The DH and I have been talking more and more about what we could do to make my little dream of living on a piece of land a reality. We are considering everything from trailer homesteading to log cabin kits to straw bale geodesic domes and all kinds of other things. All our ideas are focused on ways we could achieve this without a mortgage or 150k in savings.
I know its nutty, but I find myself thinking that if only we could find a way to eliminate the money we pour into rent each month, we could afford to live on considerably less and be able to achieve financial independence a lot earlier. Reducing our monthly expenses would free us up to spend more time focused on whats important in life like family. Like our daughter.
Obviously there are costs associated with home ownership. We are not naive to that. The difference would be that any maintenance and improvements done to our own property would be an investment rather than a temporary solution to a long term need.
In the past when I have talked about this idea with people they have shot me down and pointed out all the flaws and expenses associated with such a plan. It kinda left me feeling like it would always be a pipe dream but in the last few weeks I have found bloggers, forums and books dedicated to the very topic of living without a mortgage and becoming financially independent. Its really neat to lurk on those sites and start building ideas. Its neat to not hear that Im crazy and it can never happen.
I dont know. It still might never happen for me. But a girl can dream.
I know its nutty, but I find myself thinking that if only we could find a way to eliminate the money we pour into rent each month, we could afford to live on considerably less and be able to achieve financial independence a lot earlier. Reducing our monthly expenses would free us up to spend more time focused on whats important in life like family. Like our daughter.
Obviously there are costs associated with home ownership. We are not naive to that. The difference would be that any maintenance and improvements done to our own property would be an investment rather than a temporary solution to a long term need.
In the past when I have talked about this idea with people they have shot me down and pointed out all the flaws and expenses associated with such a plan. It kinda left me feeling like it would always be a pipe dream but in the last few weeks I have found bloggers, forums and books dedicated to the very topic of living without a mortgage and becoming financially independent. Its really neat to lurk on those sites and start building ideas. Its neat to not hear that Im crazy and it can never happen.
I dont know. It still might never happen for me. But a girl can dream.
Dream on! My husband and I have talked about doing the same thing when we return from working overseas. Have you looked into tiny houses? They have just a few hundred square feet but you can build them yourself and own them outright for much less than most houses.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year! Amber at OurCharmedLife.net
Yes, we are definitely looking into tiny homes! One of the things we are running into now are zoning regulations in our area that dictate a minimum square footage and forbid trailers. But it seems there are usually loopholes to be found for the right thinker. I even read an idea yesterday about getting building plans approved for a house that meets the square footage requirements and has an attached garage with bathroom and then building the garage first, moving into that and then slowly building the house up as we are able.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great idea! I had no idea there were requirments for minimum square footage- I wonder why they have those? And what is the minimum? If your area has that kind of zoning laws they might also have ones that state that the full building needs to be complete within a certain amount of time. Good luck finding your loopholes!
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