Downsize living

Truly some of the best advice I ever been given.
I used to love to talk with her. She was born in 1896
 

DGM said:
Truly some of the best advice I ever been given.
I used to love to talk with her. She was born in 1896
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Sometimes people cut right to the essential truth of an issue. This advice falls into that category. How lucky you were to have met this remarkable woman. Thanks for sharing some of her wisdom with us.
 
Tiny Houses would be fine for shorter people, but for taller people...……..seriously doubt it. Just like for some heavier Seniors, would be hard to get around. RVing is cool, if a person can afford doing it.

As for us, we like have some room where we live. A Tiny House is really compact.
 

I downsized prior to semi-retiring and moving to a smaller house. I still have things that need to be sold, donated or given to anyone who would like them. I feel better having less, needing less and using less. I enjoy a simpler life that is now in sharp contrast to the hectic, demanding, energy-draining, dream-crushing life that I once had. Give me simplicity, nature, good family and friends, healthy food and daily exercise and life is perfect for me.
 
Hi Leann, Cheers! I love nature and feel more alive the more I’m under the sky. Tho I do appreciate some modern conviences. Maybe my need for nature combined with some creature comforts is why I’m attracted to tiny house living. I live in a place right now where people shop and collect stuff as a pastime. Tho I can guess at what motivates a person to get busy shopping, bc I’ve been that person.
 
When we retired in 2001, we hit the road in a 40' fifth-wheel with 3 slideouts. It was like an apartment...haha. We did that for 3 1/2 years and then finally bought a "real" house. It was fine back then because we were much younger and able to get around and up and down.

We've watched those shows for tiny houses and think...no way! They are definitely for the young. No way would I crawl up to a loft to sleep....and no way on a ladder! The steps are even very narrow. Besides, I'm a quilter and I like doing other needlework so there would be no space for storage.

They never show what their tiny houses are towed with either. I bet those suckers are VERY heavy. Our fifth-wheel was a 3-axle so we had to have a heavy duty truck to pull it. We had Corian countertops in the kitchen and bathroom and tile floors in those rooms also. All the cabinets were solid oak. It was very heavy, so I can't imagine what those tiny homes weigh.

I honestly don't think they realize what they're getting into. From the ones I've seen on these shows they have very small storage areas and believe me, you need "stuff". Our fifth-wheel had tons of storage...much more than any tiny homes I've seen.

We saw a young couple that actually bought a large fifth-wheel instead of a tiny home.
 
Tiny homes come in all designs and sizes, including first floor bedrooms. They’re def more complicated to move than an R.V. Since I’m single and of a certain age, I’m not so interested in moving about, (i did my share of moving as a military brat). My interest is in a foundation tiny home. It’s interesting how many downsizing options there are these days. Perhaps some of the attraction of tiny homes for me is that I’m still a hippee at heart and enjoy unconventional ways. Takes all kinds to make the world go ‘round!
 
I can't imagine what some of those people are thinking that buy the tiny houses and plan to live in them with children! Kids take up a lot of room.

Someone a couple miles from me put in a tiny home. I'm guessing 3 or 4 hundred Sq Ft. I'll try to take a photo of it the next time we go out. I would sure like to go in it and see how it looks with all their stuff in it.

People forget how much room is devoted just to things like a box of Kleenex, a book or 2, the TV remote, external speakers for the computer, the computer, a foot stool to prop your legs up, a bottle or 2 of wine, a mug full of pens, the fly swatter, the phone, that tall box of cereal, can of air freshener, medications and first aid kit, etc. For those that truly want to downsize I'd say it's great but I'd sure want to have one heck of a HUGE yard.
 
Linda said:
I can't imagine what some of those people are thinking that buy the tiny houses and plan to live in them with children! Kids take up a lot of room.

Someone a couple miles from me put in a tiny home. I'm guessing 3 or 4 hundred Sq Ft. I'll try to take a photo of it the next time we go out. I would sure like to go in it and see how it looks with all their stuff in it.

People forget how much room is devoted just to things like a box of Kleenex, a book or 2, the TV remote, external speakers for the computer, the computer, a foot stool to prop your legs up, a bottle or 2 of wine, a mug full of pens, the fly swatter, the phone, that tall box of cereal, can of air freshener, medications and first aid kit, etc. For those that truly want to downsize I'd say it's great but I'd sure want to have one heck of a HUGE yard.
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How right you are, Linda! You don't really think about that ordinary living space that you have in a home. Sure, you can downsize, but once you start trying to find places to put "stuff" you understand what downsizing really means.

After living in a 40' fifth-wheel that had 3 slideouts, not to mention keeping the towing weight down, you do without a LOT of things. We did it for 3 1/2 years but I sure was glad to buy a house again.

I watched an episode on Youtube about tiny living and this one "senior" lady had sold her large home and moved into a (maybe) 300SF tiny house. They gave a tour of her place and it was PACKED with stuff. There was a path from the front door to the bathroom in the back. She had 2 loft places (one on each end) and they were both full of stuff. Every surface in the kitchen was lined with things. She had a recliner chair and she ate on her lap. I couldn't understand having all that clutter. It would drive me nuts but she loved it. To each his own :)
 
I have down-sized but did not get a small house of which you speak. I did take a long look at some of those small houses but the misses didn't go for them. I had a four bedroom, formal dining, two bath, garage stocked too full of furniture and accomulated stuff. I moved from a small city of two hundred thirty thousand friendly people to a smaller town of say about one hundred thousand of the most unfriendly folks ever I met. I sold and gave away most of what I owned, because I got myself in a fix. I didnt think my house would sell so quick. I sold and didn't have a place to live. I went from about twenty-eight hundred square feet to the smallesrt place I could find and afford in my new local, 872 SF. (see below)
It is in central city, lower middle-class neighborhood or maybe upper poor. It was an adjustment and after all is said and done I don't think we could have lived in a smaller house. One person might. I wish you luck.

IMG_3706.jpg
My place is behind the tree.
 
The only thing I know about tiny house living is what I've gleaned from watching HGTV's Tiny Homes and a documentary about tiny home living. One has to be careful about zoning laws according to one couple who found out the hard way. Some of those cute little homes are mobile and hopefully built sturdy enough to withstand the roads. I'm thinking a reputable tiny home manufacturer/builder would know the ropes.
 
To us, downsizing was moving from a four bedroom, two living room formal Colonel house in NJ to a 3 bedroom ranch house in Florida. My Florida home has more land. I have a large corner plot with a 6 foot stucco privacy fence. The money I made on my NJ home allowed me to pay cash for my Florida home so I have no mortgage payment. Property taxes went from $14,000 a year to $1,800 a year. Our fixed explosives are much less than our combined Social Security sine I maxed out my SS due to my previous income.

I have always had an interest in Tiny Houses until I ran into an old friend who had the same idea as you. They retired to a tiny house. The problems they faced was most had the bed upstairs and when you are old, climbing a ladder to steps is dangerous. In fact, the wife fell and broker her him. That was a major problem forcing them to setup a temporary bed downstairs for 3 months. When the wife was better they bought a new tiny house with a foldout bed downstairs so no stairs or ladders to climb.

They were happier in their new tiny home until the husband fell ill and was bedridden for a month, With the bed out there was little room left to move around. Plus closets were high up and with advancing old age they found it difficult to live in such a tiny cramped space which required a lot of reach up and bending to get to storage areas. They eventually sold their tiny house and bought a two bedroom ranch and are much happier.
 
We moved from 2 stories home to a relocatable home its 2 bedrooms , plenty big enough for us and its an easier lifestyle.. suits us ,
now our daughter has come home to live and share the home and help us its even better as us getting older she does a lot of jobs
to help out and goes off to work afternoons to late at night a few nights a week which gives us our quiet times.. all in all it works ok ..
our daughter is not one to want to get married and is a bit of a loner ..we still have a garden front and round the side and a carport to
put the car ..
 
In 2013 I downsized from a 3 bedroom cabin-type home in the forest, to a 2 bedroom apartment on a prairie. Now I'm in the process of downsizing again.

I've decided to move into a van. It is a high-roof van (so I can stand in it) and will be extended length (so I can install a bathroom). The floor space in the cargo area is about 6' by 13' - 78 square feet.

This will be like a small bedroom with an ensuite and a big desk (since i want a desk much more than I want a kitchen. I'm single and eat simply.) I like to say the van will be my bedroom and the world will be my living room.

I spent all year looking at alternative housing options including tiny homes, yurts, shipping containers, and anything else I could find. Finally I decided the van is the option for me because unlike a tiny home or yurt, I'll be able to go places in it.

I've been yearning for road trips and now my life will be all road trips. Plus, I'll get to do the conversion myself and have it just the way I want it.

I chose the van over an RV because of the costs involved.

I'll be boondocking rather than staying in RV parks. I'm getting the van in April or May and will start my travels this summer.

Meanwhile, I'm downsizing ... furniture will be easy to give away. The rest, I need to prioritize and give away as much as I can.
 
Ellejay said:
In 2013 I downsized from a 3 bedroom cabin-type home in the forest, to a 2 bedroom apartment on a prairie. Now I'm in the process of downsizing again.

I've decided to move into a van. It is a high-roof van (so I can stand in it) and will be extended length (so I can install a bathroom). The floor space in the cargo area is about 6' by 13' - 78 square feet.

This will be like a small bedroom with an ensuite and a big desk (since i want a desk much more than I want a kitchen. I'm single and eat simply.) I like to say the van will be my bedroom and the world will be my living room.

I spent all year looking at alternative housing options including tiny homes, yurts, shipping containers, and anything else I could find. Finally I decided the van is the option for me because unlike a tiny home or yurt, I'll be able to go places in it.

I've been yearning for road trips and now my life will be all road trips. Plus, I'll get to do the conversion myself and have it just the way I want it.

I chose the van over an RV because of the costs involved.

I'll be boondocking rather than staying in RV parks. I'm getting the van in April or May and will start my travels this summer.

Meanwhile, I'm downsizing ... furniture will be easy to give away. The rest, I need to prioritize and give away as much as I can.
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Go to www.cheaprvliving.com good information & experience stories' other boondockers have had, I for one winter (Nov - Apr) in AZ @ Quartzsite myself (2 years now). Each person's expectations & wants are diverse so take the advice with a open mind, do your own research. There are as many van configurations as there are vans. Some pretty basic, some way over the top. Good Luck!
 
SharonTru said:
What about a tiny house for downsizing? Honestly, I’ve been researching these over the last couple of years and I would love to live smaller. I could live in 250-350 sq ft. Especially if it was outfitted for on and off grid living. It would be awesome to have a tiny house village of like minded folks. Living that way is cheaper but not cheap enough for someone just living off social security. Anyone here have any experience with tiny house living? I’m in the south but don’t intend to live here for the ‘duration’.
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As baby boomers look for alternative and cheaper ways to live maybe more opportunities will come about. But for now in my research unless you are off the grid cost of sitting somewhere still becomes a factor. The average cost of living in a mobile home the lot fees in my area (Portland, OR) can range $600-$1,000 per month. There is a tiny home community in Salem, OR that I thought was a great alternative to mobile home courts but again there is a monthly fee...

https://www.hopevalleyresorts.com/our-history-1/

Oregon makes it really hard or non existent to be able to place a tiny home on wheels permanently on your own home property, there are so many zoning laws to wade through.

Good luck in finding your dream retirement.
 
hiraeth2018 said:
unless you are off the grid cost of sitting somewhere still becomes a factor.
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Yes, this is a reason I chose a van, and boondocking - because anywhere you go to stay in one place for a long time, you're paying landlords, electricity, etc. There will be a greater (huge?) initial outlay of funds but after that all you have to deal with in a van is insurance, cell phone and internet, mail forwarding service, food, medical insurance, gym (for showers), and of course, gasoline. I will be on a gasoline budget of about $150 per month, so wherever I go, it will be slow. My van will have a nice bathroom and solar panels, so will be entirely off the grid.
 

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