I don’t have cable, (or even a television!) but whenever I go to my parents’ house, I end up getting sucked into Tiny House t.v. shows. It’s a whole genre now! And it’s amazing to see something that took us several months to do compacted into a neat, half-hour program. And I know a lot of it is editing and creating a story-line, but after living in an Airstream for over 2 years, I see a lot of myths and misconceptions about tiny house living on television shows. Today I’m going to set the record straight by debunking 10 tiny house myths. 

1. Tiny house living is easy.
   I see this one a lot. Tiny house living is not easy. Yes, there are aspects of the life that are easier– less stuff equals less cleaning– but living in a tiny house won’t solve all your problems. Tiny houses and Airstreams have problems of their own too! While living in our Airstream we’ve had to fix both the hot water heater and the air conditioner. Not easy or cheap! Which brings me to…
2. Tiny house living will save you money.
   In our case, tiny house living has helped us to save money. This only worked because we spent a mere $5,000 on the Airstream and $1,500 to fix her up. We had already saved that money and did not need to take out a loan. In our area, the median home price is $175,000. If we spent $120,000 to merely build a tiny house (like I often see on t.v.), we would be saving about $55,000, but we’d also have to factor in the cost to rent or buy the land. You can build or buy a tiny house for cheaper and the energy savings/lifestyle savings will add up over time, but do not be fooled into thinking that tiny house living is a quick money saving trick.
3. Tiny house living is glamorous.
   Good lord, tiny house living is not glamorous. I’m 100% guilty of putting beautiful pictures of my home on Instagram, but my house is a wreck a good 75% of the time. (See the proof!) My husband works as an artist from home (which can get messy) and during the week I’m usually too exhausted from my full-time job and working out and working on my blog to do the dishes and put away clothes and sweep the floor. To be fair, the big loft we lived in prior to the Airstream was usually a wreck too, it was just more spread out!
4. There’s no privacy.
   There is privacy in a tiny home if you plan for it and if you respect other people’s boundaries. I’ve seen tiny houses where the loft is closed off for privacy. I’ve also seen a lot of sliding doors or pocket doors. We don’t have any doors in our home, but we do respect each other’s space. We don’t get ready in the morning at the same time and we aren’t in the kitchen at the same time.
5. You can’t have a big family, more than one pet, etc.
   Living in a tiny house is a matter of what you learn to tolerate. And some people won’t be able to adapt. It’s harsh, but it’s true. If you have four dogs or four kids, can you adapt to being physically close to them 24/7? If you can’t, tiny house living is not for you. If you can learn to be around your loved ones (furry and not so furry) all the time, then you can do it. (I go into more detail about this misconception here.)
6. You have to be naturally handy.
   We live in a wonderful age. An age where you can look up almost anything online and there will be a video or instructions or a forum on how to do it. (Airforum is great for Airstream tips and tricks, Tiny House Community is great for tiny houses.) Prior to living in the Airstream, I barely knew how to hammer a nail. Thanks to my husband teaching me and Googling the rest, I feel confident that when a problem arises, I can fix it.
7. You have to travel with your tiny home.
   For some people traveling in their tiny home is not possible. For whatever reason they are tied to a place. Our Airstream stays in one spot because I have a “regular” job that I go to each day. Other people have flexible or work-at-home jobs, so they can travel. Great! I wish we could travel more, but that currently is not in the cards. That’s ok. Our house is just fine staying put.
8. Tiny homes must be built on a trailer bed or less than 200 square feet or DIYed!
   People get an idea in their head that tiny houses must have a bunch of rigid standards. Tiny houses have to be less than 200 square feet! Tiny houses have to be built on a trailer bed! Tiny houses have to be DIYed! Well, none of that is true. Tiny house living is about living a smaller space, but also about living a more meaningful life. (Here’s how I define “living small.”)
9. You have to give up everything.
   Living tiny is all about prioritizing. You don’t have to give up your entire world, hobbies, collections and loved ones to live in a tiny house, but you do have to set some strict priorities. Pick one or two hobbies that are important to you and leave space for those things. It’s going to be very hard if you have a large library, you like to can vegetables, you are a crafter and your loved one is a carpenter with a penchant for motorcycles. Pick one or two hobbies that you truly love and run with them. You don’t have to give up everything.
10. You don’t have to give up anything!
    That being said, you do have to give up some things. And you must have harsh parameters. It’s unrealistic to think that you can have all the hobbies and toys and the same life you had living in a large house. Although I’m a librarian and I truly and deeply love books, I gave up my book collection before moving into our Airstream. It was difficult, but necessary. I now have just a couple books and check everything else out from the library. The books that made the cut were given to me by my grandmother who is now deceased. Those books are irreplaceable. Every other book had to go. Making the sacrifice is hard, but totally worth it.What are some other tiny house themes you’ve seen on television? Talk to me in the comments and maybe I can debunk those tiny house myths.love,
    melanie