When my kids grow up and find their own way I don’t won’t to have blues and depression of empty nest. So when they move on I’d rather live in a beautifully appointed smaller home than kick around in a McMansion.
Right now we live in a large 4 br 2 bath ranch style home. Which right now fits us perfectly ! But will we need all this space when it’s just the two of us ?
so those thoughts bring me to what is the “tiny house movement”?
The tiny house movement, as I have come to understand it, is really just about normal people downsizing the space they live in. About not wanting as much. Not wanting the overhead of a large home. And the list goes on…
Let’s ask ourself what do we really need to be comfortable in our living environment ??
When I ask myself this question the answer is and has always been more room, more space, more storage etc…
Could I really survive in a tiny home ? I honestly think so when it’s just the two of us. Right now it’s completely out of the question with my family and how we live now.
So while reading and learning about these tiny homes that intrigued me I made a pros and cons list see below:
PROS:
Studies show that it cost an average $700 a YEAR to keep the tiny home up that includes every single thing ! Do you realize that’s $58 a month ! Right now our basic bill payout monthly is roughly $1200 ! Those #’s speak for themselves.
78% of Americans live pay check to pay check not sure I want to be in that % when I am 55.
Debt free, less stress, stronger connections.
CONS:
You could not make and display everything you see on pintrest.
Would need a quest house on the property.
Major change.
Less places to have “me” time.
But when really thinking seriously about this I feel like it would actually lead me to a fuller life, connecting more with friends, family and nature. While freeing me from a suffocating house payment and the urge to keep up with the Joneses…
Please see below the pictures of my favorite tiny homes that have more charm than anything I have ever laid eyes on to date.
Please give me thoughts and feedback ! What do you think could you do it ??
LC
XOXO
♡ ● ♡ ● ♡ ●
Jolene says
All my kids are out of the house and I did go through a bit of an adjustment with them not being there……which is why my husband and I have 4 furkids and1 stray raccoon and cat who pop up from time to time hahaha.
I love that first picture!!
Downsizing is always nice but THEY do come back to visit.
Laci Carlson says
Haha I will have tons of strays too I bet when mine are gone !! If we ever went this route we would have to have 2 mini houses for when they do visit because me and my sisters visit my mom daily ♡♡
Faith says
OH my gosh! Those are adorable! I really like the first one.
Laci Carlson says
Me to and the insides are that cute too ♡♡♡
iamserenel says
I want both!!! :-p 😀
Laci Carlson says
Me to so bad they are insanely charming ♡♡
christinajavete says
These are adorable but for a backyard getaway and not your entire house! I watch this show and love seeing how people do this, but then I see people keep adding to their little house usually in the follow-up. For example, they add this ginormous spread of a deck outside their tiny house. So, I think they are really cute but just not practical, especially for a family!!
Laci Carlson says
Totally agree !! Never ever could do with my kids but would enjoy in my older life ♡
Nicole Bauer says
I love the tiny house movement. I agree that having kids makes this a bit difficult. I have two sons and I like having a little space away from their boyish antics. If I had the land that those houses are built on, I’d certainly build my retirement home there!
Laci Carlson says
Haha you sound like me after my 9-5 I need a me time spot even it’s 10 min !! We have the land so when I figure out how to accommodate everyone in this movement I hope I can do it in my 50 ‘s ♡♡ Thanks so much for your comment
Savvy says
My niece and her husband moved to CA last year for health reasons. Her husband has suffered two pulmonary embolisms from a blood disorder and needs to live in a warm climate ’til his lungs heal. He’s only 29. They miss Wisconsin terribly and are considering purchasing a tiny home to live here for the summer months.
For myself I don’t think I’d like it. We never bought a large home to begin with and don’t own a lot of stuff, but I’d still like a room for myself.
Laci Carlson says
See that wld be amazing for them esp for him to heal. But I’m with you I need me time ♥
jennifervargas77 says
Hello! I am loving the tiny house movement. If I did not have 3 little ones I would do it in a heart beat. I have moved to a more minimalistic life style which has been nice- down sizing to what I need with a few “what I wants”. Cute blog.
Laci Carlson says
Thanks so much !!! Oh we wld to in a heart beat if we didn’t have 2 little wild ones we were at home depot today and rose by the cute storage units real slow and said one day we will live in that on the river hahah !!! •○•○°●○•°•○○●•
Kirsten @ Treat Yourself Sweeter says
Ah, I can answer the question for you… no 🙂 I have lived in my ‘little house’ for about 7 years, but when my partner arrived about 5 years ago and then his things, and then more things (did I mention he is a drummer… and one kit apparently wasn’t enough 🙂 ) it became a little too small. We have a little garden and LOVE the place, but need more space for all our stuff. I am a neat freak, but it gets so cluttered so easily with just the essentials (especially my billions of kitchen items- all needed for food photography of course) They are both cute… get both 🙂
Julie says
Whenever I go round Ikea and see all those lovely little living spaces they create I think “no problem” but I think the reality is you would have to be super tidy or live alone!
I always admire people who live in a canal boat here in the UK (do you have canal boats in the US?) they are an amazing example of using every space with tiny cupboards in around and under everything imaginable.
Andrea Fogleman says
I’m loving the first one. I think my husband and I could live just as easy there as anywhere else.Thanks for sharing and linking up to Scraptastic Saturdays.
Emily says
I’m intrigued by the small house…but am not sure I would be game. I do see the appeal though!
Especially after looking at the first picture you have…loving that house and pool area!
Laci Carlson says
Haha I’m intrigued to but i have so much stuff i think it would be impossible. Hahah thx so much for stopping by.
BritishMumUSA says
Yes, the Hubs and i want to downsize too. We are thinking of Rv’s and traveling…… I love the tiny house with the pool…. That is adorable…
GinaB says
Up until last night I had never heard of the Tuny House or Simple Living Movement. I watched the documentary on Netflix and now I feel informed. Lol. I think it is a great idea but I’m sure there must be some transitions you must go through in order to live peacefully in that size space.
Sarah J says
I’m fascinated by the Tiny House Movement. Do you have Netflix? Check out TINY a documentary on tiny houses: people who live the life and a guy building his own tiny house. Awesome!
Life With Lorelai says
These are really cute. Not sure I could do it on a regular basis, but it would be a nice little escape. Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty – We hope to see you again next week.
-Lorelai
Life With Lorelai
tty says
Yeah, I’m with you on the tiny house is great for empty nesters idea. I especially like the one with the pool and covered lounge area; that would make it feel like even some of the outdoors was our living area. The difference in costs is amazing! Thanks for sharing at the Talented Tuesday Link-Up!
swathi says
May be some time in future I would love to live in these type of houses, Once the kids goes to college.
swathi says
Thanks for sharing with Hearth and soul blog hop.
Sharon | Her Organized Chaos says
I was just reading this to my brother-in-law. I live in a small home and we are a family of 5. It’s tough but we make it work. I just like living within my means and it’s less to take care of. We don’t want to be those people that live pay check to pay check and we don’t. I’m interested in hearing what you do. For my family, living in a smaller home, we have the opportunity to have a “fancier” home because we can afford all the upgrades that we want. It’s cheaper to put in hardwood, heated floors in a 1000 sqft home than our friends that have 2500sqft. Everyone is different. If our means were higher and we could live in a bigger home, I think we would, but at the same time, we’re so used to living like this and having everything we want because we don’t spend a lot on mortgage and regular expenses. I don’t know… It’s an interesting topic!
julieinthemaking says
I am loving the top tiny home. Sign me up now. Julie
Thank you for linking up with #wordlesswednesday
co-host – http://www.julieinthemaking.com/
Jennifer | The Deliberate Mom says
I live in a small townhouse and we’ll stay in here until we can’t climb the stairs anymore! I want to be debt free within the next 10 years. Staying here will ensure it. Plus a smaller house = less cleaning! BONUS!
Thanks for sharing and for linking up to the #SHINEbloghop.
Wishing you a lovely day.
xoxo
MB says
I just don’t think I could do it because I love my books, and that’s basically what adorns my shelves. It makes me feel good to see all the titles and think of the stories held within. However, I’d love to vacation in a tiny house and think about the very small (pun intended) possibility that maybe I could do it! I’m in the process of moving, hoping for more space, but the decluttering was murder, and we had to rent a storage unit. Was it worth it? I’m not sure because our house looks great without all the stuff in it but a little too sterile. And the ones you featured are adorable!
scdoring says
We have four kids so it would be a stretch. If I could just add a playroom…
Sarah (Ruffles and Rain Boots) says
Is it okay to say that I want both! 🙂 I’m not sure I could live in a tiny house now, but after we retire and the kids are gone I’m thinking it could be a possibility. Thanks for linking up again at the Thank Goodness It’s Thursday party – I just love your fresh and honest outlook on life!
Sarah @ Glenrose Square says
I could definitely live in a tiny house! I have 4 kids and last year we downsized from a 5 bedroom 3000+ square foot house to a 3 bedroom townhouse. I love it, but feel we cold go even smaller. Trouble is, we live in Michigan and it is freezing here for 1/2 the year. If we lived in a more temperate climate, then we could/would do this in a second…and spend time outside all year. Someday… 🙂 By the way, I’m definitely pinning this! Thanks for linking to Tips & Tricks this week. Can’t wait to see what you link up next!
Christie says
I used to think that my 3 bedroom was too big for us, but as time goes on, it seems to get smaller. But I think we could definitely go smaller. Thanks for linking up at Totally Terrific Tuesday! #tttparty
Trish Martin says
I told my daughter I would like to sell my house and buy a camper. I think that would be plenty enough room for me. I have lived in a very small home before. And it worked out just fine. I love the ones that you are featuring.
Kim @ LiaH says
I absolutely adore the tiny houses!!!! I’ve been a fan of them for ages. I most definitely could master it. I grew up camping every single summer with my mom, dad, and brother all in an Apache pop up camper. It was cramped quarters when we were all in there attempting to walk around, but it was fine for just two people. Hubby and I could totally live in a tiny home like that once the kids are gone – just as long as he has his garage somewhere that he can tinker and putter around in!
Michelle says
I am pretty much a minimalist to begin with. If it were just me, yes I could so handle it. Less is best to me. The problem today in our culture, people have to much “stuff.” I know people who need bigger houses just for storage. Then, all that stuff never gets used. You could feed a village with all the stuff some folks hoard.
Natalie says
I’m fascinated by the Tiny House Movement. I would love to be able to do it but I think I would have to cut down on crafting and my hobbies if I wanted to live somewhere smaller!
Thank you for linking up on the Talented Tuesday Link Party! I hope you join us again this week 🙂
Ginger says
I could have never done this with children. My husband and I are considering it after the grands go to college. We would like to move close to the ocean and we would be able to get more outdoor time than we can now. My only concern is that my husband is tall and I don’t want him to be claustrophobic. But we both like the small houses.
Rachel says
I love the comments about they will come back to visit. My husbands goal is to downsize in a major way and move to a far away place. He says that he will visit him at their house and do all the wonderful things our son does now to our house. I think since we want to travel a lot downsizing and have the extra spending money makes the most sense. Thanks for sharing on Merry Monday.
Amy Ngai says
I love how one of the Cons is that you couldn’t display everything you made on Pinterest. But the cut on cost, wow would really make me consider doing it myself once I’m retired. Thanks for linking up #ConfessionsLinkUp