12 Things I Have Stopped Buying Since Going Tiny

Not too long ago, our family of four sold our small house along with (almost) everything in it, packed up our two dogs and a bearded dragon, and moved across the United States to 5 acres of forest-covered goodness in (usually) sunny Florida. For the next year (or so), we are officially a ‘tiny house family’. Because, in order to get one step closer to our debt-free dream life, we have decided to live in our camper while we renovate a 1974 mobile home which came with the property. Long story short, I have had to reconsider many of the products I used to purchase simply because there’s simply not a lot of extra space when you live in a 210 square foot tiny home. So, without further ado, here are 12 things I have stopped buying since going tiny.

Things I Have Stopped Buying Since Going Tiny

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1 | Linens

I can’t even begin to tell you how freeing it is not to have a linen closet…Seriously!

We own two towels/washcloths per family member, one sheet/pillowcase set per bed, and a small drawerful of kitchen cloths/towels.

Each of our beds has a blanket and we have one comfy throw on our couch. That’s it!

The only downside to owning fewer linens is that I’ve had to learn (ahem…still learning) to stay on top of our laundry so we don’t end up sleeping on a naked bed because it’s 11:00 PM and I forgot to transfer the sheets to the dryer.

You may want to re-read that last sentence. Notice I said ‘naked bed’ not ‘naked in bed’. 🙂

2 | Office Supplies

As a homeschooling/work at home mom, I’ll admit, I USED to be slightly addicted to school/office supplies. I would get positively giddy when back-to-school supplies began showing up en masse on store shelves every July. Because…you can never have too many pens, binders, and sticky notes. Amiright?

Unfortunately, all of those little office supplies take up space. Space that our tiny home simply doesn’t possess. As such, I have not purchased a single office supply since going tiny. AND I’ve learned to avert my eyes when walking past the school supply isles.

3 | Extra Clothes

I have managed to create a lovely little capsule wardrobe since moving into a tiny house. Which is good, because, my current closet is about 1/10 the size of my previous closet! 

Related Posts: 

40 Things I Do Not Buy Since Simplifying My Life

10 Things I Could Stop Buying (If I REALLY Had To)

 {More} Things I Have Stopped Buying Since Going Tiny

4 | Multiples 

Resisting the urge to stock up has been the most difficult thing to adjust to since moving into a tiny house. Why? Because I HATE shopping!

I used to be able to stock up once per month at our local big box store and be done with it. Now, I keep one extra on hand and replace the backup when necessary. Amazon Subscribe and Save (Available for free when you sign up for Amazon Prime) has saved me multiple trips to the store. I can just set it up to ship frequently used products (eg. toothpaste, deodorant, and dog food) as I run out of them. I guess you could say Amazon has become my new storage room!

Click this link to try Amazon Prime FREE for 30 days and see for yourself how great it is not to have to go to a store every time you run out of something.

5 | Cleaning Supplies

I’m just going to say it now…Dawn dish soap is awesome! I use it for literally everything! Plus, a little goes a long way. In fact, I am slowly phasing out my multipurpose cleaner and glass cleaner (because a little Dawn mixed with vinegar and water in a spray bottle makes a fabulous glass cleaner). Currently, my household cleaning products consist of:

• A broom and dustpan
• Swiffer mop
• Disinfecting Wipes (a lifesaver when you need to clean with very little water)
• Dawn dish soap
• Vinegar (looking into essential oils to cut the strong smell)
• Multipurpose cleaner & Glass cleaner (leftover from our ‘big’ house)

6 | Junk Food

Okay, okay, so I still buy some junk food. I have two boys what can I say? But I have cut way back due to the fact that my pantry space has decreased substantially.

7 | Random Crap for my Kids

Honestly, I haven’t purchased random crap for my kids in years but now that they are old enough to save up for their own purchases, they know they are limited on space. They know if they bring something in, something else has to go in order to make room for it.

8 | Home Decor

Ever tried hammering a nail in an RV wall? Well, I did. Long story short…it didn’t work.

I did break down and buy two small rugs for our bare floor. Then my puppy peed on them. Now they are packed away for future use in our future ‘normal sized’ home.

Needless to say, I’ve decided to forego decorating our tiny home for now.

9 | Totes/Storage Containers

Full disclosure: I am a recovering hoarder of storage containers and totes. I’m not kidding. I used to have an area in my basement devoted to storing EMPTY totes and boxes. In fact, I still drool over storage baskets, totes, and organizational systems. But I’ve learned to admire them from afar and leave them in the store because there just isn’t room in our tiny house for them. {sob}

{Even More} Things I Have Stopped Buying Since Going Tiny

10 | Entertainment {Non-Digital}

Our family owns just enough board/card games as will fit inside of one cabinet in our tiny home. If we buy another one, we must get rid of one.

Also, all video games, music, movies, and books are now bought and stored electronically. This helps keep our itsy bitsy house from becoming too cluttered.

We also utilize the library and (try to) return things we borrow promptly.

11 | Extra Makeup, Nail Polish, etc.

My affinity for buying multiples previously applied to my makeup collection as well. I’m happy to say I’ve managed to whittle my makeup down to one small 6-inch bag. I have one bottle of nail polish and one bottle of perfume. Which I will replace once they are used up.

12 | Clearance Items

Ahhh, those red-ticket beauties. They USED to lure me in with their ‘money saving’ promises and ‘frugal’ deceptions. Since going tiny, I’ve become wise to their conniving ways. Now I ask myself two questions before I buy anything

1. Do I really need this? If the answer is ‘yes’,
2. Will it fit in my tiny house?

Surprisingly, I’m learning to like this new way of shopping. I think it’s healthy to have boundaries.

That’s it, I’m sure the longer our family lives in a tiny house, I will be adding more to this list of things I have stopped buying since going tiny, but overall, I think I’m off to a good start.

READ MORE:

• 40 Things I Do Not Buy In Order To Save Money And Simplify My Life
• 10 Things You Can Stop Buying (Because You Really Don’t Need Them Anyway)
• Free Printable Budget Planning Worksheets

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