Subscription Services That Make Tiny Living Way Easier

My closet is about the size of a gym locker (no joke), my kitchen is tiny (and doesn’t include an oven or a dishwasher), and for the first time in about ten years, I don’t have a washer/dryer in my home. Not that I’m complaining. The boat is the coolest "house" I’ve ever had. Living aboard may come with some inconveniences, but it’s a tradeoff I’m happy to make.

However.

That doesn’t mean I can’t find creative ways to make my life a little easier, right? After some convincing from Brian (who is a total early adopter) we started looking into subscription services to help us deal with some of the unique challenges that come with living aboard. These are my favorites so far!

Le Tote

I’m totally serious about the tiny closet thing. It’s literally two feet wide (Brian has his own, so thankfully we don’t have to share!). Which meant I had to be selective about what I moved aboard. I think I ended up donating at least ten bags of clothes and shoes before we started living on the boat full time! And while letting go of all that stuff felt incredible, my wardrobe selection was a little scant by the time I was done.

Thankfully I found Le Tote, a subscription service that allows me to rent clothes. I pay a flat monthly fee and receive a customized bag full of goodies as often as I want! When I’m done with my current Tote, I drop the rented clothing and accessories into a pre-paid, pre-addressed bag, stick it in the mailbox, and wait for my next Tote to arrive. It’s such a great way to keep my wardrobe fresh without taking up any additional (precious) space in my tiny closet.

I don’t have a relationship with Le Tote, but you can get a FREE TOTE using the referral code from my account. Full disclosure: I get an account credit AND will love you forever. I’ve had my eye on a pair of banana earrings for a while now...

Netflix

We get a few basic TV channels on the boat, but in the spirit of downsizing, Brian and I decided to ditch traditional cable when we moved aboard. For now, we’re just using Netflix and Roku – they’re cheaper, easy to use and have a ton of content. This shift hasn’t really cramped our binge-watching style, either 😉 Not that we’re constantly glued to the TV (we’d rather be out on the water), but we might be mildly obsessed Queer Eye and Stranger Things.

Thistle

Have I mentioned that our kitchen is a little on the small side? Pair that with a mild aversion to cooking and we could’ve easily turned into a couple who orders takeout every night. Luckily, we discovered Thistle.

Thistle delivers healthy, fresh, pre-made meals up to seven days a week. We get two meals a day, four days a week which gives us enough flexibility to squeeze in a work lunch or go out to dinner during the week, too. Their menus are yummy (and total vegan heaven – although they do offer animal protein options) and require little to no preparation. Seriously. The most we ever have to do is drop everything in a skillet for five minutes.

Sometimes the salads are a little hearty (Brian actually had a nightmare about eating salad for lunch every day lol), but everything really is yummy. And, they’re kind enough to deliver to our dock! Using Thistle has also majorly cut down on our food waste and long, boring trips to the grocery store.

I don’t have a relationship with Thistle, but you can give them a try (if you’re in California) here! You’ll get two free meals in your first order. And full disclosure, so will I 😊 Yum!

Laundry Service

I’m not opposed to the laundromat. It’s actually kind of relaxing, and I’ve met some really friendly people while waiting for my clothes to dry! But, lugging a heavy bag of clothes up and down the dock started to get a little cumbersome. And I think I pulled a muscle in my back doing it (that would never have happened in my twenties!). So, Brian convinced me to try out a laundry service. And I’m so glad he did!

We looked at apps like Rinse for our laundry needs, but they don’t service Marin county yet, so we ended up going with a local shop. They pick up our laundry from the dock every Monday and drop it off every Wednesday. They’ll even bring our clean laundry aboard and leave it in the mid-deck. So wonderful!

It’s nice not to have to block out a whole day for laundry every week anymore. Someday, I’d love to put a small washer and dryer on the boat, but for now, this is a great compromise.

Next Up: Book Subscriptions!

Any suggestions?Leave them in the comments below! I have a Kindle, but there’s just something special about holding an actual book while I read. So, I’ll be on the lookout for a cool book subscription service next… or maybe I’ll get a library card.

Reading on the fly bridge is my favorite. If only I had more space for books!

What About Waste & Recycling?

Brian and I do our best to be environmentally friendly boat dwellers, so we try to create as little waste as possible. And so do a lot of these companies! Using Le Tote and a local laundry service saves water and electricity (because they can wash larger loads more efficiently), and Le Tote is currently looking into reusable bags for shipping and returns. Thistle already uses reusable cooler bags for their deliveries and their food containers are 100% recyclable.