Olivia Raynard ’19 has unique post-graduation plans that involve her own self-constructed tiny house. She hopes to lessen the burden of college loans by embracing a new minimalist lifestyle in her tiny house after she graduates. She wants to achieve a sense of “financial freedom” that most students struggle to attain after college.
“I decided sophomore year that I wanted to build my own tiny house. I have seen what financial stress can do to my family and others. I think a tiny house is a perfect option for a college graduate,” says Oliva about her decision to build the tiny house.
“As of about a year ago, I had never touched a power tool before, so the construction process has been interesting,” Olivia says. She hopes to get the house done by the time she graduates, but she knows the process will be anything but easy.
After a recent revelation, Olivia realized that material possessions aren’t what she needed to be happy. She would much rather spend time doing the things she loves, such as hiking, camping, and developing relationships with friends and family. She can do that without the financial stress that would normally burden a newly graduated student, she says.
If you take the time to think about the number of material possessions you own, the list is likely extremely long. This seems to be the case for most people living in today’s society. The tiny house lifestyle looks to diminish that mindset by instead supporting a greener way of living. Human activity and consumption is one of the biggest culprits of negative environmental consequences. Living minimally, with less space to store massive amounts of stuff, can really put into perspective what you actually need and don’t need.
As a SLU student who has been taking part in the Sustainability Program her entire junior year; Olivia says it’s not just about the financial aspect, but it’s also about the benefits the minimalist lifestyle has on the environment. She says that her tiny house will include a few necessary amenities, such as a compost toilet, minimal running water, a shower, a wood stove to heat the house, two stove tops run by propane, a camp stove, and a loft for her bed.
“The goal is that everything that I include in my house, such as appliances, will have multiple functions and purposes,” says Olivia.
As an environmental studies major, Olivia is interested in sustainable agriculture and farm-to-school programs. She hopes that her mobile tiny house will allow her to explore out west, where there are new forms of agriculture and farming methods. The tiny house movement also includes an aspect of community living she finds interesting. This is where tiny house owners come together and place their houses on the same plot of land.
It’s not just Olivia who is attracted to the minimalist lifestyle of a tiny house. In the last few years, the tiny house movement has grown in popularity. HGTV has featured a show called “Tiny House, Big Living,” and magazines such as Country Living have featured what they consider to be the most impressive and elegant of the tiny houses.
I asked Olivia why she thought the tiny house movement has grown in popularity in the last decade. “No one wants to be in a lot of debt, and I think this type of living appeals to people because no mortgages, which means less debt. Also, they build tiny houses for people who have experienced natural disasters and for older people who have retired,” she says. She also claims that her choice to build her tiny house on wheels will help her avoid strict building codes and those expensive mortgages.
The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) website even brags about the functionality and affordability of a tiny house for all ages. They especially highlight how little maintenance a tiny house is, which is especially appealing to recently retired elderly people. According to the AARP website, the average American spends around $272,000 on a house, plus an extra $200,000 for mortgage costs. By living in a tiny house, you eliminate the cost of a mortgage and instead you are only left with the cost of the construction. By downsizing you are also using less energy and heat.
Downsizing doesn’t necessarily mean sacrificing style. As I said before, Country Living Magazine has multiple articles on some of the most efficient and up-to-date designed houses.
Although the lifestyle in general requires a change in mindset, the trend of minimalism seems to be everywhere nowadays, reflecting some Americans’ disappointment with a consumerist society. According to the New York Times article “Living With Less. A lot Less,” the fondness people have for material goods affects every aspect of their lives. The article also says that in the last 60 years, the size of the average household has grown to 2,500 square feet, in comparison to a tiny house, which ranges from 400 to 1,000 square feet.
Many people who live in tiny houses say that their overall well-being has improved. Less stuff means less stress, they say. There is no doubt that this lifestyle is better for the environment, lessening an individual’s carbon footprint and getting rid of unnecessary clutter. There is also proof that this lifestyle comes with drawbacks, such as a loss of possessions, an adjustment to a smaller space, and a lack of overall luxury. Yet, people like Olivia are willing to give up such luxuries to achieve a simpler and arguably happier lifestyle.
There is no doubt that minimalism vs. consumerism is a complicated comparison when weighing a person’s well-being. We have minimalism which brings up the question: is less really more? The consumerist society tells us that the more stuff you have, the better.
Despite what lifestyle you believe allows a person to lead the happiest life, the growing popularity of the tiny house movement is inspiring people to live minimally all over the country. There is even proof of this in our own St. Lawrence community.