What does a home really cost?

Part of the inspiration of the tiny home movement is saying goodbye to insane mortgages.

Psychologists have identified that we humans are good at comparing similar items - like one car versus another - but much less good at comparing between items from different categories.

This house auction satirical ad points out the things we sacrifice to be an owner of a home.

I think it could go further. Many people spend years, or decades, in jobs they hate - just to afford a house they can call their own. I guess that's fine if you value the house more than those lost years. But if that's not the case, are we better off having smaller homes? Or renting? Or both?

Part of what I'm doing is discerning what I value in life, and working out how to make a life that reflects that. I reckon that's part of the key to happiness - lining up our values and our actions.

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