If you’re an HGTV addict, like me, you’ve probably noticed the new trend in home ownership: going tiny. Moving to a tiny house is an idea that’s both crazy and very sane. It’s also impractical and completely practical at the same time. It’s for singles, young couples, small families (and some surprisingly large families) and retirees. it’s for anyone who’s having trouble balancing California’s high cost of living with having a life. It also comes with a whole host of challenges.
Image via Tomas Quinones/Flickr.com
As adorable as many tiny houses are, and they are adorable, the keyword is still “tiny.” It won’t be a smooth transition no matter how you look at it. Despite the incredibly creative storage solutions in many of them, there is still not enough room to contain the contents of an average American home. For some, it’s more like moving back into an average college dorm room.
A tiny home, like a large home, is a commitment, but for those for whom it’s a drastic change, a little commitment phobia might be the wise way to go. In other words, move into your new home with all the enthusiasm you would have with any new relationship, but be cautious.
You might think at this point that I’d be encouraging you to put all of your belongings in storage. While we’d welcome you to store your larger household with us, that’s not very practical and while it won’t completely defeat the purpose (storage is still a lot cheaper than maintaining a large home), it would be a waste of money.
<h2>The top piece of advice is still to downsize, downsize, downsize.</h2>
Buy some graph paper and carefully map out the layout of your new home. Here are some tips for doing that. When moving into a more normal sized home, it might be sufficient to only measure your furniture, but in this case, measure everything, including the contents of your closets, cabinets and drawers. If you haven’t used or worn something in the last year, sell it or donate it. Apps like LetGo can make that a whole lot easier. If you have something you love, but just won’t fit, let us take care of it for you. If you decide to graduate to a bigger home in the future, it will be safe for you.
Featured image via Nicolás Boullosa/Flickr.
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