Cheap Housing - or perhaps just frugal
Whether you call it cheap housing, low cost housing or affordable housing, it all adds up to the same thing - an excellent way to slash your cost of living. If you look at the average household budget in America, you'll see housing at the top of the list at around 30% of family income. And that represents a big chunk of money.
A figure around 30% is nearly double the amount associated with the second and third largest expenditures of take-home pay -- transportation and savings/investment/retirement -- both at about 16%.
I've been doing some research lately into homelessness. It's a tough thing to watch. Many individuals are facing it out of necessity. Some appear to be victims of the economy, while others are victims of their own poor decisions. In any event, when you can't make payments for housing, that puts you in a tough situation.
From my perspective, the #1 objectives of my efforts are to keep a roof over my head. I just can't see any sort of normal life without a place to call home.
One of my readers asked about "housing" as a topic for discussion, and after giving it some thought, I decided to get some of my ideas out there with respect to cheap housing alternatives. Many of us simply follow in the footsteps of our family, but there are other alternatives that may be better for us in terms of our lifestyle as well as our budget.
Some of these ideas may seen a bit out there, but they all are worth at least some consideration. The last thing you'd like to be faced with is circumstances forcing you to make a decision with respect to housing. It's much better to deliberately make that decision yourself. You'll likely land much more comfortably. If you wait until you're forced into a situation, that will likely put into an adverse situation. it can turn your world upside down.
Here are some of the cheap housing options that you may want to consider if you're hesitant to get into the real estate market, or you just need to direct a larger portion of your income elsewhere. In no particular order, here they are:
- Rent a room - this can be a win-win situation for an individual who is looking for cheap housing, with all the bells and whistles, and homeowners who would like to earn some money on the side. It's not too difficult to find a room to rent even if you have no experience in the matter. This is an especially attractive alternative if you'd like to live in a residential neighborhood and get out of the high density apartment lifestyle. A room in a house will likely be much more quiet.
Rent an efficiency apartment - the smaller you go, the less you'll likely have to pay. Efficiency apartments put everything into one living space, except for the bathroom, but they can be comfortable enough. This is an especially attractive form of cheap housing for singles and those who do quite a bit of traveling for a living.
- Be a caretaker of a foreclosed home - this isn't something I've heard about, but it's worth exploring. You could create your own situation where you might be able to occupy a home just for the cost of keeping the grass cut and keeping the property occupied and presentable. Talk about cheap housing! Why might this work? Vacant properties are subject to vandals.
Be a house sitter - this is an idea that can be combined with other housing arrangements. A friend of mine used to be a house sitter. She would make arrangements with executives to watch their homes while they were away on vacation. They would fill up the refrigerator with food, and she would live in the house for a week or two while they were away. She had the best accommodations possible, living in the lap of luxury, all expenses paid for, and when the house sitting job was finished, she went back to her apartment. Combining this approach to cheap housing with others could allow you to enjoy great accommodations, while renting or owning an inexpensive home base elsewhere.
Land with under-the-radar improvements - one form of cheap housing that I'm familiar with, at least through conversations with others, is small structures on otherwise unimproved land. The small structures are off the radar in terms of building codes, so the building departments aren't concerned about permits. They might also fall off the radar in terms of improvements for purposes of property taxes as well. The maximum size for such structures varies according to your locality, but I know at least two people who live this way. It's cheap housing indeed. Land can be had relatively cheaply, and small structures might only cost a couple thousand to build, and they don't have to meet code requirements. just your requirements.
- Living in a van or bus - this is the last cheap housing alternative I'd like to address. I've known people who lived in an old school bus, and I know of others who basically live in a travel van, step van, or other converted vehicle. It's all possible, it all avoids property taxes, but you'd have to be someone who enjoys spending time away from home or outdoors because you wouldn't have much of a home to return to. In the case of the man who lived in a school bus, he did this during a time when he was building his own home.
So, there you have it, a dozen ideas of how to create cheap housing for yourself. Any one of these ideas could be combined with others to create a unique solution to your need for housing that meets your budget. The key to success often lies in being creative and willing to think outside of that "box" we often place ourselves in.
I've lived in several forms of cheap housing, including forms that I haven't suggested here. I've also been homeless for more than a year, so in my mind, any form of cheap housing is often much better than any form of homelessness.
Good fortune to you as you attempt to whittle down the single largest part of a typical household budget - housing.
