What to Do When Your Friends & Family Don’t Want You to Buy a Tiny House
Hello Friends,
It’s me, Alaska, your Tiny House Concierge!
If we haven’t met, I’m a millennial who:
- Quit her life.
- Decided to buy a tiny house.
- And then started a business to help others transition to the tiny home lifestyle.
I also write you bi-monthly letters here on the Tiny House Expedition blog! So be sure to subscribe. 😉
You might be wondering what a tiny house concierge does, and if so, that’s an excellent question. People call The Tiny House Concierge for all kinds of reasons!
Some people want help choosing a tiny home builder; others want to avoid falling for a tiny house scam; and still, others want to talk out the tiny home lifestyle to decide if a tiny house is really the answer.
Lately, though, I’ve had an influx of people reaching out with a new concern:
What should I do if my friends and family don’t want me to buy a tiny house?!
If that is your situation, just keep reading because we’re going to talk this through.
When Your Friends and Family Don't Want You to Buy a Tiny House
First, let's just call it like it is.
It sucks when your friends and family don't support your plans.
But can I share a tiny house factoid with you?
Most people who oppose tiny homes don’t understand them. So if you find yourself with an unsupportive network, the first action you can take is to try and educate them.
Your friends and family probably mean well, but if they are expressing doubts about your tiny home dreams, it's possible that they don't understand the benefits of tiny homes. For instance, they may not be aware that tiny homes can:
- Help people become homeowners in expensive real estate markets
- Help secure an affordable housing situation (that happens to be fabulous!) for retirees
- Allow parents to spend less time at work and more time with their kids
- Decrease a family's carbon footprint
- Deconstruct a consumer-driven lifestyle
- Construct a life based on experiences
And so much more!
If you're going to try to educate your posse, it's best to come prepared. That's why I recommend you read Tiny House Expedition's book, The Beginner's Guide to Tiny Houses.
When you're done, I encourage you to make a PowerPoint presentation that will answer your loved ones' questions and express all the tiny home lifestyle has to offer. I'm not joking. A guy once convinced my sister to go to prom with a PowerPoint so that these things can be effective!
If you need pictures, feel free to steal them from my Instagram.
OK, but what if your friends and family still aren't convinced by your epic PowerPoint presentation?
It happens. And it can hurt when others can't see what you see.
Here's the thing, though.
If you can imagine a tiny home future in a world where tiny houses are the exception and not the rule, you have vision. And vision makes you one of the extraordinary humans who has the ability to reinvent the world.
Unfortunately, people with the gift of vision often get backlash. This is why your next best bet is to accept what is.
Please assure your loved ones that brunch still happens in a tiny house!
Not everyone is going to accept your tiny home journey & that's OK.
But you know that gut feeling that a tiny house is the answer? Yeah, that's not going to go away.
So you, my friend, have a choice to make. Do you give in to pressure and travel the road most traveled? Or do you trust your instincts and say yes to magic?
I know it's scary to deviate from the norm, but while your friends and family may not be on board, rest assured that you are not alone. All over the internet and quietly sprinkled into communities everywhere are people who felt what you felt and are out there living their tiny house dream.
Do you want to know something ironic?
If you do go tiny, your achievement will stand as proof for your friends and family that a new reality is possible. So don’t be surprised if someone you know goes tiny, shortly after you do!
Me, standing in front of the best decision I ever made.
Sometimes our friends and family have to see it to believe it.
So trust yourself. The tiny house community will catch you, and your Tiny House Concierge is rooting for you every step of the way.
Much love,
-Alaska
Alaska is a writer, realtor, and tiny homeowner living in the great state of Colorado. She is the founder of The Tiny House Concierge, a company that offers consultation and copywriting services for people looking to rethink their housing and rewrite their lives. In addition to her website, she can be found on Instagram and YouTube.
