Layoff to Tiny House: Real Costs | Week 39 Post-Layoff

A year ago, I got news that would change everything: I'd be laid off at the end of 2024. Thirty days ago, we moved into our 399-square-foot tiny house. A lot has changed in a year.

Today, we're sharing the real numbers - what we were spending, what we're spending now, and what it actually cost to make this transition.

THE BACKSTORY

October 2024: Layoff announcement after almost 15 years with my company.

The typical, expected move? Find another corporate job. What we did instead? Decided I wouldn't go back. We wanted to try something we'd been talking about for years - living more life and working less.

But that meant big changes. The biggest change? Our housing expenses.

WHAT WE WERE SPENDING ON OUR TRADITIONAL HOUSE

We weren't living extravagantly, but we weren't minimalists either. This was just our normal and we could comfortably cover these expenses with our full-time income - even take a vacation or two - if we could get the time away from work.

Monthly Traditional House Costs:

Depending on the season, we were spending between $2,300 and $3,000 every single month on housing.

THE DECISION TO DOWNSIZE

To be successful with this lifestyle shift of working less and having more time for life, we needed to dramatically cut those costs. So we decided to sell our house and get a tiny house. After researching and visiting several communities in our state, and renting/living in one for five days, we figured out our non-negotiables. We found a builder and floorplan we loved and then we found a community that checked all of our boxes.

✔ Screened in porches as part of the house- we like enjoying time outside but I am an absolute mosquito magnet.

✔Carport - to protect our cars from Texas weather.

✔Shed - for some storage and a project area.

✔Pet fencing - for obvious reasons.

With our plan in hand, we had an estate sale, donated what didn't sell, sold our house and moved into a tiny rental for 2.5 months while we waited for our own tiny house to be ready.

Thirty days ago, we finally got the keys.

WHAT WE'RE SPENDING NOW IN OUR TINY HOUSE

Monthly Tiny House Costs:

*Still establishing patterns - we've only been here 30 days

THE COMPARISON

Before: $2,340-$3,005 per month (avg $2,673) After: $930-$980 per month (avg $955)

Reduction: 64%

We're spending less than a third of what we used to on housing.

ABOUT THAT INTERNET UPGRADE

Our original goal was a 72% cost reduction. We're at 64%. That 8% difference? Upgraded internet.

The lot rent included basic internet that covered just two devices. Two. We have laptops, phones, a TV, a printer... that wasn't going to work for two people working from home.

So we upgraded for an extra $100 a month. Could we hit 72% if we downgraded? Sure. But this journey is about living full, not living restricted. We need reliable internet to work and create content.

Even at 64%, we're reducing housing costs by nearly two-thirds. That's huge.

THE ONE-TIME SETUP COSTS

Now here's the part that's important to understand: one-time setup costs are not the same as monthly expenses.

Because we had an estate sale and donated what didn't sell, we started fresh with the large items - most of which 5-10+ years old. We replaced:

• Beds
• Couch
• TV and console table
• Washer and dryer
• Desks

Total one-time setup: approximately $9,000

Your situation will probably be different. You might keep your furniture. You might buy used. You might phase things in over months or years. This number is specific to our choices. We've done the house-to-apartment downsize twice before, so we chose to purchase what would work best in the new space.

Don't confuse these one-time costs with monthly living costs when determining whether downsizing makes sense for you.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR US

Those monthly savings are giving us breathing room that we wouldn't have had if we'd stayed in our traditional house. The freedom to make different choices about how we spend our time. We want to rediscover hobbies and do road trips to see parts of the country we haven't seen while we're still relatively young enough.

We're still figuring out utility patterns - we've only been here 30 days. Things might shift as we go through different seasons. But the foundation is solid.

We're spending less than a third of what we used to on housing, and that's creating space for other things we want to do.

30 DAYS IN: WHAT WE'RE LEARNING

It's harder than we expected and easier than we expected, somehow at the same time.

The logistics of small space living? Actually easier than we thought. We only run into each other in the kitchen. The space we designed feels open and airy - we're not feeling claustrophobic. The porches definitely make a huge difference compared to the tiny rental we stayed in that didn't have any porch space.

But the waiting game - waiting for repairs, waiting for the carport, waiting for things to feel completely settled - that's been harder.

The best surprise? We like it here. The pace is slower. This wasn't just about cutting costs. It's about what those cost savings are giving us - time, flexibility, less stress about money every month.

WANT MORE?

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🎥 Watch the full video: 64% Housing Reduction video

💬 Your turn: Where were you a year ago? What's changed? I'd love to hear your story - drop a comment on the YouTube video or reply to this post. Thanks for joining our journey.

Still figuring this out one day (and one utility bill) at a time,

-Kathy & Bryan