Ridiculous things Netflix taught me about tiny home living...

Watching Netflix tiny home living shows is NOT the same as living in one

I wasn't watching tiny home shows because I thought I would own one someday - I was watching them just for entertainment - looking at the "neat things they were doing with all those nooks and crannies. 

Then during my divorce and in the middle of Covid-19 I decided I'd buy one for myself and the two kids. I had never been inside one, I didn't really even think twice about it - something just felt right about it. 

I wasn't looking for anything crazy or how to add in 100 different tiny closets, I just wanted a home. 

On Netflix: 

They seem to use ALL the spaces in the tiny home - like everything, there's things popping out of the floors, pianos taking up entire living rooms, and an abundance of records that somehow fit into EVERY single space (season 5, episode 6).

And after you're done watching Netflix and power the TV down, you say "cool", and head up into your bonus room, or soak in your large master bathtub  to watch your own Television while your partner plays his video games on an entirely different floor otherwise known as  his man' cave. 

In real life: 

Your tiny home is delivered and you've got a few extra spaces for pots and pans, toilet paper and feminine hygiene products in the stairs - but really that's it. The closet doesn't magically have things to hang 100 dresses, and the dog food has NO where to go. BUT that's part of the fun, I've been having a lot of fun trying to figure out where to put things, and from a place of "convenience"....

Where do I put the "I sometimes use you small appliances": 

We knew we were moving tiny - and I knew I loved all my appliances and did not want to part ways with them, so I bought clear bins for each of them - the food processor has a clear bin, the blender = clear bin, the very large soup pot = clear bin....my vacuum sealer = clear bin. 

Those are items I use about twice a month, and I know that having them take up valuable space inside didn't make sense - but having them in a black covered up bin I'd panic and wonder where the heck they were. 

So when I buy a HUGE bag of garlic (and soon to be growing some!) I get the vacuum sealer out -- and vacuum seal enough garlic to last about 3 months in the freezer. Wash it --put it back, and it goes in the shed. 

What I thought about for my real life tiny home: 

I made myself a list, having a list kept me focused on what I really had to have: 

My non-negotiables (here were mine):

• Two separate lofts for the kids 
• 1 master bedroom for me 
• Normal size shower, normal size sinks etc, 
• Dishwasher
• Angled Ladder to one of the lofts (not ones on the door - vertical ladders are REALLY hard to climb for adults and even kids!) (see the difference in this tiny - slanted ladder and staircase!)* this isn't mine (It's from Teacup) but shows a really good example of what I wanted! 
• White exterior with black doors & Windows
• Double doors at the entry (for bringing things in and out 
• Bookcases for storage and privacy for the lofts (right beside Rhett is a bookshelf, each shelf holds 6 "bins" for his clothes) 
• Large closet in the master bedroom (like regular size...so I could actually hang things and not feel like a hobit trying to get my clothes in and out. 

Those were my non-negotiable and I actually got all of them! I didn't really care about the colours of the faucets or if my daughter could keep ALL her dolls in her room - I just wanted to make sure they each had their own space and I had my own too. 

And to be honest - I wouldn't know what to do if we didn't have the shed -- it has a lot of stuff in it (but we use it all)....but the extra space is really valuable. As a tiny home family -- that shed is a super valuable piece! 

So, remember this as you start to dream about what’s next for you: You don’t need to be a successful business owner, an experienced entrepreneur, or carry any other kind of seemingly impressive title to build more streams of income into your life. Give yourself permission to try, pivot, and find what works for you! 

- Megan xo