Elijah Ray now lives in a food cart-turned-micro home in his backyard, even though he was saving to afford a three-bedroom home for two years. He rents the main house to generate enough income to cover his mortgage payments.
Buying a Home Before Downsizing
For two years straight, Ray worked 90-hour weeks to make enough money to purchase a home. In 2023, he finally saved up enough to buy a $333,000 three-bedroom house in Portland, Oregon. Though he finally achieved his dream of homeownership, he has chosen to live in a micro home he found on Craigslist for one reason—generating enough passive income to retire early.
A Change of Plans
Ray planned to rent the main house from the start, though he originally intended to live in the attic while renting out just the downstairs portion of the home. This plan could have worked, but a house is more appealing to renters when they are the only ones living there. So, Ray looked for an alternative in a tiny home.
What Ray found on Craigslist could be called a small house, but it wasn’t listed. It was listed as a food cart because that’s what it was. A typical tiny house will cost around $30,000 to $60,000 but can be as little as $4,000 or as much as $180,000 depending on amenities.
Making a Food Cart Into a Home
Ray had a budget of $1,500 to work with but could negotiate the price of the food cart down to $1,000. At just 85 square feet, it’s practically nothing compared to the three-bedroom home he would have lived in. In a YouTube video, Ray said, “I’m built for living a life like this, a tiny house lifestyle.”
The house is tiny, but Ray has fit various artworks, a TV, house plants, light fixtures, and more into the food cart home. He painted the outside of the home blue and the door bright yellow. For a bed, Ray sleeps on a small massage table that fits despite the lack of space in the home.
“There’s barely any room in here so I’ve got to do what I can,” Ray said in the YouTube video. “I need a bed so I thought I would just put a massage table in there.”
Just above the pink massage table that serves as his bed, Ray has fixed a simple clothes rail where most of his belongings are stored. He keeps all his shoes on a small shelf above the clothesrail. The TV is set up conveniently opposite the massage table.
Despite its origins as a food cart, Ray can fit very little inside his makeshift kitchen. The tiny space features a mini fridge, a sink, a hob, a blender, and an air fryer. Many of his kitchen implements hang on the walls to accommodate his storage needs. Despite these downsizing efforts, Ray didn’t have room for an oven. Still, he expressed being happy with his home as it was.
“I’m scared, I’ve never done such a huge transition. You know, a three-bedroom house into an 85-square feet,” Ray said. “[But] I’m really happy with how it turned out.”
Facing Challenges on the Way to Success
Soon after Ray painted the house and installed plumbing, a brushfire set it on fire. “That was really depressing. I thought my dream was over,” he said.
While it was a close call, the recently installed plumbing remained intact.
“I always try to remember that I might go through hard times, but there’s a reason I’m doing this. I plan to stack my money and retire early,” Ray said.
