14 Days to Launch | From Small Dream Home to Tiny Home?

Walking the dogs while dreaming out loud about January projects has become our new ritual. Chula and Zori sniff their way through the neighborhood while we debate tiny home floor plans and storage solutions. These walks have turned into mobile meetings - our version of a conference room with better views and more pee-mail checks.

While our days are still filled with work responsibilities, these evening walks have become precious planning time, turning neighborhood loops into brainstorming sessions.

Our tiny home interest started as casual curiosity a few years ago and has evolved into research and number-crunching. Our initial plan was to stay in our current house, but as we plan for "The Great House Purge" work, we decided to put some time and effort into learning more about them.

We've visited communities, toured models, studied floor plans, and started comparing the long-term costs of staying in our current home versus downsizing dramatically. While the tiny home models we've seen are all the same size (399 sq. ft. - about the size of a large master bedroom suite) the communities vary widely, as they do when shopping for a traditional home. Closer to the city and amenities means more expensive and more rules. Willing to be 30 minutes from the largest small town? Lower costs, more options (hello shed and larger porches!) Each option has its own way of supporting our freedom budget - we feel like we're in our own episode of Goldie Locks and the Three Bears.

The reality check comes when you start measuring your current life against potential tiny home dimensions. Four hundred square feet sounds doable until you're actually assessing your work and storage space needs or counting your books.

💡 What We're Actually Comparing:

• Housing expenses: Mortgage vs. tiny home lot payment
• Utilities: Current expenses vs. electric only (everything else is included in lot rent)
• Property taxes: Current vs. sales tax at tiny home purchase time
• Maintenance: House + yard vs. tiny house only (they maintain the grounds)
• Location flexibility: Fixed vs. mobile options

🏡 Questions We're Actually Asking:

In the Kitchen:

• How many cabinets do we really need?
• Which appliances are essential?
• Where will we prep meals?
• Do we need full-size everything?

In the Living Space:

• Where will we work?
• How much seating is enough?
• What storage solutions work best?
• Which hobbies need space?

Overall Questions:

• Which location/community fits our needs?
• How does this align with our freedom budget?

📋 Practical Tips From Our Research:

• Start with your non-negotiables (like workspace needs)
• Visit multiple manufacturers and models to understand true livability
• Consider all-season functionality
• Research zoning laws in your area if you're considering buying the land
• Calculate total cost of ownership, not just purchase price

💡 Pro Tip: We've started to create a mental "Week in the Life" list, observing everything we actually use and do in each space. Putting these thoughts on paper will help us separate "nice to have" from "need to have."

The dogs seem content with their evening routine, investigating every fire hydrant while we talk through floor plans and possibilities. Their simple approach to life - living in the moment while following their curiosity - is teaching us something about this transition. Sometimes the best planning happens when you're just putting one foot (or paw) in front of the other.

TRANSITION UPDATES:

Corporate Exit:

Year-end deadlines keep the days full while the team tackles increasingly complex scenarios without my input. Each successful solution they find feels like confirmation they're ready for what's ahead.

Virtual Business:

Client year-end prep continues while we map out how our business could adapt to different living situations. Turns out, bookkeeping works just as well from 400 square feet as it does from 1,500. Our focus will soon shift from full-time corporate job to building our own business - again! But this time feels different. Instead of doing books for our own restaurant, we're purely focused on the bookkeeping itself. Simpler business, simpler life.

Travel/Home Plans:

Research mode in full swing - comparing tiny home options, running numbers, and imagining different versions of our next chapter. The camper adventure might just be the perfect test run for minimal living. Speaking of the camper, we've also been looking at recommended camp sites mentioned in the Facebook groups we follow. One thing we know, it will be somewhere in the south, where the temperature is moderate, since we'll get the camper mid-January sometime.

What we're learning:

• Good planning can happen during dog walks
• Some decisions need time to unfold
• The best solutions aren't always obvious
• Dogs make excellent transition coaches

Next week, we'll tackle the practical side of transition - from healthcare decisions to retirement accounts. While others focus on holiday shopping, we're focused on something different: making financial choices that will support our next chapter. Because sometimes the best gift you can give yourself is peace of mind.