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You might think that tiny house living will solve most of your problems, as I have, because it will lower your bills and reduce the amount of chores you have to do around the house.
But is it really true? I’m beginning to question it even though I’m fanatic about the benefits of living in well-designed small spaces. Laura pointed out some of these realities and shared them with us in a post recently and the following are my thoughts on the issues she brought up after reading Audrey’s post over at Trying on Tiny.
Tiny House Living versus Apartment Living
Tiny houses are big on saving you money. It’s the fastest way to living mortgage free that I’ve ever heard of. But for some people, like myself, the amount of chores compared to apartment living will actually increase. Sure, cleaning your tiny house compared to your apartment will be quicker.
If you’re a renter or apartment dweller, have you had to mow the lawn lately? Have you had to worry about true house ownership like fixing leaks, maintaining the outside, the roof, and things like that?
These are the realities I’m talking about. For some these will be mundane chores that won’t faze them. If this is you, great! But for others it will cause us to miss our old apartment life where we flushed toilets, cleaned, and called our landlord when anything else went wrong.
The Extra Maintenance of Composting Toilets in Tiny Houses
Most tiny house owners are using a composting toilet, which I’m a big believer in because I hate how we urinate and poop in our drinking water. I always think, “can’t we at least use gray water to flush in our apartments and homes?”
I write that, but I still hypocritically flush my water toilet every time I go. I just know it’s not the best way and there are alternatives available.
The point is that composting requires labor that involves carrying a bucket of urine and poop out to ferment in a larger bucket so it can eventually turn into fertilizer for your garden.
Even though these can be inconveniences compared to most of our current lives we can’t ignore that they are the answers to many of our environmental problems. We’ve become a society that’s way too addicted to convenience. Even though I believe we can eventually combine convenience with what’s best or at least better for earth.
Tiny House Living Still Equals Freedom
My next point is, aren’t these chores worth it if they drastically lower financial demands in your life? If we moved into a tiny house, besides the initial financial shock of building the home, it would dramatically lower our monthly expenses.
With this newfound discretionary income we can choose to do so many things. If you wanted to work less, that’s totally possible now. If you wanted to change your career, it’s much easier. If you wanted to continue working as much as possible you can have the money to hire help around the house when you need it. The point is that there’s always a solution unique for you if you think creatively enough and act on those ideas. Either that or you can adapt to your new life. After all, us humans can adapt to pretty much anything. But the choice is yours. It’s your life!
Your Turn: Is Simple Living in a Tiny House Really All That Simple?
Do you think simple living really all that simple? It’s a tough question because it can slow your life down and help make it more enjoyable yet many times this simplification creates a bunch of new chores we didn’t think about as much.
I think the answer is in creating a customized solution for each person. There’s no one size fits all here. Little homes should be custom designed for your personal needs. Otherwise you may have some unwanted adjustments to make.
What false realities do you see in tiny house living that would affect you? Do you think these are well worth it considering the benefits of living small? How would you handle these challenges personally?
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through one of our links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Alex
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