Tiny house

littlelady

God bless the USA
I don't get it. Why don't people just buy a camper or a trailer?

Hey, you! I have seen those stories about the tiny houses, and everything is functional to turn into something else. It is cool in a way, but very claustrophobic. I understand when people can only afford a camper or a trailer, but I don't understand why one would choose to build a tiny house. But, then again, tree houses are pretty cool! :lol:

I am so wired at this point. We chose to move, literally, in the last two weeks, bought a house elsewhere, and now are scrambling to clean out the house we are in to put it on the market. I have been cleaning my self crazy, and came to the forum to unwind.

Am I on topic, or is your post political? Just kidding!
 
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Roman

Active Member
Hey, you! I have seen those stories about the tiny houses, and everything is functional to turn into something else. It is cool in a way, but very claustrophobic. I understand when people can only afford a camper or a trailer, but I don't understand why one would choose to build a tiny house. But, then again, tree houses are pretty cool! :lol:

I am so wired at this point. We chose to move, literally, in the last two weeks, bought a house elsewhere, and now are scrambling to clean out the house we are in to put it on the market. I have been cleaning my self crazy, and came to the forum to unwind.

Am I on topic, or is your post political? Just kidding!
Are you moving closer to that sweet little Grandbaby? Moving is no fun, especially at our age. We have acquired so much stuff over the past 45 years that I would dread having to go through it all!
 

Bann

Doris Day meets Lady Gaga
PREMO Member
Are you moving closer to that sweet little Grandbaby? Moving is no fun, especially at our age. We have acquired so much stuff over the past 45 years that I would dread having to go through it all!

I started on my own things a lonnng time ago, since my mom was a packrat, and I knew I would have to go through her things, eventually. My sister was not a packrat, but when she found out she had cancer and only 6 months to live, she didn't have time to weed through her things, much less anything else - so this was something her girls and the rest of the family went through. It was very stressful making those decisions about what to keep and not keep in a very short time frame. So, after my sister passed and then having my mom pass 14 months later - I was totally over going thru years and years of stuff to keep, throw out or donate. My BFF and I went thru my mother's things and I got rid of a lot!

I have gone thru similar purges here in my own house - just get rid of stuff I never use! I don't want to leave it to the Things & Foxhound to have to do. Recently, I went to FL and gave my nieces the last of the things I'd been holding for them of their Nannie's. I was so happy just giving them those things and getting them out of my space, it's so liberating! :cartwheel:
 

RareBreed

Throwing the deuces
I started on my own things a lonnng time ago, since my mom was a packrat, and I knew I would have to go through her things, eventually. My sister was not a packrat, but when she found out she had cancer and only 6 months to live, she didn't have time to weed through her things, much less anything else - so this was something her girls and the rest of the family went through. It was very stressful making those decisions about what to keep and not keep in a very short time frame. So, after my sister passed and then having my mom pass 14 months later - I was totally over going thru years and years of stuff to keep, throw out or donate. My BFF and I went thru my mother's things and I got rid of a lot!

I have gone thru similar purges here in my own house - just get rid of stuff I never use! I don't want to leave it to the Things & Foxhound to have to do. Recently, I went to FL and gave my nieces the last of the things I'd been holding for them of their Nannie's. I was so happy just giving them those things and getting them out of my space, it's so liberating! :cartwheel:

I am big on purging too. My husband... not so much. I have gotten rid of some things of his that he wouldn't notice but he's holding onto his records and record players for dear life. I have been married to him for almost 19 years and I think we've only listened to one of his records once and that was about 18 years ago. He also has boxes in our closet that he brought down when we moved 19 years ago. Never been unpacked so I have no idea what's even in them. I am hoping that once we moved to either TN or ID in a few years (and I am in control of packing), I can get rid or sell a bunch of his stuff.
 

Roman

Active Member
Gosh Bann, you had a lot going on in such a short time frame. It must have been a terrible time for you.
 
I don't get it. Why don't people just buy a camper or a trailer?

Why don't other people just buy pre-fab factory built, no customization allowed housing? Because they want to make it their own. Friend of mine built his own tiny. It is absolutely STUNNING. Cost about 1/2 of what buying a factory trailer RV would have cost.
 

glhs837

Power with Control
As a toy house or RV replacement, sure. But as a primary residence? I'll bet the average actual stay in one averages less than a year for people trying that. Less for couples.
 

nutz

Well-Known Member
Bann may have hit a key part, stuff. We have to have stuff. We need better jobs to buy bigger, better and more stuff. Holidays, anniversaries, weddings ,graduations, birthdays, grandparents day, staff appreciation day, etc. etc. are all reasons to give and receive stuff. The media (ads mostly) convince us that there's stuff out there we must have. Stuff we give or receive that we feel compelled to keep until the end of time. Can't live or breathe without our stuff.

Now, put that into context of why or why not a tiny house may be a good option.
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
I have learned that everything I need in life will fit in my car - including my boyfriend, my dog and all of their stuff. I never felt so free as when I un"stuff"ed myself and I can't think of a single thing I've really missed.

On topic: my friend's adult daughter has a tiny house and it's cute cute cute! She has a vagabond heart and likes to hit the road, so a mobile living environment suits her. Why did she choose a tiny house over a camper or RV? Same reason people choose a Cape Cod house over a rancher; or choose a Ford over a Chevy: Because.
 

littlelady

God bless the USA
Are you moving closer to that sweet little Grandbaby? Moving is no fun, especially at our age. We have acquired so much stuff over the past 45 years that I would dread having to go through it all!

Yes. I am so excited! I have more stuff than I ever would have imagined! Once you get started you get really motivated and throw tons out. Of course, I will say at some point, I needed that so why did I throw it out?! Oh, well. As Gawd as my witness, I will never be a hoarder again! :lol:

I am thinking now that tiny houses are a good thing! :smile:
 

Dakota

~~~~~~~
I started on my own things a lonnng time ago, since my mom was a packrat, and I knew I would have to go through her things, eventually. My sister was not a packrat, but when she found out she had cancer and only 6 months to live, she didn't have time to weed through her things, much less anything else - so this was something her girls and the rest of the family went through. It was very stressful making those decisions about what to keep and not keep in a very short time frame. So, after my sister passed and then having my mom pass 14 months later - I was totally over going thru years and years of stuff to keep, throw out or donate. My BFF and I went thru my mother's things and I got rid of a lot!

I have gone thru similar purges here in my own house - just get rid of stuff I never use! I don't want to leave it to the Things & Foxhound to have to do. Recently, I went to FL and gave my nieces the last of the things I'd been holding for them of their Nannie's. I was so happy just giving them those things and getting them out of my space, it's so liberating! :cartwheel:


Reading this.... well... it mirrors some of the elements that have created my thought process as well. When my mother died, I helped my father sort and purge because the house was a packrat situation. Most was donated, some pieces and things I kept or gave away. I think my dad felt the need to purge at that point in his life to cope with his own grief. I learned I can be the same way. When my sister died, I couldn't do it. It was a situation that was beyond my level of understanding at the time and I later learned the correct term was a hoarder. Of course this was before many of us ever heard the term and the mental process behind it. Our church had to come in and help with dumpsters. It was just awful and I am sure my sister became that way from losing her mother so young. When my grandmother died, I had accumulated so many of her things because she wasn't allowed to live alone the last 2 years of her life. She was at a local Hospice house during the final week of her life and after she died my husband came home and found me sitting in our kitchen. I looked at him and just couldn't believe her long suffering was finally over and told him we needed to make some major changes around our house. After grandma's funeral, I tore up everything, painted colors everywhere, donated, gave things away, sold things and seriously just downsized.

Somewhere in all of this, I just wanted to leave a small footprint and basically rid myself of all the bullcrap we all tend to have in our lives and live a simple life.

Now as to the topic of this thread... I have never understood why one would pick a tiny house over a camper. It just seems campers offer a better set up to me but even in my quest to live a simple life, I am just not sure I could do it under 450/500 square feet. :ohwell:

Right now, I have been working on a laundry room that is 7 X 11 feet with a door going in from the garage and 1 going into our kitchen which pretty much trims the space down to a 7 X 8 foot space and I'm struggling with organizing all I want in a tiny space. :ohwell: My goal here though is to slay this challenge. :wink:
 

Dakota

~~~~~~~
I have learned that everything I need in life will fit in my car - including my boyfriend, my dog and all of their stuff. I never felt so free as when I un"stuff"ed myself and I can't think of a single thing I've really missed.

On topic: my friend's adult daughter has a tiny house and it's cute cute cute! She has a vagabond heart and likes to hit the road, so a mobile living environment suits her. Why did she choose a tiny house over a camper or RV? Same reason people choose a Cape Cod house over a rancher; or choose a Ford over a Chevy: Because.


When you said you were ridding yourself of the house to an apartment to tiny living, I was truly envious. It takes an awful lot of guts to trim your life down to the bare necessities. When people here, including myself, talk about downsizing, it pales to the actual DOWNSIZING it takes to live in something that is under 400 square feet. I see the challenge, know what all it entails and although I have a deep seeded desire to leave a tiny footprint, I'm still not sure I have the ability or the spouse for such an adventure. :lol:
 

Dakota

~~~~~~~
Bann may have hit a key part, stuff. We have to have stuff. We need better jobs to buy bigger, better and more stuff. Holidays, anniversaries, weddings ,graduations, birthdays, grandparents day, staff appreciation day, etc. etc. are all reasons to give and receive stuff. The media (ads mostly) convince us that there's stuff out there we must have. Stuff we give or receive that we feel compelled to keep until the end of time. Can't live or breathe without our stuff.

Now, put that into context of why or why not a tiny house may be a good option.


My husband and I get sort of mad when family feels the need to give us collectables. Seriously? What am I going to do with great grandma's dishes? Or Aunt Mabel's glasses? When we went on our major purge, we gave it all away except for his grandmother's things which we boxed up and shoved in our upstairs wall. She is still alive and if she would ever ask about something, we didn't want to have to lie to her. I just hope in the event something would happen to his parents before us that he holds on to that attitude. His mother has a crap load of stuff that belonged to relatives who have been dead for decades. Her inability to part with things is why my FIL is cemented to a house he really wishes they didn't have. :ohwell:
 

littlelady

God bless the USA
I have learned that everything I need in life will fit in my car - including my boyfriend, my dog and all of their stuff. I never felt so free as when I un"stuff"ed myself and I can't think of a single thing I've really missed.

I love your comment. You made me laugh. I can picture you, Monello, and Apollo driving down the road together with your 'stuff'. Very cute! :smile:

After all, it is just stuff. If you get rid of it, it doesn't erase the memories. Cleaning out is liberating, and cleansing.

On topic. Tiny houses would cause a person not to collect too much; which is the way to approach it. I am not taking everything to the dump. I am saving things back that can be donated, or might be of interest on a local FB garage sale type thing. Happy cleaning out, y'all!
 

Dakota

~~~~~~~
I love your comment. You made me laugh. I can picture you, Monello, and Apollo driving down the road together with your 'stuff'. Very cute! :smile:

After all, it is just stuff. If you get rid of it, it doesn't erase the memories. Cleaning out is liberating, and cleansing.

On topic. Tiny houses would cause a person not to collect too much; which is the way to approach it. I am not taking everything to the dump. I am saving things back that can be donated, or might be of interest on a local FB garage sale type thing. Happy cleaning out, y'all!

I put a BUNCH of stuff on freecycle. I posted what I had and when they expressed an interest, I told them it would be in the driveway and they were free to pick it up anytime today. People came and got it. :lol:
 

littlelady

God bless the USA
I put a BUNCH of stuff on freecycle. I posted what I had and when they expressed an interest, I told them it would be in the driveway and they were free to pick it up anytime today. People came and got it. :lol:

:yay: Thanks! I didn't think of doing that. That was easy! Right? :lol:
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
When you said you were ridding yourself of the house to an apartment to tiny living, I was truly envious. It takes an awful lot of guts to trim your life down to the bare necessities. When people here, including myself, talk about downsizing, it pales to the actual DOWNSIZING it takes to live in something that is under 400 square feet. I see the challenge, know what all it entails and although I have a deep seeded desire to leave a tiny footprint, I'm still not sure I have the ability or the spouse for such an adventure. :lol:

You know because you know me, I used to like my stuff. But honestly, the less I have the happier I am. My grandson's other grandparents have a glorious home in Nashville and a vacay in Jackson, and while I admire their stuff I do not envy it. I love my co-grandmother and she couldn't be any more gracious and amazing, but she envies me much more than I envy her. When we visited them, though, I did enjoy having a meal that was prepared by someone I knew. :lol:

It's not for everyone, and even co-grandmother wouldn't give up her life to live on the road no matter how much she admires and envies it - people need to live their lives. But this is what works for me and now that I'm doing it I can't even imagine going back to the tether.
 
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