The Dark Side...

Not Star Wars..

I have spent hours planning and designing my new little home - collecting ideas on Pinterest and a list of materials I might like to use.  That is the fun part.  Renovate, refurbish, remodel, restore?

The other aspect, however, of tiny house living is down-sizing.  SERIOUS down-sizing.  And since I came in the "back door" so to speak  of this new life style, I'm not sure if it is temporary or permanent.  So for now I am "making piles" - give away/throw away/donate; trailer living requirements; and those things I would want in a more traditional home were I to return to one.  Heirloom furniture, unique Christmas decorations, those incredible oil paintings Gram did, family photos, and an extensive library.  I am a book nut.  That stuff is labelled "KEEP"!!!  My current plan it to set up bookshelves in  storage so they are easy to get to and I can rotate my "on-board" collection periodically.

Again, since I am approaching this from a financial angle rather than an ideological one - I have STUFF.  Two large storage units of stuff.  The one here has a lot more temporary and outdoors items than the one in Idaho, but there still is stuff. 

And there is the trash/treasure thing - I was so excited about those window sashes I collected for my greenhouse I had planned to make - but how do I find a home for them with another enthusiast?  Habitat Restore said they simply didn't have the room for them because of the HUGE variation in window sizes for homes that might use them.  And there are other building materials.  Maybe they could be repurposed into my new home, or...

I have a fun collection of gently to well-used tools.  Is that a Craigslist item?  I have a phone, but being "house mobile"  and them being in a storage unit adds another layer of difficulty.

And just how many suitcases does one person need?  Or clothes?  Certainly I will be living somewhere with a much broader range of seasons, but how do I make sure they are stored properly when not in use?  I'm pretty sure I will be joining the ranks of snowbirds for a bit, and just how many sweaters do you need in that case?  Or coats.  Maybe those go into the donate pile, and I get to rotate my wardrobe as I discover thrift store treasures and unique designs along the way.

Lawnmower, weed eater, and garden cart.  Portable dishwasher.  Sure I could put that in the trailer, but that is a electrical/water/wastewater nightmare for my little home.  And there really isn't room for enough dishes to make it worth the space I'd lose.

Now what to do about that rain barrel...