Living itty bitty can sound like a glorious adventure, but tiny living isn’t always everything it’s cracked up to be! Just like everything else, there are pros & cons to this unique lifestyle as well.
The Tiny Living Sensation
In recent years tiny living has become more and more popular.
From RVs to tiny homes, people across America are falling in love with the idea of going tiny.
With that said, tiny living can actually come in all shapes and sizes.
For one, tiny living may be living life on the road in a converted school bus, while for another it could be a stationary life on 20 acres in a converted storage container.
Whatever form of tiny living you are after, there are important things to know before you jump in!
With that said, this post is written from the viewpoint of a full-time RVer (not a stationary tiny dweller) and these are the things I personally consider essential to know before you jump into the tiny living sensation.
Tiny Living Pros & Cons
As a full-time RV family of 5, we have learned SO much living the tiny life! While yes, there are some awesome experiences and blessings that come with this lifestyle, there are some heavy burdens it can sometimes carry as well.
This is why learning the good, the bad, and the ugly is essential for tiny-life newbies.
Check out my simple tiny living pros and cons list to see if this lifestyle is right for you!
The Minimalistic Lifestyle
It seems like a total no-brainer, but tiny living definitely encourages a sense of minimalism.
This can be a great thing — if you are ready to let go.
If you aren’t however, diving in and getting rid of all the stuff you’ve collected during your lifetime may be a challenge you aren’t quite ready to tackle.
This is the hard stuff, you guys!
Tiny Living Pro
You will have less stuff to deal with.
Living a minimalistic lifestyle simply means you will spend less time dealing with, moving, shifting, and shoving all the stuff you’ve come to accumulate over the years.
Less stuff also = less time cleaning — which is a huge bonus in my book!
Plus, if you have less stuff to worry about, it means you will spend more time doing the things you love with the ones you love!
Tiny Living Con
You will have to downsize. Plain and simple.
Sometimes this is harder than you might expect.
Downsizing means giving up things that were once important to you, donating something you considered to be of value, or even giving away sentimental items.
With that said, stuff is just that — it’s stuff.
So if you’re ready to dive in and embrace minimalism at its core, this lifestyle might just be the breath of fresh air you need!
The Cost of Living
Living tiny seems simple and simple tends to mean less expensive, right? Wrong.
If you are debt-free, lean on boondocking, and plan shorter drive times with longer-term stays. This can be a relatively cheap lifestyle.
However, if you go the financing route, as most do, plan cross-country trips often, and stay at high-end campgrounds, you may just find this lifestyle to be more expensive than traditional living.
Tiny Living Pros
If you can afford to pay for your tiny home or RV in full by purchasing old and renovating or by using your savings to purchase new. Then you are well on your way to living a more affordable life than living in a traditional sticks-and-bricks home.
However, if you choose to finance your tiny home. Staying on budget and keeping your cash in your pocket (instead of someone else’s) may be harder than you think.
With that said, yes, you can live life in a tiny home and save money!
Staying put, traveling less, boondocking, and utilizing RV discount programs will all help give you the best bang for your buck!
Plus, living tiny means less temptation to buy things you simply don’t need.
So, if you like the idea of tiny living, but don’t plan to travel often this can be a wise move. Just make sure you know your lot rent upfront or can find cheap land in your area!
Tiny Living Cons
Financing will always cost you more in the long run. Between a truck payment, RV payment, and monthly rent at a campground, this lifestyle can almost seem more costly than living in a traditional home.
Then, to top it off you get to add on travel expenses, eating out, RV repairs, and skyrocketing gas prices!
While traveling all the time sounds like a fun idea, the cost can add up quickly.
If you want to jump into this lifestyle for the adventure, let me tell you, it’s definitely there — in more ways than one.
Full-time RV living has been such a blessing for our family and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
However, it can be very, very expensive when you are traveling.
If the financial uncertainty that sometimes comes with this lifestyle is something you can live with, then keep pushing forward to that goal because it truly is a wild ride, you guys!
Relationships
The relationships we keep are always a part of the decision-making process whenever we have something big to decide.
When it comes to moving cross-country, taking that new job, or living life on the road, we have to consider our current (and sometimes even future) relationships.
With that said, tiny living (especially while traveling) is no different!
Closer quarters can closer a relationship or tear it apart.
Tread lightly, my friend! Relationships are a huge thing to consider when tiny living.
Tiny Living Pros
If you stay long-term in campgrounds, you will likely always have a pod.
We’ve met some wonderful people on the road and my kids have made some incredible friends that they keep in contact with via video chat. My 10-year-old daughter absolutely thrives in this setting!
With that said, this can sometimes be a struggle for the introvert (like myself).
My daughter craves relationships and I crave alone time.
Thankfully, we travel often and can move on whenever we need to!
I absolutely love the fact that we can settle for a few months for my daughter to build relationships, we can move to more secluded areas when I need a people break, then we can travel to our hometown to see family for birthdays and events!
This lifestyle truly can better or worsen relationships and for me, it’s overall better.
I need that happy mixture of family time and alone time.
Tiny Living Cons
If you enjoy going out often with friends, leaving kids home with grandparents, and other typical social things, transitioning to tiny living may be a struggle — especially if you are traveling!
I don’t trust just anyone with my kids, so this was definitely one of the hardest parts for us, relationship-wise.
My kids love spending time with their Mema and moving that relationship over to digital devices for more than half the year became a difficult challenge!
Another major bummer for some? Tiny living is exactly how it sounds — tiny.
Quarters will be cramped.
I have to be completely honest here, as an introvert, this is a huge struggle for me sometimes.
I love my kids to the moon and back but having them on top of me 24/7 can wear me down!
Thankfully, they are all understanding (for the most part) and I can retreat to my bedroom when needed.
In the end, if leaving loved ones behind so you can travel or being tucked into small spaces with multiple other people isn’t something you can bear, this might not be the right lifestyle for you.
Home Maintenance
A tiny home means tiny maintenance, right? Nope.
While yes, in some ways living in a tiny home or RV can mean you have less home maintenance overall, there might just be some added maintenance you didn’t consider.
While you may not have to mow the lawn (unless you are stationary on land), you will have new jobs to tackle when tiny living.
Tiny Living Pros
Not going to lie, this is a huge PRO for most full-time RVers and even some tiny home dwellers.
Living in an RV or tiny home means you won’t have many of the inconvenient home maintenance tasks that you once had — hooray!
If you travel often and stay at RV parks, state parks, or simply boondock on BLM land, you won’t have to mow the lawn, rake the leaves, reseal the driveway, or worry about other costly and time-consuming home maintenance tasks you would normally have to do in a traditional home.
Not only can this save a bit of pocket change, but it can definitely save you time and offer a little tranquility.
If you’d rather sit and roast marshmallows by the campfire in the evening hours after a long day of work instead of mowing the lawn, this might just be the lifestyle for you!
Tiny Living Cons
While you may not have a lawn to mow (unless you are stationary on your own land of course).
Tiny living does come with its own set of maintenance tasks.
For instance, if you travel often, things will break.
Imagine a tiny rolling earthquake filled with your possessions every single time you hit the road. There will be mishaps, things to fix, and the occasional catastrophe.
Then, there are the extra tasks you don’t have with a regular home such as tank flushing and dumping.
With that said, it isn’t all bad!
While some of these extras take some getting used to, it’s all about your mindset.
If you can’t deal with change, the occasional mishaps, and like your cushy non-tank dumping lifestyle, stick with it because tiny living is not for you, my friend!
Weather Concerns
While the weather can be a concern no matter where you live, it can be an entirely different issue when your home has wheels!
From strong wind and hail to unexpected flooding.
Weather is something to keep in mind when choosing the tiny life.
Tiny Living Pros
This one is short and sweet.
What good is living in a home with wheels if you don’t follow the weather you love? Seriously though!
RV living means you can follow the sun, the snow, or the rain! Whatever your vice.
Another weather plus when it comes to having a home on wheels? Being able to move at a moment’s notice!
While weather isn’t always predictable enough for this to be the case, when there is enough notice it can be a wonderful blessing.
Having the ability to pull your slides in and hit the road before a storm system blows through can save you from a disaster you don’t want to be a part of.
Homes without wheels do not have this luxury.
Tiny Living Cons
While having the ability to move at a moment’s notice is great, it also means you don’t have a foundation beneath your feet — and that can be a terrifying reality.
If you choose to be stationary and something catastrophic is heading your way, you may not have the ability to just up and leave!
With that said, even for full-time travelers there simply isn’t always time to get out of harm’s way, and having a home with wheels means less stability and more mishaps.
Plus, weather can be extremely unpredictable.
If you are a traveling tiny home dweller or full-time RVer, weather can hinder your travel plans and make for a mucky mess on travel days!
We have traveled in rain, wind, and snow. Zero stars, do not recommend!
Flexibility
This is a huge reason RV life works for some but doesn’t for others.
So, if you have made it through all my other points and are still on the fence about tiny living or traveling full-time, this might be the one that makes it or breaks it for you!
Flexibility is a wonderful thing, but there is such a thing as being too flexible.
Tiny Living Pros
Tiny living with flexibility means you have the freedom to change your scenery and literally live anywhere you want to at a moment’s notice.
The best part? Your home goes with you!
Plus, it’s hard to get bored when you are constantly on the go, experiencing new things, and exploring new places.
The world is at your fingertips.
You won’t always be longing for that next vacation because sometimes life feels like a vacation.
You will officially have the flexibility to live in the mountains during the summer and the desert during the winter if you wish.
Living a nomadic existence can truly be a beautiful way of life!
Tiny Living Cons
While doing what you want when you want sounds like a dream, it isn’t always the most promising reality.
Moving constantly can take its toll on a person.
Aside from the expenses and the possible mishaps, it can be hard to find a sense of normal and if that’s something you crave, this life can be a hard one to swallow after the first few months.
You have to become familiar with a new area, campground, and neighbors every time you move!
If you like a cushy normal life that stays the same day after day, I’d reconsider this lifestyle change unless you are doing it on your own property with little to no travel.
While I do prefer routine over spontaneity, we have been able to make full-time RV living work for our family by creating a healthy mixture of travel months and stationary living.
If you are still struggling to decide if RV life or tiny living is right for your family, continuing to research is essential!
Consider joining full-time rv groups on social media to get advice or read testimonies as well.
Either way, I wish you all the luck on your journey to itty bitty living.
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