Tiny House Living

 I have been obsessed with tiny houses (and tiny cars) for a very long time. Ever since I've seen a smart car, seating a whopping two people and taking up so little space, I just really wanted to drive one. As far as the tiny houses, I am simply fascinated by the idea of scaling everything down, paring possessions to bare essentials, occupying less space.

My previous house was close to 4000 square feet, sprawled over three stories, plentiful bedrooms, bathrooms, large open-plan kitchen with two of everything. My current house is about 1500 square feet. If I divide it by six daily occupants, I get 250 sq. feet per person. If I include my husband's occupancy, I get 214 sq. feet. These numbers are on par of tiny house square footage. But the current house we are in is not so tiny.

If I am living in a less than dreamy version of a tiny house, why am I still browsing those books? I do it to get ideas and inspiration. Currently, I am using my crockpot as an additional oven to bake stuffed cabbage. I set up a table in the living room as an overflow counter for pre yom tov cooking and baking.

I also learned which things I cannot compromise on. I need two fridges because we go through an insane amount of gallons of milk. I need a full-size washer and dryer because I much rather do fewer large loads than throw some clothes in every day. I will sacrifice cabinet space for a dishwasher, and, hypothetically, two of them. I need to have a creative space where my projects and supplies can sprawl out and not be cleaned up every day.

I am moving from making this small space work to enjoying it and claiming it as my own. Our house will not be featured anywhere, but it is comfortable and cozy enough.