3 Things I Learned to Cope Without (After Living in a Shed for 2 Years)

Rachael Kable
7 min readAug 23, 2021

And three things I can’t wait to enjoy in my new home!

Photo by Arno Smit on Unsplash

The fireworks were whirring and popping across the night sky. It was the final night of 2019, and my partner Dec and I were holding hands, nervously wondering what the next few months would bring.

We were almost $25,000 in debt, and my credit card had reached its limit. After some intense discussions, we decided we had two realistic options. One — we could both increase the time we spent working for other people and keep living in our expensive apartment in the city. Two — we could move in with my mum (in a small rural town) and cut our expenses so we could continue growing our online business.

A pros and cons list showed a clear winner. Option two. It looked like we’d be moving back to my hometown to live with my mum. We optimistically guessed we’d stay for six months before finding a cheaper place to rent.

Not wanting to encroach on my mum’s space too much, we “renovated” the roof of the shed. And by renovated, I mean we stuffed the walls with insulation, installed a ceiling, built a few walls, and painted the plywood floor. I enthusiastically scattered my indoor plants around our new home to make it look a little cozier.

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Rachael Kable

Writer and hopelessly devoted reader - just ask my husband.