Time has slipped away from me. In the blink of an eye a couple of years has flown so quickly that I desperately long to pluck them from my memories and have them re materialize in hopes of a do over. Having made the move to better Mia's schooling, much has changed on the financial front. And while I would do it all over again and again for her benefit, work has consumed nearly all of my free time in an effort to keep up with the costs of every day living. Mia and I have not been able to enjoy our favorite things nearly as much as we would like to, and I feel as though we've become stuck in a rut.
That is soon to change.
In the midst of work, work, and more work, and old dream has revived itself. Since I can remember, I have dreamt of having a small house in the middle of nowhere. A place where Mia and I can truly connect with the natural world around us. Where we can live simply, live independently, and as sustainably as we possibly can.
As a single mom in a unique financial situation, it seemed that the dream would have little chance of coming to fruition. And then five or so years ago I picked up on an article about a couple abandoning their materialistic way of life for a much smaller, simpler venture. They built their very own tiny house and away they went.
Instantly, I was in love with this idea, and started daydreaming about being able to do the same for Mia and I. But again, I thought that finances would simply get in the way. I was barely scraping by, and coming up with money to buy land and build even a small house seems impossible. And, silly me, I worried about how others would perceive this idea of living in a tiny house with a child. Would I be seen as a crazy, reckless mom? A simplistic woman teacher her child a simpler way of life? A general weirdo in a world that revolves around material belongings and "net worth".
Fast forward a few years, and (forgive the phrasing) my give a damn is completely busted. How I want to love really isn't anyone's business but my own. If my daughter and I are happy, and she has a safe, warm, Comfortable place to call home, does the size of the place we call home really matter?
Not one damned bit. Working 24/7 to keep up with high rent payments, high mortgage payments, and high utility costs, holds little value to me. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not lazy, and I am certainly not afraid of some good old fashioned hard work (and many can attest to this). But in the grand scheme of things, is it really worth slaving your life away for so many material possessions that you simply can't enjoy because you have to work so much just to have them sitting around the house collecting dust? Not in my book.
So today, I made the first step in moving Mia and I towards a more financially stable, independent way of living. I purchased a 19' camper from some dearly wonderful people. This camper is not usable as is. But what can be used is its frame. On this frame, I intend to build Mia and I the most comfortable, affordable, and (someday) energy independent little house.
This house will be small, but what it will lack in size it will make up for in efficiency, and peace of mind. We will lack absolutely nothing in the way of comfort as we will have the amenities of any large house. What we will be forgoing is a high cost of living, and having to be completely dependent on grid living, debt, and having our home planted in one permanent place.
It's going to be an adventure for us, and though it's small in scale, it's going to be one of the biggest adventures of our lives! We will be documenting our process here, I have created a tab above dedicated to our tiny home adventure. I have also started a fundraising page in hopes that a few kind souls might help us along our way to achieve our dream a little faster. My hope is to have the house completed and livable by the coming fall.
Any left over proceeds from the fundraising page will be used to help another family start their tiny home dream, and future families as well.
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