The Less is More Project: Week 38 - Is it your duty to pay rent or a mortgage?

RowdyKittens, Flickr

Is it your duty to pay to live somewhere?

In this world of mortgages and rent, very few adults can claim they reside somewhere for free. 

But there will always be subgroups to refuse to follow the mainstream ways. Here are some categories of people, most of them qualifying as minimalists, who have opted out of mortgages and rents altogether. Why is their lifestyle so alluring, and what are some of its downsides?

The hermit

I just finished reading One Man's Wilderness, by Richard Proenneke, the man who lived as a hermit in the Alaskan wild for about 30 years. Arriving there with the bare necessities, he built himself a log cabin and the furniture, tools and other objects he would need.

The hermit life and the self-reliance it implies has had an appeal for me ever since I read Robinson Crusoe when I was 8. I replicate it, smaller scale, whenever I go back country camping with my family.

The nomad

The nomad category has also fascinated me for as long as I can remember. Modern nomads are those people who sold their house, and live on the go, sometimes in a camper or on a boat. The story of La V'limeuse, a family of six who traveled the world for six years on a sailboat, stayed in my heart ever since I read it, as if I had been there with them all along. The nomad life bears the unique appeal of the constant discovery: new places, new people, new schedules: you never get tired of anything, simply because nothing lasts long enough for that.

My own take on nomadism lasted three months, that I spent travelling Europe on a train pass (actually sleeping on the train, and sometimes on a ferry, as often as I could to save on hostel costs). 

More recently, a German student decided to ditch her apartment and live on a train to save money (and to avoid the hassle of dealing with landlords, apparently). 

The tiny house enthusiast

New trend in the rebellion against mortgages and rents, the tiny house movement is gaining in popularity. Its proponents usually start by mentioning they were tired of spending so much money to just live somewhere. With seducingly low costs and some elbow grease, many were able to build themselves a small but cozy living space. See what it's like here and here. 

The other side of the coin

At first glance, it seems like the hermit, the nomad and the tiny house enthusiasts are making an individual choice of frugality. However, a closer look sheds some light on the tacit agreement they have with others, and on the fact that complete self-sufficiency might be a pipe dream.

Proenneke, the hermit, depended on someone to bring him the life's necessities he could not find or build himself. His friend Babe made several trips with his airplane to carry such things, including his mail.

Muller, the lady who lives on a train, "tries to sleep at the apartments of relatives or friends. Often, she is accommodated by her boyfriend, her mother or grandmother." 

Williams, who built and installed her tiny house in a friend's backyard, also uses said friend's water, fridge, and oven. The friend is, needless to say, also responsible for a mortgage and property taxes that Williams does not mention (and does not seem to contribute to). Admittedly, the friend expresses great joy about having Williams in her backyard. But for the latter, this arrangement doesn't qualify as living off the grid.

And so for a lot of those self-proclaimed minimalists, frugality is partly made possible thanks to other people's generous input. 

There are even individuals who, in addition to not paying mortgage or rent, refuse to use money altogether. It's the case of Heidemarie Schwermer, this 69-year old woman who hasn't used money since the turn of the century. She gets around by bartering: she will, for example, offer to clean a grocery store in exchange for food. That seems fair. Some people, however, have commented on the fact that the house-sitting and house-cleaning services she offers to homeowners in exchange for residing in their houses are hardly worth the real cost of the rent/mortgage, utility bills and other home related expenses. Following that premise, one could argue that she is able to live mostly thanks to the generosity of others, not based on a fair exchange. 


In light of the above examples, do you think it is our duty to pay for where we live?

WEEK 38 IN REVIEW

I might have become the queen of resisting temptation. We had to go shopping for kids' swimming suits (sun, sand, salt and chlorine have destroyed the old ones). That task involved facing one of my biggest temptations: sports gear and outdoor equipment stores. Surprisingly, I was able to keep my calm. My heart rate did go up a smidgen when we walked past the running clothes and the backpacks, but that was quickly and easily managed.

Even more impressive was my reaction to D bringing home a dozen doughnuts barely 48 hours after I decided I wouldn't eat sugar anymore. After an initial reaction of terror, I regained my composure, didn't eat a doughnut, and generally speaking felt pretty good. A week without sugar, and I must admit I haven't been half as cranky as I thought I would be. I did eat a little bit more fruit than usual, and I did buy a 80% dark chocolate bar, with only 4 g of sugar per portion, to share. I also lost two pounds, which was not even the goal!!! 


Your turn to share about your struggles and victories of the week! What did you resist? Did you donate or get rid of anything? Did you face any challenge? Please comment below! And...

Become a follower of the blog/subscribe by email (top left corner of this page)!

Follow me on Facebook (click here)!

Follow me on Twitter (click here)!

The Less is More Project: Week 33 - The unexpected effect of decluttering

JSM, 2015

If you are serious about decluttering, this might happen at some point: 

You will realize that your house is actually too big.

As you should. House sizes have increased significantly in the past decades, and we would be silly to claim that this increase stemmed from a true need. More likely, it's a change in culture that has prompted us to go for the biggest possible house. Interestingly, we then proceed to acquire stuff in order to fill said house. Maybe it's the nesting instinct. I often wonder if a smaller house could fulfill the need for a cozy, nest-like environment.

In 2007, D and I walked into our bank to discuss mortgage options on our first house. I remember a big sign at the entrance: "40-year mortgage, no down payment required!". I am no economist, but that immediately hit me as a bad idea... the kind that can only lead to a disaster. Sure enough, between 2007 and 2009, a great recession was to happen, closely linked to the American mortgage crisis. Proof that everything in life has a cost. 

As for us, we opted for the more reasonable 25-year mortgage with down payment, and started making extra payments as soon as we could to get rid of the mortgage as early as possible. It wasn't about sacrificing everything - we still "have a life" - it was about carrying as little a financial burden as we could. We also opted for a house about 15% less expensive than what the bank was willing to let us buy.

Today, after 33 weeks of decluttering coupled with a shopping ban, I am noticing more and more unused space in the house, to the point where I'm questioning whether it might be too big.

Keeping in mind that the majority of humans on this planet make do with very modest living quarters, what are the factors to consider when deciding what size of house you need?

The number of people who will inhabit it. That goes without explaining.

The number (and size) of pets who will inhabit it. Crates, litter boxes, cages, and pet food and toys take up space.

The age of the people who will inhabit it. Adults don't need that much space. Children can share a room; as for their toys, they often own too many anyway. Teenagers, on the other hand, appreciate some privacy. My godmother had 4 boys and I remember her saying, while house-hunting, "I don't mind the size but I want each of them to have their own room". As for babies, the equipment they require according to our society does take up a lot of space: strollers, full-size cribs and high chairs are not small. If you "need" bassinets, swings, changing tables and such on top of it, there's really no way you can live in a tiny house or apartment. The question might then be: do we really need all that stuff? Other cultures make without most of what we consider "baby essentials". Food for thought.

The climate you live in. When the outdoors can be used as living space most of the time, the indoors don't have to be as spacious. If, however, the temperature is below freezing point six months of the year, it might be wise to invest in indoor space. Even though I thrive in a tent or small log cabin in the summer, I know I would feel claustrophobic in a tiny house during our long Canadian winters. (Also, we need a place to store our winter tires in the summer, and vice-versa.)

Your social life. People who like to entertain mention big entrance ways, kitchens, family rooms and patios as "needs". People who often have company over from out of town appreciate having a guest room. That being said, there are alternatives: my parents had friends in Hong Kong who couldn't possibly host parties in their tiny, Hong Kong sized apartment. Solution: they would meet at cafés, restaurants or parks instead. As for guest rooms, despite being "expats", we ourselves have never had a designated one. When someone sleeps over, we lend them one of our beds. Oftentimes, the kids end up sleeping on mattresses with sleeping bags. I have yet to hear a complaint.

Your hobbies. Some hobbies are space-consuming. Examples include painting and crafts, baking, making music, listening to music (my parents had a friend who devoted a big room of his house to that), collections (the same friend also devoted a room to his rock and mineral collection), sports, outdoor activities, etc. In our house, even if we try to keep it simple, the camping equipment, the sports equipment, and the books do require extra storage. We also have a piano. That being said, we have gotten rid of anything sports/camping that we did not use, we try and store the remaining in space-efficient ways, and I am in the process of rethinking by book ownership.

Your work. If you have a home-based business, you will need space for your work supplies. Although your home office might not have to be that big and that full. 

Perfect temporary "home office" for the summer.
JSM, 2015

Your property. Whether I like it or not, I need a place to put the lawnmower and other gardening materials. Land requires a certain amount of maintenance.

Your style. Well, if you enjoy big, tall furniture, life-size statues, medieval armors and the like, you will need space to put them! A more space efficient and still aesthetic choice might be to opt for small, decluttered space, with light colors and big windows.

WEEK 33 IN REVIEW

With school starting in less than 3 weeks, we had to go shopping for school supplies. This year, I tried to reuse everything that had been salvaged from last year: backpacks, lunch bags, some pencils/crayons/erasers are still perfectly good. Why replace them? Same for clothes. It's a trend to buy back-to-school clothes each year, but why? My children's wardrobes are overflowing with good quality items that still fit; therefore, I will only replace the occasional piece they really need.

The main purchase has been shoes. Indoor shoes, outdoor shoes (two different pairs as per school regulation), rain boots, winter boots (some companies now conveniently make boots that can be used for both). Good shoes are important and one of the rare things I will not buy used (unless it looks like it was never worn).

Your turn to share about your struggles and victories of the week! What did you resist? Did you donate or get rid of anything? Did you face any challenge? Please comment below! And...

Become a follower of the blog/subscribe by email (top left corner of this page)!

Follow me on Facebook (click here)!

Follow me on Twitter (click here)!

You might also like: Your Biggest Investment