So many folks have been asking for a home tour and I’m super excited to share that I finally got it done!! 🙌In case if you’re new here, in January of this year we paid off our 1979 Drive Under Ranch home. I’m married to a professional remodeler who remodeled our entire home.
However, I will tell you that we’ve lived here for 8 years so some things like paint…need to be redone. So please don’t judge because I totally did not clean my house for this tour! I know, I know, I know, I totally should have cleaned before filming but the reality is, I have 3 kids and a dog and if I waited until my home was perfect to shoot this video, it would literally never happen.
So, instead of waiting on perfection, we’re just getting it done! Let me what you think of our 40-year-old, mortgage-free home! Also, I’d love to see pictures of any renovations you’ve done to your home! I love a good before and after! Tag me on social media as @jessifearon or use #reallifeonabudget.
My husband re-did the landscaping in the front after I recorded this video, so here are some updated photos of the outside of our home:
Before the porch remodel:
After:
This was taken right before my husband pulled down the dying Dogwood tree in front of our house (notice the top part of the tree – all of that was dead). That tree was our oldest child’s favorite tree so it was a little bittersweet seeing it gone.
My oldest in his tree…
Okay, so let me know what you think! As I said, I didn’t clean and the interior of our home is in desperate need of being painted, but I’d love to know what you think of our 40-year-old home!
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I love writing about my family's journey towards financial freedom and about ways to optimize your life, save money, and live well! Here are a few more ways you can save money:
Cook at home. During our debt-free journey we NEVER went out to eat because we honestly couldn't afford it, and now, even though we could afford it, we still don't go out to eat that often. But I'll be honest, meal planning was such a struggle for me during that time, but it totally saved our budget when I did it effectively! I ended up using a meal planning service for about two years which helped me not only meal plan better, but also helped me to create wholesome, healthy, and delicious meals for my whole family! You can see all the details and try different meal plans based on your preferences here .
Earn gift cards. A simple way to earn a little extra money from home by using the Swagbucks site instead of Google for searching. I actually still do this to earn Home Depot gift cards for all our home projects. You can also do surveys and a few other things to earn points, which you redeem to purchase gift cards from them. Swagbucks is what we used to earn Amazon gift cards to help pay for Christmas or cash through PayPal to help pay off our debt faster. You can sign up for Swagbucks here.
Switch Cell Phone Providers. One of the best things we did on the debt-free journey was to switch from our super expensive $150+ a month cell phone bill to a much more affordable plan! In fact, my cell phone bill is only $30 a month (my husband's plan is paid by his business)! Check out Mint Mobile here to see if you can save your family some money!
Create a budget. It took us a while to figure out a budget that works well for our family, but the two things that we have used over the years and still do (and still love) are my Budget Binder and Personal Capital (online budgeting software). You can see my Budget Binder tutorial here and check out Personal Capital here.
Your house is great! Reminds me of my sister’s house up north here in Ontario, Canada. Its great your husband can build and remodel. That is very handy and saves you money too! The kids must love the backyard.
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It is absolutely beautiful and I loved how real you kept it. Lived in but definitely not a “ pigsty”:) Very blessed ❤️
Your house is beautiful ❤️
Very lovely! And the best part about it is NO MORTGAGE!! Way to go!!!
First, I would like to say I love your transparency. Secondly, I love your home… beautiful and DEBT FREE!!!
Hi Jesse
Your house is great! Reminds me of my sister’s house up north here in Ontario, Canada.
Its great your husband can build and remodel. That is very handy and saves you money too!
The kids must love the backyard.
Janet
Girl, invite me over! Your house is adorable. Your deck and fireplace is freakin awesome. XoXo