One night while Netflix surfing we stumbled upon a documentary called "Tiny". The tiny living movement was still very fresh and definitely didn't have 15 different shows on HGTV.
We watched the movie in silence completely fascinated with the lifestyle these individuals had chosen to live and the reasons for making such a change that is against the grain. The one word they all repeated was FREEDOM, Freedom for so many things that tie us down in life. Freedom from debt and financial struggle all the way to the freedom to move at any given moment and live a life of fulfillment. Its not about the stuff, it should never be about the stuff!
The movie ended and Cody turned to me with a wide eyed look because he new I was hooked and our lives would never be the same. This was before we even dreamed of a family, and we couldn't even comprehend what an amazing lifestyle tiny living would bring us, We just new THIS IS IT!
We stayed up for hours surfing YouTube and dreaming of what kind of tiny house we would want but those were the easy parts. We had accumulated 1800 sqft worth of junk (mostly junk) and what would we do with all of these precious items we had acquired?
2 years would pass before tiny living was possible for us. We simply didn't have the finances to even begin. Time passed and new jobs came along and I got pregnant, The tiny living dream was over right? We actually moved into a bigger house, accumulated more junk and we found ourselves even further down deeper in the "rut" than before. We were happy but not free, We had the things but not the experiences or time we desired. The house we were living in we knew would never be our home, we were limited on any changes we could make and it felt like we were just occupying a space that we didn't enjoy, and there was no fulfillment there. There were rooms of the house we never entered and Skye had the big fancy Pinterest nursery that she never slept in.
The tiny living movement became more mainstream and different styles of tiny living came about. We didn't have the finances or the time to start from scratch so we had to take an alternate route. We bought a travel trailer, A 28ft camper. The first time I saw it on the website I new that was where we would call home. We had toured several campers but they all felt like cheap hotel rooms and none felt like it would be the place we raise our daughter. We bought the camper then less than 2 weeks later we moved in, it happened so fast but when you know, you know. We remodeled the interior to make it more functional as a "house" and we are still constantly changing the layout even 2.5 years in.
Both Cody and myself were raised in what would be considered "normal" households. I have always felt anything but normal, I'm attracted to what would be considered alternative lifestyles, I enjoy finding out what makes people choose the lives they live. I am also a little bit of a hippie and I'm constantly searching for the things that set my soul on fire. I need freedom! I need to do more than just exist in the world. These are the things that our lifestyle has brought us. We have been able to travel, live a healthy plant based lifestyle, go to school, I have opened my own business, and became a yoga instructor. These are the things we would have never dreamed of 3 years ago. We are different people and are thankful for the people we have developed into. We feel like we can provide a life for Skye that is exceptional, We can give her opportunities that before would not have been an option and she has the freedom to develop into the person she desires, and learn from the experiences of her life.
Having a tiny house actually has nothing to do with the house, it really is a lifestyle. As I said before I have a desire to do more than just exist in this world and be a consumer. I have a desire to give back, to make a difference and tiny living is one way I can do that. In tiny living you see quality or quantity, You have the things that are really important and serve a purpose to you and the rest doesn't matter, its just occupying a space. How often do we buy things we really don't need? Things to fill a space? A simplistic lifestyle means less clutter which means less waste, you don't just consume. It has helped us develop our place in this world. Also when you don't buy your don't spend, You don't buy the things you really can't afford anyway and your life doesn't have to be consumed with financial burden.
From our perspective simplicity is freedom, and this lifestyle bring a sense of consciousness. You are aware of what you are taking in and putting out in the world both literally and metaphorically.
We watched the movie in silence completely fascinated with the lifestyle these individuals had chosen to live and the reasons for making such a change that is against the grain. The one word they all repeated was FREEDOM, Freedom for so many things that tie us down in life. Freedom from debt and financial struggle all the way to the freedom to move at any given moment and live a life of fulfillment. Its not about the stuff, it should never be about the stuff!
The movie ended and Cody turned to me with a wide eyed look because he new I was hooked and our lives would never be the same. This was before we even dreamed of a family, and we couldn't even comprehend what an amazing lifestyle tiny living would bring us, We just new THIS IS IT!
We stayed up for hours surfing YouTube and dreaming of what kind of tiny house we would want but those were the easy parts. We had accumulated 1800 sqft worth of junk (mostly junk) and what would we do with all of these precious items we had acquired?
2 years would pass before tiny living was possible for us. We simply didn't have the finances to even begin. Time passed and new jobs came along and I got pregnant, The tiny living dream was over right? We actually moved into a bigger house, accumulated more junk and we found ourselves even further down deeper in the "rut" than before. We were happy but not free, We had the things but not the experiences or time we desired. The house we were living in we knew would never be our home, we were limited on any changes we could make and it felt like we were just occupying a space that we didn't enjoy, and there was no fulfillment there. There were rooms of the house we never entered and Skye had the big fancy Pinterest nursery that she never slept in.
The tiny living movement became more mainstream and different styles of tiny living came about. We didn't have the finances or the time to start from scratch so we had to take an alternate route. We bought a travel trailer, A 28ft camper. The first time I saw it on the website I new that was where we would call home. We had toured several campers but they all felt like cheap hotel rooms and none felt like it would be the place we raise our daughter. We bought the camper then less than 2 weeks later we moved in, it happened so fast but when you know, you know. We remodeled the interior to make it more functional as a "house" and we are still constantly changing the layout even 2.5 years in.
Both Cody and myself were raised in what would be considered "normal" households. I have always felt anything but normal, I'm attracted to what would be considered alternative lifestyles, I enjoy finding out what makes people choose the lives they live. I am also a little bit of a hippie and I'm constantly searching for the things that set my soul on fire. I need freedom! I need to do more than just exist in the world. These are the things that our lifestyle has brought us. We have been able to travel, live a healthy plant based lifestyle, go to school, I have opened my own business, and became a yoga instructor. These are the things we would have never dreamed of 3 years ago. We are different people and are thankful for the people we have developed into. We feel like we can provide a life for Skye that is exceptional, We can give her opportunities that before would not have been an option and she has the freedom to develop into the person she desires, and learn from the experiences of her life.
Having a tiny house actually has nothing to do with the house, it really is a lifestyle. As I said before I have a desire to do more than just exist in this world and be a consumer. I have a desire to give back, to make a difference and tiny living is one way I can do that. In tiny living you see quality or quantity, You have the things that are really important and serve a purpose to you and the rest doesn't matter, its just occupying a space. How often do we buy things we really don't need? Things to fill a space? A simplistic lifestyle means less clutter which means less waste, you don't just consume. It has helped us develop our place in this world. Also when you don't buy your don't spend, You don't buy the things you really can't afford anyway and your life doesn't have to be consumed with financial burden.
From our perspective simplicity is freedom, and this lifestyle bring a sense of consciousness. You are aware of what you are taking in and putting out in the world both literally and metaphorically.
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