I admit it. I’m a bad blogger… at least in my personal life. Between the full-time job, freelance assignments, and my side-projects it can be hard to muster up the energy (or subject matter) to post here regularly. But I can usually count on NPR to give me a little kick in the writing pants. This time it came in the form on “Tiny Houses.”

I have been on a “Stuff Boycott” for almost a year now. Basically, I have begged and pleaded with my friends and family not to give me what I refer to as “crap.” This includes but is not limited to: candles, books I won’t read, and knick-knacks. I have torn through my closet and dressers. I’ve gotten rid of clothing, old dishes, an arm chair and more stuff I just didn’t need. There are people all over CT getting use out of my old junk. 

I do this because living in a small space made me realize that I don’t need most of it. I also do this because I don’t have any desire to live in a much bigger space. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t mind a little bit more square footage and enough storage space to get my stuff out of Nana’s basement. I would also like to be able to walk around without tripping over a cat, and be able to squeeze a dog in. But that’s about all I need.

So, when I saw a link for an NPR story about Do-It-Yourself Downsizing I got really excited. Even I am not interested in living a shed-size house, but the “Small Houses” on Tumbleweedhouses.com are downright charming. I’ve always had a thing for cottages. I’d love nothing more than to pick up and move myself to a tiny stone house in an Irish village, but the next best thing would be to find some cheap land in New Hampshire and plop one of these little houses on it. If you’re into city living, though, perhaps you might consider dropping one of these guys into a blighted place like Detroit where the city is actually shrinking and you could get the land for a steal.

I’m partial to the “B-53” because it seems the most flexible and can accommodate a couple or a small family without compromising too much. But if these neat, tidy little houses aren’t quite what you’re looking for then maybe you could give Derek Diedrickson a call: