Top 10 Ways Tiny Living Is Awesome & Maybe A Negative or Two

I’m obsessed with living on this sailboat. It’s been an incredible journey thus far and I want to help others understand this way of living better. In this post, I’ll point out our top 10 ways tiny living works for us and some of the inescapable ways it might not for you. Although my point of view is thru living on a sailboat, many of these items apply to tiny living in general. In many ways, we’re still learning and getting better with trial and error but know these are the biggest perks of why tiny living is awesome!

#10. Environmentally Friendly

Sailing is one of the most self-sufficient ways to travel. It completely depends on the wind and there’s always a leisurely pace that comes with it. We’re still using diesel to get into marinas (at times) but even then, we’re staying at a strict RPM to make sure we’re saving on cash and keep as sustainable as we’re able. Our main fuel usage comes from ‘Dingus’, our dinghy. Since we’re anchoring and using mooring balls to help us to save money, it still causes us to use gasoline going to and from shore. Far, far less than driving around our land vehicles though so still quite an impact reduction! When we’re on shore, we’re excited to ride our bikes around to explore new locations too!

An improvement we’re looking to make for our sailboat is adding solar & wind power. These additions are not necessary but will help us to further our passion for being environmentally friendly. These will assist us in having our batteries charged fully and not worrying about renting slips to have shore power. These are an investment for us sooner than later and can’t wait for the extra help from sun & wind.

Generating trash is something we’re paying much closer to as well. Still improving our purchases and reducing as much as we can. Buying bulk, reusing bags, and continuously and paying attention to what we’re buying is crucial. Trash is free for us but we want to produce as little as we’re able.

#9. Easy to Clean

The sailboat is extremely easy to clean. Everything has its place and only takes about an hour to put together nicely and keep tidy. That’s probably over-estimating somewhat due to the fact that the boat doesn’t get dirty that fast. If anything, dishes are being done after each meal and that’s been the messiest part. We’re used to a dishwasher at our place and although I miss it, it’s also another contribution to how we’re being more environmentally friendly.

#8. De-clutters Your Life

Before moving onto the boat, we had so much extra STUFF in our life. We’ve still not purged the extra items as it resides in our basement but living on the sailboat allows for us to get rid of the unnecessary items that cause clutter. We still have some work in this area as I’ve only cut down to 30 pairs of shoes on the boat. Maybe it’s excess for the sailboat? Baby steps.

#7. Proximity

Everything is in immediate access. Even in our 1300 square foot Rockford home we found there was a lot of work in going to grab things on the opposite end. I’m always asking Tharon to grab me something and he especially appreciates the close proximity of all our things. Definitely a benefit.

**Although there is easy access to everything on the boat, it does cause some issues off the boat. Because we don’t have cars, it’s sometimes a challenge. Maybe the grocery store is 2 miles away. Because we have dogs, we’re constantly going for walks with them. That means, dinghy ride to shore in rain or shine and sometimes long distance walks or bike rides.

#6. Organization

Organization has become key for us. It’s important to have everything at easy access and to keep things in their place. Almost everything we own within our kitchen is compact or able to nest together, allowing us to have most of your luxury kitchen items (mixing bowls, pots & pans, and storage containers). Saving space and keeping organized are completely necessary and has been easy with our love for Joseph Joseph items.

#5. Budget Friendly

Although we are still paying for our sailboat, it’s a very affordable option for living aboard. We will typically anchor out and have been doing a decent job of cooking all our meals in our galley. It’s a bit of work sometimes but provides us the opportunity to cruise full time too. The trade-off is worth it.

#4. Flexibility

Living small has given us more flexibility to allow time for hobbies and to have us live at a more relaxed pace. Although it’s not always easy, it’s at the pace we’ve decided. We’ve had some constraints but if the weather is rough, we wait. If we decide to stay an extra day, we stay. It all depends on what we’re feeling and what our end goal should be. We’re flexible to make sure we’re happy, healthy, and heeling the right angle.

#3. Togetherness

Sometimes it’s difficult to escape each other but for the most part it’s been an ideal scenario of appreciating the time we have together. It is crucial to have teamwork while out on the water but also allows for us to enjoy all the challenges that come about on and off shore. We get to enjoy many of the happy moments of exploring new places, enjoying the work of making each meal together, and sometimes just being silent in the same room. It’ all been a part of the experience and both can agree we’re not getting sick of each other….yet 😉

#2. Outdoors

We’ve both had an incredible appreciation for the outdoors but this is being outdoors for many moments in each day. Tipsy has gone through rain and snow precipitation, cold and hot temperatures, as well as strong winds and following seas. Every day is different and every day has been outdoors.

Being active is important to us and allows for us to always have the opportunity in getting exercise along the way. We’re hiking, biking, walking, and rowing almost every day. It is awesome to be able to enjoy some of our favorite hobbies each and every day!

#1. Travel

Travel takes the cake. We’re enjoying SO much of Michigan thus far and can’t wait for the journeys we’ll have in the upcoming months. Traveling from place to place is not for everyone but it does allow a variety in great scenery. We LOVE it. Sometimes, we want to stay longer and then other times we’re happy to leave. Travel is our ultimate goal and makes us feel accomplished each time we leave for a new destination. It feels good to arrive and to appreciate the towns we decide on.

Anyways, that’s my point of view thus far and hope you’ll take into consideration some of the benefits of living tiny. It’s not always the easiest way but it works well for us.

Cheers & thanks for reading!