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A big year in a Tiny House

It has officially been a year since I bought and transformed Ziggy. It has definitely been a learning experience from the purchase to the makeover to moving in and being in it full time.

While I didn’t save as much money as I was hoping this year, I did pay off a TON of debt and treat myself to 10 days in Hawaii, so I think overall it was a great year. Instead of paying out half of my monthly pay towards a house I didn’t really even like (loud neighbors sharing my walls, roommate issues, super high utilities, etc), I was able to take a lot of small trips in the state, move my house when I needed new scenery, and spend more time out experiencing stuff rather than being cooped up at home. I was really lucky that I have an amazing best friend who opened up her property to me this winter and let me use her home as a landing pad before winter hit. It helped save a ton of money as well as she and I had our own deal worked out with utilities I use/rent. If I had been staying at parks, especially this winter when moving my home wasn’t an option, I would have been paying almost $500 a month in rent and utilities and I wouldn’t have been as sheltered by trees as I am at my friend’s place. So all in all, it really lucked out to have such great friends. I think we need to take a minute to talk about minimalism too. If you are at all thinking about this tiny lifestyle, I really suggest you educate yourself on minimalism. I rid myself of a lot of stuff... I mean a lot. I went from 2500 square feet to <100 square feet and those 100 square feet get messy really quickly. And I still find myself getting rid of items I don’t use. While I miss my walk in closet, it is super nice to be able to know exactly what is in my closet and drawers and not feel overwhelmed when its time to do laundry. I think I will end up writing about how to minimize to fit your tiny life here soon because I get asked about it all the time. Other skills I’ve picked up this year? I have become quite the handi-woman when it comes to fixing things in Ziggy. I’m fairly certain there's not much I can’t fix with my power drill and some duct tape. I also cut off almost 3 feet of my hair this year, because I get 5 minute showers. Total honesty, showering in my RV sucks. It takes a bit to warm up (which wastes water from my tank) and then my options are to have frigid water or to melt my skin off. Granted those options only last about 5 minutes because then my only option is ice cold water. So I’ve become a master at the quick shower. And my gym membership has come in handy if I want a longer shower (or I’m muddy and don’t want to dirty up my RV... but don’t tell my gym that). But it is so much easier to get my hair clean when its this short and I kinda love that I’m not spending an hour drying and then straightening it too. Cutting it all off was life changing in a good way. I think cooking in an RV is also a pretty big skill I had to master. Everything is smaller, food smells stick to everything you own, and washing dishes in your tiny sink is harder than you think. I was a big fan of things I can cook on my little grill outside or stuff I could toss in my crock pot. I don't have a ton of food storage and I try not to store too much in my fridge because I'm not super happy with how consistent the temperature is in there. I also cook smaller portions now, which is awesome for my budget as well.

So what’s coming up for me? I’ll be moving my tiny home out to Hatcher Pass to be closer to my boyfriend’s family and so I don’t wear out my welcome here at my bestie’s place. Of course, I’ll be traveling as well, but my new summer landing pad will be out towards the mountains where I’ll be hiking. I will keep making Ziggy into my home with all of my own quirkiness and I’ll keep writing and posting photos of my travels as well. So come say hi if you see me out and about.

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