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.
Related articles on living in a 400 square foot home:
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- 8 Things To Sell To Make Money
- How I Live On A Sailboat
- 10 Ways To Make Money Online From The Comfort of Your Home
- 10 Things I’ve Done To Make Extra Money
- Ways To Make An Extra $1,000 A Month
- The Guide To Becoming a Minimalist
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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- Start a blog. Blogging is how I make a living and just a few years ago I never thought it would be possible. I earn over $100,000 a month online through my blog and you can read more about this in my monthly online income reports. You can create your own blog here with my easy-to-use tutorial. You can start your blog for as low as $2.75 per month plus you get a free domain if you sign-up through my tutorial. Also, I have a free How To Start A Blog email course that I recommend signing up for.
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- You can save money and get cash back at the grocery store. Read my review and learn how to here.
- Sign up for a website like Ebates where you can earn CASH BACK for just spending like how you normally would online. The service is free too! Plus, when you sign up through my link, you also receive a free $10 cash back too!
- 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 a smaller space to find out if we could. I found it too confining. I think it would work if home is just a place to sleep vs. if you do many things there.
Wow, that is crazy! Rock on!
First off all, the image you choose for a representation of the small house is just beautiful! What a dream!
Second, where in the world are you renting for $100 a month? If you don't mind, that is awesome and I'd love to be there even if it is small! I spend so little of my time indoors. Between working, sleeping and all of my hobbies and time spent with family we are rarely indoors, usually outside. That's the only kicker, we'd like a bigger property for farming on.
Any tips on where to find this kind of a place? I've always had the best of luck renting rooms from people I went to church with. They were always fair as far as money was concerned.
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I can't do a SUPER small space. We have a 1,500 sq. ft. house and it's already feeling small for our family of 3, LOL. Things will get smaller as our family grows, so I guess I'll have to get used to it, because we're not moving for at least a decade! Your house would have me breathing into a brown paper bag! Good for you, and $100 a month is BALLER! Keep doing your thing!
I got excited thinking that was your house…. until I read the caption 🙁
My recent post A Promise of Paradise – Why I am Not Buying Property in Mexico
I give you credit for doing it Jordann, but I wouldn't be able to. I don't like feeling cramped, so I will do my best to have space.
Yes the second house I bought was around 600 sq feet. It wasn't huge but it was home. You are right it didn't take too much time to clean up and I didn't have more stuff in the house that I needed. I also did not have a basement like I do in Canada. Our basement now is bigger than my home in the UK but my house in the UK was worth more than this home. That just goes to show you how expensive houses are in the UK although I bought it for cheap when I was around 24. Owning a home was more important to me than spending my money on "stuff" I didn't need. You make do with the space and come up with creative ways to store items and enjoy the space.
My recent post I Can Buy It, But Can I Afford It
I'd definitely consider a small space to save money. The need to simplify can be a blessing in disguise.
I don't think it's a long-term choice for me, but if I had a goal for the money, I'd really think about it.
That's great that the place in which you're living is working out well for you, especially financially!
While a 400 sq foot place would not be workable for me, I do think that the average family tends to overestimate their needs in terms of living space. I grew up in a home that wasn't massive by any stretch, but it was bigger than the one in which I'm living in now. And I'm not worse off for it!
Great post. And while not everyone could live in such a small space, most of us could do with much less.
I'm planning to move aboard a sailboat in a couple of years. Part of the appeal is being limited to only what I need. It's already made me think differently about the items I do have.
I like the idea of sticking with something small but 400 sq ft. would be impossible for me. However, when I built my new house one thing I did was made sure our house didn't get to big. Often times I heard from others when I was in the planning process to build that you need to build your house bigger. However with a bigger house that means more upkeep, more debt, and more taxes, which are three things I'm not a big fan of at all. I feel it comes down to what you actually need and will use and if you can get by in 400 sq ft, awesome, but don't go bigger just because you have the money.
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My apartment is about 270 square feet, and I live there with my husband and my dog. I've lived there for 2 years. :)))
BF and I lived in a 400sq.Ft apartment for a year, and it worked just fine! Though it did require some planning and mad organization skills, but all in all it helps to keep things on minimum. no more books and dvds than one bookcase can hold, no more clothes than a dresser can hold etc. We now live in a bigger apartment that´s about 538 sq.Ft, which is lovely because we have more storage space AND I have room for my desk, which is really lovely. I hated using he kitchen table. but now that we´ve gotten used to a bit more space, we probably won´t reduce the size anytime soon. it´s weird how quickly you get accustomed to certain "standards".
That's awesome! I write a lot about little houses, but I'm not so sure I could actually live in a 400 sq ft house. However, I think it's a great strategy for paying off debt. Under 100 bucks per month? Way to go! Just think, if you live there a little longer, you could save a ton of money, too.
A 400 square foot apartment in my neighborhood would probably cost around $1,000 a month, no joke.