Category: Living

This article has been reviewed in accordance with our editorial policy.

My husband and I have been living tiny for almost 4 years now. We have had a lot of people ask us for tips and how they can go tiny as well. So I wanted to take the time to give everyone some tricks and advise for going tiny.

15 Tips for Tiny House Living

1. Downsize with These Tips
2. Have These 4 Storage Areas
3. Choose Some Dark Colors
4. Have a Coat Closet
5. Buy Cheap Floors
6. Use a Fold Out Table
7. Use Fold Up Chairs
8. Make Lists for Shopping
9. Organize Your Stuff Monthly
10. Declutter Once a Year
11. Buy a Lug Nut Covering Wheel Lock
12. Use Cleaning Vinegar
13. Keep Important Documents Organized
14. Keep a Box of Useful Items
15. Get Window Shades

1. Downsize with These Tips

Downsizing is always a big concern for people who want to go tiny. The biggest change in living tiny is having less space and thus, less stuff. Here are some tricks you can use to help yourself downsize.

1. Have a Friend Help You

One of the big problems I have found people to have is the inability to know what to downsize. Even if you have four similar items, it can be hard to determine if you really don’t need them.

Having an outsider opinion can help you drastically. Since they do not see what you own every day, they did not buy it, and they do not feel an emotional attachment to it.

Be sure to chose a friend who is either a minimalist or has a similar mindset. They can help you determine what you will actually use and what you will not.

2. Mark Your Items with Tape

This is the best way to actually see what you use frequently. Place a piece of tape on everything you own, it’s best to color code, and then take it off when you use the item.

After just a couple months you will really see a pattern. We tend to use the same items over and over again, even if we have other options. This is an efficient way to visualize what you actually need.

3. Touch Each Item

Another popular way of downsizing is by feeling your items. If you feel happy when you touch it, than keep it. If you don’t feel excited about it, than you probably need to get rid of it.

A huge bonus to living tiny is that, since you don’t own many things, you can own all of your favorite things. When I need something, I buy something I love.

I don’t need things very often, and I keep them until they are broken. But when I do buy something, I get exactly what I want. Every day I wear my favorite clothes, I use my favorite dishes, and sleep with my favorite blanket.

2. Have These 4 Storage Areas

Storage is key to living tiny. You do not need lots of things, but you do need a place to keep the things you have. I have found that there are a few key storage areas you will need.

1. “Rarely Used” Storage–Large

This is where you will keep things you need on occasion or seasonally. Here we keep snow boards, a back up propane heater, Christmas tree, fancy occasion outfits, a suitcase, a dog cone, extra blanket, and some seasonal clothes.

2. Bathroom Storage–Medium to Small

This does not have to be in your bathroom, this is just what I call it, based on the type of things you store. Here we store bathroom supplies, dog stuff, cleaning supplies, gym stuff, laundry stuff, and some extras like bug spray.

3. Clothing Storage–Medium to Small

Obviously, you need a good place to store your clothes. Keep in mind your dirty clothes too, have a hamper in a convenient location. We either have a closet to hang our clothes and a small sock drawer or we have a dresser.

4. Kitchen Storage–Medium

This will be the area you store everything else, including things you use a lot. Of course we store food and cooking supplies in our kitchen but we also store paperwork, pens, books, scissors, keys, bags, remotes, medicine, and so on.

3. Choose Some Dark Colors

People often say having light colors makes the room feel open. That is not the case. Having a dark wall makes it feel as if that is open space. It is a better idea to use some dark colors if you want the space to feel open.

4. Have a Coat Closet

The one thing we always forget about, when designing a home, is where to put our coats. This may seem minor, until you have a pile of bulky coats that you don’t know where to put.

Ideally having a coat closet would be best. However, you can also just use some wall hooks in a well placed area. We have some coat hooks by the door, over our laundry hamper and the wall hooks for our chairs.

5. Buy Cheap Floors

This one depends on your lifestyle. Keep in mind that the floors in a tiny house get much more wear on them than a regular home. This is because you have less floor space to do different things.

We have five dogs in our tiny house and the floors are always the first thing to get ruined. In a tiny house floors are relatively cheap to replace. If you live around a lot of dirt, have pets, or plan on moving around in your tiny house, I would definitely recommend getting cheap floors. Then you will not be so heart broken when they get ruined.

6. Use a Fold Out Table

We have a fold out table that I use all the time for work, school, dinner, or anything else.

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7. Use Fold Up Chairs

Such a huge space saver!

8. Make Lists for Shopping

This is key when doing any kind of shopping, whether it’s clothes, food, supplies, or anything else. Make a list of what you need and stick to it, this will help you avoid buying something you already have or something you don’t have room for anyway.

9. Organize Your Stuff Monthly

Ideally you should do this once a week. Things tend toward disorder. I usually organize a drawer or small area once a week. If I am too busy I will take a few hours once a month and organize a larger area.

This is key to maintaining a happy life in a tiny house. It is so easy for things to get out of order and become difficult to live around. It is a lot easier to organize your stuff constantly when you don’t have very much. Keep it that way!

10. Declutter Once a Year

At least once a year, sometimes every six months, my husband and I go through all of our stuff. We sort through and get rid of anything we are no longer using or is too worn out. This is easy to do when you have a tiny house and not a lot of stuff.

You need to stay consistent at this or you will have too many things to fit in a tiny house. Things always seem to accumulate and it is important dispose of or donate things you don’t use.

We have been living tiny for almost four years and we really don’t buy much anymore. However, I am still amazed at the amount of things I find in my tiny house, each year, that I do not use.

I was shocked when we had been living in a 7′ x 14′ for under 6 months and I still found a black trash bag full of things we did not use or that were broken. Even if you do not live in a tiny house, staying on top of this will help you stay way more organized.

11. Buy a Lug Nut Covering Wheel Lock

This is essential if you have a tiny house on wheels (THOW) and still have the wheels on it. I have heard so many horror stories of people driving off with someone’s home.

This is your home and it has all of your pets and belongings in it. Getting a good wheel lock is an additional safety measure. You can also install a GPS in your house, but I would still recommend a wheel lock.

Get a wheel lock that covers the lug nuts too. Most THOWs are on a dual axle trailer. If you just put a simple wheel lock on it, the thief can still take the tire off, pull out the axle, and drive away with the other axle in tact. Also, these wheel locks are usually a little more heavy and harder to cut off.

12. Use Cleaning Vinegar

I recommend using cleaning vinegar or white vinegar to do almost all of your cleaning. Cleaning vinegar is more acidic, but otherwise they work the same way.

You can use this for most types of cleaning and it will save space in your house, by not needing 4 different options. Also, most composting toilets recommend that you use vinegar to clean the toilet, so it is something you may already be buying.

13. Keep Important Documents Organized

There may not be a lot of space in your home and you have to decide where to store things you don’t use often. However, keep you important paperwork somewhere you can always find it.

I cannot remember how many times it was a life saver to know exactly where my documents were, whether we were moving, traveling, or just living daily life.

Knowing exactly where your important paperwork is and having it organized, will not only come in useful, but it will also give you peace of mind.

There are some little things like this that you need to think about when living tiny. You will not likely have a home office or even a cabinet dedicated to paperwork. But it is critical that you keep it safe and organized. Do not let things like this get lost in your extra storage.

14. Keep a Box of Useful Items

This has been a life saver for me many times. Not only is it useful to have this box when you need it, but it also eliminates you having to buy the same thing over and over.

Everyone’s box will be a little different, it will be designed to fit them.

My box has packaging tape (every year I send Christmas presents to my family), a stapler, envelopes, stamps, an eraser, tape, and so on. This is important to keep organized as well.

15. Get Window Shades

This seems so small but makes such a big difference. Living in a tiny house is different than a larger home in that you always feel like you are close to being outside.

This is usually a great thing, I love feeling like I’m on a porch while watching the rain. However, I do not want to feel like my neighbors can always see me. Having curtains up can help give you more privacy.

Specialized Tinys, LLC

That is it for today, but if you felt like this helped you then check out more on our site to see real insider tips and information from someone who actually lives tiny!

This article has been reviewed in accordance with our editorial policy.

The tiny house trend has been popular for about 5 years now. And there are still lots of questions, for example; How long do families actually live in tiny houses? This can be hard to answer since there is not a solid way to collect this data.

So, how long do families live in tiny houses? A recent poll of people currently living tiny showed that over 50% of them have been living in a tiny house for 1-4 years. This would align with around the time tiny houses grew in popularity. However, some families have been living tiny for much longer.

My husband and I have been living tiny for almost 4 years now! So we fit in the majority. We have lots of people ask us about tiny house life and we want the internet to have a been understanding from an informed source.

How Long Do Families Live in Tiny Houses?

How long people actually live in their tiny houses is a big question on the internet. However, it is difficult to get this data, since tiny houses are not titled and sold like regular houses. Also, a lot of tiny housers live off-grid.

We cannot pull deed records or view almost any recorded data for these homes. Even if you are able to look at when the houses were built you cannot get a record of used sales for many, if not most, tiny houses.

In order to still provide as accurate data as possible, Specialized Tinys, LLC conducted a survey to find out more information about tiny housers.

A recent survey of people who are living in tiny houses revealed that over 50% of tiny housers have lived tiny for 1-4 years. And over 27% have lived tiny for more than 4 years.

All rights reserved, this site and its contents are copyright © 2020 and onward of Specialized Tinys, LLC.*

The survey showed that out of those who are living tiny, 17.3% have been doing it less than a year, 28% for 1-2 years, 28% for 2-4 years, 10.7% for 4-6 years, 8% for 6-9 years, and 8% for over 9 years.

With this data, we can say that it is likely that a lot of people who go tiny stay tiny. If this were not the case then most of the participants would have been in the “less than a year” category.

Many people go tiny to STAY tiny. Data shows that over 1/4th of tiny housers have been living tiny for over 4 years. And still over half of those tiny housers have lived tiny for over 6 years!

According to a report by Tiny Society in 2018, 2 out of 5 tiny housers are over 50 years old. Lots of older people are deciding to live tiny for the cost and convenience.

It can get tiresome to be cleaning and maintaining a large house for years. Also, after your children have moved out of the house you don’t always need the space.

But also there are lots of younger people who want to live in a tiny house for a long time, if not forever. They are starting to see how much money they can save, by not buying a big house or owning lots of stuff.

You can even get tiny houses with two bedrooms to accommodate families. This way you can own a small home and stay out of debt or even spend more time traveling with your family.

According to Tiny Society in 2018, it was reported that 89% of tiny house owners maintain less debt from credit cards than the typical American. It was also reported that 60% of people who live tiny have absolutely no credit card debt, and moreover 55% of people who live tiny also have larger savings accounts than the average homeowner.

Additionally, they also reported that 68% of tiny housers don’t even have a mortgage. There are lots of reasons to live in a tiny house permanently, whether it’s the money, environmental footprint, or even having less housework.

However, there are a lot of people who only plan on staying in a tiny house for a couple of years. Just under half of the tiny housers haven’t lived in their house for over 2 years yet.

I have heard a lot of young couples say they want to live tiny for a couple of years to save money for a house. And this isn’t just young couples. I have heard lots of people say they want to go tiny for a few years to save money or prepare for another part of life.

Or people want to be able to travel around for a couple of years and then come home. There is a huge appeal to go tiny in order to travel around, you can spend a year or two exploring an entire country.

There are lots of reasons to go tiny! Some reasons are permanent and some of them are not. Living tiny is a lifestyle that is amenable to fit most people.

How Many People Live in a Tiny House?

All rights reserved, this site and its contents are copyright © 2020 and onward of Specialized Tinys, LLC.*

Another question we are all wondering; “How many people live in a tiny house?” The graph above shows data recently collected from current tiny house owners.

The data shows that 30.4% of tiny housers live by themselves, 47.8% have 2 people in the house, 8.7% have 3, 4.3% have 4, and 8.7% have 5 or more people living in their tiny house.

Almost half of tiny houses have two people living in them, this is definitely the majority. And the second most popular option is living by yourself, with 30% of tiny housers doing this.

But still, over 20% of tiny housers are living with their family. Going tiny doesn’t mean you have to live by yourself. You can have a family in a tiny house too.

Even more interesting, out of these respondents, 82.6% of tiny house owners have pets in their house too. Most people who go tiny, do so with at least one pet.

The data showed that 60.9% of them had at least one cat, and 47.8% had at least one dog. However, 65.2% of tiny housers have more than one pet in their house, compared to only 17.4% of all tiny housers only have one pet living with them.

A small house can hold as much happiness as a big one.

Fortune cookie

A fortune cookie once said a small house can hold as much happiness as a big one. Tiny houses are for all different types of people and all different amounts of them.

Whether you live by yourself or you have a family, you can still go tiny. The majority of tiny housers are couples, but there are still lots of other types. And almost all of them have fur friends living with them too.

Where are Tiny Houses Located?

As tiny houses grow in popularity, their locations are expanding. Tiny houses can be found all over the world. America is starting to grow in popularity and lots of places are becoming accepting of tiny houses.

Lots of tiny houses travel as well. We have lived in 5 states in our tiny house. It can be hard to pinpoint where a lot of tiny houses are actually located, especially ones that live off the grid.

However, in America, an over representative amount of tiny houses are located in California and Florida. The next most popular states are Oregon, Washington, and Colorado.

Tiny House Statistics

Let’s take a look at some tiny house facts. All of the following statistics are from tiny society.

On average tiny houses are 100-400 square feet in size.

The average mortgage for a tiny house is around $50,000, and for a standard homeowner, it is around $250,000. Only 68% of tiny housers have a mortgage.

In 1983, the average home was 1,725 square feet and in 2013 it was reported to be 2,598. That’s over a 50% increase in just 20 years.

144 tiny houses can fit inside a football field, 17,424 tiny houses can fit inside Disneyland California, and 2,020 tiny houses can fit on the Golden Gate Bridge.

There was very low interest in tiny houses in 2004, but there has been a steady increase ever since. Tiny houses reached about 30% of their popularity in 2014, over 10 years. Then interest doubled in one year, reaching 70% in 2015, and it has been steadily increasing since.

The average listing price on tinyhouselistings.com was $46,300.

Homes beneath the 500 square feet range are appreciating twice as fast as the overall market, according to realtor.com (19% vs. 9%).

Including tiny houses built on a foundation, then the average price is $119,000, according to realtor.com.

Why Look at Tiny House Statistics?

Let’s face it, tiny houses are not going away. They have been increasing in popularity for several years now. And even before that lots of people lived in their RVs or other small homes.

Understanding the increasing desire for tiny houses will help laws and regulations be adjusted to fit them in as well. We cannot advocate for tiny houses if we do not understand the people that live in them.

Understanding how others live tiny and why may help us understand more about how we can do the same or even achieve similar goals. There are many ways and reasons to live tiny, to fit most lifestyles.

Why We Went Tiny

My husband and I decided to go tiny almost 4 years ago. We were living in Vegas at the time and my husband saw a tiny house on TV. Soon after he was obsessed.

Frankly, I was not very interested, but he was constantly looking up tiny houses and ideas. One thing I absolutely love about my husband is that he never stops learning.

When people get home from work and are watching TV, my husband is researching and learning something new. He has taught himself almost everything you need to know about solar off of YouTube!

So the research continued. One day he finally came to me and said he wanted to build a tiny house. I said no. But then he brought it up again, and again.

Soon we started to talk about the idea. We wanted to buy a home, instead of renting, but we also were planning on moving frequently. So it seemed like too much stress to buy and sell a house in a year.

My husband knew that he could build a tiny house himself, and then we would own something and not have to rent. Plus we could continue to move it with us.

Owning a self-sustainable house for around $30,000 is what sold me. It was really a perfect idea for us. At that time I got a great promotion and moved to Utah for the job.

My husband stayed in Vegas for another 4 months to build our home. He worked nonstop, spending every weekend and evening on our home. He had some help from a couple of friends, but he built most of our house in 4 months, while still working a full-time job.

We moved into it before it was quite finished, and worked on it as we lived in it. Some things were harder than we thought they would be and some things were easier.

We found land to stay on in Utah and a year later we moved to Virginia. We stayed there for 17 months and then moved to the Pacific Northwest. And six months later we moved to northern Nevada.

Living tiny has allowed us to do lots of things that would have not otherwise been feasible. We’ve seen so many places living tiny and it has allowed us to save so much money. It was the perfect idea for us.

Related Questions

Do people live in tiny houses? Lots of people live in tiny houses. As they grow in popularity, more and more are starting to understand the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of living in something smaller. I have heard so many people say they could never go tiny, and then after seeing my house, say the complete opposite.

How much does it cost to live in a tiny house? The cost of living in a tiny house varies considerably depending on if you are financing the house, paying a lot rent, or own everything free and clear. Lot rent for tiny houses is around $500 on average. However, the daily cost of living tiny will likely be much cheaper than a regular home, due to less space to heat, cheaper property tax, and more.

* Survey conducted in December 2019 by Specialized Tinys.

This article has been reviewed in accordance with our editorial policy.

One concern people have about going tiny is the romantic times they can have with their significant other, especially if they have children. This can be a concern if you do not understand all of the qualities of going tiny.

My husband and I have been living tiny for almost 4 years now, and I want to help others understand what it’s actually like.

12 Tips to be Romantic in a Tiny House

1. Have Your Bedroom in a Loft
2. Go Camping
3. Send the Kids Out
4. Buy a White Blanket and Light Some Candles
5. Go for a Walk at Night
6. Have a Late Night Picnic
7. Have Dinner on Your Roof, if it’s Flat
8. Spend a Snow Day Together
9. Leave Each Other Love Notes
10. Eat Desserts and Watch a Movie Together
11. Surprise Each Other with Simple Things
12. Go Somewhere New

Living in a tiny house can be exciting and thrilling! But there are always disadvantages. Let’s face it; This lifestyle is not for everyone. It can be hard to keep a loving relationship with your spouse when you have no space from each other.

For some people this may be heaven, and for others this may be hell. My husband and I love living so close together. We share everything and do everything together anyway, besides work.

It is important to plan this out BEFORE going tiny. You don’t have extra rooms to get away when you are frustrated, you can still hear the other person if you want to go to bed early.

There can be lot of problems, but there are also lots of great times. We have learned to adapt our lifestyles. If I need to study, my husband uses headphones to listen to YouTube, we go to bed at the same time, and so on.

We spend a lot of time together and it has really strengthened our relationship. I remember one time we were both really mad at each other for about 5 minutes.

He was cooking dinner in the kitchen and I was sitting at the table working on my computer. And he was about two feet away from me. Looking at each other at the same time we said, “You really can’t be mad at someone in a tiny house.”

Living in a tiny house will either strengthen or strain your relationship, depending on it’s foundation. And of course if you have the right design for your lifestyle.

But regardless, we can all use some advise on keeping the romance no matter how strong your relationship is already. Here are some great ideas for those who live in a tiny house!

1. Have Your Bedroom in a Loft

Having a loft bedroom is common in tiny houses and some may see it as inconvenient. Personally, I love it. I love hearing the rain at night and feeling so cozy in my loft.

But it also feels so romantic. It is easy to dress up a loft as a romantic space. But there are lots of nights that we feel closer than ever, even without our loft being dressed up.

2. Go Camping

If you have children and need some time alone or if you are just looking to do something new, go camping. It’s cheap, simple, and a great way to get some romantic time together.

3. Send the Kids Out

You can send the kids camping outside, or over to a friend’s house. Come up with some other creative ideas to get your kids our of the house, so you can spend an evening with your spouse.

4. Buy a White Blanket and Light Some Candles

White blankets can definitely feel romantic. If you want an easy way to dress up your room, white and candles are great!

5. Go for a Walk at Night

Always, spend time outside. You can watch the fireflies, star gaze, or just spend time dreaming about your future with each other. Going for a walk is a great way to bond.

6. Have a Late Night Picnic

You will see a common theme, go outside!

7. Have Dinner on Your Roof, if it’s Flat

Do not do this if your whole roof is slanted or you do not have a safe way to get up on it.

8. Spend a Snow Day Together

These are some of our favorite days, we walk in the snow, watch a movie, and just spend the whole day together.

9. Leave Each Other Love Notes

You can leave notes around the house or in lunch boxes or backpacks, this will never get old.

10. Eat Desserts and Watch a Movie Together

Some of my favorite times with my husband is when we lay in bed eating milk and cookies and watching movies.

11. Surprise Each Other with Simple Things

This is my favorite. My husband and I do simple things for each other to always remind each other that we love them. Sometimes I wash his truck, do some of his chores, or bring him home a drink. And he does the same for me. It really is the little things that mean the most.

12. Go Somewhere New

One of the best parts about going tiny is the ability to travel, whether you can take your tiny house with you or you have extra money because you have less bills. Enjoy this opportunity to see new places.

We have had four big moves in our tiny houses and the best part has always been getting to see all the new places. Whether we drive an hour down the road to see a waterfall or we take our house on a trip to Glacier National Park, it is always romantic.

Related Questions

Can you get space from each other in a tiny house? Finding space away from each other in a tiny house varies a lot depending on your lifestyle. If you have a regular job than most of the day you are apart. If you have different hobbies or friends, these times will likely be spent apart as well. At home you will spend most of your time together, given there are not many rooms in a tiny house.

How is a tiny house different form a trailer? A tiny house is often built on a trailer as a foundation, but it is made out of different material. Typically a tiny house is built out of wood and has regular siding, unlike a trailer. However, you can convert a trailer into a tiny house as well.