We live in a society that tells us having a bigger car, bigger house, bigger paycheck, and bigger debt is the way to go. This summer I will turn 30, and it is my dream, and my husband's and my goal to be debt free before then. For the past five years, I have worked part-time jobs never making more than $13,000 a year. My position was recently cut at one position and after finding out I was preggo with #4, I decided to quit my adjunct teaching job at a small community college. My husband works full-time at a descent middle class job and goes to school full-time collecting GIbill payments which makes it like a second job. So as you can see, we're not rich, but we're not poor either - we just work hard and take advantage of good opportunities, attempting to put the needs of our family first.
But even then I bet you're thinking, "DEBT FREE?!" Yep. We buy used vehicles and only own one. Richard has a company vehicle for work purposes only, so I'm not stranded when he's at work. Although, this is the real kicker, we live in a 950 square foot, 2 bedroom basement apartment that we built on land my parents gave us. It's finished and has at least one window in every room, so it doesn't really feel like a basement on the inside, just a small apartment. The outside has been compared to a bomb shelter. We actually don't live on "that" tight of a budget; although, we aren't big, happy-go-lucky spenders either. And, we never buy something that we don't have the cash to pay for. Here in a few short months, we will no longer have a mortgage payment and we'll start saving to build the top of our home. That feels great! Absolutely great!
I also know a lot of you are thinking, "I COULD NEVER LIVE IN A HOUSE THAT SMALL!" I'll write some follow-up posts soon about why I love my small house and some tips for living in one. Who knows? Maybe you'll decide to start living tall by going small.
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