Couple scales down to 154-square-foot home

CALISTOGA, Calif., Oct. 22 (UPI) -- A couple in Calistoga, Calif., say they replaced their 1,800-square-foot home with a 154-square-foot house when the economy began to sour.

Bill and Sharon Kastrinos said Wednesday on CNN's "American Morning" program that they like their new minimalist lifestyle.

"There's a tremendous burden that's off your shoulders," Sharon Kastrinos said. "Small is OK, and it might even be better."

Her husband said Americans "want to be seen in their big house with a big car," adding that, "I don't think bigger is better."

Their new house, which has wheels, cost them $15,000, and the utilities cost them just $15 a month.

CNN said the couple lives on property owned by their daughter in California's wine country, where the average home in 2007 cost $725,000.