Live on Less and Love It!

(Page 2 of 5)

October/November 2007
By Craig Idlebrook  
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10. For short-term stays, become a housesitter or pet sitter.

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11. For long-term stays, become a caretaker. A good place to find such caretaking jobs is The Caretaker Gazette.

Find and Build Your Nest

12. Look beyond realtors’ listings to find cheap property. Try local penny papers.

13. Don’t be afraid to ask. If you see a piece of land you like, find the owner and ask if it’s for sale. It might be cheaper than you think.

14. Salvage materials for your new home. There are lots of possible sources: Look for someone who’s renovating a house and might let you cart away old materials; check the yellow pages for used building materials; or look for online groups, such as Freecycle, where people trade all kinds of unwanted items.

15. Never skimp on insulation or good windows. Build your home tight enough, and it will cost much less to heat. You may even be able to get away with a woodstove or other supplemental heating and avoid the cost of buying and running a central heating system.

16. Barter for services with carpenters. Some communities have organized time banks, to make bartering these kinds of services easier. You can learn more about them here.

17. Buy into a piece of land with another family. Be sure to check local zoning ordinances to be sure you can legally subdivide a property before you buy it.

18. Build with natural materials found on-site. If you have wood, the equipment to mill it yourself is relatively inexpensive, compared to buying lumber. (You can resell the sawmill after you’re done with it.) Building with stone or straw bales and using clay for plasters are other relatively inexpensive natural building options.

Keep Home Upkeep costs Down

19. Close off unused rooms to save on heat and air conditioning.

20. Be efficient with your appliances. Have a big baking night when you’re going to use the oven. Let your woodstove also be your dryer and water heater.

21. Take advantage of natural weather patterns to heat and cool your house. In the summer, open the windows at night and close them again by noon.

22. Place your refrigerator in the coldest part of the house so it requires less energy to keep the temperature low.

23. Wash your clothes in cold water. It’s the friction that does most of the cleaning, not the heat.

24. Switch off your water heater when you’re not going to use it for extended periods of time.

25. Buy energy-efficient light bulbs. The savings on your electric bills add up fast.

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