There are countless ways to send the planet some good vibes. At the moment, one of the most popular methods involves downsizing your living situation and choosing an environmentally-friendly little house. Not only does this decision drastically reduce your impact on the environment, but it can make great financial sense, reduce stress, and allow for freedom of location.
You’re sold. You want to jump into a tiny home and start a whole new life. That’s wonderful news, but there are a few things you need to keep in mind if you are looking to make the transition to a tiny house.
Make Sure This Is Right For You
First and foremost, you must find a way to get in a tiny space, even if it’s just for a day or two. You need to see how it feels. It’s not super common, but sometimes people put in all the preparation work in a frenzy of motivation and then step inside their small new home and instinctively know that the choice is not right for them. You’re likely not one of these people, but just in case you are, spend a little time in a small house before you start making big changes.
This will also give you an idea of what sort of things you need and want in your tiny home. Some people need a separate bathroom and kitchen sink. Some people need a bed that is wider than they are. Figure out where you can give up space and where you cannot.
Start Downsizing Yesterday
Second, you’re going to want to prepare your belongings. This can take a long time depending on how emotional you get during the process, and how much stuff you have. For some people, it’s as easy as making a little pile of the things they want to keep and donating everything else.
For others, this will take time. They will need to go through each item, ruminating on where it came from and making sure none of their close friends or family members want to babysit it.
Everyone is likely going to find that one thing that was much harder to get rid of then they thought. For someone, it’s going to be their books, for someone else their children’s baby toys, for a third person their wedding dress.
Try not to judge yourself during this time, it’s part of the process and it is okay to mourn the loss of a physical item. Give yourself the space you need to adjust emotionally at your own pace. Again, it’s okay. You’re not a bad person.
It is also completely okay to give your sister a keepsake box to keep in her attic or to lend a stack of books to your dad indefinitely. However, it is important that during this stage you don’t pass along your material possessions (read: material problems) to someone else. The goal should be less clutter, not less clutter for you, and more for them.
Change How You Think About Shopping
At this point, you’re going to want to start curtailing your purchases as well. There’s no point in minimizing your possessions only to add in a whole bunch of new stuff. Mindful shopping is going to be a big part of your life from now on and you can begin practicing early.
Think about where the new item will go before you buy it. Question whether you want or need it. If you want to get hardcore, you can begin to test yourself.
Figure out how much cupboard space you’ll have in your tiny home and try to use only that much after a grocery shop. Yes, it’s going to be a challenge. Wait until you see that little refrigerator and realize you might never be able to buy a normal-sized jug of milk again.
Learn About Energy And Utilities
Depending on the type of tiny home you want, you might need to learn about hooking up water or using different plumbing systems. You might want to research propane and gas heaters, or mini air conditioning units. The time to understand these systems and their impact on the environment.
Many tiny-living situations have power and water, but not as much as you’re probably used to. Experts at https://tinyhousehugeideas.com/ recommend thinking about this not as going without but as using everything to its maximum.
When you use energy, be mindful of it. How many times a day do you turn on the sink and use water? Flush the toilet? Do you leave the lights or heating on when you’re not home?
Practice using utilities to the maximum now, before you’re in that tiny home and you used all the water doing laundry and now you can’t shower.
Find A Location For Your Tiny Home
This is one of those “who would have known this would be so tricky” things. Every country, state, and county has its own laws about tiny-house living. Simply put, you’re not allowed to set up your tiny house wherever you want.
Some places are lenient and open about tiny-homes, some places are not. Do your research and look up the by-laws in the area you’d like to set up in.
With these mental shifts, you are well on your way to being prepared for eco-friendly, tiny-house living. Of course, you can never be fully prepared for this type of journey, you can only learn as much as you can and become as aware as you can before jumping in.
