As many of you already are aware part of our ambition here in Bulgaria is to have some form of self sufficiency, if you have been reading my previous posts you will remember that I am now mortgage free at 38. I only achieved this due to the fact I bought a much cheaper property in another country, moved and set up home there.
So I wonder how many people on steemit find it a daunting process paying their mortgage? It is likely that the work that they do they hate doing it, but cannot find peace because they need that money to pay for the roof over their head, and why they are now on steemit to supplement their income.
Alternative ways of living.
So in this current economic climate it begs the question...."do you really need to have a crippling mortgage for over 20 years to survive?"
Living big in a tiny place.
Introducing Ariel McGlothin a 20 something year old living in the mountains in Wyoming USA. I have been following Ariel for a while now and discovered her you tube video's.
(Credit Photo Ariel McGlothin)
Ariel lives in a Tiny House, on a plot of land that she rents from a local farmer, she has previously mentioned in videos that she gets the plot extremely cheap by offering to help with jobs that the farmer needs doing.
Where Ariel lives properties are extremely expensive and they would demand a huge surplus of ready cash to being able to put a downpayment on, not to mention the crippling mortgage payments. Previously renting in the area with a friend who shared the rent circumstances changed which meant Ariel had to reconsider her options.
To stay in the area that she lived would involve high cost renting, and then finding someone to share with which would mean working long hours and having nothing really to show for it.
Then Ariel got smart.
She realised that to be spending such high amounts on rent, that she may have other options to spend on something that she could actually call hers. So she started looking into RV's due to not being a fixed property which means she did not have to worry about buying huge amounts of land for it to sit on. And then she came across Tiny Houses. A company called Tumbleweed Tiny Homes based in Colorado Springs specialised in Tiny Houses, the website suggests that with financing not only can you cut off years off the loan but payments could be around $400 a month instead of thousands.
Ariel then decided to make the long trip to look into a tiny house and made the decision that she would take up financing and buy one.
Introducing Fy Nyth.
(Credit Photo Ariel McGlothin)
At around 24 foot long and 170 square feet of inside space, you will instantly feel that this is a bit of a squeeze which I was inclined to agree. However the great think with Tiny Living gives so many benefits, with space saving innovations and fixtures and fittings included, with some furniture you can move right in.
(Credit Photo Ariel McGlothin)
Can you imagine how easy this will be for cleaning up such a small area, and not having a huge house to keep clean!!! It even has an upper floor made into a bedroom for her to sleep in.
Fy Nyth is welsh for My Nest, this beautiful little house is surrounded by a lovely mixture of flowers and herbs and blends in very well to its surrounding. Ariel centres her blog and video's around it, and she is building a following of people who are interested in her way of living. Most people in their 20's are career focused living in the cities with expensive houses and apartments, but Ariel realised that changing her way of living would mean she could retired or semi retire earlier than most other people.
Off Grid Living.
Ariel's house is off grid, she gets her power from solar panels and a generator which she runs in the winter, she fetches the water she needs and uses a composting toilet. She is a waitress for a local restaurant and to supplement her income she grows many of her own vegetables, beetroots, peppers, swiss chard, kale etc.
Ariel has also helped with hunting of Animals, and hunts such animals as Elk which the meat from one Elk can last for quiet sometime. Ariel also buy's smart for example she eats turkey all year round because she buys them after thanksgiving which are discounted, not only can she have a delicious turkey roasted in the oven, she uses the bones and meat to make broth. She is wise with her money so that the extra she is saving can put towards extra to pay off the loan on her home so that she can clear her biggest outgoing as quickly as possible.
Cooking in her kitchen is not a problem with a big larder cupboard and plenty of bench space, she enjoys rustling up some amazing food, such as salads, chilli, casseroles, soups and Ariel does love to cook. Here is a video of Ariel making the turkey I was telling you about, note that even though the space is not big this does not create any problems for Ariel.
(Credit Youtube Fy Nyth)
(Credit photo Ariel McGlothin)
Living on a mountain all year round.
One of the things you might wonder is could you survive living off grid on a mountain with harsh winters. Well it seems that yes you can, the tiny houses are insulated extremely well from the outside elements, winters are long and can be harsh on the mountain, but inside this little peaceful haven it is warm and toasty.
(Credit Photo Ariel McGlothin)
It is my opinion that not only has Ariel managed to achieve success in lowering her cost of living, but more to the point that this living has now turned into a paradise all year round. Ariel loves nature and has great respect for the outdoors.
When I asked Ariel if I could do a write up about her, she agreed but didn't understand why people may be so interested in her life. I think that many people may be envious of our lifestyles, and some people may have not yet discovered that change they want to make in their lives, Fy Nyth is an excellent example to show people the possibilities they have, if they choose to make such changes. It is important to every homesteader and prepper to share this information with people, sot that they can see what this lifestyle is like and what its about.
I look up to people like Ariel and have much respect for them, because these are not easy decisions to make it is hard work all year round. But the work is rewarding when it comes to things like harvest time and seeing your bounty of fruit and vegetables you have produced, kicking back a little in deep snow relaxing, knowing that the property you own is yours and no one should take it away.
This is an art that should not be lost, but encouraged so that it might be adopted by other people now it makes me sad to see so many homes in other countries where people move in and let their gardens go to ruin when they too could live a bountiful life.
On a recent video Ariel did she said "Its nice just be able to relax in the garden after work and look at my vegetables and plants growing."
Ariel's lifestyle tells us that there are alternative ways of living we can do where we can enjoy life to the fullest without having to
spend long hours working and to have to wait until we are 70 to be able to retire. Following the path of people who are doing this has given me confidence that the decision I have made is the right one, and that when it comes to a few years time I may well also consider tiny home living.
If you would like to follow Ariels journey and also many of your questions can be answered also you can follow her blog on the link below.
This is her you tube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaLQEHLG8SPlICSdxyCGCXA
I wish Ariel the very best in the future and hope that she continues to grow and prosper in this little house full of big dreams.
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