Tiny living is a natural fit with frugal living. However, frugal living isn’t necessarily a practice of a person who lives in a tiny house and drives a micro car.
A person who owns a small house and car may be motivated solely by their environmental beliefs. These people want to protect the environment as much as possible, so these are some of the ways they practice green living.
Some people like tiny things, such as small houses and cars. They are attracted to them because of their charming and innovative appearance, not necessarily as much by their economic or environmental advantages.
There are also those who are drawn to the tiny lifestyle for all the above reasons. They find this lifestyle congruent with their frugal values, environmental beliefs, and attraction to small things. I would include myself in this group.
I would guess that the majority of tiny living people are frugal to some degree, but I would also imagine that a good number subscribe wholly to frugal living practices.
If a person lived in a large house and drove a big car that they had inherited, they could still be frugal. But they would probably be frustrated by their inability to live as thrifty as they want. This person would be better off selling the big house and car and buying a small or tiny version. I’d bet they would be much happier!
I’ve lived alone and with a girlfriend in large houses a few times. They always felt uncomfortable to me. It wasn’t just the wasted expense of the rent (or mortgage), utilities, and maintenance. They also didn’t feel homey to me. Their inefficiency annoyed me as well. I didn’t like taking a “hike” to the kitchen to get something to eat or drink when I was lying in bed enjoying a movie. And cleaning so much, mostly unused, space was a cumbersome task. I like a clean and well-organized house. So I don’t mind cleaning and organizing. I enjoy it. But when I have to clean hundreds of extra square feet that are rarely if ever used, I see it as a waste of time and energy.
Since frugal living is one of the central themes of this article, I wanted to define this lifestyle. The identification of being frugal carries with it many negative connotations. I have found that most sarcastic comments about being frugal come almost exclusively from people who are reckless with money and are usually severely in debt as a result.
There is the stereotype of the frugal person who goes to incredible lengths to save a tiny amount of money. But I believe that most frugal people do not fall into this category. They are too intelligent for that.
Frugal living is not about being a cheapskate or other belittling terms people use to describe it. It’s about being smart about all money matters including purchases, property sales, financial management, and investments. Lazy, dimwitted, and ignorant people can’t see the value in living like this. The same goes for those who can’t recognize the benefits of tiny living.
When it comes to tiny living and frugal living, these lifestyles complement each other. So it’s easy to live both at the same time, and it feels very natural to do so.
Do you identify with one or both of these lifestyles? What are your motivations for either? Or are you a “tiny living” person caught up in a “living large” lifestyle? What is your dream when you’re being true to yourself in your thoughts? What feels the most natural to you?