More Low Cost Shelter

Originally posted 8/18/06 here.

This is the second part in a series of posts about the different things we have done to provide our shelter cheaply. If you missed part one, you can check it out here.

Our next job also provided our housing. We were house parents at Shelter Care. Here, we provided care for troubled kids. The job provided our home, utilities and a large portion of our food. We also received a small salary and an allotment for gas and entertainment. Tim stayed home with Kellen and ran the boys to school and appointments. I was able to work full time. (I taught so I was home in the summer when the boys were out of school) We were there for about 2 years.

This was by far the best financial position we have had in our marriage, but before you run out and apply, know this; you can not do a job like this for financial reasons alone. There is a high turnover and burn out rate. I don't think I would recommend this job to anyone who has never had kids or who still has kids at home. We left shortly after our second was born, and I was never so happy to move!

But move to where? Moving meant a new job too. Tim didn't have one, and I had limited paid leave. And I really wanted to be home with the kids. Since our apartment management days we had talked about buying a duplex for our first home. It just so happened that my brother was also needing a place, so. . . Our first home purchase was a duplex.

We ended up buying a duplex with 3 bedrooms in each unit. The house is old, but nice. It had been updated. It has the character of an older home: woodwork, arched doorways and leaded glass windows. It was owner occupied for all but the year before we bought it. Perfect, expect the neighborhood. We couldn't afford the size house we needed in a neighborhood we would have preferred. So, that is a choice we made. We lived there over three years with out incident. Our immediate neighbors were good people.

Owning a duplex is a good investment. While living there, the rent from the other unit covered our mortgage, leaving us just the taxes, insurance, and upkeep expenses. Our original plan was to keep the duplex as an investment property after we moved. We didn't anticipate moving out of state though. Had we stayed it would have provided a nice income, and it still could, but being far away makes it more difficult to manage.

Since moving we have tried to sell it, but with no luck. So for now, I guess, we will keep it as a rental. We are considering offering it "rent to own." Any advice on this?

Our current housing is very affordable, and hopefully temporary. We have been here almost a year now. We plan to stay on the property well. . . forever, but we are just starting to plan our next low cost shelter, an earth sheltered home. More on that next week.