(48-50)
When it comes to houses, most people would agree that they are "the bigger, the better." Americans also like their houses big. It is reported that in the year 2014, the regular size of a new house in the U.S. was more than 2,400 square feet. Some studies show that American houses have more than twice as much space as Japanese ones, and three time as much as those in Taiwan. However, the mortgage of big houses might take much of one's lifetime to pay off. People sometimes become stressed out for never being able to save money or go on vacation as they wish.
One creative way to solve the problem is to live in a tiny house. A group of people started a movement called the "tiny-house movement," also known as the "small-house movement," which changed the way Americans talk and think about home. For example, Sarah Susanka – writer of "The Not So Big House" (1997) – has helped her readers understand that the "home" they are looking for has almost nothing to do with quantity and everything to do with quality.
Jenna Spesard and her boyfriend, who joined the movement 20 years after Ms. Susanka, had spent 12 months building their 160-square-foot tiny house before moving in. "We feel really comfortable in here. We have 14 windows and skylights, which are open a lot of the time, so it's very light and feels bigger." Jenna, who used to work at a movie studio, now writes for their own website, while her boyfriend takes photos. The website and what they had saved from living small together made it possible for them to travel abroad several times a year. "Not everyone is able to do what we did. We were very lucky. If you don't take a chance, you'll never know."
Although you get a simpler life in a tiny house, you also get less living space. There are quite a few things you need to give up. While I know that living in a house smaller than some people's bathroom may not be for everyone, but those who are able to do so could live the life of their dreams. And I believe that it helps to have some empty space, not only in our homes but also in our lives and minds.
mortgage抵押借款；pay off清償；movement (社會、思想)運動