What a difference a year makes.
Until very recently, Michelle ”MJ” Boyle was forced to pay USD $1,300 a month in rent for a small house in Sherwood, Oregon.
Because her rent was so high and her salary so low, she had no chance of building up any savings. Everything she earned from her job at a coffee shop was used to cover the rent and food.
But what could she do? She couldn’t find anywhere cheaper to live and she couldn’t just move onto the streets with her kids.
But after a while, when her children moved out, the situation changed – it was then that Michelle decided to change her life.
With the small savings she’d managed to scrape together, she built her own tiny house.
This change not only cut her monthly expenses down to almost nothing, it would also allow Michelle to start saving for future retirement.
How did Michelle achieve this?
Well, she started by researching the Tiny House-movement, where people build their own houses in order to live a cheaper and more sustainable lifestyle.
She managed to construct the house for a small amount of money and moved in from her big house.
Before, Michell paid USD $1,300 dollars a month for a three bedroom house – now she lives in a small 200 square foot home. The rent is USD $65 a month, for the small patch of grass that the house stands on.
That includes electricity, water and WiFi!
“Building anything with your own hands is one of the most rewarding experiences,” Michell tells Oregon Live.
“In my case: I’m not only building it, I designed it.”
Enter into her humble little dwelling and you will be amazed!
We start with the quaint little kitchen where Michell spends most of her time.
All of the appliances are from the ’40s and early ’50s. Michelle explains that it took her two years to find and restore her collection.
In the house there’s enough room for a small staircase that leads up to a loft, where Michelle normally reads books or just rests.
Not a bad idea!
I could easily curl up and nap or read a good book here!
In the living room there’s another set of stairs that lead up to a bedroom.
As you can see, Michelle has managed to fit plenty of furniture in to make the space as homely as possible.
It must be wonderful to wake up here everyday.
What about the living room? She’s made it really cosy ready for Christmas!
And it feels much bigger than 200 feet…
The bathroom’s also been decked out ready for Christmas!
The bathroom has running water, a shower and toilet.
Somehow Michelle has even managed to fit a small wardrobe in her house. Impressive!
In winter the house is even more charming! What a dream to live here …
Great job, Michelle! What a wonderful and unique home you’ve built.
Michell isn’t just kicking back after her dream project…
Instead of taking a well-deserved break from work, she’s continued learning about and building more tiny houses. She plans to rent them out in the future as a source of income.
Would you or someone you know like to live in one of the Michelle’s houses?
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