Good advice, I went nuts over the "tiny house" movement the first 6 months I learned about it. Nearly wound up living in a fancy trailer in a trailer park.

Re: Doomsday books, yes they may be presenting only possible catastrophes. IE. "black swan" events. However, that doesn't make them wrong.

A major earthquake will destroy Seattle and devastate the Pacific Northwest in the next 50 years. Probability 80-90%

A reprise of the "New Madrid" quake is going to destroy the lower Mississippi by 2100. Probability 50-60%

A Carrington event will fry the world's electronic/technological infrastructure and touch off an instant collapse. Probability by 2100 less than 5%.

All low probability events. All things that warrant consideration even if you cannot do anything about them.