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"We sold all our belongings to move into an off-grid shed in the woods - it means we're debt-free"

2023-11-20 178 Dailymotion

A couple sold all their belongings to move into a tiny off-grid "shed" debt-free - with a greenhouse bathroom and fish pond in the kitchen.<br /><br />John Kernohan, 61, and his wife, Fin, 44, met online in 2010 and fell in love despite living over 4,000 miles apart.<br /><br />John, from Miami, Florida, US, invited Fin, a Thai native who had been living in London, to move to the States with him after they married in 2012.<br /><br />Fin had an "adventurous spirit" and had previously lived on a narrowboat and in an attic as well as being a regular camper.<br /><br />She suggested selling John's spacious Miami home and moving into something more quaint - such as an off-grid cabin.<br /><br />They sold almost all their possessions and moved into a 304 square-foot shed structure costing $6,500.<br /><br />They then spent a further $6,000 kitting it out with furniture and electrics - as well as some unique adaptations.<br /><br />Despite being just 304 square feet, their unique space boasts a bathroom which doubles as a greenhouse, and an outdoor kitchen with a pond full of Koi Carp.<br /><br />John and Fin have lived their unique off-grid life for 12 years - expanding their land as they go.<br /><br />The couple, now both short-term getaway hosts and event organisers, aim to show "it's possible to live off-grid without roughing it."<br /><br />John said: "Fin made it clear when she came over to the States that she didn't like how big it was.<br /><br />"We came to realise being in a small space together was more what we enjoyed.<br /><br />"Fin said one day she wanted us to build our own home together - when she sets her mind to something, that's the way it is.<br /><br />"We sold pretty much all our belongs we had in Miami and in London and bought our first shed.<br /><br />"When we started out, about six months in, I thought we'd made a mistake because we never had any space.<br /><br />"But 12 years on, I love the small space and can't imagine living differently."<br /><br />John and Fin met online in 2010 despite living on opposite sides of the world - and travelled back and forth between Miami and London while dating.<br /><br />When John stayed in the UK for a while they rented a narrowboat to live on together and enjoyed it.<br /><br />When she visited his three-bed Miami home, she made her feelings about the size clear.<br /><br />John said: "We had a joke conversation where she said 'I don’t know where this relationship is going, but I'm never going to clean this place'.<br /><br />"I joked I’d hire a housekeeper – and she responded suggesting getting somewhere smaller.<br /><br />"The seed was planted."<br /><br />In 2013 Fin moved to the US to live with John permanently, and convinced him to go off-grid by saying 'I love the man you are when we're out in the woods'.<br /><br />They started by leasing a plot of land for $1,200.<br /><br />Soon they were moving into their first shared home - a 304 square foot cabin in rural Georgia costing $6500, which they paid for by selling most of their possessions.<br /><br />They spent a further $6,000 on the cabin's plumbing electrics and insulation, and kitted it out with furniture and equipment before moving in permanently.

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