I almost didn't write this blog because once again when you're bringing awareness to some of your A-Ha moments, the thoughts of "shit how did I do that before" creep in.
Like owning 10+ Swell water bottles because you love the designs and colours they were releasing.
Or holding onto that pair of pants you wore 15 years ago - because you MAY wear them when you lose 70 pounds (seriously???). Or the extra lunch bags you keep in the pantry because what if the kids lose theres and you need one.
And the worst one, that I was so guilty for- having a few to go coffee mugs because you tend to leave one in the car and forget about it (#gross).
Please, tell me I'm not alone in the journey of over-keeping "just in case"?
The point of me writing is not to FEEL bad about past behaviours, but instead look at them, acknowledge them and just move on. Obviously at some point I felt like those things were important to me - so it's not coming from a place of judgement (to myself or others)...its just awareness.
Thats what I'm doing by writing...moving on.
When you have LESS stuff, you actually want to take care of it more and you want to know WHERE it is. That sounds RIDICULOUS to say out loud, and my mom always told me to take better care of my things. I really should have listened.
Now it's obvious that I spend a lot of time in the tiny - I work from home, and tend not to leave a to....so the items around me are ones that I absolutely love!
I spend a lot of time in the tiny house, so the products that are around me should be ones I use every day, or if not every day -- I know that I will use them within 72 hours....
SO what do I consider MUST haves for tiny living right now:
1. The ikea table that I always wanted but just never got until I went tiny lol, and to be honest - I didn't want to put it together myself lol. So I "waited" until I met someone to help me build it (#thanksneil) lol. But in all honesty I just was too lazy to go to Ikea to pick this up, so I got Neil to go one day after work and my life has forever been changed, if you are thinking of going tiny or living in a smaller space - buy this! 
or ikea it felt expensive - even though I actually think Ikea is awesome for some reason spending $300 on a table felt like a lot - it wasn't. This table acts as my desk, dining table, can sit 6 people, fits as a IPAD stand for watching movies, and tucks away nicely right beside the sofa and barely takes up any room. The drawers are handy - we keep our pencils, pens, computer cords and headlamps in there!
2. Ember heating coffee mug, you may think this is ridiculous - but this is the ONE THING I use for hours every day. I have a little "strategy" which I think you'll love. Okay - I head to the coffee shop to get a coffee after I drop the kids off for school, it's my big "outing of the day", so when I get BACK....I pour half of my purchased coffee into this ember mug - leave it plugged in, drink the other half that came in the store to go cup...and then when I'm ready the Ember coffee is still hot. Lol. I am a fan of hot coffee what can I say. You can buy it on amazon right now and that's a surprise because they are often sold out. GET IT, it's life changing. It's the only mug to own!
3. True Earth Laundry strips, k ....these actually transformed my laundry space in a tiny house. My friend Carlee with Styled to Sparkle introduced me to them and now I just want to literally stand on top of our tiny house and celebrate how good they are. They take NO SPACE in my laundry room, make NO MESS, and are way (I mean WAY) better for the environment, and our clothing and ....I just love them. A whole YEAR of laundry costs less than $110 if you get in on their sales, which they're having right now - check it out here. We do about 3 loads of laundry per week (read the other journal entry about my obsession with laundry right now). At 384 loads.....for $110 (give or take a buck) I'm all in. Plus -- I don't have to see any kind of mess. I accidentally dropped an ENTIRE container of liquid detergent behind my machine....and in a tiny getting the machine in and out is a huge pain. Never again...I'm a life long user of TruEarth.
I do get about 10% back if you order, to order more for myself! ,thanks guys! lol. Plus as my full time professional career I own a marketing agency - so it's rooted in my blood to promote products I love! (aka market them!). I actually can't wait to hear your story -- because TruEarth did change my laundry life.
4. Hooks - all of the hooks. To hang back packs when the kids come in, to hang towels in the bathroom, to put wet gloves on, bathrobes in the closet. Just....hooking' it all over the place. A tiny home doesn't come with hooks or thinking about how a family of 4 would live in it full time. The only downside to these hooks - when things are hanging on them it does look messy.
I just use THESE ONES from amazon and love them. So far they've held up for over a month with back backs and wet snow pants - so I say that's a win!
5. A large bin for a "pantry" that hangs out under the bed. The kids thing it's super weird that I store food under my bed. But it's not for midnight snacks (I swear). It's because I like to hide the cookies, chips...and extra things I use for their school lunches. It's true - I have about 3 bags of barley, 3 bags of rice cakes, a large container of pistachios, bear paws...etc under there. So when the pantry is empty - I just take some out and refill it with my secret (but not so secret) stash. I don't like going to the grocery store - so I consider myself to be fairly organized and prepared when it comes to food. I've got enough rolled oats to last a year in this tiny house.
6. Dutch Oven....I actually really wanted a Le Crueset one, and it's still on my list....but opted for a less expensive one because if you read past blogs - when it comes to ME I tend to be a bit more hesitant when it comes to spending money. I use this to bake bread --- and it's pretty much a Knead (haha get it) in the tiny house! We love making homemade bread! 
I'll be back tomorrow to finish - I love going through my "must haves", and things we use all the time - it helps to recognize that the things we have in here are utilized and not just here for the show!
Lots of love -
Megan xo
As always - leave any comments, questions or send me a message on my Instagram or join the Facebook group - we pop in there every so often!
