My 10 Tiny House Answers for A College Student

I was contacted recently by a college student who was writing a paper about the tiny house movement and was happy to help by answering to the following 10 questions:

1.- How would you describe tiny living to someone unfamiliar with the tiny house movement?

 

Think about when you were a child and your whole world revolved around your favorite things. You had a small room, some toys, food, and were eager to learn more about what was outside the four walls of your house. It's like that. Adults get caught up in what others think, or expect them to be, and we forget that life can be simple. We work too hard and rest too little. We buy too much and then store our stuff and get caught up in the cycle. Tiny house living is a simpler way of enjoying life on terms even a child can understand.

 

2.- What made you decide to become a tiny house dweller?

 

I have no savings for retirement and need to start paring down my life to a level that is manageable on a meager income.

 

3.- What are some benefits of living tiny?

 

As mentioned above, living tiny is about living simply. Living tiny is about going outside, and enjoying life on your own terms.  Small meals, naps, traveling, reading books, listening to music....

 

4.- What are some challenges of living tiny?

 

If you are sharing your tiny space with someone else, there is NO privacy.

Also, if you do not own the property your tiny is parked on, dealing with hosts and landlords can be cumbersome.

 

5.- What is your definition of adequately living?

 

Enough food for a week, enough clothes for a season, enough money for a year, and enough love for a lifetime.

 

6.- How could people who are not tiny house dwellers or enthusiasts benefit in adopting the philosophy of living adequately?

 

You don't have to live in 200 sq feet to appreciate that living simply means downsizing OUT of that closet or garage full of stuff you have not seen or used in a year.  Smaller footprint means smaller utility bills.  Smaller house means less to clean and maintain.

 

7.-What would be some basic tips you would suggests for people interested in living more adequately?

 

Start with a closet, or a junk drawer.  Empty it on the floor.  Touch everything in it.  Ask yourself tough questions about your need for that thing.  Ask yourself tough questions about why you still have it.  Answer those questions.  You'll be surprised what the answer is.

 

8.- What is your opinion of American people's affinity for the so-called "McMansions"?

 

Its understandable and if my life had gone a different direction, I would be living in one.  I do not begrudge those who live in them.  I think there should, however, be more options in a given neighborhood or town then just option #1 of an apartment and option #2 of a 2000+ sq foot home. 

 

9.- What can you tell me about the Tiny House community?

 

Its amazing and growing and new and still finding it's identity. We are all creative, and passionate, and resourceful and love that we have found others that don't fit into the "normal" society, just like we don't.

 

10.- Where do you see the Tiny House movement in the future?

 

Growing so big and so fast we cannot keep up. Society is ripe for alternate solutions for homelessness, for downsizing baby boomers, for off gridders, for young graduates, for elder care, and for vacation homes that travel with you.  The tipping point has happened, now watch us change the world, one tiny house at a time!