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Sep 25, 2008    |       18 comments

A Home Made from a Shipping Container

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If you have been following here for a while, you know that I have a thing for tiny homes. I have found some really nice plans (hint – look under vacation plans) and we have pretty much decided that we are going to go for it once we can afford it.

The following tiny home is a steal, with a price tag set at $8,000. The only drawback is that they are 320 sq. feet. That’s a little too small for our family of three. What are they made of? Shipping containers.

I know…I know…my first thought was “No way.” Even checking out the outside picture of the shipping container home I still wasn’t convinced. But click on the second picture. Wow. I am impressed!

Here are a few more details, as well as a link to the full article with pictures:

They designed a galley-style kitchen with a stove, sink, refrigerator and dinette, and a 48-square-foot bathroom with a pedestal sink, shower and commode. Adjacent to the kitchen is a bunk area for children; separate sleeping quarters for the owners lie behind the bathroom wall.

[Via CNN.com]

The creators showed the prototype to some residents of a poor neighborhood in Juarez, Mexico, and one said living in a home like that would be a dream. If you read the story, there are even ideas to make communities out of these shipping container homes, since they are stackable and easily portable.

I still can’t get over that inside view. Amazing.

Thanks Allison for the tip on these amazing tiny homes! 🙂

Sep 23, 2008    |       3 comments

The Importance of Back-ups

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Sherri left a comment yesterday about an experience she had. I thought it brought up a great point, so I’m posting it here for everyone to see…

This is unrelated to your post, but I wanted to pass this information on to you. I’ll try and keep it short!

My credit card information was compromised via US Mail approximately 1 week ago. I immediately called my credit card company, they froze my account, and issued me a new card. I am fortunate that no fraudulent charges went through. However, I would not receive my new card for 7-10 business days (I wasn’t willing to pay an express shipping charge).

I use my credit card for all purchases and pay it off each month. Without my credit card, I was left with the only “liquid” money I had, which was in my brick-and-mortar bank account, and I could access it with my debit card. I don’t keep very much money in there since I transfer much of my salary into my ING Savings account. Luckily the amount of money in my brick-and-mortar bank account was plenty to cover several unexpected expenses that occurred the past week, but it easily might not have! It was an eye-opener for me that I either need to keep more money in my brick-and-mortar bank account (can be accessed virtually immediately), or I need to have a back-up credit card!

Just thought I’d share my experience in case it might help you or someone else reading this!

Sherri is right. It is important to not have all of your eggs in one basket, so to speak. Thanks for sharing your experience and glad to hear there were no fraudulent charges! 🙂

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