We moved to a small house to save money – it’s NOT as cheap as it looks
A couple who moved into a 30 square foot tiny house in an effort to save money in an effort to save money talked about the difficulties they faced living together in such a small place, admitting that it was not so ‘cheap and glamorous’. as it often looks online.
Destiny and Brianna DeJesus, of Portland, Oregon, said they started looking at buying a home together after their apartment rent nearly doubled in four years.
As a couple who love to travel, they “fell in love” with the idea of living in something like an RV or van so they could get around instead of “spending hundreds of thousands of dollars settling in one location.” ‘
They eventually settled on a tiny house on wheels and officially moved into it in early 2022 – but they were in for a shock when faced with a slew of expenses and challenges they never expected.
A couple who moved into a 30-square-foot tiny house on wheels in an effort to save money has come to realize the difficulties they faced while living together in such a small place
Destiny and Brianna DeJesus, of Portland, Oregon, moved into the tiny home in early 2022 — but were shocked to be hit with a slew of expenses and challenges
“While we now love everything about tiny house living, the journey to get here wasn’t an easy one,” Destiny admitted in a recent essay for Insider. The interior of the tiny house can be seen above
“While we now love everything about tiny house living, the journey to get here wasn’t easy,” Destiny admitted in a recent essay for Insider.
Destiny explained to the outlet that just because homes are “small,” it doesn’t mean they’re “cheap.”
She revealed that they paid about $90,000 for their 399-square-foot residence, and another $2,000 to have it moved from Los Angeles, where it was made, to Portland, where they live.
Since the house is on wheels, they thought it would be easy to move it from state to state, but in reality, she explained that it’s an expensive — and risky — event every time they want to move.
“Movers usually estimate the price of gas per mile,” Destiny said. That means our next move from Portland to Texas will probably cost us more than ,000.
‘Moving an entire house also entails risks. When we first moved into our house, we opened the door to find our fridge on the counter, our porcelain sink cracked, and our sliding door coming off its hinges.
“Part of the reason we wanted a house on wheels was [because] we wanted to travel and move from place to place. Now, moving isn’t something we want to do as often as we thought.’
Another major hardship they have faced since the lifestyle change is finding parking spaces for their new home.
Destiny explained to the outlet that just because homes are “small,” it doesn’t mean they’re “cheap.”
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She revealed that they paid about $90,000 for their 399-square-foot residence, and another $2,000 to have it moved from Los Angeles, where it was made, to Portland, where they live.
Since the house is on wheels, they thought it would be easy to move it from state to state, but in reality, she explained that it’s an expensive – and risky – event every time
‘Finding a parking space is difficult and requires thorough research. There are a lot of regulations and laws when it comes to tiny homes that can vary by state, city and county,” Destiny continued.
They have also struggled to find contractors willing to solve problems, which means they often have to solve it themselves
“Even if you own land, you may not be allowed to have a tiny house on your property.
‘Parking a tiny house on wheels at a camper place is an option, but then the house must have certain certifications.
“Joining a tiny house community is also an option, but that could mean moving to more remote areas or going on a years-long waiting list.”
They have also struggled to find contractors willing to solve problems, which means they often have to solve it themselves.
Destiny and Brianna’s tiny house consists of a kitchen, a living room, an office, a bedroom and a bathroom.
It also features two closets, an AC and heating unit, running water, and a two-in-one washer and dryer.
Destiny and Brianna’s tiny house consists of a kitchen area (left), a living room (right), an office, a bedroom and a bathroom
It also features two closets, an AC and heating unit, running water, and a two-in-one washer and dryer
Despite the difficulties they encountered along the way, the couple is still glad they made the switch. They explain: ‘We’ve had a wild year, but we wouldn’t trade it for a different lifestyle’
Unfortunately there is no stove or oven, but they have learned to cook almost anything using their air fryer and hot plate.
Despite the difficulties they’ve encountered along the way, the pair are still happy they made the switch as they explain their joint Instagram account, “We’ve had a wild year, but we wouldn’t trade it for any other lifestyle.”
The couple often documents the difficulties they face while living in the tiny house on their social media.
“We’ve dedicated this page to mostly showing the downsides of living in a tiny house because we don’t see enough of it online,” they explained in a post.
“I’ll take this bullshit about paying $1,600 in rent so we’re gonna roll with the punches,” they captioned another video, showing them repairing their shower door after it was recently shattered.