Big change is coming. We’ll be trying our hand at tiny house life! RV living has been a great experience. We didn’t get to travel as much as we wanted—mostly because of cost and then Covid—but we learned so much about small living. Now we’re moving on to a tiny house on land in a brand new place!
So far this journey has taken us to buying a shed. 14×32 in size, we’ll have plenty of room to get in what we need for tiny house living. I’ve already got some tricks up my sleeve for this project. We’re trying to do this as affordable as possible—high inflation is really trying to make it harder—so we’re getting thrifty about all our purchases. I’ve discovered some great stores around that are for second use building materials! Facebook marketplace has been good too and yard sale season is just around the corner. Here are some tricks on saving some money.
Buy used: This one is obvious right? When we started this, I thought sure, I’ll buy a used couch and maybe some end tables but I was only partially right. When I say used I mean unexpected stuff. Did you know you can buy kitchen cabinets used? Bathroom sinks? Unused colored paint? Base trim? Bathtubs? All these things new will cost you thousands. But, if you check out a Habitat for Humanity store, you can find TONS of things for cheap and your money goes to a good cause. We hit up Habitat and also found another store called Second Use in Tacoma Washington. I spent under $500 and between the two stores, I got 3 doors, 3 gallons of paint, a cast iron kitchen sink with a faucet, porcelain bathroom sink, 3 kitchen cabinets, a bathtub, and a couch and chair! I call that a huge win!
DIY: If you’re handy, do what you can on your own. I’m refinishing all our used cabinets and helping to install insulation and hang drywall. My husband is in the construction industry and a carpenter. He built a bathroom vanity and kitchen island and will be doing most of the interior build. We’ll be doing as much as we can ourselves and that saves money. (Disclaimer: always hire out for anything that requires a certified professional such as electricity, plumbing and HVAC service.)
Get creative: It’s a small space which means storage will be up to you. Building or buying furniture that has added storage will make a huge difference in your tiny house. Pinterest is an excellent place to find ideas and tutorials that actually work. In a tiny space, common sense storage will save you headaches from clutter.
I’ll have more tips as we go along! Until then keep them boots wandering!
With My Boots On 