It’s not easy to be an adult. Bills need to be paid, chores need to be done, and plans need to be carried out. And it gets even harder for parents. But one single mother took advantage of a chance to save money and didn’t want to go back.
Michelle “MJ” Boyle says she can live on only $75 a month, even though she is a mother and has responsibilities.
MJ and her two kids live in a house that she rents. She has bills to pay, so she works double shifts and takes on more than one job to meet her obligations.
Even though she has a lot of problems, she doesn’t want them to keep her from giving her children the best life she can.
And as a single mom, she wants to show her family that she can not only take care of her kids but also be a good example of how to live.
Changing where she lived was one thing that helped MJ turn her life around.
She was spending so much on rent that she decided to build her own home from the ground up instead. Her Sherwood, Oregon, rental property cost her a shocking $1,600 per month.
MJ was having difficulty keeping up with that bill and all of her other responsibilities, so she decided that building her own home was the best thing to do.
After her divorce, MJ’s life changed. Before that happened, she owned two homes but lost them during the divorce. And because her kids are getting older, they will soon be going to college, which costs a lot.
Because MJ wanted to help her kids get good college degrees, she decided to change where she lived. This made her rent payment less each month, so she could put more money into her kids’ college funds.
“My life has been one bad thing after another. I’ve been through two divorces. I’ve built two houses, but I’ve lost both of them because of my divorce.
MJ was able to save money by building her own house. Given that her home was empty, she even called it an “empty nest.”
MJ built a tiny house because it fit her needs and was cheap. She made a move that not only helped her finances but also allowed her to save money for her children’s college educations and for her own retirement.
“I built my first house, mostly with cash and sponsorships, so that when I retire I’ll have a nice, paid-off house to live in. Now I’m building a few more tiny houses that I hope to rent out on platforms like Airbnb, Try It Tiny, or VRBO to make some money, so that’s what’s next.”
MJ says that she has cut her costs down to $75 per month. She did well!