7 Tiny-Home Owners on the Things They Realized They Didnt Actually Need

by admin December 1, 2019

When you live in just a few hundred square feet of space, you dont have room for the standard furniture, kitchenware, and decorative elements that fit into an average-size house, much less clutter. Tiny-home owners are experts in downsizingafter all, a lot of editing goes into packing your whole life into a space thats a fraction of the size youre used to.

While the thought of paring down to the true essentials may sound formidable, small-living experts swear that the process gets easier over time. When theres no room for objects to accumulate, you have no choice but to trim the excessand admittedly, some items take way less effort to give up than others. Here, seven households share the things they realized they didnt need.

A Dishwasher

One thing we thought we would miss was a dishwasher. But with fewer pots and pans, there are fewer dishes! We only own two wineglasses, so theres never a lot to washeven with a baby. Id spend ages in our old place looking for this or that while cooking dinner, and Id get so frustrated searching through all the cupboards. Now its easy: one pan, two pots, one large soup pot, one strainer, baking pans, a few good-quality knives. Were not spiralizing, cake-mixer, big-appliance users, so it was pretty easy to downsize.
Kate and Willem, @tinyhousefamilynz

24-7 WiFi

Before making the leap to a bus, we were quite concerned about connectivity; Meryl runs a business and I work in tech, so we wanted to be sure we didnt lose touch with the world. We purchased a rooftop unit that supposedly amplifies WiFi signals and increases our LTE connectionexcept it doesnt work very well. But what weve found is that 24-7 connectivity to the world just isnt necessary. Our contacts quickly learned not to expect immediate responses. Were more intentional about Internet when we have it. Instead of mindlessly scrolling through Instagram or Reddit, we try hard to proactively download the books, maps, music, weather forecasts, and information we need when we have a signal so that were well equipped when we dont. Information scarcity, it turns out, is a great case for intentionality.
Tim and Meryl, @busplusus

A Television

Above all, Im glad that we didnt make room for a television. Dont get me wrong, we still watch movies occasionally on an iPad or laptop, but its so nice to only interact with those devices when we choose to, as opposed to having them out in front of us all the time.
Bela, @belafish

Our little home is still quite technologically advancedit has a mini smart home system with lighting, music, and securitybut we dont have a TV, and we havent missed it at all. Its so easy to sit down and turn it on just because its there; before you know it youve spent three hours of your life watching something just because you could! We do have a mini projector, but we dont use it oftenI think the finale of Game of Thrones was the last time!
Ceri and Will, @tothemountainsnback

Just Because Clothes

Weve donated a good amount of clothing to various thrift shops. Every few months, we examine our wardrobe and reassess whether or not were wearing everything in our closetif not, it goes immediately into the donate pile.
Natasha and Brett, @sugarhousehomestead and @sugarhouseceramicco

Cooking Appliances

There were many smaller appliances that we realized we didnt need: a rice cooker, a Keurig, a Crock-Pot, and a microwave. We can cook rice on the stove top, make coffee in a pour-over, and reheat food on the stove or in a small convection oven.
Shannon, @shannonsoine

A Dining Table

In our big house, we had a large, nine-person dining room table that we only ate at a couple times a year. When we moved into our tiny home, we decided not to sacrifice space for a table we hardly use. Weve honestly never thought twice about the decision.
Cera, @summittinyhomes