Downsize living

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SharonTru

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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’.
 

An RV with solar panels and a bank of batteries would satisfy what you're talking about, with the distinct advantage of being less expensive, fully mobile and widely available - both new and used. As for affordability, it depends on where you want to park it and your monthly income. A number of RV parks also have "park models." Lots of pretty good options out there.

There are some full-time RVers on this forum. Perhaps a couple will weigh in.
 
I've been interested in the idea of a tiny house but have never lived in one.

I have lived off the grid several times for the summer and for short periods of time in the winter, it used to be called camping when I was a kid.

If you want to stick a toe in the water without making an investment in a tiny house try renting a small studio apartment. The internet is full of great ideas for people that live in tiny apartments in the worlds most expensive cities or in small apartments at colleges/universities across the country. You may never progress to the point of actually living in a tiny house off the grid but the experiment would allow you to learn what is important to you, downsize, shed excess possessions and maybe save some money.

Good luck!
 

We do tiny house living 4-5 months of the summer, in an RV. It does require a change in lifestyle. Everything has to have as many uses as possible.....you have to learn to live without a melon baller, an avocado slicer, a banana keeper, an .......

Clothes-wise, you don't get your choice of eight pink teeshirts, six pairs of tennies, or twelve pairs of jeans.

No place settings for twelve......if more than four people show up for dinner, somebody is eating off a paper plate.

It's liberating, very liberating. Every year I come back to the stick-and-brick and get rid of a little more.
 
I LOVE the idea of tiny house living, especially if you had lots of space but within a community of like minded individuals .
Its perfect for those who don’t want to go into standard retirement living accommodations.
The limited space would force you to become a minimalist which would be far easier to account for and maintain.
The financial cost would be minimal and you’d have your desired privacy.

I am ALL for it.
 
Yeah, cool. I’ve seen some of those too, of course I’m mostly attracted to the airstream models. I gravitate to mid-century modern style, you know, less is more. Reclaimed and non toxic building materials are best for my health concerns. Some of those repurposed shipping crates turn out quite nice as well. Love love love your avatar!
 
Maybe if I lived alone... but probably not. We also have an RV and after 2 weeks of togetherness I'm ready to come home. :D (Just kidding...mostly.)
 
Yes I’ve lived in less than 500 sq ft studio and loved it! That’s how I know I can do it, at least that part of it. When younger I enjoyed camping out. I’m kind of a nature freak. Thanks.
 
That’s super cool. What do you like best about living that way? Ive been wanting to throw everything I have away, pretty much. Liberating is right!
 
My husband's cousin and wife have started the RV living lifestyle. They sold their home, and plan to travel in the RV. I have watched programs about the tiny houses, and would be fine with it if I lived alone. The only drawback I see is that so many of the tiny houses I have seen on TV or online have the sleeping area up in a loft..requiring you to climb a ladder to get in and out. That would not be a plus for me, or others with mobility issues. If I could have one all on one level, then fine.
 
The RV living and one room apartment are other great options, especially for those that are accustomed to apartment living in a city or urban area. The downsizing might not be as much of a culture shock so to speak.

When I was younger I lived in a posh one room apartment and loved it.
It had all the accommodations I needed right there including a gym with swimming pools and saunas.
 
Amen Sister! It’s a sweet idea. I’d like to manifest it. But I’m not much of a soloist when it comes to putting such ideas into action, I work best in collaboration. I’m sure there are tiny house forums online but what I sometimes run into is that most of these tiny house pioneers are young and fit adventurers. When you’re that young with a passion you feel unlimited. I’d have to figure out how to manifest this in a different mindset taking into account the things my body can’t quite manage any more.
 
No ladders or big flights of stairs in RVs or park models.

Hubby and I travel for 2-4 weeks at a time in our 5th wheel RV that has roughly 350 square feet when we're camped (meaning that the slides are extended). King size bed, spacious dresser, large enough closet, full kitchen, LR couch, a couple of recliners, two TVs, full size shower. Add the RV park amenities like pools, dog parks, walking trails, picnic benches, barbecues, and so forth and we've got all we need.

Although I love our sticks and bricks home, I'm always a little bummed to come in off the road. Living in our RV would suit me just fine.
 
StarSong said:
No ladders or big flights of stairs in RVs or park models.

Hubby and I travel for 2-4 weeks at a time in our 5th wheel RV that has roughly 350 square feet when we're camped (meaning that the slides are extended). King size bed, spacious dresser, large enough closet, full kitchen, LR couch, a couple of recliners, two TVs, full size shower. Add the RV park amenities like pools, dog parks, walking trails, picnic benches, barbecues, and so forth and we've got all we need.

Although I love our sticks and bricks home, I'm always a little bummed to come in off the road. Living in our RV would suit me just fine.
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Sounds good to me!
 
StarSong said:
No ladders or big flights of stairs in RVs or park models.

Hubby and I travel for 2-4 weeks at a time in our 5th wheel RV that has roughly 350 square feet when we're camped (meaning that the slides are extended). King size bed, spacious dresser, large enough closet, full kitchen, LR couch, a couple of recliners, two TVs, full size shower. Add the RV park amenities like pools, dog parks, walking trails, picnic benches, barbecues, and so forth and we've got all we need.

Although I love our sticks and bricks home, I'm always a little bummed to come in off the road. Living in our RV would suit me just fine.
Click to expand...

This does sound really nice Starsong. It’s nice to have so many options.
 
Everytime I check out a tiny house, here in Austin, I think, "My 30' RV is much nicer," and has the advantage of allowing me to easily move it to other towns, if I grow tired of its present location. I will be spending summers in my RV, in smaller northern towns, to escape the hell of Austin summers. I would never buy a tiny house. Try a full feature RV. You'll really like it.
 
No stairs or ladders!

RadishRose said:
I think tiny homes are adorable, but I'm not about to climb any ladders.
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Absolutely not! I agree. There are many configurations on the tiny home layout. You can get one with the queen size bedroom on the first floor with a storage loft and lots of window light. I’m too independent to live with a partner if I was interested in that lifestyle, but I miss out on lots of good things about it too. So being single it would work for me.
 
Hmmm, yeah I’m not really an R.V. kinda person. I agree some are very nice, but the one I’d want, Airstream, is too pricy. I’d rather have a foundation tiny house, though most are moble. I’m not in the position to handle a movable home situation on my own.
 
I'm absolutely fascinated by Tiny Houses. I love the show. And I have a little kit for making a model tiny house. Hawaii has a new law that it's legal to have cottage-like structures which you can rent out on your property (previously it was only for family). I ponder maybe someday putting in a tiny house on the property, living in it and renting out the main house. But there's not enough of a back yard to do it. Anyway, that will never happen. It would cost at least $40,000 to do it. Have to have all the material shipped in.
 
Whenever "downsizing" is discussed I like to offer some excellent advice give to me by one of my postal patrons. She was 105 years of age and sharp as a tack. She had a mild stroke and was in a nursing home when she told me: "When I moved from a five bedroom home to a one bedroom apartment it was SO stressful; what to keep, what to donate, what to throw away. All that stress and worry and THIS is what we all wind up with: (she pointed to each as she listed them) A bed, a dresser, a TV and a chair".
When we downsized it became our mantra.
She was to only patron I ever kissed. She wanted a "birthday" kiss when she was 104!
 
DGM, I read your story on an earlier SF thread and haven't forgotten it. Poignant and oh, so true! I have been keeping it in mind as I pare down my possessions.
 
Adu

Olivia said:
I'm absolutely fascinated by Tiny Houses. I love the show. And I have a little kit for making a model tiny house. Hawaii has a new law that it's legal to have cottage-like structures which you can rent out on your property (previously it was only for family). I ponder maybe someday putting in a tiny house on the property, living in it and renting out the main house. But there's not enough of a back yard to do it. Anyway, that will never happen. It would cost at least $40,000 to do it. Have to have all the material shipped in.
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Those small structures are sometimes referred to as Accessory Dwelling Units. But that’s a fancy name for tiny home. They’re permanent foundation structures. But I think they might be more expensive than tiny homes are. You def have that added headache living in Hawaii as far as getting building supplies. That’s probably one of the few drawbacks of living there.
 

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