My mother is considering down-scaling her home as it’s becoming too big and impractical for her to keep. This poses quite an interesting challenge – she loves to entertain and will now be giving up a big yard and a few bedrooms which have allowed her to do what she loves over the years. She’s approaching this very practically and with little emotions which is so admirable.
During our conversation about her imminent downscale, I tried to sell her the idea of a ‘tiny home’. These are homes smaller than 37 m2 which have been popularized by shows such as Tiny House Nation and Tiny House Hunters. That sounds incredibly small, but designers have managed to cram absolutely everything needed to live a normal life into these homes which is mind blowing. These homes can also be mobile which gives their owners freedom of movement.
Her decision to want to downscale is also quite contrary to what many of her peers have been doing. Typically, black retirees in this country have been known to upscale when they get to retirement. Many use their lump sum retirement funds to get bigger cars, extend and improve their homes as a last-ditch attempt to enjoy the fruits of their hard-earned labour. This, unfortunately, has dire consequences as it renders them cash strapped early in their retirement.
In an economy like ours and with so few retirees in this country being able to sustain themselves financially, this should be a popular alternative and one that is encouraged.