As they say, “necessity is the mother of invention.” When someone’s in a bad situation, it can be exactly what they need to have a great idea. That’s just what happened to 35-year-old Ryan Mitchell, who needed a serious change in his life. So, he decided to try living in a tiny house, and it went better than he ever expected…
Having Ups And Downs
Mitchell’s story, unfortunately, starts off on a bad note. Everything started going downhill for the 35-year-old when he learned that he had lost his job, his only source of money. Worse still, it was his first job! He had just graduated from Western Carolina University with a master’s degree in human resources. “My boss came in and said, ‘We’re closing the company. You’re all out of a job’,” Mitchell recalled.
Immediately, Mitchell started calculating his new budget. That’s when he realized he really needed to cut down in some areas. “I realized half my income was going to rent, insurance and maintenance, and I said, I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but if I could eliminate housing from my budget, it would set me up to be in a better position.”
Amazing Discovery
In 2009, Mitchell discovered the tiny house community thanks to his friend. At the time, tiny houses had yet to take off. Realizing that this could become the sulation to his problems, Mitchell decided to take on the challenge of building his small home. He also started his own blog, showing every step of his process in detail. After two years of planning, gaining resources and inspiration, he made a first major step: buying a $2,800 trailer.
From there, Mitchell contrined to work on the tiny house, even after he found another full-time job. In the end, it took him just over a year-and-a-half, including a two-month break. The final costs came to around $30,000 – much better than most houses! Now the time came to start living in his new home.
Of course, Mitchell felt nervous at first, as the house was something that he had entirely created himself. “I was nervous that living in this tiny house wouldn’t work, that it wouldn’t be for me, but I told myself I only had to do it for two years to get to the break-even point.”
Living In A Tiny House
Now, of course, while Mitchel saved lots of money, his house doesn’t have a lot of the things a normal house does. Thankfully, it does have a bathroom, TV, and Wi-Fi. However, there’s no washing machine, dishwasher, microwave, or freezer. But, the 35-year-old has made do. For food, he just eats fresh and healthy, while taking his clothes to a laundromat. Still, in the end, he’s happy with his 150-square-foot tiny home. “All the counters are the perfect height for me, the closet was designed around my wardrobe even the kitchen storage was designed for the foods I like to eat. It really is like a normal home. Everything is just on a smaller scale,” Mitchell explained. But he has been thinking of adding a guest room!
The new home also came with a new way of thinking. “[During the] process, it wasn’t just my housing I was rethinking, it was my whole life, my priorities, and goals. I realized the thing that made me the most happy wasn’t stuff,” he commented, thinking about all the boxes he had that hasn’t been opened in over a year already. So, he just sold and donated most of his things and became a minimalist.
Now, Mitchell plans to retire and build a new house by 40, thanks to his business. Let’s all wish him the best of luck with his plans!
Sources: People, CharlotteAgenda.