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We get into debt to buy things we can’t afford, then get stressed when we can’t pay back the money. We try to keep up with what’s trending even when we don’t have the resources. There’s so much pressure to have the biggest, newest, and most expensive things that people often lose their integrity while trying to pursue them. It seems like everybody’s goal in life is to live in a mansion, even if they don’t plan on filling all the rooms with people.
If every person on this planet had a mansion with enough garages to park their many cars, we’d all be doomed before we knew it.
If everyone lived in a tiny house, however, the outcome would be much different. How can humble abodes reduce the damaging effects of consumerism? In what way can the tiny house culture influence the insatiable consumer culture that seems so inescapable? Let’s discuss.
Green Homes
Living in a tiny house drastically reduces your energy requirements as you’re able to get your power from various different sources. You can cook and get your heat from wood-burning stoves, or plant shade-giving trees around the house to get cool air when you need it. Because you have a smaller space, your appliances use less power and it takes less energy to keep the house running.
Your greenhouse gas emissions go down by over a third and your carbon footprint ultimately decreases as well. All of this makes a difference in preserving the environment.
A Life Of Fulfilment
When you strip away all the made-up standards that society places on us, you realize that what we call a normal life is actually one of luxury and surplus. Living in a tiny home opens your eyes to what the bare necessities are. You start to appreciate the smaller things and you learn to be a better custodian because you know the true value of the things you’ve been privileged enough to have.
Consumerism has turned us all into hoarders. With a life free from clutter, and with less space to manage; you can stop focusing on adding more stuff and start working on improving or maximizing what you have already. Your priorities automatically change when you move into a tiny house as life is no longer a competition. Less room means you have all the time and space to focus on what matters.
Liberation
It can often seem like we are slaving away just to live in a house that’s far too big for us anyway. People spend decades paying off loans on their house, which is quite ridiculous when you look at humanity’s housing history. We used to live in caves or simple structures that took a day to assemble using materials around us.
A house is the biggest investment a person will make, but there is really no need to make such a big deal out of it. As long as you’re comfortable and stress-free in your shelter, it’s a home. The houses in suburbia require too much maintenance, repairs are expensive, and the running costs are through the roof. Adversely, tiny homes don’t demand much, and that should give you a wake-up call about how much is wasted to keep a big house running.
Easy Does It
There is a lot of intensity and anxiety that comes with consumerism. The idea of “more money, more problems” stems from the tension that comes with materialistic ideals. If you don’t have the latest model, someone might make you feel bad about it. If you don’t have the top-of-the-line, your sense of self-worth is in jeopardy. Advertisements are always in your face telling you what you need and what would make your life better. It can all be a bit too much to bear.
With tiny house living, you have less to maintain and clean. Decorating and maintaining your space doesn’t take much time. Even repairs don’t require a lot of time and energy. Everything you need is within reach and you’re less likely to keep calling handymen and landscapers to do stuff that you can do yourself.
Time For Tiny
Living in a tiny house can save you a lot of money and it’s a cheaper alternative to a normal house. You’ll worry less about possibly moving in the future and your lifestyle will generally improve. Tiny homes are a reaction to humanity’s bad housekeeping skills, and the more we realize what little we actually need to survive, the better our chances of leaving a decent world for future generations.
At a time when we could have everything we wanted, we choose tiny homes. That makes a huge impression on those coming after us, and it might just reverse all the damage we are doing. We can’t keep going on like this; our greed will make us extinct. Now is the time to serve as good examples, so let’s save the world, one tiny home at a time.
