The tiny house lifestyle isn't for the faint of heart, but for some homeowners, it's completely changed the way they look at spending and saving forever.

Take Steven Harrell, founder of TinyHouseListings.com. Trading his overpriced loft and meals out for a life on the water in Wilmington, N.C. enabled him and his wife to make a substantial down payment on a house when a baby came on board a year later.

"It created a much less stressful lifestyle and helped me realize the benefits of having a disposable income," Harrell told Business Insider. "Being able to save so much money has been a nice motivator for not going out and purchasing things."

Recently, Harrell asked fans on Facebook whether they'd made any drastic changes to their finances since adopting the tiny house lifestyle. What they had to say just might surprise you:

"(I've been) seeing my possessions as rocks on my burial cairn, instead of things that define me. I want to downsize enough to fit in a tiny self-built home."

—Nina

"Started a garden, a compost pile and moved my mother in…trying to save up to buy our own tiny house!"

— Charlene

"Bought cheap off-grid land and a cheap converted 1968 schoolbus to live in while building an earthbag house."

—Susan

"We rent a small house that is less than two miles from my husband’s office and never more than 10 miles from both of my jobs. We own one small hatchback that gets 26-30 mpg. We also compost, have a small garden (kale, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers) and recycle enough to ensure we take out one bag of trash every 2-3 weeks ..."

—Abigail

"I quit my job to work closer to home. I plan on biking to work."

—Ann

"I own a 6500 sq ft. school house. I’m downsizing to live in only 1 of the classrooms, 650 sq ft. and heating it with only wood next winter."

— Johnny