Tiny houses.

I would love to live in an Airstream! They seem expensive, though.

$50K for that little Airstream. Not bad if you can buy a small plot of land free and clear.

Honestly, having stuff is burdensome. Staying in consumerist cycle where you're shopping shopping shopping and for what?

I've been thinking a lot about Guy Debord's classic critique of capitalism "Society of Spectacle" and he talks a lot about creating the illusion of need to drive capitalist growth.

I always feel liberated when I get rid of stuff.

Especially now between Kindles and streaming media divesting makes sense.

t /Wild Eyed Marxist Moment

he believes banks are part of the great Illuminati conspiracy to control people.

I've heard crazier. Of course, I'm also a fan of Ancient Aliens, so take that as you will.

Mom use to tell me about her childhood home, where grandpa (not any kind of licensed contractor or electrician) ran the house's electrical wiring through the gas lighting pipes. Every room got exactly one electrical outlet, whether it needed it or not.

I've rented ever since I left home, and I love the look of nicely restored old houses. But the evil flipper link above is exactly what I'd worry about if I were to buy one. And buying one and then getting the work done sounds a bit worrisome. What do I know about general contracting?

We are closing today, coincident to this conversation. I'm excited, and happy we didn't end up getting a flipped house. My agent wouldn't have forgiven me if I had... He talked me out of one and into this house, which I'm pretty excited about.

That trailer interior reminds me of nothing so much as the modular jails I've seen. And while I love tiny houses, the bed loft would be too warm and close for me to be able to sleep. There's something about sunlight slanting across old wood floors and a sense of space. I could do minimalist Japanese design, tatami mats and roll-up bedding, everything hidden behind sliding doors. Small isn't as confining when you can open up to the outdoors with sliding walls.

I actually love the tiny houses, but in Rochester, they would actually be less affordable than a house!

I love tiny houses, but I know I'd lose my mind living full-time in one. Having a house of my own and my stuff around me is important to me, even though I'm making a real effort to decrease the amount of stuff I own and buy.

You can check on Zillow and find a house's sale/purchase history. If it was bought less than six months ago and now it's on the market again? Flipped. I would have serious reservations about buying a flipped house, exactly because of all the bad-contractor horror stories I've heard.

Of course, I'm also a fan of Ancient Aliens, so take that as you will.

I like Ancient Aliens too! There's a lot of honestly weird stuff in the world, more than you normally hear about. I don't believe extraterrestrial aliens helped the ancients build Stonehenge yadayada but there is some stuff to ponder. And the guy with the hair is funny. "Could it have been ALIENS? The answer is YES!"

Woohoo, Bon!

Yay Bon!

I don't care for tiny houses. I've never seen one that could be made decently handicapped accessible. They all seem to assume that no one does anything that involves stuff--like canning, sewing, playing musical instruments, or having people over for dinner. I remember seeing one where the living area, the bathroom, and the bedrooms were all on different levels, and I could just imagine the nightmare that would be on crutches; even as a currently average abled person, I find myself with a sprained ankle every few years. It's like they're designed for people who will never get hurt, never get old, never have a hobby, and never socialize.

I like Ancient Aliens too! There's a lot of honestly weird stuff in the world, more than you normally hear about.

Yeah, 98% of the time I'm poking holes in their arguments, but the other 2% I find myself going "huh". Which doesn't mean aliens, necessarily, but it does give me stuff to think about.