You totally can! Luxury doesn’t always equal extravagance. There are many valid reasons to live small (literally, not metaphorically).
To begin with living in a tiny home can be part of the solution to living sustainably. It’s more environmentally sustainable and it can save you time and money. You also are much more mobile when living small, meaning you can have the choice of traveling with or without your home. How cool is that?
Photo Source: Pixabay https://pixabay.com/en/house-front-green-door-window-768707/
Is It Possible to Have a Tiny Home and Nice Things?
The short answer is yes. Just because your home is small, doesn’t mean it can’t be stylish and modern. An added bonus to living small also means that you often times have the luxury of being able to work around certain building codes than a normal home builder. However, there are some parameters to keep in mind when building a tiny home, you can learn more about them here.
Living small means that understanding home designs can make or break your tiny home experience. For example, you’ll want to shy away from an A frame for a tiny home as they tend to take up more space than necessary. You’ll also have to be honest with yourself about what features are a necessity and which ones you can forgo. For example, can you live without a microwave? Is a bathtub a requirement for your living space? Knowing what you can do with and without will give you realistic expectations for when you do move into your tiny home.
Many people may shy away from living small out of fear that they can’t make a small space stylish. When living small, there are numerous things you can do to increase your tiny home’s style points. Here are a few:
First and foremost, don’t be afraid to renovate! It can seem intimidating at first, but it’s well worth it to invest in personalizing your small space. Take some time to do your research on things like best structural designs and best interior decisions, and don’t be shy to take inspiration from other tiny homes!
- Switching out carpet for bamboo floors for example, can make a tiny home seem more spacious
- Minimize! Having less gives you more room to live in your tiny space comfortably (more on this later)
- Open storage is a thing and something you should try
- There’s more room than you think…
- Clean, clean, clean! Having a clean space is nice in general, but in a tiny home it’s almost a requirement. It opens up a space and allows for your style to shine through.
Source: Pixabay https://pixabay.com/en/clean-device-digital-device-floral-3027252/
What is Minimalism and What Can I do to Get Started?
So you want to live more simply and in a small space? One of the best approaches to this is beginning to live a minimalist lifestyle. But what exactly is minimalism? There are different definitions, but at its core, minimalism is the desire to simply one’s life and to live with intention and gratitude. It teaches people to live with less, and to appreciate what they do have. Minimalists often describe the lifestyle as one of freedom.
First of all, you’re going to need to declutter, but what’s the best method to start? Here are a few simples steps you can take to live life like a minimalist:
- Start with a simple sweep of the house, what do you see immediately that can go?
- Go in later to tackle a specific space of your house
- Tackle the messiest room first. Just like ripping off a bandaid, tackling the task you don’t want to do first can actually motivate you to keep going through the rest of your house. So don’t be scared, embrace the challenge and remember you are doing this for you
- Tackle your closets. What’s hiding in there that has holes, hasn’t been worn in forever, or doesn’t fit anymore? If it’s any of the above, toss or donate it!
- Donate excess toiletries
- Enlist help! Whether you live with others or on your own, enlisting the help of friends and family can make decluttering fun
- Put on a good podcast or music when your going through old things, it makes time go by faster and can make the process more enjoyable
- Only buy things you need (easier said than done)
- Organize by function
- Embrace your local library, saves you money on buying books and saves you space as well
Source: Pixabay https://pixabay.com/en/furniture-table-interior-home-room-731449/
Putting Minimalism to to the Test
What’s important to remember is that everyone approaches a minimalist lifestyle differently. Some people love books and will never give them up, while others may get rid of all of their books but can’t forgo an old pair of shoes. What minimalism and living in a tiny home teaches is that intention is everything. You may be intimidated by moving and letting go of a lot your belongings, but just remember you are doing this because you want to.
Conclusion
Moving can be scary enough, but downsizing and buying your own home can seem even more so. Luckily, there are solutions. Tiny homes can be made to accommodate your needs, while simultaneously lessening your environmental impact and saving you time and money. A tool to use when going through the process of downsizing is adopting a minimalist mindset. Less really can be more, and the peace of mind this lifestyle can bring may just be worth it.