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Patience Wolfe turned a 1979 trailer into a dream home that allows her and her family to travel and shop where they want.
Wolfe, who runs the TikTok account TrailerParkPretti, now finds herself with enough money for travel and a savings account for the first time. Her posts showcase how her housing choice has opened up opportunities she wouldn't have otherwise had.
Inflation reigns supreme, and the TikToker aims to illustrate how keeping housing costs low helped her family achieve financial freedom even in a tight economy.
Wolfe found herself the new owner of a trailer right when she needed it most January of this year. She had just become a single mother after a divorce and couldn't afford to keep a roof over her and her children's heads. So, the trailer gifted from her mother ended up being a lifesaver, Wolfe said.
"I wasn't able to afford an apartment or a rental home at that time, so it was a blessing," Wolfe told Newsweek.Tiny homes have surged in popularity as Americans face higher costs of living and inflation on everything from groceries and gas to housing. Mobile homes have been a major way to live 'tiny' while saving hundreds if not more in monthly rent or mortgage payments.
Most American homes are priced somewhere above the $300,000 range, but the average cost of a tiny home is $52,000, according to a Ruby Home report.
In Mississippi, where Wolfe lives, the trailer has now allowed the mom to provide for her two children on her own due to the lower cost of living. She even ended up meeting her new husband at the trailer and can stay at home with her kids while he works.
Today, Wolfe and her husband have saved enough to move into a trailer on its own land.
Trailer Transformation
The process of transforming the 1979 trailer into a full home for her family was not entirely easy.
Wolfe said at the time, the trailer looked exactly as you would expect a trailer from the 1970s to look. It had green flooring and paneling walls, but now they've shapeshifted it into the home of their dreams.
The home now boasts a family hangout shed, a mini-bar and front porch sitting area as well as fully painted paneling and wallpaper.
"It had a solid foundation, it just needed a little facelift," Wolfe said. "The 'trailer life' has allowed me and my husband to have savings and to take our kids on trips."
While Wolfe is not exactly sure how much money the trailer saved her family over the last year, she believes the affordability of the unit has uplifted the entire family in terms of what's possible.
"I do know that times are hard, and it seems like everyone is struggling in some way, so I am thankful to have a home we can comfortably afford," Wolfe said.
That doesn't mean Wolfe's trailer journey has been without criticism.
Wolfe has regularly fielded comments from TikTok commenters saying her children "deserve better living conditions."
But as her children have access to her at all times as a stay-at-home mom, Wolfe has ignored the mean comments.
"Nah, my kids deserve a mother who's present at all times," she said in a recent video. "My kids deserve stability. My kids deserve life experiences and memories. My kids deserve to love their childhood. Living here allows all that to happen."
Have your housing choices improved your quality of life? Newsweek wants to hear your story. Contact us at personalfinance@newsweek.com.
About the writer
Suzanne Blake is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting on consumer and social trends, spanning ... Read more