Four Benefits of Miniaturization: Life in a Tiny Home
The last few years have seen a surge in strategies to obtain and sustain financial freedom; there has also been increasing interest in environmental sustainability, reducing carbon footprints, and living more minimalistic lives. People in general are unsatisfied working a typical nine to five job; they want to invest their time and money into other more joyous parts of life, such as traveling and investing in their communities. Some are achieving these aspirations by downsizing their living situation to a tiny home, which has become a generational movement called “tiny house living.” Here are some of the benefits to entering into the tiny house lifestyle:
1. Maximize Financial Freedom
Tiny homes, in general, bring about financial freedom. They are much cheaper to build and sustain than a typical, larger-sized home. Tiny homes are typically about 200 square feet, although they can be bigger, and the cost caps around one-fourth of the cost of the average home. Downsizing to a tiny home is a great move for someone looking to save money, decrease credit card debt, or get rid of a hefty mortgage payment. Tiny homes also cost less in utilities, cleaning, furnishing, and taxes. Overall, converting to a tiny house lifestyle is a great way to obtain financial freedom.
2. Promote Sustainability
Tiny homes are also a great way to move towards a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle. These homes can be customized, meaning they can be made out of recycled and repurposed materials, not to mention fewer materials. Additionally, they can be designed with environmentally sustainable features, like solar panels. They also produce significantly less CO2 emissions, because they require less electricity, water, and heat. Those who live in tiny homes also consume less due to the small size of their living quarters and reduced storage space, which results in less waste.
3. Promote Minimalism
In today’s society, consumerism is the norm; it is commonplace for individuals to feel that more is more and that accumulating material goods will increase happiness. The tiny house movement combats this consumerist mentality. Considering that tiny homes are smaller in square feet, it follows that those who downsize will also have to minimize their belongings. Due to the decrease in storage space and inability to house excess items, tiny homes promote minimalism and require their tenants to keep and invest only in necessities. Tenants are forced to only keep the things they use often or that bring them joy. After minimizing, one might find that although certain items made them happy initially, in bulk they only served as clutter.
4. Reduce Stress
Downsizing to a tiny home can also be a great way to reduce stress, especially if that stress primarily stems from issues involving finances or a mundane daily life. Typically, the largest portion of one’s income goes towards housing, therefore downsizing the living situation can allow tenants to spend their money elsewhere.
Written by Brett Saxon
References
Admin. (2020, April 20). 10 benefits of living in a tiny house. Retrieved Spring, 2021, from https://tinyhousecitizens.com/10-benefits-living-tiny-house/
Ethan. (2021, March 10). How big can a tiny house be? Retrieved Spring, 2021, from https://www.thetinyhouse.net/how-big-can-a-tiny-house-be/
Stanford, D. (2019, September 09). Tiny houses have even tinier carbon footprints. Retrieved Spring, 2021, from https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/baseload/tiny-houses-have-even-tinier-carbon-footprints/#gref
Vanorio, A. (2020, October 21). What's the tiny House Movement? Why the fuss over Tiny Homes? Retrieved Spring, 2021, from https://tinylivinglife.com/2019/06/whats-the-tiny-house-movement-and-why-its-going-to-change-the-way-you-want-to-live-your-life/