 sq ft. We don’t need much room and I hate the time taken to clean. I realized I couldn’t go tiny when I had the chance to tour a tiny home but I don’t want a big home either, so small is where I’m headed. We have started getting rid of stuff. Our plan is about 3-4 years down the road so that gives us plenty of time to downsize our belongings.

We also love old houses and the other thing those awful home improvement shows do that makes me see red is to gut perfectly fine kitchens and bathrooms (save the pink bathrooms!) to do stainless steel/granite hey we look like every other kitchen/bathroom out there. What ever happened to quirks and individuality?

My dream is to find a lovely old 1920-1940 cottage. One level. Ideally we’d have a little land where we could have a retro travel trailer to use as guest quarters, that is when we weren’t using it ourselves 😉

I’m guessing if I went as small as many of the tiny homes that I would miss on-site laundry facilities. And the idea of living in a legal grey area is scary.

Amazed is the simplest word to described the feeling when I explore your blog and the highlights of your tiny home and life. My family and I are living a downsized life and yes there has been struggles but there has been less stress as of lately as we are still in the process of paying off debts. I would love to live in a smaller home, we left a home of almost 2,000 sq ft and now living at a friend’s in his split level basement less than 700 sq ft. I am thinking that it is almost perfect we have 1 bedroom and bath, the den is being used as a kitchen and my daughter teenager, is on a futon in our living room. How big do you think a family of three needs per square feet, what is the rule of thumb? We are planning to move in about 6months to a year and we are really trying to determine the size. I want to simplify or lives completely. As always I really enjoy your blog posts.

Have a blessed day, Allie.

Aww we know her name now! I love it. So happy to see things are well with your family.

My first solo bedroom as a kid was a converted closet 4×6 feet=24sq ft. I loved that room! It got my imagination going for how to maximize the space, and ignited my life long interest in efficient design.
As an adult I think the largest place I have lived in solo was 800 sq ft. It was a 2 br apt with a deep closet off the bathroom. The guest bedroom came in handy as temporary rental income from overseas guests. That income possibility would be what I’d miss most if I were to go very tiny.
The smallest apt I’ve lived in was 175 sq ft. Two rooms side by side so it gave the illusion of spaciousness. The only thing I didn’t like about that place was the cigarette smoke coming thru the walls from the neighbors.
Currently my apt is around 360 sq ft, 19×18 ft square and it feels like just the right amount of space for me. I’d love to customize the storage and redesign the kitchen cabinets for more counter space though. Living small really teaches you that it’s just so important to have good efficient design.
I oh so know how that person felt after the onslaught of “go big, not small” steamrolled over her. If you have preferences counter to the majority…shaming sucks. It’s sad to see so many frightened, non-risk takers. It’s a balancing act to keep them on your side so they don’t become an active combatant in your own quest to make your dreams a reality, especially if/when those dreams are VERY non-main stream.
There is a tax forfeited lot in my town that is considered unbuildable due to it being spongy peat bog a few feet below the soil. I keep looking at it and testing out mentally what could go there- no matter what -it needs to be light weight, strong and flexible to move should it need to. Due to the peat soil, and my lack of financial resources, the foundation will be the biggest challenge – well, next to getting a variance for it from the town council! It is a fun challenge to find a creative solution, an inexpensive solution, to what other main streamers call unusable. Some people I know keep steering me to “better” lots, meaning high cost for land and building on it, taxes, etc. Their disapproval and bewilderment will ratchet up several notches more when I reveal that this peat bog lot on a pond might just be the right lot for a YURT and a pontoon terrace on the pond. There is great spaciousness in a 20-25′ diameter Yurt. It would mimic the space-feel of my current apartment, but with higher ceilings. It could be just right, I think. The high ceiling would be bonus! I could have a loft that guests could use, maybe! Aw, wish me luck!
We all have creativity and imagination that needs to be celebrated and embraced. Life is so much more fun when we do.

I love the design of your tiny house, Macy. Such soothing aesthetics, too. You give me courage to forage ahead!

I’ve been reading your blog for a couple (few–pre-MiniM!) months now. I don’t think I (nor my husband) could actually go tiny, but I am thinking downsizing as we approach retirement. However, as renters in southern California, I am intrigued by the idea of owning (without a mortgage) a home.

In the meantime, I enjoy reading your freedom from “things”! I have long been put off by conspicuous consumption, and especially the excess displayed by million/billionaires. At a friend’s house, the TV was on a show about a couple building their dream house, and I was simply disgusted. I sometimes go through horse/wine country near here, past what a friend called “starter castles.” I prefer the disdainful “McMansions,” as those are as far as most of those people will ever get! Still, it goes against what Jessica said: Live simply that others may simply live. I tried telling my stepkids how incredibly privileged they are, and that there’s no way the entire world could live like Americans. Although the way you are living is much closer to achievable, and gentler on the earth.

You get pushback? That’s pitiful. I admire your tiny life. You are stepping lightly on the earth (a core value of mine which I am less successful at).