Stepping out of and into the box

We are definitely “think outside of the box” people, so it’s only fitting that we live inside of one. I remember telling my husband during the 2008 recession that I would stay with him even if we had to live in a box. At the time I used the term to represent homelessness in general since so many people were losing their jobs and homes. I never would have thought living in a box would one day be our dream!

We were renting an apartment in Houston when the downsizing hit my husband’s company. We thought we were doing pretty well at the time. We had two boys and I was pregnant with our third, he was making decent pay with awesome benefits, we were nearly debt free, and we even had some savings. The apartment manager informed us, though, that the only way out of our lease was if we found someone to take over the lease or if he was in the military and reassigned or deployed. So when he found work 2.5 hours away… we had a problem.

Flash forward through driving 5 hours a day for work until the end of the lease and using up all of our savings. Then moving away from Houston and inconveniencing my wonderful parents and my husband’s dear Aunt Gladys. Then living in an extended stay hotel and renting a trailer, all while we tried and failed to purchase land through a USDA loan… twice. All the while watching people on the news and some close to us lose their homes. After that fiasco we discovered our driving goal. To live a life that wouldn’t be taken away from us if hard times hit. So began our quest.

Our exact plans have changed so many times, but it always started with one basic idea. Own our own land. No matter what happens, as long as we keep up with our property taxes – setting aside our thoughts on paying yearly for something we purchased outright with cash – the land is ours. Everything else would eventually, literally, build on that.