Hey SHLTR Readers! We are Tim and Sam, owners of Tiffany the Tiny Home. We wanted to share our experience with our lifestyle in the hopes that someone on the fence about tiny living might have an easier time making a decision.
We decided to go tiny a year and a half ago. Tim was ready to buy a home, but I (Sam) wasn’t ready to commit to 30-40 years in one spot. As soon as we started researching tiny homes, we were in. We were surprised by the realistic standards we were looking at. It wasn’t a pipe dream anymore, we could really do this. The timeline we were working with was a short 90 days. We had to work quickly. Tim found Tiffany from Adam at A New Beginning Tony Homes in Florida. We saw the home twice and knew it was our home. We closed quickly and started preparing. The next 60 days were a whirlwind. We got rid of 80% of our belongings by selling and donating it.
Now, a year and a half into our journey, life is a lot different than it was before we made this decision. The biggest benefit for us is our long-term financial health. We’re 2 short years from owning our home. That’s a lot shorter than the average American couple buying their first home. In addition to this, our cost of living is way lower than it was before. We spend less on electricity ($30/month!) and other utilities than we thought was possible. Because we don’t have room for much, each and every belonging is precious. We don’t impulse buy. Every purchase is made knowing that it will replace two other items currently in our home. This helps us use our space efficiently and cuts back on the stress of owning material things. We’re also free to travel more. Lower cost of living means more money saved, and some spent on travel purely for the joy of it. This is something we did our best to squeeze in, but had a lot of trouble. Now, it seems as though we are always on the go.
Another huge benefit of tiny living that we are always sure to mention is our mental health. We both struggle with anxiety, and owning less has helped a lot with that. There are likely several factors that play into this. Because we own less, we spend less time and money maintaining our belongings. We appreciate everything we have much more. We are a lot less likely to be distracted by items, so we’re free to spend our time how we choose to. Most often we choose to spend it with loved ones. We both feel more present while spending time with friends and family. Because our finances are in better shape than before, I feel less stress and more able to enjoy myself. We spend our money and time consciously. Another factor here is that I personally felt a lot of guilt over the huge carbon footprint we seem to unconsciously make. Now, our home is essentially plastic-free, we are energy and water efficient, and we take up a lot less room. This lifestyle is much more in line with our personal values of preserving this magical Earth.
Overall, this lifestyle was the right decision for us. We laugh when people can’t get past just how small our home is. All we see are the benefits.
Follow Tiffany the Tiny Home on Instagram! And for your daily dose of the world’s best places & spaces, make sure you’re following SHLTR on Instagram as well.
