Now that there are so many options for affordable, available small homes, I'm fascinated with the idea of downsizing. I'm probably not ready for life with Hubs and two dogs in a house this small (or white), but I could learn to love the tiny house life...couldn't I? The biggest attraction is simplicity.
Less space requires less stuff. Less stuff takes less time to clean and maintain. Less time on housework means more time to do the things I enjoy. But where? Does my tiny home have room for a sewing machine or an artist's easel? And what about my books?
One solution is to make use of outdoor living space. Reading or hosting a dinner party on a patio or rooftop deck sound so inviting, but only in temperate weather - which happens approximately 30 days/year in Kansas and Nebraska. Could I move to a state that doesn't have four distinct seasons?
Speaking of less stuff, I have gone through my current home, which isn't exactly huge, and culled out everything I considered excess, but there's still a lot of stuff that isn't used daily. I struggle to let go of the "good" dishes or the "good" table linens. What do tiny-home owners do with Christmas decorations?
Maybe my perspective on "stuff" is what really needs to be purged. Maybe that al fresco dinner party would be just as enjoyable if served on the same dishes I use every day - or paper plates. If I could remove the sentiment from objects - see them as tools to accomplish the necessities of life rather than having intrinsic value - the downsizing process would be easier.
Living in a tiny home would be financially rewarding. The cut in mortgage/rent, utilities, upkeep and insurance would make funds available for travel, charity and upgrading our remaining possessions. If I only have space for dinnerware for 8, make them good quality and beautiful.
Then there's the issue of guests . . .
We probably won't start tiny-house hunting today, and "tiny" is relative - but it's an idea I can't completely escape.
