With the current economic status of the American nation, paying jobs are getting harder to find and keep, housing prices are skyrocketing, and many Americans are miserable, finding their lives in a rut. There’s little to no time to do what one loves or spend with one’s family, and the free chances one does get usually gets gobbled up by household work or maintenance. What if all that just went away? No more worry about filling up leftover space, more time to do what one wants to do, and more money to put towards something other than bills and debt? Tiny houses provide an alternative life-style that allows more funds, freedom, and is more eco-friendly than the average home.
A simpler, easy-going way of life is being adopted by people young and old, single and married, employed and not so, across the nation. Tiny houses are residential buildings typically less than 600 square feet – larger than a shed, but not quite big enough to be called a cottage. They have nearly all the facilities and rooms a regular home has, but in a more compact area, without all the “excess” space. This trend of down-sizing, also known as the Tiny House Movement, isn’t a new one. Rather, it’s the revival of a past idea. In the 1950’s the average American single-family home was 980 square feet. As of 2009, that average has increased by 275% to an enormous 2,700 square feet. Garages take up about 15% of that size while appliances fill another 10%. American refrigerators are double the size of those in Europe, and use enough energy to power six televisions for 10-12 hours per day (Strobel). The purpose of tiny houses is to reduce the amount of space in one’s home in order to reduce the amount of clutter in one’s life – to realize what is a w...
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Strobel, Tammy. “Tiny House Saga.” Mother Earth News. 6 June 2012. Web. 10 September 2013.
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One fundamental principle of the Tiny House Movement is that less equals more. Furthermore, the less space one acquires, his or her expenditures will likewise be lessened. By downsizing, owners "allot[s] one-third to one half of their income for the next 15 years for mortgage payments" (Maglalang 31). Due to the affordability, this comfortable style of living has become available to most citizens in the United States. Life in a tiny house provides a viable shelter that can accommodate all, even the underprivileged (Priesnitz 12).
The weight of evidence to date demonstrates that halfway house are cost-effective and more humane regarding expenditure of the public funds when compared to institutional placement and besides halfway houses have been a part of correction since the early 1800s. (Latessa & Smith, 2011) Halfway houses address devastating economic and psychological effects of prisonization on most inmates. Therefore, first, I must take into consideration that a halfway house can be seen as an eyesore or a public service. I would like for a survey of some sort to be conducted to determine how many if any of my neighbors engage in drug or alcohol usages that they feel is out of hand. I would also like the survey to analyze if there are any real problems within the households before considering opening a halfway house. There are several pros to opening a halfway house to those in need
As a humbled and mature member of the Boomerang Generation (Burrell, n.d.) there has been an increase of adults moving back into their childhood homes. According to J. Burrell, “there are many reasons why this becomes necessary. The biggest cause in this latest generation was a stagnant economy that caused problems in the job market”. Through my experience and encounters with other boomerang members,
Homes are essential to humans. As Moore sees it, we are a civilization that is becoming riddled with anxieties. Moore does not see our advancements as beneficial to the enchantment of people as it hinders and replaces the creative and soulful in older art, buildings, and social structures into bland and predictive ones. Moore states, “If we continue to transform all nations of the world into homogenized high-tech, no-image, all-function cultures of disenchantment, we will have few unique spirits left to nourish our souls” (149).
For those of us with warm roofs over our heads and groceries on the table the problem of affordable housing does not often surface. But for low-income families, where half the income can disappear simply trying to keep the family sheltered in an acceptable home, the problem is a daily one. President of the BRIDGE Housing Corporation Donald Terner and columnist Brad Terner argue that affordable housing is a problem that should involve everyone. From your local supermarket clerk to your child’s science teacher, the problem of affordable housing can affect us all.
Reiley, Stephanie. “Issue 10 – Why a Tiny Home?” 27 July 2009. Web. 2 Mar. 2013
Safety, acceptance, and freedom are three things that every person wants to feel. Where is the place that makes someone feel these things? Bell hooks expands our minds and provides us with an idea of such a place that would provide individuals with a sense of safety, acceptance, and freedom. She calls these hope filled settings “homeplaces.” In hooks piece, “Homeplace: A Site of Resistance,” she describes not only what a homeplace is, but also what the people who were involved in the homeplace endured and overcame. Hooks makes it clear that the hardships black women overcame, and the legacies they left behind are tremendously significant. Because of hooks personal and family’s experiences, her piece focuses on African American women , but clearly her understandings and principles also describe many other minorities as well as women in general. Women of all races, ethnicities, and religions have made leaps and bounds in positively impacting the world, and they will certainly not back down now.
The American dream was owning a house with a white picket fence. Now this dream is impossible. Individuals and families find it more difficult to find a decent home to rent in a suitable living area. According to Huffington Post, the hourly wage needed to afford a two bedroom apartment in California is at least $26 an hour. This is more than triple the minimum wage. Eviction, relocation, and inflation are the common keywords that associate with affordable housing. I 'm hoping to persuade you to support affordable housing for all. Today, I will be discussing, one, inflation of the housing market that needs to decrease, two, eviction from homes, three having to move to communities far from their work site.
Efforts to confront this issue were initiated by affects of World War II. Before the war, the Great Depression devastated the United States of America causing production of homes to stop. World War II soon followed and the country switched into productions for war, which also caused a halt i...
"Sixty-eight percent of tiny house people have no mortgage, compared to 29.3% of all U.S. homeowners" (Henion ¶6). By choosing the tiny life, it eliminates the financial burden of mortgages. Even retired baby boomers are moving away from traditional homes because of the high maintenance and endless mortgages (Patel ¶4). "Approximately 2 out of 5 tiny home owners are over 50 years of age" (Henion ¶11). The other financial issue many Americans face is taxes. The only taxes tiny home owners pay is for land properties and other minor fees (Patel ¶5). An example of a minor fee is the heating and cooling for a tiny home. It all depends on the electrical demand on the house. The owner of the home could be producing their own electricity or someone could be supplying them (Downes ¶7). No matter the case, the taxes are affordable and the mortgage is non-existent. When it comes down to it, tiny homes are the cost effective
Having a house and having a home used to coincide. Families used to live in the same house for generations, but now the sentimental value of having a house has changed. As Quindlen puts it, “There was a time when where you lived often was where you worked and where you grew the food you ate and even where you were buried. When that era passed, where you lived at least was where your parents had lived and where you would live with your children when you became enfeebled” (Quindlen 215). However, over time even that changed. Now we have grown to live in a house and then move on like it was nothing. Sentimental value for a house has dwindled. Quindlen demonstrates that “suddenly, where you lived was where you lived for three years, until you could move on to something else and something else again” (Quindlen 215). However, for those without a house, they would give anything to have that sentimental feeling that used to come with having a house. But that’s just the problem; for most a house and a home no longer coincide. We can own a house but not have a home, or vice versa. After all, “Home is where the heart is. There’s no place like it” (Quindlen 214). People can have a home without having a house. A home simply means having a family,
Buying and owning your home is part of the American dream. Although the dream itself has since changed, the home still remains the main focal point. Today owning a home doesn’t necessarily mean a house. People now buy duplexes, cooperative apartments, and condominiums. For some families it could take up to a couple of generations before it’s able to have the capabilities of buying a home. To many people it means a certain achievement that only comes after years of hard work. It is a life altering decision and one of the most important someone can make in their lifetime. The reasons behind the actual purchase could vary. Before anything is done, people must understand that it’s an extraneous process and it is a long term project.
Small towns are looked down upon and criticized because they are small; however, they might be the best town of all. All of the people who reside there are thoughtful of one another, care for their neighbor, and their family. Small towns have good cultural values of what is considered good, desirable, and proper (Schaefer 2016:63). Residents feel like they are a part of something bigger than the town. People who grow up in small towns have better morals, give more athletic opportunities to children, and have a sense of community.
An option for individuals look are looking to buy property have the option to purchase a house. The advantages are: “pride in ownership, privacy, own land, tax benefits, fixed rate, security, and can renovate to their desire. The disadvantages are: less flexibility, mortgage has interest, more stress about money, requires down payments, closing costs, and moving costs, need to have a fixed income/stable income, and bank may take over house if payments are not made” (Zillow, May 12th 2012 ). Pride of ownership is advantage because it gives those individuals accomplishment feeling and shows their hard work paid off and do not have to deal with landlords anymore” (Free Advise Staff, unknown date). Privacy is another advantage because it gives the homeowners the freedom to do whatever they wish and not worrying that they will break the rules. Owning land is an advantage because “every time you pay off your mortgage individuals are gaining equity and increasing your assets” (Chapman’s lecture, unknown date). Another advantage is individuals will get a “tax benefit which will help pay off the interest of the mortgage and increases income” (Kirlew, Unknown date). Security is an advantage because in the “long run if some individuals want to have kids those individuals do not have to worry about moving each year, but instead helps their children grow up in a ...
Tiny house living is a comfortable way of enjoying life and being free because of the low cost, environment, and freedom.