How to Become a Tiny House Minimalist

Whether you’re a bachelor who’s tired of living alone in a big house. Perhaps you’re a conservationist keeping track of your carbon footprint. Or, you’ve moved out on your own recently, you’re most likely interested in making the most of what you have.

Necessity might be driving you, or it’s a choice. Whatever the case, there’s something refreshing about stripping life to its essentials. The good news is that it’s possible to make a cottage feel like a castle, all you have to do is follow a few simple steps.

Become a Conscious Consumer

It’s time to face facts. You don’t need everything you own. But, we can’t deny the reasons behind our desire to hoard “stuff.” Sometimes we do it because the knick-knacks in our home have sentimental value. Other times it’s because, “Yeah, I might need that one day.”

Whatever the reason, make sure it’s good enough. The next time you go out shopping, ask yourself if what you’re buying has any practical purpose. Don’t just ask yourself if you will the item will benefit you, ask yourself how long it will benefit you. If you can easily answer this, then there’s a good chance it’s a worthwhile item to buy.

Don’t Compete

Most of us feel pressured to look a certain way, whether we like it or not. We’re constantly trying to uphold a certain lifestyle. The life of a minimalist can be so liberating because you can stop living to impress others. Instead, you will live the life that is best for you and your health.

You can dress in any way you like and downsize in many different ways without having to worry about what people think. As long as it’s convenient, comfortable and time and energy-saving then it’s what you’re looking for.

A lot of people are waking up to the reality that dressing better than someone else or having the latest gadgets does little for your quality of life. Building a big house nowadays doesn’t do much except land you in a pile of debt.

Rather, try your hand at downsizing and live minimally in a tiny house. You’ll save both time and money, which you can divert to the things that actually matter to you.

The Small Print

A lot of us don’t know how lucky we are to have a roof over our head. When we begin to appreciate the things we have, then life becomes more fulfilling and every little step starts to seem like a major milestone.

Retail therapy is very short-lived; shopaholics constantly need ‘fixes’ to regulate their mood. The less dependent you are on things; the greater the sovereignty of your happiness. Whenever you feel the urge to go shopping, see if you can’t fill that need with a more productive and valuable pursuit instead. Read a book, plant a tree, try out a new recipe, start learning a new language or an instrument.

The possibilities are endless.

Take out the Trash

You must be surgical in your ways, comb through every crack and crevice looking for excess. Whatever is extra, whatever has been gathering dust, whatever reminds you of that heartbreak; get rid of it.

Sometimes a single item can serve the purpose of three, so why keep all three? Your laptop can play movies, video games and help you get work done. So why keep that big old TV with the decoder, the satellite dish and all that wiring? You won’t die if you downsize, you might feel lighter.

Focus on the Little Things

Possessions can take hold of our emotions so that it feels as though losing everything would lead to a total meltdown. Living in a tiny house offers a newfound appreciation for the little things in life. The sunshine, your garden, the luxury of privacy. What seemed insignificant before will become a source of great joy and wonder.

Open Mind, Open House

A great way to make your tiny home feel bigger is by opening it up to the outside world. This can be achieved in so many ways and you won’t even have to break down the walls. Features like glass ceilings that let in natural light, patios or outdoor dining areas can help. All these can fool one into thinking there’s more space than there actually is.

Sliding doors let in a lot of fresh air and can give your house a feeling of free-flowing energy. The outdoors are great for refreshing the mind and the more you can incorporate that into your living space, the better.

Try bringing in a potted plant or two, a small fountain or anything that invokes a spirit of adventure or mystery can be worth keeping around.

Easy Does it

One of the things you can do when scaling down your life is to break the process down into small parts that are easier to handle. It took years and years to amass all the things you have so it’s unlikely that you’ll throw it all out in an hour.

Take the time to process what you’re doing so that it sinks in well. Major changes in lifestyle don’t happen in a day; they take time because a lifestyle is something you will always have to refine.

Taking your time will also give you the advantage of making well thought out decisions that you won’t back out on. If you throw things out too fast, you might find yourself digging for your stuff in the trash. Or, you’ll be back at the store buying replacements. Remember, many of the things you might not use are most likely tied to strong emotions. As you handle them, you are dealing with mental sediment created when acquiring them.

The Big Picture

Life in a tiny house can be a dream. You have less to worry about and all the time, money and energy you save can go towards something meaningful. Not only that but tiny houses are can be simple to make warm and cozy.

There’s no judgmental echo or a suffocating standard of living. Life is bare, pregnant with substance and void of pretentiousness. There is no vain ambition.

Everything is genuine; longevity and sustainability are the principles to live by. That’s why if you have something in a tiny house, it better be worth keeping. Happy downsizing!