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RE: Downsize and Declutter: Advice From A Reformed Hoarder
This is great advice. I'm more of a pack rat, but I definitely struggle with things like, "But what if there's an apocalypse and this is the last paper on earth and I can't ever buy any more?"
It's funny what you said about being organized. I have a job where I have to manage a massive amount of financial information without missing any deadlines or losing track of anything. I manage this well enough that they keep wanting to promote me, but my house looks like a tornado went through it.
I have the tiny house dream too. My biggest obstacle is figuring out where I'd park it. Are you going to stay near the city or go out in the boonies?
Ideally, I'd like to live in a forest. But then I'd also need a car to get around, and I've never had one of those, either. The biggest obstacle is the zoning laws: you can't just buy a piece of land and park it. There are laws about how long you can "camp" (which is legally what it would be considered) on your own land! If it was a permanent structure than there are minimum size requirements. In Fort Collins they have passed laws allowing for accessory dwellings but you MUST be on grid and then, necessarily, parked in someone's yard. It's so absurd...
Legally, you could park in a zoned trailer park and pay high lot fees and probably be in a bad neighborhood.
I'm like, okay ...can I buy a lot of land in a forest, zone it for a trailer park, and just park my one tiny, please?
Yeah, that's what I've found too. My initial plan was to live in a cheap RV and use the money I saved on rent to upgrade to a tiny house, but it would mean parking illegally, moving all the time, and always expecting cops to knock on my door.
I used to overnight pet sit and thought maybe I could incorporate the RV into my business, parking in the driveway instead of sleeping in the house, but nope, you're not allowed to do that either. Grrr.
There's a conversation going on about getting zoning approval for a tiny house community in Denver, but I don't think anyone has taken action yet: https://neighborland.com/ideas/den-a-tiny-house-community
The one they built for homeless people is in a temporary location, and they are still looking for a permanent spot. I hope we see more spaces for tiny houses allowed ...the current system is just money making madness at the expense of poor people who have nowhere to go. :/