Tiny Living to Tiny House

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jebatty

Minister of Fire
Jan 1, 2008
5,796
Northern MN
With the increasing interest in Tiny House living, it might be useful to try Tiny Living before moving into the Tiny House. My bicycle trip around Lake Superior in 2013 (1396 miles over 25 days) reminds me that for a month my total possessions and everything necessary for quality life in an incredibly beautiful natural world weighed 100 lbs, half of that being the bicycle.

An effort at tiny living may pay big dividends in restructuring one's life into a very positive direction. The best way to have a secure future is to reduce consumption, and tiny living will provide that security very quickly. Said another way, the biggest barrier to security is consumption.
 
Could not agree more, if I only knew then what I know now life would be very different. Not that things are bad, but I totally bought into the Big House, Lots of stuff myth....Currently all my STUFF feels like an anchor around my neck. My wife and I are making a real effort to scale down and live a more simple life with less stuff. We have spent the better part of our lives aquiring things, this next phase will be about purging....guess we had to go through the process of getting stuff to finally realize we don't want it.....
 
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Where would these communities of tiny houses be? Here, we can't even get a permit for a moble home. If segregated to a private park with high fees, you might as well have a full size house. Does living within 200 sq. ft really save anything?
 
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Does living within 200 sq. ft really save anything?
Living like you live in 200 sq ft saves a lot without a doubt, and no zoning or other land use regulations can stop a person from tiny living.
 
Reduced consumption isn't about tiny houses so much. Your mortgage is only one of the expenses that is ripe for reduction. You can live in a modest house and gain most of the benefit of the "tiny house" movement. The idea is that the difference between income and expenses determines your wealth. It's pretty hard to raise income but most folks have a lot of expenses that can be cut.
 
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That and buying used is a good way to save. Most of my tools are 2-3x the age I am. I've picked most of them up at estate sales.
 
Reduced consumption isn't about tiny houses so much. Your mortgage is only one of the expenses that is ripe for reduction. You can live in a modest house and gain most of the benefit of the "tiny house" movement. The idea is that the difference between income and expenses determines your wealth. It's pretty hard to raise income but most folks have a lot of expenses that can be cut.
I always said, its not how much you make, its how you spend it. I see people all around me living one paycheck from the street, but blow every cent they get on things they dont need. Such as: large Daily purchase of Lottery tickets, Eat take out daily, smoking. I live on about 35-50% of my income. Invest the difference.
 
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I like the tiny houses, and think in a different life it would be fun. I've often thought about building my own mini log cabin on trailer frame or something like that.

I wouldn't say I live wastefully, I just have lots of hobbies and things I enjoy doing. I certainly live much more frugaly than most.

I would actually like to scale down my house. I do not anymore need the size of home, but would prefer more land so I can garden, have orchards and maybe a little homestead, hunt, cut firewood, etc all on my own land. However selling ones home and also trying to find a suitable new home are not easy things in many areas. I've been looking for a year and haven't found anything remotely close to what I want.

But in a tiny home how do you get away from your wife? Is there a tiny man cave in a tiny basement? lol. Better also have only a tiny amount of kids!

I think it would be neat to dig into a hillside and make an underground hobbit-esque home as well. In my house/property searching over the last year I actually came across one locally. They had a full underground home, and also a good sized garage with finished living space upstairs. My realtor said it was nearly impossible to sell such a place, as you could not get any normal loan for one. Apparently some people have lots of money, but I probably couldn't cough up just a 20% down payment on that place, much less the entire thing in cash. I don't understand why the garage and finished upper level couldn't just be considered the home but I'm no real estate whiz. So one must also consider how sellable it will be in the future. I know I for one would really like to move out of this state eventually, so whatever I get in the meantime will need to also be thought of as an investment and be sellable in say 10 years.
 
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For me owning a home IS NOT THE AMERICAN DREAM .I own lots of homes and the more i have the more i get tied down and bogged down with expenses and im responsible for everything that goes on in each one. For the local Govt Homeowners are a captive audience and a fixed target ,ripe to be taxed and regulated to death. I used to live the american dream in my 30s and 40s when i only had a few places,less work and stress and took 4 MONTHS OFF EACH WINTER TO LOUNGE AROUND ON SOUTH PACIFIC ISLANDS. Thats my american dream and im working my tail off to get back to it and hopefully really retire someday.
approaching 60 and its not getting any easier. The key is live a more simple life,keep priorities in mind. More is not always better.
 
This is a Good tiny house video but for the economic aspects and escaping lifes financial traps as well as the nice design.
 
I couldn't do it. Tiny living is for townies, or people who have no hobbies, or people who are away from home all the time. Where would I put my ultralight? Where would I shoot? Where would my chickens,dogs,cats, extra live? Where would I work on motorcycles, my truck and car? Where would my wife park? Where would my bulldozer live? Can you plant a garden in one of those?

I lived in a camper once,,,,,not gonna do it again unless forced too. I do believe houses will get smaller unless the trend of kids living at home continues.





Where would I stack my wood?
 
With a few exceptions, and very big ones at that, it may be true that a person can live tiny and inexpensively in a moderate house. The exceptions: 1) fixed location, 2) tendency to accumulate stuff to fill the space, 3) tendency to adopt a lifestyle more characteristic of the house than tiny living, 4) if more than one person, really need to be on the same page, 5) having the funds to acquire the land and house without being tied to a mortgage, and 6) probable need for transportation which can be expensive (car or truck, fuel, maintenance, insurance).

The end of 2014 was a good time to run the numbers on our home:
a) 1500 sq ft main level with walkout basement, partially finished; no mortgage
b) situated in a rural area 12 miles from the nearest small town and 40 miles from a small city which includes big box stores
c) real estate taxes and assessments for 2015 projected to be $1504.00
d) septic system and well, therefore no water/sewer expense
e) grid-tied PV which should +/- a bit meet 100% of annual electricity cost
f) heat with wood from the land, little out-of-pocket heating cost (but need equipment to cut wood)
g) homeowners insurance $954
h) house is substantially maintenance free and was re-roofed 2 years ago
i) basic expense total (real estate taxes + insurance) is $205/month

That's the good news. Now the "bad" news:
j) medical insurance and out-of-pocket expenses $10,550
k) land line telephone, internet and mobile phone $2,900
l) groceries $4,960
m) auto gas, maintenance and insurance $8,740
n) misc household, laundry, etc. $3,340
o) clothing, personal $1,650
p) eating out $2,695 (ouch!)
q) total of bad news $2,903/mo

Total of above $37,295 or $3,108/mo (not including income taxes, FICA, medicare).

Other expenses: church, charity, gifts, recreation, travel $ *%&*#.00 (from "necessary" to excess, double ouch).

Observations:
1. Medical insurance/expense is the largest single expense we face, 37% of the total. As the largest single expense category by far, it is clear that medical expenses are the main driver of our lives, and seems perverse to me to live in a country where the need to meet medical expenses dominates life.
2. Auto related expenses are the second largest, 23% of the total. Much of this is the result of the choice to live in the country.
3. Groceries are the third largest, 13% of the total
4. Most expenses are not house related and probably still would exist even if living in a true tiny house. The tiny house is not a ticket for a free ride.
5. No children-related expenses, and these could be very large in a family.
 
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With a few exceptions, and very big ones at that, it may be true that a person can live tiny and inexpensively in a moderate house. The exceptions: 1) fixed location, 2) tendency to accumulate stuff to fill the space, 3) tendency to adopt a lifestyle more characteristic of the house than tiny living, 4) if more than one person, really need to be on the same page, 5) having the funds to acquire the land and house without being tied to a mortgage, and 6) probable need for transportation which can be expensive (car or truck, fuel, maintenance, insurance).

The end of 2014 was a good time to run the numbers on our home:
a) 1500 sq ft main level with walkout basement, partially finished; no mortgage
b) situated in a rural area 12 miles from the nearest small town and 40 miles from a small city which includes big box stores
c) real estate taxes and assessments for 2015 projected to be $1504.00
d) septic system and well, therefore no water/sewer expense
e) grid-tied PV which should +/- a bit meet 100% of annual electricity cost
f) heat with wood from the land, little out-of-pocket heating cost (but need equipment to cut wood)
g) homeowners insurance $954
h) house is substantially maintenance free and was re-roofed 2 years ago
i) basic expense total (real estate taxes + insurance) is $205/month

That's the good news. Now the "bad" news:
j) medical insurance and out-of-pocket expenses $10,550
k) land line telephone, internet and mobile phone $2,900
l) groceries $4,960
m) auto gas, maintenance and insurance $8,740
n) misc household, laundry, etc. $3,340
o) clothing, personal $1,650
p) eating out $2,695 (ouch!)
q) total of bad news $2,903/mo

Total of above $37,295 or $3,108/mo (not including income taxes, FICA, medicare).

Other expenses: church, charity, gifts, recreation, travel $ *%&*#.00 (from "necessary" to excess, double ouch).

Observations:
1. Medical insurance/expense is the largest single expense we face, 37% of the total. As the largest single expense category by far, it is clear that medical expenses are the main driver of our lives, and seems perverse to me to live in a country where the need to meet medical expenses dominates life.
2. Auto related expenses are the second largest, 23% of the total. Much of this is the result of the choice to live in the country.
3. Groceries are the third largest, 13% of the total
4. Most expenses are not house related and probably still would exist even if living in a true tiny house. The tiny house is not a ticket for a free ride.
5. No children-related expenses, and these could be very large in a family.

Your medical is quite high. Is your income just too high to allow the government to pay for your obamacare? Or are you just that "sick"?
 
Medical for my wife and me is complicated.
 
I don't believe a tiny house or tiny living would be for everyone, but sure would help a person with the right mind set. I'm thinking of building one of some sort for my son in the next few years. He is a minimalist already and he's in Grade 11. Plans to go to trade school and become heavy equipment mechanic, so if I can help him get a good start on his future that's a bonus.

Rent is just silly around here in my opinion for our economic situation (not the province, the city and surrounding area). A lot of the province is booming, and it seems the rent goes up here like gas stations raise their prices. One does they all do. Further south or west of here, you trip on jobs while looking. Here is a bunch of gov't and service industry.

So for me, it would make sense (for my son) seeing a lot of people go away to work for weeks at a time. Save him $10,000/year for a few years might help.
 
Its not rent that people waste the lions share of their money on, you have to live somewhere and you will either rent the house of get a mortgage and rent the money,same difference, its day to day purchases that people get bogged down in. And having to drive a new car every few years will keep you poor as well.IMO
 
I rehab and finance houses and it amazes me every time someone gives one back and tells me they are going back to renting, or walks away 3/4 of the way through the contract.
 
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Tiny house is a great idea for the guest room, or your kids' stay-room when they live back home...
If I were to build anew on bare property, I might be tempted to build it as a network of tiny (strawbale + plaster on rubble trench foundation) houses connected with covered walkways. Sleeping + kitchen house, wife's art studio house, mancave house, guest house and ample outside space around.
 
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Lol... Razerface. You and I must have a lot in common. I lived tiny in college (1953 dormitory), and I'm not prepared to cram myself back into that sort of space again.

What's "tiny" today, anyway? Anything under 10,000 sq ft? [emoji12]
 
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Living in a conditioned tiny house does not preclude having other spaces for other activities.
Especially in the USA, how many days a year do most of you actually need a fully insulated conditioned place for shelter, versus unconditioned breezy screen house or boat house or garden house or summer kitchen or garage/loft, useful for most of the year.
I am continually amazed at how 'outdoors' my Swedish friends still live, cooking and eating outside, even in a colder climate. I wonder why most Canadians lost that habit.
 
Tiny house is a great idea for the guest room, or your kids' stay-room when they live back home...
d.
Good idea, when the kids want to move back home put them off the grid. Be sure to buy them an old fashioned wash tub for their laundry.
 
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Am I the only one that keeps seeing/thinking RV travel trailer when these people say "tiny house"? Not a new concept. Sure I could live in one, they are pretty well thought out these days.
 
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Am I the only one that keeps seeing/thinking RV travel trailer when these people say "tiny house"? Not a new concept. Sure I could live in one, they are pretty well thought out these days.
Iv said as much.No need to reinvent the wheel. RV,campers,travel trailers are very well equipped for 4 seasons and daily living. And many of the tiny house crowd puts them on wheels anyway. They are Mobile Tiny houses and millions already live in them, some by choice and others by circumstance. Around here you can find a perfectly livable 10 to 15 Yr old 25 footer in nice shape for $2000. And no property tax bill.
 
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