While researching info on tiny homes, I ran across these figures. According to the advocacy group Wider Opportunities For Women, the monthly expenses for Americans 65 or older in 2013 totaled $1,645 for a single person living in their own house without a mortgage, $1,966 for a renter, and $2,481 for a single person with a mortgage. This includes housing, food, transportation, healthcare and miscellaneous expenses. Well gee, no wonder I have such a hard time living on my income then; I’m obviously about $400 short every month! Though that figure includes some expenses for utilities & taxes that I don’t have, I think I could live well on $1645 a month.
I could also live well in one of those tiny homes, but boy, are they expensive!! I know I could build a cute little cottage for way less, but my body is just not up to it any more. I built a 10×16 cabin with loft when I first moved to NC, and an 800 sq. ft. home across the driveway later, with help from 2 good carpenters. I worked as the “saw man” for those same two carpenters when I ran out of money. I later built a 12×24 houseboat pretty much single-handedly and a 13×22 barn-style cabin. My brain tells me I can do it but my body objects strenuously to the idea. My aching back would make me stop working after about 10 minutes of bending, and then I’d have to rest up for awhile, so I’d end up maybe being able to do 30 or 40 minutes of work a day……it would take months to build even the smallest cabin. Sigh. I really want a place to call my own, where I can have a little garden, a stove with oven, and a refrigerator with freezer. Throw in a comfortable chair and I’d be in heaven!
I read somewhere that you can use just plain vinegar and water as a shampoo! So I tried it today on both Roxie and I. The vinegar does not smell once the hair dries. I’m pretty happy with the way mine turned out; Roxie is still wet. If this works, it will allow me to keep Roxie MUCH cleaner, as I just need enough water & vinegar to get her wet all over, no rinsing necessary. For my own hair I was using a No-Rinse Shampoo (which I did rinse a bit, as it felt a bit sticky without it). I really didn’t like putting whatever all those chemical are, on my brain pan. I have enough memory problems now without adding chemicals to the mix!
Little Bitty Living 
9 replies on “Tiny Homes”
You certainly aren’t alone in not feeling up to building your own home. There are options available for people to use as the backbone of a tiny home, lots, in fact! Cheaper by far than buying a fully-finished Tiny Home and much easier then completely doing it yourself.
I’m going to try the vinegar and water mix for washing my hair. I already use a high-quality pure coconut oil to condition it, and I love that. You use some a tiny amount that it lasts forever, and it smells wonderful. I just put a little bit on the palms of my hands and rub them together to liquefy it, then spread it in my hair, especially the ends. I don’t wash it out.
You can contact me on my blog if you are interested in seeing what I’ve collected on options for Tiny Homes. Even if just out of curiosity. I’d be pleased to chat. 🙂
Parker
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Parker, you just need 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar to each cup of water. I went back and tried to find it on line and all I can find is about using that as a rinse, not a cleanser! But it did seem to work just fine. A lot of people use equal amounts of baking soda & water as a shampoo (work in, then rinse) but I am looking for ways to get my hair clean without using much water, and I think it would take a lot to get that baking soda paste out.
As you know, the biggest problem with a tiny home is finding a legal place to put it! I can’t afford lot rental, nor would I want to live in that “subdivision” kind of place. I think in reality, a tiny home is probably not in my future. Sigh.
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Oh, I totally agree that baking might be hard to get out. On the other hand, maybe once it dried, even if not rinsed out, it might easily brush out? I think I’ll give it a whirl while I’m still living with a shower at hand and see what happens.
Tiny homes are definitely a struggle for settling down! I was going to put mine on my remote property, but of course sold that land. If I do build a home on a foundation someday, it’ll be as small as legally allowed, and simple, but it probably won’t be “tiny” unless that’s allowed by then!
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Do you think you’ll live in your truck camper on your new TX land? I can’t find any county in AZ that will allow me to camp long-term on my own land (assuming I had some, LOL).
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Yes and no. I don’t plan on living there full time, but I do plan on staying there for a couple months at a time, at least. If I do decide to settle there permanently, I’ll look into building the smallest home allowed, or even go with a mobile home if necessary.
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I took time off from working to raise my kids before starting at a minimum wage job until I could get into Nortel, and I get a pretty good ss check. I would not be able to live on the numbers you quote in your first paragraph. Thank goodness for savings.
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Well I could still be living well in Ecuador on my SS. but it’s not quite enough for the U.S. I am very thankful for that much though; a friend of mine gets around $700 and lives in her car.
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Sad. One thing if it’s what you want to do. Another if you have no choice.
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Your friend isn’t alone. It scares me that so many people don’t give a second thought for those who don’t have enough for safety and security.
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