Today’s post – How I Live in a 400 Sq. Ft. House – is by my wonderful staff writer Jordann. Enjoy! Also, if you are a new reader, please don’t forget to check out my monthly online income reports where I show you how I make over $30,000 a month while traveling in my RV.
Last week’s post about how I’m not always a minimalist got a lot of responses to the fact that I live with my fiance, my dog and my cat, in a 400 square foot house. Really, it’s more of a cottage. The story of how I came to live in this house is one of luck and a good relationship with relatives.
The bottom line for why I live in a tiny home: By living in this small space, I’ve been able to reduce my rent to $100 per month plus utilities, which has enabled me to pay off $27,000 of debt in 17 months.
That said, living in such a small space with so many other creatures isn’t easy, even for a minimalist like me. Sure, the sacrifice is worth it for the monetary gain, but it can get stressful at times living in a minimalist house.
There are a lot of problems that come along with small space living, so if you’re thinking about down sizing in order to save a little money or live somewhere more desirable, here are a few of my tips so that you can successfully live in a minimalist house.
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Adopt Space Saving Hobbies for a Minimalist House.
As much as I love things like having a home gym, painting, and having an expansive indoor plant collection, I had to give up these hobbies when I moved into a smaller space that couldn’t accommodate all of that stuff.
I didn’t intentionally stop these hobbies because I didn’t have enough space, instead, the hassle of lugging everything out and then putting it away became too much, and I started to gradually drift towards my more space-saving hobbies, like reading (getting something like a Kindle or an Amazon Fire can really help you have less stuff) and blogging.
Related: How To Live On One Income
Have Boundaries For My Minimalist Living.
I love my dog and cat, but in such a small space, they can get on my nerves a bit. That’s why I have a strict “No pets in the bed” rule. Being able to stretch out while sleeping has makes me feel so much less claustrophobic and crowded, that this little space suddenly seems a lot bigger.
Plus, I love seeing their faces in the morning after spending the night apart. Since we never break this rule, the pets don’t whine or fuss about it, they just accept it.
Take the Time to Clean In A Minimalist House.
Since 400 sq. ft. is so small, it doesn’t take a lot of time to clean every inch of space. That said, it can also get cluttered so quickly! With no place to hide stuff away and no rooms that I can just shut the door on and think “Out of sight, out of mind”, if I don’t keep up with the cleaning and organizing, this little house can become a disaster zone very, very quickly.
Take it Outside If You Live A Minimalist Lifestyle.
Luckily, my tiny little 400 sq. ft. house is situated on a good-sized lot that allows us space in the backyard for a fire pit and room enough for the dog to play a solid game of fetch.
Because of this, I try to spend a lot of time outside moving around. This keeps me from feeling too cooped up in our little house and getting cabin fever. If you decide to move into a small space, make sure you have either access to your own outdoor green space or plenty of amenities within walking distance to get you out and about.
Remember That Minimalist Living Is Not For Everyone.
I live in a tiny house because it affords me the opportunity to drastically reduce my rent and funnel more cash towards getting out of debt.
Before living here, I lived in a 700 sq. ft. apartment, and before that, an 850 sq. ft. space. I don’t plan on living here forever, in fact, I can’t wait to move somewhere a little more suited to my family’s needs. Not everyone is cut out for minimalist home living, and it’s definitely not easy. It’s not something everyone should aspire to.
That said, if you’re thinking about downgrading your current living situation and you are interested in minimalist living, living in a 400 sq. ft. space with two adults and two pets is totally doable. Heck, we could probably even throw a baby into the mix and still manage to get by (no plans to!). Living in a tiny space is a great way to save money in order to achieve other goals in life.
Have you ever lived in a small space (such as 400 sq. feet) to save money? Would you? Is a minimalist house something that interests you?
If you are new to my blog, I am all about finding ways to make and save more money. Here are some of my favorite sites and products that may help you out:
- Find ways to make extra money – Here are over 75 different ways to make extra money.
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- Save money on food. I recently joined $5 Meal Plan in order to help me eat at home more and cut my food spending. It’s only $5 a month and you get meal plans sent straight to you along with the exact shopping list you need in order to create the meals. Each meal costs around $2 per person or less. This allows you to save time because you won’t have to meal plan anymore, and it will save you money as well!
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I lived in tiny apartments in college. It was great because I didn't live with my parents any more and in college it's okay to live on the cheap. But it's not something that I want to do again. By the time I finished grad school, I was sick of it. I lived up North where the winters were harsh, so there was probably a good four months where I was cooped up inside all day. Too small, too claustrophobic, not enough room for a single guy and a couple of cats.
That is awesome that you are able to do so. What a great plan to get out of debt. Who wants to be a slave to their debtors for to long!
If your living up north and you have only four hours of winter…. that is not north! We get 4 months of summer!
I have lived in 120sqft while in college, then upgraded to a 200sqft and it felt like a castle. Downgrading is more complicated if you have stuff and are used to the space.
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I shared a 350sqft apartment with two roommates in college. It wasn't actually bad.
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My first apartment was 400 sqft, and I loved it because it was steps from the beach! It felt like plenty of space for 1 person and a plant, though when I tried to add fish they kept dying. When Mr. PoP was over for the weekends, we ended up spending a lot of time outdoors, on the patio, at the beach, wherever. It wasn't too bad.
Sometimes I miss the days when I only had 400 sqft to clean. 1100 is so much more floor to clean, and Kitty PoP doesn't help!
I lived in a 400 square foot apartment for the first two years after college. The amount of space wasn't bad since it was just me. And the price was right. However, my apartment didn't have ANY closets. It was incredibly difficult to keep things organized and contain the clutter without closets. You're absolutely right that it's essential to keep a small space as clean as possible.
Now, my husband and I have a two-bedroom place with 600 square feet. Some days, it feel HUGE to me!
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We often overestimate the things we "need" to survive. I'm trying to adopt a mindset where I think about something and wonder what life would be like if I didn't have it. Would everything be ok? In almost all cases the answer is yes, so the next question is why do I have it? There usually isn't a really good answer. I'm glad you guys have been able to use that mentality to really improve your situation.
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We lived in a tiny house that we rented from one of W's cousins right after we graduated from high school. It definitely saved us a lot of money!
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Wow, I thought I'd be in the "small space" set until I read some of the comments here…it appears that my 1,123 sq ft home is a massive castle!!! That said, I've lived in it for 20 years. The good thing is that it has kept my "stuff" limited to that space and when I've shared the space with someone else, I've had to pair down. I'm pretty good at that but still feel rich with clothes, furniture and lovely things to look at. I made a "do not rent extra storage" rule early on so I've never kept more than could fit in my home/garage.
In my younger years I've lived in some very tiny places (not sure of dimensions) and never minded that as long as I could get outside. I think small is the new big, especially here in California where people went crazy with McMansions.
Great Post!
I suppose it's nothing like your experience, but I did rent a room in a relatively small house with three other roommates. I should say I shared one of the two bedrooms with a roommate, the two others took the other room. We had a small bathroom and a modest first floor. Rent was relatively low and we made the space work.
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Our first apartment as a married couple, we lived in a 400 sq. ft apartment. I do miss it because it was cheaper! Our housing expenses increase by $500 when we moved to a 690 sq. ft apartment. Ouch. But I do enjoy the bigger kitchen, and bigger closet!
I think I could do 400 square feet if it was just me, but probably would have a hard time with pets and living with someone else. My apt is not big by any means right now…I think around 6 or 700ish, but when two people are here I notice it starts to get a little cramped. That being said I hate clutter so regardless of my space I'd keep it clutter free. Personally I'd love a bigger kitchen and bedroom.
Before my husband and I got married, we lived in a 600 sq foot efficiency apartment. The only room that had a door was the bathroom and it was quite tiny. Otherwise, it was one decent sized open room. At that time, it was $350/month including all utilities except cable and phone. Not too shabby in my opinion! There were, however, tradeoffs. First of all, my husband is, and always has been, a night owl. Me? Not so much. So while he was watching TV at all hours of the night, I tossed and turned. If you burned something in the kitchen, even your sheets smelled like it. Not that I ever did that. *cough*
Ooh – not sure I could do it. I don't even know if that's enough room for my husband's CD collection! 🙂 If it was just me and my cat, maybe..
It's certainly isn't for everyone!! I did it for five years and never want to do it again. It started out okay for the first two years and then it started to drive me nuts. When your home is making you kinda miserable it's not worth the savings in rent.
I'm not completely sure how big our space is, it's probably somewhere between 250 and 400 square feet. Leslie and I live in a tiny studio apartment behind another house. We first moved in because it was a super cheap place we could live without having roommates. Three years later we're still there and have a little dog! We'll probably stay here at least another year or so while we pay down debts.
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