Downsizing the "American Dream"

Tiny houses were a response to, or the inevitable result of, our country’s increasingly hard-to-find middle class and our growing inequality. “If the middle class keeps shrinking the way it has for the past 30 years it [micro-living] may be the only option for millions,” -Rodger Flemming.

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Do you really want to spend your time working at a job you hate, to buy crap that you can’t afford? Probably not.

Tammy Strobel

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The Tiny House That Started It All

Jay Shafer’s 89 square-foot home that began the tiny house movement.

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“People used to believe they would someday move on up in the world. Now they’re more concerned with just holding on to what they have.” -Marianne Cooper

“Achieving the traditional American Dream has become just that – a dream.” -Marianne Cooper

The underlying psychology of the American Dream is shifting in large ways …or should I say tiny. With the flat-lining of wages during the Great Recession, individuals are choosing financial stability over the desire to own a home with the white picket fence. Those deciding to downsize the American Dream, are once again enabling the opportunities associated with the American symbolism of success: a job, a family, home ownership (only now with a smaller footprint). The tiny house movement has increasingly become a platform for many as a way to escape the debt cycle, and live a life that is no longer paycheck to paycheck.

Visit http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/10/american-dreams/408535/ to learn more about the tiny house movement!

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Seeking A New American Dream

Tiny house couple, Christopher Smith and Merete Mueller built a 124 square foot tiny home in 2011 and redefined their version of the American Dream. With the hopes of gaining financial freedom their tiny house serves as a response towards the nations growing economic inequality. Their film, “TINY: A Story About Living Small” documents their journey as they build towards financial stability, and sustainability. With the draw of a minimalist lifestyle, Chris notes “I really understood how getting rid of stuff can free up so much time, money, and energy to focus on the things that really matter to us.” People are re-evaluating the American Dream and facilitating lifestyles with more flexibility. “I think that many people – whether by necessity or by choice – are learning that quality of life isn’t necessarily tied to how big our houses are or how much stuff we own, but about the experiences we have and the quality of our relationships.” -Christopher Smith

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/22/living-tiny-interview_n_4319141.html

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What Exactly Is The Tiny House Movement?

The tiny house movement is a social movement in which individuals are choosing to live with less.

..Square footage that is. The square footage of the average American home is about 2,600 square feet, whereas the average tiny house falls between 100 and 400 square feet. The tiny house movement mostly stems from individuals ever increasing environmental, and financial concerns. As economic inequality continues to grow, tiny homes are enabling individuals to afford the cost of living, while still building for their future. “For most Americans, 1/3 to 1/2 of their income is dedicated to the roof over their heads; this translates to 15 years of working over your lifetime just to pay for it, and because of it, 76% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck.” -Ryan Mitchell

http://thetinylife.com/what-is-the-tiny-house-movement/

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Statistics Of Tiny House Living In Comparison To The Average American

The traditional ideology of the “American Dream” supports the acquisition of goods as an indication of success. Gaining recognition as a viable means to challenge the growing income inequality in America, the tiny house movement removes the white picket fence so that one may truly afford the lawn. By living with a smaller square footage, individuals are enabled to better allocate not only their incomes, but their priorities as well. The tiny house movement is redefining what makes a house a home, breaking the mold of the American Dream, and here’s how:

68% of tiny home owners do not have a mortgage, compared to 29.3% of American homeowners. 

55% of tiny house people more savings than the average American, with a median of $10,972 in the bank. 

89% of tiny house people have less credit debt than the average American, with 65% of tiny house people having zero (yes zero) credit card debt.

-Courtesy of Ryan Mitchell

http://thetinylife.com/tiny-house-infographic/

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This Tiny House Community Will Turn Homeless People Into Homeowners!

With high levels of poverty in the Detroit area, the CCSS (a nonprofit) is working to combat the homelessness epidemic by providing affordable housing in a large (but TINY) way. The role of the tiny house movement upon the housing initiatives for the homeless is gaining attention. The function of tiny homes within the homeless community are to serve as a temporary housing system that will aid individuals in the stabilization period, ultimately easing the reintegration process into a normal life. Within those walls, one can gain a sense of security, normality, and seek treatment/employment opportunities. For more information visit:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tiny-houses-homeless-detroit_us_57d1e926e4b03d2d4599b476

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“Tiny houses were a response to, or the inevitable result of, our country’s increasingly hard-to-find middle class and our growing inequality.” -Rodger Flemming

The “American Dream” of a large home with the white picket fence is still the standard. Over the last forty years, we have seen the bottom 90% of income earners’ wages drop. The American dream is largely inaccessible and unaffordable to the masses. As a result, the tiny house trend is taking off and running full force. Instead of chipping away at a lifetime long mortgage, and shelling out money just to heat and cool a mc-mansion, tiny housers’ are beating the system. Kathy Copeland Paddon states, “you need a lot less than you think you do,” and credits “having no mortgage, minimal heating costs, minimal electricity use, and very low property taxes” to the only way her family has made it over the last fifteen years. While middle class wages are in decline, a new American Dream emerges.

http://billmoyers.com/2014/10/14/microliving/

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Follow Jenna And Guillaume On Their Tiny House [Giant] Journey

Jenna and Guillaume give us a tour their beautiful home, sharing how their tiny home on wheels became the financial catalyst toward their aspirations as travel journalists. 

Follow their giant journey at: http://tinyhousegiantjourney.com

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The Dream Of [Microliving] Is Alive In Portlandia

PORTLANDIA does a satirical sketch of the tiny house movement. 

Check it out on Vimeo! 

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How TINY Homes Are Making A HUGE Impact On Homelessness

As income inequality puts pressure on lower/middle incomes, individuals are not only financially but physically living with less. A micro community in the Pacific Northwest acknowledges the financial stability accompanying the tiny house movement, and is using it to not only alleviate homelessness, but also prevent it by creating affordable housing. Dignity Village aims to connect individuals with proper health services, employment opportunities, and long term housing. “As middle-class stability increasingly becomes less reachable, or regainable, for a large percentage of the American population, tiny villages are modeling a solution that falls somewhere between the three-bedroom, two-car-garage status quo and the streets.” -Tim Murphy

https://www.buzzfeed.com/timmurphywriter/tiny-homes?utm_term=.gbwjjvojYP#.apj33RZ32L

Since 2001, Dignity Village has provided shelter from the streets to 60 individuals each night. Their self-governed system of transitional housing fosters community and self-empowerment to those in need in an effort to help end homelessness. To learn more about the work associated with Dignity Village visit, https://dignityvillage.org

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Is The Tiny House Movement An Enabler For Self-Actualization?

The financial stability that comes with owning a home nearly 1/12th the size of the standard U.S. home allows for people to reclaim a future not only without debt, but a future with possibility and opportunity. In reference toward Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, for an individual to achieve self actualization, one must meet the first four levels of the pyramid, one of which being safety. The lack of financial security proceeding the economic collapse reeked havoc upon the security of: employment, resources, morality, and property. With the American dream deemed unobtainable by the majority, individuals are using tiny houses to close the gap on obtaining financial security, and climbing Maslow’s pyramid. Where do you sit on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs? Tell us your thoughts below!

http://thetinylife.com/tiny-houses-homeless-and-low-income-housing-options/

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Dee Williams TEDx

Dee Williams shares her thoughts on the “American Dream” and the tiny house movement. What do you think? Tell us your thoughts!

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“The size of the average American home has more than doubled since the 1950s, but just how big does a home need to be?” -Matt Ferner

Spending $272,000 with an estimated 4.5% interest, the average homeowner is estimated to spend an averaged $481,704 over a thirty-year loan period. The average cost to build a tiny house is $23,000 if built by the owner. Portland couple, Tammy Strobel and Logan Smith are challenging the quest to homeownership by going tiny. The documentary TINY: A Story About Living Small follows Tammy and Logan who sold their possessions, and worked to build not only their (128 square foot) home, but a future that has facilitated their life/career goals. Tammy states “part of the reason we moved into a tiny house was to get rid of all this stuff and the trappings of daily life.” Follow their tiny journey at http://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/372029/the-american-dream-is-alive-and-its-really-tiny/

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Do You Think The Tiny House Movement Is A Response To Income Inequality?

What do you think? Tell us your thoughts!

Andrew Foote wrote: 

Yes. By compromising the big open spaces of a vast house, someone that isn't able to afford a mansion, can still own a home without having to pay it off for the rest of their lives. A tiny home can be paid off in a fraction of the time that most mortgages are set for. This opens up opportunities for leisure and travel that previously only those with higher incomes could afford.