Finding the Right Size to Live Large
Tammy and Logan's small winter bungalow in town
I know that some of our Living Large’s community also reads Tammy Strobel’s blog over at Rowdy Kittens. I’ve been following her and Logan’s adventures for years, before they even moved into their tiny on wheels three years ago.
Tammy shared some news on her blog this past week that they rented a small, 700-square foot bungalow in town rather than live in their tiny home for the winter.
As I have for several years, I admire Tammy’s honesty on her blog. I think sometimes that tiny house living looks “picture-perfect, romantic and glamorous,” as she says, but as she points out, living a “simpler” lifestyle in a tiny isn’t always that way. It has its good points and downsides, just like living anywhere.
Like Dale and I, it sounds as though Tammy and Logan had a hard time dealing with the terrible winter the country experienced last year. While our pipes didn’t freeze and we always had running water, we did have plenty of snow, which kept Dale home (and unpaid) from work for a day and me feeling a little trapped (I don’t do well driving on snow) sometimes for weeks on end. It wasn’t as bad as the year we had the ice storm, but it was pretty bad.
When we moved to Our Little House, I had romantic notions of living and writing from the woods full time. While I love our home, the woods and our life here most seasons of the year, it has had its challenges. Country living, no matter how many modern amenities you have, is much different than living in the city.
I hate the barrenness of winter. I hate that season anywhere, but at least in town, you do have snow plows and utility companies with a vested interest in getting power back on in days rather than weeks. Cooking on a woodstove is fun for a couple of days, but for me, the novelty wears off quick.
Last winter had us seriously considering finding a small bungalow in our hometown this past spring and moving. However, when we put pen to paper and added up the numbers, we could not do so without selling Our Little House, and there is no way I’m doing that anytime soon.
Like Tammy, I’m not complaining, but there are challenges in a small space and even more when that small space is in a very rural area. I’m sure there are even more in a tiny on wheels than we have here.
I’ll also make the point I’ve made so many times here and on our Facebook page: Living Large (i.e. living a simpler, happier life) isn’t about the square footage in which you reside; everyone must find that for themselves; it is indeed a state of mind.
The point is actually living in what space suits you and your family, one that allows you also to not accumulate unnecessary clutter and also allows you to actually live your life.
I applaud Tammy for taking this step, living a new adventure in their new cottage in town and finding the right size and living large state of mind for them.
If you haven’t read Tammy’s blog post, hop on over, especially if you’re planning on building or moving into a tiny on wheels, as she outlines some of the challenges they’ve experienced.
What do you think would be some of the challenges you would face living in a small space on wheels or in the country?
This is a great post.
I was in a Simple Living support group with a couple who had moved to our upstate NY town from Santa Barbara, CA. They talked about how much harder it was to live in a small house when you’re cooped up indoors for six months at a time.
In CA, they could live larger by using the beach and parks for alternative living spaces all year round.
One solution in the cold parts of the country is to try to spend more time outdoors, despite the weather. That’s what my Norwegian friends do and they seem to have a much more positive attitude toward the season than I (and many Americans) do.
Great idea, Pamela!