Living Debt Free In A Tiny House
I’ve said it a hundred times. If we could go back in time, we would build a much humbler home, living debt free until we’d saved enough money to build something larger.
Those of you who are just beginning your homesteading journey, still working out the plans of building a home on a piece of land… listen up. You have a chance to do it right. You have a chance to build something debt free, or at least with very little money.
Contrary to popular belief, you do not need a large, grand home to impress your friends and family with.
You only need enough to live in comfortably.
Since I wish somebody had shown me this stuff before we’d signed the mortgage that now looms over our heads, I’m gonna try to inspire some of you who still have a chance to make a wiser decision.
They may be small. But they are cute, cozy, and cheap!!
I absolutely ADORE these tiny homes!! Sure, it would take some getting used to. Especially if you have kids. You could always build an add-on for an extra bedroom. Either way, it’s totally do-able.
The only other thing you would need would be a big root cellar for food storage!!
While thinking of other ways to save money for a new debt free life, don’t forget to insure your humble home. By getting free insurance quotes you can get a better idea of what it might cost to live in your new tiny house.
Tiny homes are nice, but they are not all that great. I live in a tiny home-3 tiny bedrooms, only one closet in the whole house, there aren’t even any hallways. It is almost impossible to keep things organized. There is no place for anything. If I had it to do over, I would get a slightly bigger house.
I wish someone would have warned us! We have a big mortgage, 10 years to go and with the times like they are we live in constant anxiety that one of us will lose our jobs and then we could lose our homestead. Great advise. Don’t get a big mortgage! Don’t build beyond your needs. We have 3000 square feet and we really don’t need it. Just keep filling it with more unneeded stuff.
I agree with Debbie. I have a small home also, it’s not all that it is cracked up to be.
I think you’re smart for having a home the size that it is. The kids have enough room to grow up comfortably, and your mortgage will only serve you well in the future.
I love the “little houses”…maybe a retirement project
Yurts are very popular with homesteaders up here in the frozen North because they’re warm and you can get a great one for under 10 grand. Although canvas yurts with winterizing kits are the most popular, you can also build a wood yurt for the fraction of a cost of a regular home. Two yurts (one bedrooms, one living space) connected by a walkway (bathroom and laundry) are also do-able in phases.
Keep these great ideas coming, please!
If you want to see the tiny home we have lived in for the past 3 years… see my blog where I just posted pics. What I miss the very most is not being able to have a bunch of people over for fellowship and meals and games and just hanging out with my family and having them come to visit. It’s a hospitality issue. If we lived in a climate where the outside could be utilized for that sort of thing it would be fine, but here in the NE there are only a couple months when you could gather outside. Either the mosquitos and blackflies are attacking you, or the weather is too cold for such a gathering. We use the outside for cookouts whenever possible.
I know how you feel about the mortgage. Even though we are living in a camper, we have a mortgage payment every month for the land. We had to take a construction loan in order to clear, put on a well, and put in a septic. The only real advantage is that our taxes are quite low right now, but when we get into our home… that will change too.
It would be nice to be debt-free and if we could double-up on our mortgage payments… paying down the principal each month we’d be debt-free a lot sooner. I hope we will be able to do that real soon with all our other debts paid off.
Hope you will be able to get out from under soon.
We bought our house with 0% down, back when you could still do that. Our house is not grand, but is definitely on the nicer side for our rural area. We’ll have a dickens of a time if we ever want to sell it.
Nearly four years later, we still owe the bank more than the house is worth. I don’t regret buying our house, but we are making concerted efforts to pay it off faster.
I agree with Debbie and Kara. We too, live in a small house. We live in a 12 by 50 something mobile home and are expecting our 4th child. It is very difficult to keep things organized and I really wonder where we will put the baby, but all that said… we are within about 2 months of being totally debt free, with 20 acres of land and a shell of a house (which we will work on after all the payments are over). SO I really wouldn’t trade it for anything. I would rather be debt free with a roof over our heads than to have a large house. We have lived very simple in order to get to this place. We live off grid, and (I plan to do some posts on that soon,) that requires simple living. I can hardly wait share the story of our journey!
Such a cute idea, but not practical. Actually one of my children called it a selfish idea. Not suitable for hospitality/overnight guests. Then there is laundry, canning, bathing, sewer/septic, freezer space??? If on wheels then it would need to be licensed.
God is able! I have Amish friends who are debt-free. We are debt-free with only five of the twelve children still at home (no govt aid). We bought our home for well under $15,000. It is frame construction (not a fixer upper)with a full basement,deck, nice yard, garage, outbuilding, clothesline, peach trees, and with nice neighbors of all ages in the area. The Economides and Mary Hunt have some great ideas to help folks learn to be debt-free. I must admit that I had seen these tiny house recently but the ones I liked best were made in Texas and cost $80,000+ . They were the most functional….*but Mama, where would we put our Christmas tree??*
I have been drooling over the idea of living in a “tiny house” for months now! Unfortunately, I can’t get my husband to go along with me.
We live in a 2 bedroom house with our kids ( just under 1100 sq. ft. ) and I love it. It is just the right size for us right now and since I grew up in a small home I have never felt like I couldn’t make spaces work. I actually like the challenges that come with it. We are lucky to have 2 HUGE closets though. LOVE the homes you posted. So cozy and cute.
Our “starter” home was 700 sf, 2 bedroom, one bath, small living room, eat-in kitchen. It was great for the two of us, and even worked fine with one child. Once child number two came (opposite sex of the first one, it worked while they were small, but not once they got a little to old for a boy and girl to really share a room anymore. Our next house was 1400 sf ranch, three bedroom, two bath, eat-in kitchen, living room, and now with three kids. It worked, was a nice size, even for a family of five. The only real issue was that we are always the hosts for extended family when we get together for holidays, etc., (which I LOVE–no complaining here), and there just wasn’t a way to be able to extend hospitality in that way in that house. Now we are in a nice big house that my own husband built on our land in the country (we made improvements and additions to our other houses, my husband did a lot of side work, etc. and we sold them for more than we paid for them). It will be a lot of house once the kids all move out, and I used to say that I wished it was a little smaller (plus, cleaning is not my favorite activity, lol!)…. *BUT* with things going the way they are these days with economy, job outlooks, etc., who knows what the future will bring? This way, if the economy or something else ends up affecting one of our children and/or their future family, there will always be room here if they need a temporary place to go while trying to get back on their feet. Granted, we have no mortgage now like some of you readers, but remember that one day your mortgage will be paid off and then you, too, will have that extra room for family if it ever becomes needed. I have a feeling that the future is going to require a lot of people band together more than ever to make ends meet and survive. I already know relatives who are affected in this way by the current state of the economy alone…sharing homes while out of work, etc.
Tancy,
Been there done that!! We lived in a single wide for 8 years before getting our home now. We had it paid off within the first two years, and put what money we could aside for something bigger. We were very blessed to find this home… and it’s a castle to us compared to the trailer… but the DEBT, oh how it grieves us!!
Our plan is to build our initial house on the homestead as a little home. That way we start with something manageable and don’t overbuild for our abilities. Then hopefully we’ll be able to build a second, larger house for us about 8 years down the road. Our plan is to actually use the first house as a guest house for family and friends to visit. That way they’ve got their own space and don’t feel like they’re living under our feet all the time. Plus, that gives them (and us) more privacy. And it expands our ability to house family if problems do arise.
We’ve seriously looked at some of the Katrina Cottage plans that are offered by Lowe’s. Most of the plans are simple, frame houses anywhere from 400 – 1200 sq feet. They’re usually rectangular and are simple construction, so ideally we’ll be able to do a lot of the work ourselves.
Here’s the link for them:
http://www.lowes.com/cd_The+Katrina+Cottage+Floorplans_237253652_
Thanks for sharing!
Emma
City Roots, Country Life
I love, love, love the tiny houses too, but I can only see them for a guest house, studio or the like – NO STORAGE! I totally agree about not buying a McMansion, and I have ended up sort of in the middle. I bought what I could afford 11 years ago – a 2 bedroom townhouse, with a postage-stamp yard, for just me, for 0% down. My second bedroom is the ‘barn’ for the fiber rabbits and chicken for a few eggs. I grow everything I can in pots and a tiny garden. I still have no storage to speak of (no basement, attic or garage) so food storage and the associated canners, jars, dehydrator, etc. are a problem, but when I lost my job and ended up making considerably less money when I found another one, I could still make the payments on my place. I HATE the debt too, but the other alternatives haven’t worked out for me.
Well said Kendra. Living debt free would be wonderful. Very difficult to do with a mortgage.
I live in a very “small” cottage. And I have three bedrooms, one closet and one bathroom.
I love my home. I keep everything organized because I went through everything before moving and got rid of 3/4 of our possessions. We don’t need a great deal of ‘stuff’ to clutter our small home.
It amazes me how people want larger homes to be able to put things away. I can assure everyone that you can have everything you ‘need’ in your little home without too much stress.
And just to make it more interesting, I have a large dog, a cat and my little girl is in a wheelchair.
Thank you for posting…I am glad I am part of the ‘small house’ movement
Maria.
I think these homes are too small to actually live in. No place to can, practice music instruments, etc. BUT I think the McMansion idea is all wrong. We live in a 1300 sq ft. home and have 6 children. So we have had a boys room, a girls room and our room. We have 2 baths, a Living room and kitchen. I have made it work for us.
I think a mobile home is a great option. You can often find a used one and can eventually get it paid off. It’s awesome to be debt free, but I’m not blessed with a handy hubby who could build something. So we have a mortgage now and we’ll just keep plugging along paying on it.
How cool is that? I guess you could always add on little by little, if you weren’t using a trailer. It could work! And think of how much time you’d save on cleaning.
If I had it to do again, that would be the thing I would do! I would love to rip this frickity fraggin house down and put that in its place! I have the barn (with electricity) to do all my ‘extra-curricular activities’, and would go completely off-grid once the wood cookstove arrived. Ah, to dream.
I love these small spaces but can’t say that I’d do real good in one…unless there was alot of outside space we could roam to. LOL I’ve lived in a trailer, 900sqft house to 2400sqft house and then downsized and gave away or sold 1/2 of our stuff and moved into our current 1600sqft space. While I still dream of our bigger more BEAUTIFUL place – I’m really liking the place that we have now. My husband felt like the Lord was telling him to cash in part of his 401k last year and pay off our house…and since the Lord had given that to me also – it was a complete confirmation. I have come to agree with the Lord’s ways are NOT our ways. By the grace of God, we were able to pay off the rest of our debt this past Friday and I am SO happy and thankful. Though we’re uneasy with my husband being in his 60s and him having very little retirement…if the economy collapses it would have been gone anyway so we’ll just have to TRUST in the Lord…we have no guarantees of tomorrow and we KNOW He holds our future.
Now our goal is to begin preparing – going to try to line out prepardeness goals this week. I love reading your blog Kendra!
Good for you, Kim! I absolutely believe you and your husband did the right thing by selling some investments to pay off your debt. Woo-hoo!!! I know that’s a good feeling. Let me know if you have any questions as far as prepping goes. You are wise to be thinking about the “what ifs” and getting your house in order. Congratulations!
I love the tiny homes! That tiny kitchen is adorable!
I LOVE these tiny homes. They are so cute and are very convenient. Cleaning would be a breeze and somehow I would find myself sitting out on the porch more than inside or in the beautiful garden!!!!! ove these pictures!
I like tumbleweed tiny houses. If it was just me, I could see myself living in one, easily. I also think building ordinances should have exceptions to allow them to be built on a foundation like a traditional house.
But I do think it’s a lot to ask more than two people to live in under 200+/- square feet for any substantial length of time (unless you live in a very hospitable climate where much of your activity can be moved outdoors, or an lifestyle where you would only be returning home to sleep). It’s a bit too idealistic- almost anyone would struggle under those circumstances. I think it’s much more realistic to look in the 350-900 square foot range for something that is livable for a family of three or more. Even if it means being in debt.
I love the “idea” of living in those tiny homes, but I think the reality of it would get old… as someone else mentioned, there would be no room for crafts, musical instruments, entertaining, canning, etc.
Also, I have perused the sites that sell these homes and they are NOT CHEAP. You could easily buy twice or more the square footage if you bought a mobile home. I live in an older double-wide, converted to real property (I own the land) and it is quite comfortable at just under 1600 sq. ft.
Anyway, nice dreaming. Maybe for a retirement place, and if the price comes down.
I’m beginning to think I live in the wrong part of the country….$50k houses don’t exist here
I love tiny houses. I don’t have one and will never live in one, I just think their cute XD. I plan on getting one as a play house for my daughter when she turns 9. Hope she likes it.
I love the small home idea, right now hubby is not on board. We are building a 1500 sq foot home. UGH yes there is a mortgage. But we may sell it in two years. And with the profit and some saved we hope to buy or build a smaller home and to be debt free. With no mortgage! I may be able to get him to 1000 sq feet or 800 to 900..but nothing lower then that. Slowly folks are realizing that smaller is better.
I love the idea of a tiny house. I don’t want mine on wheels though. I have no desire to start a family or marry any time soon. I am very content with just myself and my little toy poodle. I think I tiny house would be perfect for me. I have been dreaming of nothing else all day. I am 24 and have graduated college and have student debt to pay off and would like for that to be the only debt I acquire. I have to currently live with my mom since the economy is so rough and have measured my room here. I think if I had a small house the size of this room plus the upstairs lofty area I would be set for a long time. Of course I would want running water and such but now I am just rambling. I just love the idea of people living within their means and not having to be so miserable to pay for something that should be making you happy.
I’m surprised to read negative comments about tiny living, although everyone agrees that being debt free is where it’s at. Perhaps 10×12 living isn’t suitable for a family of 6, 9 or 12…however it’s great for a single person, couple or very small family just starting out, getting back on their feet, or maybe it just works for them. It’s really more about a state of mind, about living with just what you need. You want to have a piano in the home? More room and storage for canning or entertaining? Then something a bit bigger is for you – but the whole point of “tiny living” means you don’t need a castle to have those things. Someone supported their negative view of small home living with their child’s comment of “selfish”. Really? There’s nothing selfish about providing (surviving) the best way you can for your family. If a family has more money because they live small, they can do more for others with it. I hope that parent explained this and that not every home has to be a community center.
I realize I am getting to the discussion a bit late, but this is a topic near and dear to my heart. My wife and I have been living on a school bus that has been converted into a home for over a year now. The bus isn’t even a big one. 200 square feet for two people and two animals does take adaptation, but it can be done well with some careful planning. Living this way is so much about questioning how much one really needs live a happy and satisfying life. Whenever we feel a bit cramped, we just think about traveling in developing countries where 200 sq ft is enough for a family of six in many places. If this lifestyle interests you please come visit our blog http://www.wildbluebus.com Thanks!
I have lived in an apartment for the last 8 years and my rent is low enough that its a good deal as heat is included etc. The apartment is the first floor of an entire house and it is way more room than I actually need. The reality is that living alone I would be more than comfortable in a house that was in the 400 to 600 square feet size range. The biggest problem with space is that it tends to fill up with junk. When space is a premium it forces better habits of whats worth having and what is not needed.
Also,
the biggest hurdle in building any home is the land to build it on and the utilities to connect it to. Around here (New England) land is expensive. I have looked at many pieces of land in the $25000 to $50,000 range that would need another $100,000 invested before they would have power, septic, water, and a driveway to get to a build site. So even if the house was free it was still a $150,000 investment. Its a real struggle to balance these things out but I do hate the idea that everyone seems to buy into of having a massive mound of debt in the form of a mortgage, insurance, property taxes etc.
I think you need to think outside the box with tiny homes. I think if you have kids, build a second tiny home. Need a bigger kitchen with a place to eat as a family, maybe build a cook house. Good weather would be a great time to have friends and family over to dine outside. And storage is the least of my worries.. Stuff consumes our lives, less storage requires people to prioritize.
These homes have no bathrooms.
Actually, some of them do have bathrooms. Depends on the model
Interesting website! Here are some small cabins built by the Amish in Kentucky: http://www.amishcabincompany.com Energy efficient cabins made in an off-grid Amish facility that fit into the small house, green building movement, using Amish craftsmanship that is well-known for quality construction. Delivered pre-built and fully assembled. With enough of a clearing above and to the sides, they can literally be taken up the side of a mountain by dozer, and off-grid solar power options are now readily available. Linton
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