My wife found an amazing story on Yahoo.com, about a man who decided he wanted to escape from the “rat race” of normal life. So he decided to build a house for himself that would only contain the essentials.
He ended up building an 89-square-foot home that includes everything that he needs to enjoy his life. He pays less than $100 PER YEAR in utilities, and has no mortgage or rent. I guess he doesn’t have to think about how to yard sale either 😉 .
You can view the full video of his story below:
What I love the most from this story is that he was able to make a business out of it! I’m sure that wasn’t his goal when he set out, but apparently there is a large enough demand for this type of living. I guess there are a lot of people who do not want to worry about buying a home ever again!
I wonder how well he would get along with the man who is eating well for $1/day?
So, could you live in his home? What would you miss about your current living conditions? Do you think he’s crazy? Are you planning on contacting him for a quote?
I look forward to your comments below.
Wow. This is an efficient, and aesthetically pleasing design. I can see how people would want to get into one of these units! It’s unfortunate I have a really fat wife and she needs a California King, otherwise I’d be into it!
Ok! That was interesting.
1 question though – where does he take showers?
Just saw this house on an episode of This New House on DIY network, the shower and toilet are combined in a water tight room off the kitchen I believe.
I read these stories in complete awe. My first instinct is no way could I do it! But…I could do better.
They inspire me to take a look at my own life and make changes within my comfort level. Did you ever read the story about the guy who lives with zero money? He lives in a cave, eats only scavenged food and blogs about it from his public library.
That’s definitely not for me, but it does give me pause to think about “stuff” and how much money I spend on things we probably don’t need.
The same thing happened to me. I can’t have an 89 sq ft home, but I don’t want to fall into a materialistic trap either.
I never read about the guy living in a cave. Do you know the name or have a link to his blog?
I really like this concept. There was a profile in last months MORE magazine of 3 women living in the same type of tiny structure. It is so clever.
I wonder if a child was raised and happy in this type of lifestyle, how would they react to all the consumerism around them as an adult.
I’d seen this story a few months ago. Minimalism works well for some people. Some people are successful at it. Me, not so much. I am a wee bigger than him so i need more room. You should check out the Everyday minimalist blog.
I agree that this extreme version wouldn’t work for me either. But it did make me stop and ask myself why I have so much stuff!
Less time cleaning, more time to spend outdoors. Sounds like a bargain to me. And with the money you save in so many ways, you have more to spend on great experiences (hiking in the Andes, for example ).
It seems like such a desirable life. I just wish I didn’t have to dig myself out of debt first. Well, the least I can do is try to tell others that an alternative lifestyle exists.
This reminds me of a very early (1950s) Mad Magazine story called, “We Built Our House on a Lot 22 Inches Wide.” It contained an absolutely hilarious drawing on a very tall very narrow house complete with house floor plan.
I agree with Jacob. It’s not about how much space you have, it’s about how you manage clutter and how you use what space you have. I commend this man. Another anti-consumer type of person, for sure.
I wish I could find that story! Maybe I’ll search the internet hoping that someone posted it.
I definitely think that Jay makes me look at my life and my stuff and re-evaluate what I have. It is great to be content with who you are rather than what you possess.
Thank you for your insightful comment!
This kind of intentional low cost living is becoming more and more popular, I run a blog catering for caravan (trailer) holidays, but find many people actually choose to live in trailers all year round due to the savings! The fact that this guy made a business out of it is awesome – good luck to him:-)
Thanks for the comment, Jerry!
I agree that beyond the obvious point of the story, the fact that he now makes money off of this is great! I just wonder if this is now becoming a fad that will burst, or is this the beginning of a large movement?
That is so cool! He is making use of every available square foot. I’m amazed at his kitchen! That’s definitely the perfect set up for a man on the move. Just absolutely amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Hello Laura, thank you for your comment! I definitely thought it was amazing to see how he set everything up. It is refreshing to see someone be happy without buying into the “American dream”!
Wow! Great post, K! It certainly is an unconventional concept– but it really gets you thinking. I think that society pushes us into thinking that we need huge, spacious homes and the accessories that go along with it. I think this article forces us to consider: How much do we really need in order to be comfortable? What is the motivation behind wanting such things (i.e. huge houses)?
Great comment! I definitely agree with you that our society is set up to push us to desire more things! It’s amazing to see how many things that were considered luxuries 20 years ago, have now become standard for most people (no matter how small their income is).
So, would you be willing to live in one of the homes that he designs?