Do you recall one of my very first articles on this blog where creativity was defined as “the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, et cetera”, according to dictionary.com? Well, there exists a new movement across the globe known as the “tiny house” movement. Talk about a new form and/or method of living. According to TheTinyLife.com, the tiny house movement “is a social movement where people are downsizing the space that they live in. The typical American home is around 2600 square feet, while the typical small or tiny house is around 100-400 square feet. Tiny Houses come in all shapes, sizes and forms but they focus on smaller spaces and simplified living.” In this series, along with the help of the infographic and some research, I will further explain the movement itself and the advantages of owning a tiny home. But first and foremost, I want to cover the cost portion of owning a tiny house versus owning a standard-size house.
Images by: tinyhouseblog.com
As a youth, I grew up wanting the typical “American dream” for my life. We all know the cliché American dream – corporate job, two and a half kids (where does the half come from and how is that possible?!), two story home, white picket fence, nice neighborhood, and for some a dog, although I relate more to the cat-loving individuals myself. I only want to touch on the “two story home” part of this dream and explain why I have discarded the idea of owning a standard-size house.
[box]Side note: In no way is this series meant to bash that idea or to say owning a standard-size house is a bad idea. My intent is only to provide new information and hopefully shed light to a movement that will help us all see how we can live a more simplified life.[/box]
“Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like.” – Will Rogers
Debt, debt, and more debt.
According to the infographic provided by TheTinyLife.com, “68% of tiny house people have no mortgage, compared to 29.3% of all U.S. homeowners.” That’s a staggering number, if I do say so myself.
– $272,000 – The average cost of a standard-sized house.
– $23,000 – The average cost to build a tiny house, if built by the owner.
One of the biggest factors drawing me to this new idea is how affordable owning a tiny house is. If you are like me, and most Americans for that matter, you have some amount of debt; be it credit card debt, student loans, car payment(s), a mortgage, et cetera. I want to be transparent and honest with you all. I am 27 years old and have been in some form of debt since I was 17. There came a point in my life where I got tired of owing someone money. Imagine owning your own home outright without having to make ridiculous mortgage payments for 15 to 30 years. Imagine what you could do, where you could travel, or the debt you could pay off without having those huge mortgage payments. How freeing would it be to have more money monthly to spend on doing the things you love, or having more money to pay off debt, or having more money to travel and see the world?
Image by: myballard.com
“I believe that a simple and unassuming manner of life is best for everyone, best both for the body and the mind.” – Albert Einstein
