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Could you live in 168 square feet?

Imagine a standard office cubicle (or if you're in one right now, look around). Now double it and think about where you'd put your bed, y...

Joanna Linberg

photo by Thomas J. Story

Imagine a standard office cubicle (or if you’re in one right now, look around). Now double it and think about where you’d put your bed, your kitchen, your bathroom, and your living room. Congratulations, you’ve just designed your own tiny house.

That’s what a Virginia family did when their restaurant went under. They eschewed all debt after that, which led them to build a tiny house from salvaged materials themselves. Their family of four has lived in it comfortably for several years, largely by paring down their belongings.

It got me thinking how low could I go? I’ve spent the last few weekends working KonMari magic on my wardrobe and could get close to the five (ok, maybe ten) outfits this family has each person. I could easily lose all workout equipment in favor of running, and shoes? No problem–I only wear three or four pairs anyway. But trouble comes when I get to my books and my kitchen. I can’t breathe easy if I’m not surrounded by books and if you try to wrest my inverted spatula out of my hands, you’ve got another thing coming.

What about you? What could you give up easily if you had to squeeze into less than 200 square feet?