Bare Essentials: Housing

Do you know what things you really need in life? Have you figured out just how necessary the bulk of your material things are?
There are several ways to start the process but some may find that the more conventional means of letting go of the materialistic are lacking. And there may be only one thing left to do.

Daniel Suelo found that, for him, the only thing left to do was to reject the foundation of the materialistic lifestyle: money. So for the last nine years Suelo has lived a life without money. He lives in a cave in a canyon in Utah, eats what he forages, finds, or is offered, and uses the things others throw away to supplement his lifestyle. He also has a blog that he uses to spread his message that money is what keeps people poor, or put another way, money represents lack. Suelo is no easily ignored "street prophet" or drug addict. He has the life and professional experience (think Peace Corps and living in a Buddhist monastery) to back up his claims. In fact he holds a degree in anthropology from the University of Colorado. (As a side note, isn't it interesting how we need to know the credentials even in cases such as these?) Yet Suelo, approaching 50, has chosen to live a hard life to some and an impossible life to others. The article, a really good read, is here.

So maybe that's too far for you but you do want to make a major change. How about drastically reducing the size of your home? For a variety of reasons from aesthetic, to economic and environmental, some people are choosing to live in cabin-like houses that are 300 sq ft and smaller. These incredibly tiny houses can be built to order, prefabbed, or you can simply get blueprints depending upon the company. As the grow in popularity even major chain retailers such as Lowe's sell kits to build such homes. And if you know someone with the skills, have experience yourself, or want to deal with a contractor who works on a by-square-foot basis, you can save A LOT of money. The Star-Telegram of Texas has a good article here.

Okay, so maybe you don't want to live in a cabin but you do want a very small house with a modern style sensibility that offers some environmentally-friendly options. You're in luck! Next week we will discuss - at length - the options for small, sensible, sturdy, and very cute, housing. So check back next Saturday or subscribe to the blog to be notified when the article is updated. The site will also be updated next week to include several of the categories and links associated with topics we have discussed here on the blog.