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:
- 75+ Ways To Make Extra Money
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- 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.
- Cut your TV bill. Cut your cable, satellite, etc. Even go as far to go without Netflix or Hulu as well. Buy a digital antenna (this is the one we have) and enjoy free TV for life.
- 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.
- You should know your credit score – Check your credit score with Credit Sesame for free!
- Answer surveys. Survey companies I recommend include Swagbucks, Survey Junkie, American Consumer Opinion, Pinecone Research, Prize Rebel, and Harris Poll Online. They’re free to join and free to use! You get paid to answer surveys and to test products. It’s best to sign up for as many as you can as that way you can receive the most surveys and make the most money.
- 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!
- Try InboxDollars. InboxDollars is an online rewards website I recommend. You can earn cash by taking surveys, playing games, shopping online, searching the web, redeeming grocery coupons, and more. Also, by signing up through my link, you will receive $5.00 for free just for signing up!
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That is pretty cool! I think I could live in a well laid out 400 sf house. Once I get these three kids of ours out of the house. I might even get Mrs. RootofGood to join me in the 400 sf house!
It’s a shame you will likely never see a mass market (=affordable) neighborhood of ~400 sf houses in the US.
Awesome! I lived in a similar sized studio in college. I loved it. Made me get outside and enjoy my friends more.
I am looking to downsize from 1500 Sq ft to 400 Sq ft. From the city to the beach, I’m going to try the theory of have I used it do I need it maybe put a great deal of stuff in storage for 6 months to see if I really do need it and if not bye bye. Thanks for all the ideas.
We are almost to the building of our tiny house! I am so excited it’s going to be a little over 400 square feet! We are 2 adults and 3 kids! We currently live in an 1100 square foot house and are just tired of cleaning all the time and so much stuff! I hope I’m as organized and positive as you and can write a blog!
Yes, you should definitely start a blog Megan! I would love to read it.
Color me impressed – 400sf! I remember back in the day with my 550sf studio and how I couldn’t wait to get out of there after a year of minimalist living. And now that I’ve spread out into a larger space, it’s really really hard to imagine getting back to such a cozy lifestyle.
My cabin is 450sq ft. In it is myself, husband, and two little girls under 3yrs. Plus a dog and a cat. I love having a small place. The main thing is shelving. Utilize floor to ceiling with shelving or cabinets. We live on a farm and so outside is a big seal to us. Also we are outside a lot because we live in Alaska and here is lots of outdoor things to do regardless of season. The only thing I would change is having a bath house and atrium unattached to the house.
To me, 400 square feet is not tiny… a little bit small but surely not tiny. We live, my husband and I in a 400 square foot house with 2 dogs (mostly they stay inside as they don’t want to walk alone!!) and 3 cats… and we have more than enough space! Americans are used to live in huge houses, that’s why to them living in a 400 square foot house seems to be challenging… they should have a look on other countries where people live at more than 10 in this kind of space!
We live in a static caravan, 36ft x 12ft, so roughly 400 sq ft. I TOTALLY agree about the cleaning and clutter problem! We also share the space with a dog, often some hatching eggs or chicks and as of this week two baby rabbits that we rescued!
I have lived in tiny cottages on and off for the last twenty years, and recently moved into a tiny 280 sq ft cottage with my two dogs to live a simpler life. It was tough parting with the small amount of stuff I had from my last 480 sq ft cottage, but it’s turned out to be a great experience. I now have my boyfriend living with me as well and that was a little stressful in the beginning until we got the tiny house dance down. We are fortunate to live where the weather is always nice and have a small garden area and creek outside to give us more space. We are currently saving to buy our own home and I am hoping it’s a tiny one. Tiny living is the way to go! Happy trails!
I am absolutely in love with the idea of living in a tiny house. I hate clutter and have moved so many times in my life that my personal belongings don’t take up very much space at all (I have 4 pairs of shoes – and 2 of those are for work!). However, my husband is about 3 steps shy of being a life-long hoarder (i.e. still has TAPES {VHS and audio} even though we don’t have a tape player and have no plans to obtain one!). I love the idea of cutting down on the clutter, but I also love the idea of being able to live off a simpler budget as well.
For the first 6 years we were married we lived in an 8′ x 34′ trailer from the 1950’s. We were hardly ever home. So it worked out well for us. Next we lived in a 400 sq foot cottage for really cheap rent. We shared it with some mice and a lot of ants, but it was just temporary. We were trying to save money for a down payment on our first real house. That wasn’t very big either, less than 800 sq feet. But we had everything we needed, an adequate kitchen, living room, small bathroom and 2 small bedrooms. We lived there 8 years and then bought our present house of 1400 sq feet. We’ve been in that 30 years. Now i’m ready for a smaller place again. 600-800 sq feet would be ideal. I really like small living. Our expenses are lower. It doesn’t cost as much to heat and cool a small house. Redecorating is a lot cheaper; you can find carpet and flooring remnants. You can’t buy much, which is okay with me. It means having less to keep track of. You have to be organized. You’re right about hobbies. You have to do things that don’t require a lot of storage. It helps to create storage in ingenious ways. And we spent a lot of time outside on our deck. If you like camping, you probably won’t mind living in a small space. It’s more affordable and leaves room for things like traveling more. If I lived alone, I’d consider an even smaller place.
Giving up painting just to live in a smaller house?!?
Hello! My name is Abby and I’m a college student. I’m writing an in depth report about The Tiny House Movement for my Media Writing final. If you are interested in answering a few questions to help me gather information, could you send me an email? Thank you for your time and consideration.
Hello,
Please send me an email at senseofcents@gmail.com 🙂
My husband, EXTRA LARGE mutt and I live in a 24′ travel trailer here in Alaska. Let me tell you, it has it’s challenges. We have a wood-burning stove and propane heat for the negative degree weather we have been having (down comforter, too). Trial and error with a small wood-burning stove. The clutter, oh the clutter! I am still struggling with organizing our teensy space. Carrying in your own water adds to the challenge as well. Some days I want to throw in the towel and GIVE UP! but that quickly passes when I think about leases and neighbors. I feel proud to know I can live so minimally and eventually we will expand into homesteading. I have visions of chickens and vegetable picking dancing in my head! 🙂 Good luck!
I found this a little bit amusing because of how we interpret ‘small’ or ‘tiny’ in difference parts of the world. My partner and I rented a totally normal (not small) one bed house, which was 47m2 (500 sq ft) and into that went a really good size double bedroom, a generous lounge-diner, a kitchen and bathroom, with a hall and storage cupboard. It wasn’t a challenge to live there at all, this was before I started thinking about minimalism and reducing the amount of stuff we have. The average American house is 4 times the size of the average UK house, so while downsizing is great wherever you live, I sometimes find that other people’s versions of small don’t quite equate to my own! 🙂