Imaginary Personal Space

120 square feet is small for one person, and sometimes two people are just too many. For the most part, Jamie and I have such different schedules between work hours and extracurriculars we don’t spend much time home (and awake) together, but there are days (like today) when our schedules line up and we’re both home at the same time. This requires some creative thinking so we don’t drive each other crazy.

I was feeling sick last night (like, climb down a ladder, toss on a jacket, run out and be sick in the bushes kind of sick) and decided it wasn’t a good idea to go to work today. Jamie had the day off from work and wanted to get some house projects accomplished. She’s used to working on house projects when I’m not here and I’m used to spreading out a little when she’s not here and we ran into some space challenges today.

prepping for the new spice rack

Ways to Protect your Relationship when you Live in a Tiny House

#1 Talk it out

If one or both of us are feeling frustrated, we try to talk about it right away. It’s not always easy, but so far it’s been immeasurably helpful at enabling us both to feel comfortable at home even if we’re feeling grumpy. There’s really no space to stew about things in a Tiny House.

#2 Go outside

Jamie often gets antsy staying inside for too long (while I could read novels all day and be completely happy) and if one or both of us are grumpy she’ll often head out to do some errands or just get outside for a bit. Since we’re both so busy, we are often tempted to spend spare time together, but we both also value our “alone time” so finding ways to have time alone is essential to our relationship.

#3 Don’t Take it Personally

This is not my strong suit, but I think it’s essential to a happy tiny home. If one of us is frustrated / grumpy / irritated / insert grumpy word here, it’s important for the other person not to take that mood to heart. Usually it’s about something totally external but in such a confined space it can be a little overwhelming. The best way to handle this one is to talk it out (see #1).

These may seem somewhat obvious, but my point is in a very small space it’s even more important than usual to keep healthy communication in your relationship.