Have you ever wondered what it must be like for someone who owns a tiny house to downsize? It’s something to think about. Anyway, the tiny house mindset has taken over the home-buying mentality of the younger generation. More and more people are avoiding the need to downsize in the future by starting, and staying, small. The rest of us could learn some valuable lessons here.
If you are not familiar with the tiny house mindset, it’s pretty easy to understand. It is a mindset that puts less value on the living space of a home and more value on spending time together and doing things outdoors. People who live in tiny homes find very creative ways to exist with just a few hundred square feet of living space. It’s actually quite impressive.
So what can we learn from them? Check out the lessons below.
Allocate Space Based on Use
There is a temptation among American home buyers to acquire more space as they move up the property ladder, simply for the sake of doing so. This strategy inevitably leads to filling up that extra space with possessions that will ultimately have to be dealt with when it comes time to downsize. A better strategy is to allocate space based on use.
Let’s say your family spends a lot of time in the kitchen and dining room. You would focus on homes with adequate space when you decide to buy. If you are not the kind of family that uses a separate formal dining room, there’s no need to look at houses with formal dining rooms. Here’s the point: having extra space simply for the sake of doing so doesn’t make a lot of sense. Your need for space should be dictated by how you use the space in your home.
Utilize Vertical Storage
Clutter is a big problem for a lot of people. But here’s the thing: clutter isn’t always the result of having too much stuff. Sometimes it is a matter of not effectively storing what you do have. And storage challenges are often the result of thinking horizontally rather than vertically.
A horizontal storage solution might consist of a series of totes stacked two or three high in a corner of the basement. A vertical storage solution is all about shelves. The great thing about vertical storage is that it works well both for things you don’t use very often and things you do. Just think about how much empty wall space you have in your home. How much of it could be better used by installing shelving.
Make Regular Purging a Habit
One thing tiny house owners have to do regularly is purge. The only way to prevent being overwhelmed by stuff is to routinely go through what they own in order to get rid of what they no longer need. This may be the most important lesson we can learn from them.
When clutter is the result of having too much stuff, no amount of storage is going to solve the problem. Too much stuff means getting rid of some of it. People who are willing to purge as a matter of habit are less likely to be overwhelmed by clutter. And then when it does come time to downsize, the chore isn’t nearly as difficult.
There are other lessons we can learn from the tiny house mindset. Perhaps they will be the subject of a future post. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact My Divine Concierge if you need help decluttering, downsizing, or even addressing a hoarding situation. These are all things we specialize in.