I built a tiny house in my parents' backyard and lived rent-free for 5 years. It helped me save money to see the world — and taught me how to live simply.

• Mckean Matson built a tiny home in her parents' backyard and lived there for five years.
• She says the experience taught her how to live with fewer materials and helped her save money.
• Matson says she was able to buy horses and a bigger home and see the world with the money she saved.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Mckean Matson, a 25-year-old tiny homeowner in College Station, Texas. It has been edited for length and clarity.

In 2018, right before I graduated from high school, my parents said I could build a tiny house in their backyard, and live rent-free. It was either that, or, when I left for college, I'd have to pay for housing and utilities.

I remember it being an offer I couldn't pass up. I really didn't want to pay for a pricey apartment and split utilities with roommates. Instead, I took my parents up on their offer.

I lived in the tiny house for five years. When I look back on my tiny house era, I enjoyed that phase of my life, and I'm grateful for what the experience taught me. Living in my parents' backyard was also convenient, and it allowed me to save money for the house I now have.

My dad and I built the tiny house together

In a way, a piece of the structure had already existed on the property. As far back as the fifth grade, my best friend and I decided to build a 10x10 fort with my dad.

It was made out of plywood and looked comparable to a shed. Although you couldn't live in it yet, it gave us a good foundation for my tiny house years later. (My parents own 11 acres, and you can actually see the tiny house from their kitchen window.)

Since converting the fort, which required closing it in and adding things like plumbing, my tiny house became roughly 350 square feet.

In total, the conversion cost around $70,000, and that included the framing, furnishings, plumbing, HVAC, and everything else we needed to finish it.

My tiny house has the basics but on a much smaller scale

When you step inside the tiny house, there's the kitchen, which has a love seat, lower cabinets, a countertop, and appliances. For a smaller space, the kitchen has a lot of storage areas, including drawers and floating shelves to store dishes.

There's also a bathroom that has the basics but on a much smaller scale. For example, there's a shower, but because it's in a tiny house, the shower is smaller than your typical shower would be.

Then, there's a staircase that leads to the bedroom. I used to have my bed up there, and some shelving around the opening of my staircase, where I stored my shoes and sweat sets. At the time, I also had a clothing rack and a dresser for my belongings.

I learned to live with less and saved my money

Living tiny taught me a lot, especially regarding materialistic items. In a way, it taught me to be humble and to be grateful for the stuff I own.

Before I moved into the tiny home, I had a lot of shoes, but with limited space. My tiny house made me rethink if I needed to have as many shoes as I did. Before, I thought, sure, I haven't worn this in a year, but it's cute, I'm going to keep it. I don't do that now.

Living tiny, simply taught me to live with only what I need. It showed me that the materialistic things people focus on are such a waste, and most of the world doesn't realize it.

When I lived in the tiny home in my parents' backyard, I saved my money. I also spent it on my two horses and traveling.

Saving my money allowed me to buy a home, and see the world. It also allowed me to consider what's important to me. I don't want to be attached to materials.

It made my family and I 'closer,' but entertaining guests was hard

Living in the tiny house also allowed me to see my family every day. As I've gotten older, I've become closer to my siblings, and being in such close proximity helped with that.

Additionally, being in my parents' backyard was convenient; when living there, I got to raid their fridge, and if I ever needed help with something, they were right there to assist me, and vice versa.

Entertaining guests was harder, though. If I wanted to have friends over, there wasn't too much space to do anything indoors. I was lucky to have such a big porch for us to sit on, but I couldn't invite them over to do other things like cook inside or play indoor games.

There are social stigmas surrounding tiny houses

Through this experience, I've learned that people can be judgy about anything, especially when they're unhappy with their own lives.

Now that tiny houses are so popular and commonly seen on social media, there are stigmas surrounding them. It surprised me to hear comments like, "Oh, tiny houses are for those who can't afford regular houses," or "Those are for poor people," — especially from adults.

Despite judgments, my tiny house experience was amazing and it set me up for success.

If I were to build a tiny house again, I'd make some adjustments

Although I loved the tiny home, I was ready to have something to call my own. I also felt ready to prove that I could be successful on my own, and I wanted to settle into something bigger before starting my own family, so I moved into a larger home.

If I were to build a tiny house again, I'd build the bathroom a bit bigger. Also, if I were to add a second story, I'd opt for a ladder instead of a staircase, as the stairs took up a lot of space.

Still, I wouldn't change much. Living tiny taught me a lot and made me think of what's truly important to me. Through it, I learned how to be humble, and how to live with fewer materials.

Even though I've moved into a larger home, I still believe in living minimally.