Tours
Couple saves a lot of money living in 88-square-foot apartment
The $300 a month includes rent, utilities, a parking spot, and more. It's not a lot of space, but I love how they have it all figured out.
Caryl Jane Espiritu
05.20.22

Can you imagine living inside an 88 sq. ft. home with another person and a cat? It is actually quite a small space, but a minimalist couple has proven that it is possible.

YouTube - Exploring Alternatives
Source:
YouTube - Exploring Alternatives

For almost eight years, Dimitri and Jacinia from Puerto Rico, have lived in various houses and embraced their minimalism since then. At first, being minimalists was a necessity, but eventually, they found it as a way of life.

One of the challenges of living in a limited space is that the couple tends to acquire things over the years. The accumulation becomes inevitable, but they are working on keeping the space free by constantly decluttering.

YouTube - Exploring Alternatives
Source:
YouTube - Exploring Alternatives

Dimitri and Jacinia get to save a lot of money from minimalism.

Dimitri shares their monthly overhead and it is quite amazing how they live with so few expenses in the said period.

“We pay $300 in a month and that includes our utilities, our rent, a parking space, laundry services and the bathrooms that are out in the public hallway,” he shared.

YouTube - Exploring Alternatives
Source:
YouTube - Exploring Alternatives

Jacinia also mentions the other expenses they get to pay all under a total of $300.

“It also includes internet, we have access to the backyard, and we could also compost in the backyard.”

In a video uploaded on the YouTube channel “Exploring Alternatives”, the couple gives everyone a tour of their minimalist home.

YouTube - Exploring Alternatives
Source:
YouTube - Exploring Alternatives

The first thing that people usually pay attention to upon entering the tiny apartment is the wall where they keep most of their things. On this wall, the couple keeps books on the topmost shelf.

Underneath the books are various jars containing water, kitchen utensils, and food. Right underneath all of those is the desk where Dimitri works as a marketing and communications director of a New Jersey-based press. This is where the laptop also stays, a computer that the couple shares.

YouTube - Exploring Alternatives
Source:
YouTube - Exploring Alternatives

Next to the work desk is the small area where they prepare their meals. It includes an Instant Pot, a single-burner stove, and a water filter.

Jacinia shares that mostly everything in their home is free or very, very cheap.

This is how the couple saves more money, aside from having a very low overhead cost. Not having a full bed but a roll-out futon has helped them free more space in their apartment.

YouTube - Exploring Alternatives
Source:
YouTube - Exploring Alternatives

Of course, their cat also needs to have a space of its own, including a spot where it can do some exercise. The couple did a DIY cat tower that ends in a small box with a basket inside.

To give more life to the space, Jacinia added a removable wallpaper to their wall.

YouTube - Exploring Alternatives
Source:
YouTube - Exploring Alternatives

Jacinia has anxiety and is having a hard time coming out of her safe space. She had to get out of work to look after her mental health and living in a tiny space with Dimitri has done lots of positivity to her mental state.

Living in a tiny home also has its challenges.

YouTube - Exploring Alternatives
Source:
YouTube - Exploring Alternatives

Dimitri admits that it is quite challenging to live in a small apartment because he is not exactly a tiny person. He and Jacinia always bump into each other, but this is something that they both love, saying that their relationship has grown over the years.

YouTube - Exploring Alternatives
Source:
YouTube - Exploring Alternatives

Another important reason why they are trying to save as much money as they can is because of their dream of having their first home. They are doing their best to achieve this but, the couple is also open to staying living in a small apartment.

YouTube - Exploring Alternatives
Source:
YouTube - Exploring Alternatives

Currently, the two are working hard in saving money by managing their respective YouTube channels. They also wrote their own books, which are poetry books for Dimitri and a cookbook for Jacinia. She is preparing to launch her second recipe book of Puerto Rican meals.

Are you curious to see the full tour of this tiny minimalist home? Watch the video below to see more!

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