Hi Frugalites! I am looking for frugal alternatives to home ownership. I will be 29 this year and due to a small windfall, I've been able to pay off my car in 13 months instead of the 5 year payment plan, and thus accelerate my home down payment savings and retirement savings. As I am recently debt free, it feels kind of crazy to take on a $200k+ mortgage for a house as a single woman, so I want to know about some alternatives like that "tiny houses" fad or similar.
A few things about me:
-I don't need a lot of space, but would like to have enough space to have foster kittens. I also work from home so suuuuuper tiny houses are not really what I have in mind. I currently live in around 400sqft plus outdoor space, so a place in the 700-900 sq ft range plus outdoor space would probably suffice.
-I would prefer to be near enough to the city so I can still go to the gym, on dates, see friends etc that live in the city. If I am out in the country though, I will want a dog for security, which may require more space.
-I don't want a condo because I don't like the idea of having to pay condo fees forever plus unexpected bills associated with condo life (ie we're replacing the carpets in the hall way, here's your mandatory 3k bill, surprise!)
-I live in Canada, so it gets quite cold. Insulation for winter and AC/ cooling capabilities for summer is a must.
Have you foregone traditional home ownership in favour of shipping container houses/ silo homes/ etc? How did it work out? How much did it cost? How handy does one have to be to make this happen? I'm not the handiest person but am more than willing to learn.
Basically I want to avoid being indebted to lenders- ideas and suggestions welcome. Thank you!
May 26, 2017 at 11:53AM
