I was speaking to an acquaintance the other day while hauling water. We were discussing gardening and buying chickens on sale, and then we arrived on the topic of Tinyhouses, I should be specific, our tinyhouse.
I mentioned how i sometimes grow tired of getting water, and how during this construction the house has been slowly but surely shaping up.
He retorted: "Yeah well, its cheap."
That rubbed me the wrong way [i`m sure he meant nothing by it] the reality is, its not cheap. We spend the amount we would on rent, building our own home. We have been knee deep in construction for over a year. We are constantly planning and budgeting to get the most out of every weekend and every paycheck. we aren't savages squatting down by the river.
We could live in an apartment, and go out to lunch every weekend. We could have a dishwasher and Dinner parties.
We make sacrifices all the time, and its not cheap. Emotionally its not cheap, the toll anxiety can have on you, not cheap. and monetarily, NOT CHEAP.
It is relative, and worth it. but we didn't slap a tie-dyed blanket on the window and call our place a home. It is always improving, just not everyone understands how much it costs to build up a powertool supply, project to project, or how much the extra pieces cost to install a propane converted oven.
What did i want to hear? Gosh i don't know. "You guys are like pioneers" "How brave" "Keep up the good work" anything but "yeah well, its cheap."
Tinyhome dwellers are people with bills just like anyone else. We have a car payment, insurance payments, we buy groceries, we need winter tires and oil changes. We work on our credit, just like regular grownups.
To take all of our won battles and achievements and chalk them all up to "Cheap"
hurt my feelings.
Of course he doesn't know how many hurtles we have jumped, or problems we have solved, and he probably didn't even think about what that might mean to me.
All this said, i resolve to forgive him for not understanding things he couldn't possibly.
Thank you for reading, I know this is a bit different than my other blogs. Now I can move on :D
Love this "rant" Jordon! I couldn't have said it better. My friends and family thought us mad for deciding to build a tiny house. Most of them thought we'd never get as far as we have. A lot assume that we will be living primitively as well. I just shrug and say "It's not for everyone, but it's perfect for us" and leave it at that. I have found you can't change most peoples mind about tiny living. My "American Dream" does not include me slaving away for the rest of my life, behind a desk, to pay for things I couldn't really afford without credit. :)
ReplyDeleteIts absolutely true, you get the all too common "Its great for you, but i couldn't live like that"
DeleteWhich is somewhere between ego stroking and insulting, haha!
Its been a dream of mine for so long, and it just works for me so well. i cant imagine going a different route.
I can understand how u feel. we are also still renting, not enough budget to get a house yet, struggling super hard and sometimes feel so tired of it. But i wish we could build a tiny house for ourselves one day.. a real house and home for my son
ReplyDeleteI understand. Sometimes you battle the odds for so long you just want a break. Some days i want a running shower and a wardrobe fit for a fashion icon. Those days aren't my favorite, have to power through them and keep working towards a better tomorrow.
Delete