Blogging Away Debt

An 84 Square Foot House May Be a Little Too Small, But Maybe They Are Onto Something

I’ve been reading lately and learning about a woman named Dee Williams. She’s been attracting attention lately because she lives in an 84 square foot home. That’s about the size of a parking spot!

My first thought was that the woman was out of her mind. But after reading the article on Katu.com, maybe she is onto something.

The obvious question: Why?
The simple answer:
“A simpler life, time, more money. I don’t have a mortgage. I don’t have a big utility bill,” Dee says.
[via Katu.com]

She claims her heating bill in the winter is only $6.00/month. Her electricity is provided by solar panels so her utilities compared to mine are basically non-existant. Just imagine how much more money we could have to pay off our debt if we lived in a home like that.

Don’t worry, I’m not going to try to fit our family of three in a home like that. I’m also not so keen on a mobile house that someone could drive off with (her home is on a trailer). But it makes me wonder about our next home and what it should be like.

I always thought we needed a little more room since two rooms in our homes are currently being used for offices. After seeing that video, it brought home to me how cluttered our life is with stuff. That’s the only reason why I think we need a bigger home. It’s so we have room for all of our stuff.

There is a company called Tumbleweed Tiny House Company that sells plans for these small homes. They also have some for sale. They will build them and you can have your tiny home delivered right to you.

If you look at the floor plans, they really try to maximize the space that is available. With a smaller home, you can save on maintenance costs as well as utilitiy costs. Perhaps getting a smaller, more efficient home is exactly what our family needs. We’re not planning on moving anytime soon, but it does give me some food for thought.

If interested, there is also a video where you can see more footage of the 84 square foot home. Go to Katu.com and look under the picture and click on “video.”

[Hat tip to Becoming and Staying Debt Free]

Finding Something You Truly Love

by Tricia

You have may heard of Chris Gardner. He’s the gentleman who was homeless with a two-year old son and he managed to work his way up and become a very successful business man. His journey was even shared with the world in the movie, “In the Pursuit of Happiness”.

I haven’t seen the movie yet (I’m waiting until it goes to 99 cents at my local video store), but I have watched Chris Gardner in interviews. Something always struck me about him. You hear him talk and you want to listen. I thought it was because of his rags to riches story. But after reading an article on Yahoo today, I think there’s another reason.

Passion

Passion defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary is

Intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction.

Chris Gardner was so intense when he spoke. You could tell that he loved what he accomplished and he loves what he does. He credits everything to one simple thing…passion.

Quoting from the Yahoo article

“Passion is everything. In fact, you’ve got to be borderline fanatical about what you do.” Gardner says he was fortunate to find something he truly loved, something where he couldn’t wait for the sun to rise so he could do it again.

After reading the article, I started thinking about my passions. I had an opportunity to follow one of them, but I let money affect my decision and I didn’t pursue it. I followed dollar signs instead of my heart. Of course, if I followed that passion, my life would be completely different today and I wouldn’t have my husband or son. So I am glad life turned out as it did.

Sometimes, though, when I close my eyes at night I think about that passion and try to brainstorm ways to make it come to life. It would be difficult at this point in my life, but still possible.

If you haven’t already, read the Yahoo article. It is a very good read.