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Written by Regina Cal
Most people know me as the rockhounding girl exploring the deserts of Arizona looking for gold, gemstones, and hidden treasures. But what many people don’t realize is that I live a very different kind of life behind the scenes.
I live alone on 30 acres of land in southern Arizona.
And for the past four years, I’ve been living in a 100 square foot shed.
That may sound extreme to some people, but the truth is that this lifestyle has allowed me to achieve something that many people are struggling to reach today:
Freedom from debt.
With rising rent, mortgages, utilities, and food prices, many people feel trapped financially. My goal with this article is to show that there are alternative ways of living that can dramatically reduce your expenses and give you more control over your future.
Watch the video on my YouTube channel!
For the past four years, my home has been a 9×12 shed — about 100 square feet total.
It’s a very simple setup.
Inside I have:
And that’s about it.
A look inside my very tiny house shed conversion
Outside, I have a small washing area with a sink and an on-demand hot water heater, which makes life a little more comfortable. For a bathroom, I use a bucket with a toilet seat lid on it — something that surprises a lot of people, but it’s actually quite common among van lifers, truckers, and people living off-grid.
When people first hear about my living situation, they often say they could never live like that.
But the reality is that humans lived this way for most of history. Only recently have large houses, central air conditioning, and indoor plumbing become the norm. Just a century ago, many families lived in one-room homes without electricity or running water.
In many ways, my lifestyle isn’t unusual — it’s actually closer to how our ancestors lived.
Living in such a small space wasn’t always part of the plan.
Originally, I purchased this land with a partner and we lived in a camper together while building a life on the property. But after about a year, we went through a breakup and he left.
The camper was his. The business we had was also his.
Suddenly I found myself alone, jobless, and essentially homeless on my own land.
Most people would have left.
Instead, I moved into the shed.
At first it was terrifying. The shed wasn’t insulated and I had very little infrastructure. But I made a decision that day to stand my ground and make the land my home.
I took whatever work I could find. I cleaned Airbnb properties, wrote online articles, and slowly built new skills. Eventually I earned technical certifications and landed a job as an IT support technician.
And when my income increased, I made one decision that changed everything.
Instead of increasing my lifestyle… I kept living frugally.
Our RV camper setup on the land
Many people fall into something called lifestyle inflation.
When they start earning more money, they immediately upgrade their house, car, and lifestyle. Their expenses rise as quickly as their income.
I chose the opposite path.
Even after getting a stable job, I continued living in my tiny shed and keeping my expenses as low as possible.
Because of that decision, I was able to accomplish something incredible in just a few years:
Today I own my land outright and I have no mortgage and no debt.
All of this was possible because I was willing to sacrifice comfort in the short term.
Right now I’m building a 500 square foot cabin on the property.
The cabin was delivered as a prefabricated shed and dropped onto the land by a hotshot with a gooseneck trailer. From there, I’ve been finishing the interior with the help of a local handyman who has experience with building out shed-to-home conversions.
One of the biggest strategies I’ve used throughout this project is buying secondhand or free materials whenever possible.
I managed to get several items for free, like my water heater, bathtub, window, and ceiling fan, from facebook marketplace, friends, and even on the curb.
When you buy secondhand it not only saves money — it also avoids paying sales tax. In my nearest city, sales taxes are encroaching to 10% which is a huge amount of money! Buying used also keeps good stuff out of landfills.
I also pay for everything in cash. If I want or need something I save up for it, have patience, and then purchase it. I always try to by used, if possible.
I don't rack up credit card debt and if I do have to put something on a card I pay it off the same month so I don't accrue interest.
Some people believe loans give you more buying power today. I believe the opposite is true.
Loans and credit cards steal your buying power from the future. You also have to pay interest which can be as high as 30% or more on credit cards.
When you charge something now and pay it off in the future, you are literally stealing money from yourself because you have to pay compounding interest on top of the original money you spent.
Saving up and paying cash does require extreme patience, but it is so much cheaper than debt and over time your financial life begins to snowball. Before you know it, after five or ten years pass by, you have many assets, land, and your debt is paid off.
One day you wake up and think, "Wow, I did this all on my own!" It is the best feeling ever.
This is my cabin build which is a shed I had delivered that is being built into a home.
Living off-grid means building your own infrastructure.
Some of the systems on my property include:
Solar Power
I have a massive solar power system that I bought when my ex and I were living in the camper. The camper was such a huge power hog, we had to scale up pretty big, so I have plenty of power. The weakness of my system is the battery bank. I am working on replacing my old and outdated AGM batteries for lithium ion.
Solar Hot Water Heater
I built a simple solar hot water heater using a traditional tank painted black inside a reflective insulated box. When the sun hits it, the water heats up naturally. The solar water heater then feeds into the traditional water heater which acts as a holding tank that only needs to turn on to keep the already heated water warm.
Wood Burning Stove
My cabin will be heated by a wood stove that also doubles as a cooking surface. I have plenty of mesquite trees on my property, which means I have a free fuel source. I can also cook on the stove as it has a flat griddle top.
Septic System
I had a traditional septic system put in that floods out into gravel beds so it does not require any emptying.
Water Well System
When I purchased the second parcel, it actually came with a water well and power pole on it. So I have plenty of water. However, I want to put my well on solar power so it is not reliant on the grid. I also want to build a rainwater catchment system as a secondary water source.
The Crop Fortress
When my ex was here, we built a massive 1500 sqft crop fortress that is a fully enclosed frame to keep deer, birds, rabbits, mice, javelina, and basically all critters out of the garden so we can securely grow and raise food. It was an investment but was totally worth it!
These systems reduce my reliance on utilities and lower my living expenses dramatically.
The fully owned crop fortress keeps the critters out!
Once the cabin is finished, I plan to start expanding the property’s productivity.
Some of the big things I’m planning are:
Raising honeybees. This is my dream homestead based business that I am starting this year. I can sell honey, beeswax candles, and soaps at the farmer's market. The mesquite trees on my land produce flowers that are excellent forage for bees, which makes beekeeping a natural fit.
I also plan to get the agriculture exemption for my land through beekeeping which will significantly drop my tax burden.
RV spot rentals. I have already built one spot but it needs improvement. Over time, I would like to have three RV spots for passive income from my land.
Desert soil restoration. This land used to be flood irrigated for cattle grazing, and once that was abandoned, locals used it to ride their off road vehicles, so the land has become damaged. I want to restore the soil by installing swales and half moons to regenerate plant growth, which will rehab the soil over time.
Increasing my gardening and husbandry game. I am ready to get serious about growing food for myself, and possibly selling food at farmer's markets for a reasonable price. The cost of food has gotten out of control and I am ready to lower my food bill.
If you’re interested in living off-grid or starting a homestead, here are a few lessons I’ve learned.
Start saving money now.
Banks rarely finance raw land, and if they do they often require large down payments. Save money and look for an owner finance situation so you don't have to put so much money down.
Learn how to build.
When you go off grid, you have two choices: either learn how to build, or hire someone to do it for you. Building is an excellent skill that you can charge good money for if you are also needing an income.
Be patient and live frugally.
The sacrifices you make today can create enormous freedom in the future. It may be difficult to live without in the present, but your future self will thank you when you have earned financial freedom.
Start thinking about earning a living. When you go off grid, you still need to make money. Start thinking about what you will do to earn a living. I have many ideas of how to make money living off grid in this article.
Living debt-free changes everything.
When you don’t have a mortgage, car payment, or credit card debt:
For me, living in a 100 square foot shed for four years was a sacrifice that gave me something far more valuable in return.
Peace. Stability. And freedom.
Feel free to leave a comment or question below!
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