House Archives - Making Sense Of Cents

Pros And Cons Of Tiny Houses (Is It Right For You?)

Last Updated: January 31, 2023 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 5 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Wondering what the pros and cons of tiny houses are? Are you thinking about living small?

Tiny homes are becoming more and more popular each year. Plus, there are so many different options for tiny homes.

You could live in an RV, boat, van, treehouse, build a small home, and more.

After several years of living in smaller homes, I feel like I am a pro at it – haha! When I was just 18 years old, the first place I rented was a very small house (it didn’t even have a bedroom, the bathroom was tiny, and my head almost touched the ceiling in the basement). I have also lived in a camper van, RV, and sailboat.

All of those places have been much smaller than the average house size.

In fact, according to the National Association of Home Builders, the average new single-family home is 2,561 feet.

After living in tiny homes for so long, the average size house sounds big, even though I know most people don’t feel that way.

When we were thinking about living small, we weighed up the pros and cons of tiny houses and chose it because we wanted to travel with our home. Being able to bring our home with us and travel at the same time meant that we could bring everything with us and visit new places.

Some people decide on a tiny house because it can help you save money, or perhaps, you simply want to live in a smaller space with less stuff. Maybe you know that you don’t need much space to be happy!

I am obviously biased, but even I will admit that living in a tiny house isn’t always easy.

So, what are the disadvantages of a tiny home? Are tiny houses really worth it? Is it cheaper to build or buy a tiny house? How do tiny houses get water and electricity?

These are all questions that I will answer in today’s article about the pros and cons of tiny houses. [Read more…]

American Home Shield Review – Do you need a home warranty?

Last Updated: July 18, 2022 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 2 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Welcome to my American Home Shield Review. I have partnered with American Home Shield in this article to share the benefits of home warranties and how you can protect your budget with a home warranty.

Owning a home can be expensive, and it can really impact your budget if something breaks.

After all, there are so many appliances and systems that go into running a home.

There is heating and cooling, electrical systems, plumbing, kitchen appliances (such as your refrigerator, oven, dishwasher, and more), washer and dryer, garage door openers, ductwork, roof leak repair, and more.

Unfortunately, these are all things that can break.

And, when they do, it can be quite costly!

The potential cost to repair or replace a heating system without a home warranty – up to $3,625
The potential cost to repair or replace a refrigerator without a home warranty – up to $1,500
The potential cost to repair or replace a water heater without a home warranty – up to $1,200 (Source: AHS.com)

This is where a home warranty comes in. [Read more…]

How To Save For A House – 8 Tips To Help You Save

Last Updated: March 17, 2022 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 2 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Are you thinking about buying a home? If so, then you’re probably wondering how to save for a house.

After all, the price of a home is most likely the largest amount of money that you will ever spend.

The median U.S. home value is $266,222, according to Zillow. And, there are some areas that have much higher average home prices, like four to five times more. For example, in Los Angeles, the typical home price jumps to $804,452.

The first part of saving for a house is the down payment.

But, when you’re figuring out how much to save for a house, you also need to think about incidental costs, like moving expenses, closing costs, things you need for your new home, and more.

Due to this, you’ll most likely have to save a large amount of money. And, you’re probably wondering how you’re going to do that.

To help you learn how to save money for a house, this article will first explain how to figure out the amount of money you need to save. Like I said, there’s more than just the down payment.

Plus, the amount of money you save for your down payment has a major impact on your monthly mortgage payments. This is why it’s so important to learn how to save for a house now. [Read more…]

Is it cheaper to buy eggs or raise chickens?

Last Updated: November 8, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 4 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Hello! Today, I have a great article to share about raising backyard chickens for eggs, and how much it will cost you to raise chickens. I have several different family members who raise chickens for eggs, so I am familiar with the topic. When Chris approached me with the guest post idea, I had to say yes because I thought it would be interesting to learn more about the money side of it. Enjoy!

Like many, I didn’t decide to start raising chickens with a spreadsheet in front of me.

I had just returned from visiting my parents’ new retirement project, a hobby farm in northern Vermont that was bustling with chickens and ducks and all sorts of wonderful, useful livestock I had never considered keeping for myself until that moment.

After all, I grew up in the suburbs, full of cats, dogs, and the snake the “weird kid” in middle school loved to talk about, and the only “livestock” were the cows that were shipped in every summer to picturesquely dot the fields behind the local ice cream place – carefully kept too far away from customers to smell.

I was thinking about delicious, farm-fresh eggs; endless access to high-quality fertilizer and pest controls; taking control of where my food came from and developing a healthier, organic diet; and of course, just the joys of animal ownership. [Read more…]

Learn how to downsize your home, stress free!

Last Updated: May 27, 2023 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 11 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Want to learn how to downsize your home? Here’s a downsizing home checklist so that you can downsize and declutter.

Are you ready for something simpler or smaller and wanting to know how to downsize your home? It can be big process and less and less people seem to be doing it these days.

The average home size in 1950 was less than 1,000 square feet. Fast forward to 2017, the average home size has increased to nearly 2,600 square feet, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Related posts:

When we did live in a “normal” home, it was fairly close to that average home size. The house we owned in the St. Louis, Missouri area was around 2,500 square feet if you included our finished basement, and it was just for myself, my husband, and our two dogs. [Read more…]

Smaller Can Be Better- Maximize Your Savings With A Small House

Last Updated: May 27, 2023 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 33 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Hi, I’m Ariel, Michelle’s sister-in-law and editor. I’ve been editing and learning from Michelle’s blog for over two years now, and if you’ve read any of the posts I’ve written for Michelle, you know I’m conscious about my savings and spending. I have a degree in English Literature, and I make a living as an editor, preschool teacher, and knitting instructor.

My husband and I were recently faced with the reality that we would have to find a new house and move. I’m not going to spend too much time on specifics, but it has to do with a retail development going smack dab on top of us.

We were only 19 and 20 years old when we bought our house and had very limited buying power. With what felt like nonexistent options, we fell in love the minute we walked into our little 900 sq ft. brick bungalow. It was the dreamhouse we never knew we wanted, and we were pretty certain we would never leave. [Read more…]

How I Paid Off My $400,000 Mortgage In 7.5 Years, Before I Was 32

Last Updated: February 13, 2023 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 56 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Today, I have a great article from a reader, Rob from Mustard Seed Money. Rob was able to pay off his $400,000 mortgage in just 7.5 years, all before he was 32 years old. Below is his story, enjoy!

I was one of those weird kids that couldn’t wait to graduate from college. I’ve always had a long-term focus and viewed college as a stepping stone. One day during my freshman year, I remember walking to class with a friend saying that I couldn’t wait to graduate and start making some money.

My friend turned to me with an incredulous look and confessed he planned to live it up while he could.

Needless to say, I probably didn’t enjoy college as much as others did.

I had too strong of a focus on life after college to ensure that I’d reach the life goals that I had set up for myself. I wanted to obtain a good job, get married, buy a house and fill it up with some kiddos.

Of course, what actually ended up happening did not follow the order that I had envisioned. But, I can honestly say I love the way things turned out. [Read more…]