This college student built a £10,000 tiny home instead of living in a dorm
Before enrolling at University of Texas at Austin, design major Joel Weber took one look at the rising cost of living for a struggling college student and knew dorm life wasn’t for him.
A room in one of the school’s residence halls costs roughly $1,135 per month. Off-campus is no less forgiving. The median rent for a one-bedroom in a nearby downtown district jumps to$1,913, according to real estate site Zumper.
So Weber tried down-sizing. He constructed a 145-square-foot tiny house in a friend’s backyard. It cost less than $15,000 to build, thanks to generous donations and a bit of resourcefulness.
Now the 25-year-old (who earned his associate’s degree and traveled before enrolling at UT – Austin as a sophomore) pays nothing in rent and plans to graduate debt-free.
Take a peek inside his unconventional “student housing.”
“I would sit in it and imagine where I’d want my bathroom,” Weber says.
He had some handiwork and plumbing experience. But Weber would need help building the dream home.
He apprenticed under a carpenter and a plumber while a full-time transfer student, and borrowed architecture books from the library.
He also emptied his savings and emergency fund. “I knew it was a risk,” Weber laughs.
One year and roughly $15,000 later, the house was complete. Weber couldn’t be happier.
He describes the aesthetic as “organic contemporary.” Reclaimed wood and stainless steel come together.
Steps in the foyer serve as storage, a desk, and stairs to the loft.
Weber used wood scraps — gifted by families who sheltered him during construction — to create a seating area. “That’s how their homes live on with me,” he says.
This resourcefulness allowed him to make some splurges, like the rain shower head and stainless steel light switch covers.
He made the sink by carving a mango wood bowl and epoxying it.
The loft provides a calm little oasis above the kitchen. It fits a queen or twin-sized bed.
Weber barters childcare and cleaning services for a family in exchange for land. He plugs into their electricity, which keeps his cost of living low.
He plans to live in his tiny house as long as he can, despite multiple offers to buy it. Weber may eventually list it on Airbnb as a vacation rental.
“It’s a feeling of being underneath a canopy of trees,” Weber says. “You feel that space embrace you.”
“The return on this kind of investment is one of the best choices I’ve ever made,” he adds.
This is anything but a snooze.
On his first day working an internship for a tech startup, a Reddit user who posts as TheOrangeDuke, passed out sitting upright at his desk.
“One of the associates noticed me sleeping,” he told The Huffington Post. “And it just went downhill from there!”
The lighthearted staff decided to snap an office photo with the slumbering intern. When he awoke, he found the picture so funny that he posted it on Reddit.
Once the photo was posted, it didn’t take long for the jokesters of the content sharing site to find the photo and use it as the subject for a popular thread called “PsBattle.” Short for PhotoshopBattle, a PsBattle is when Redditors take a photo and post Photoshopped versions of it.
The results in this particular case are hilarious.
CPTSASQUATCHGuy Who Fell Asleep At Work as Paul McCartney._KORBENDALLAS_Kool-Aid Man crashes Guy Who Fell Asleep At Work’s party.Guy Who Fell Asleep At Work as a Bob Marley T-Shirt.JAAYNAAYGuy Who Fell Asleep At Work surrounded by Nicholas Cages.BLUE_AWNINGGuy Who Fell Asleep At Work as He-Man.
And believe it or not, TheOrangeDuke, who would like for him and his company to remain anonymous, did not get fired for catching zzz’s at work. He’s on his third day of his internship and had a perfectly logical reason for his catnap.
“I have been diagnosed with anemia, as shown by my amazing skin color, that causes me to be ultra sleepy!” he said.
GRAPHLEEKGuy Who Fell Asleep At Work surrounded by Slave Leias.__PETTYOFFICER117__Guy Who Fell Asleep At Work as Cartman.NAVIDADETMORTISGuy Who Fell Asleep At Work as Trump.TANBUGGuy Who Fell Asleep At Work as Guy Who Has A Crush On Gillian Anderson.
Cancer isn’t one disease — it’s a catch-all term for more than 100 different diseases, all characterized by unregulated cell growth.
Cells have many safeguards to grow in a controlled way, but things still can go wrong. And as long as cells are dividing in the body, there will always be the potential for cancerous cells to develop.
There are many factors that contribute to one’s risk of developing cancer, including genetics, environment, and lifestyle. There isn’t much a person can do about their genes, but there are definitely choices we can all make to help keep our cells safe.
Here are 9 super-simple ways to reduce your risk of cancer:
1. Avoid cigarettes.
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This sounds a bit obvious, but quitting smoking and avoiding secondhand smoke doesn’t just reduce the risk of developing lung cancer. It also helps keep away mouth, throat, esophageal, liver, and a wide variety of other cancers.
In an effort to protect non-smokers from these cancerous effects, 23 states have already banned all tobacco use from workplaces, bars, and restaurants, with many others having some form of restriction. Legislators in states that are not yet at 100 percent bans should be urged to pass similar measures.
2. Get vaccinated.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is an incredibly common STD that can lead to cervical, vaginal, penile, throat, or anal cancers.
Fortunately, there is a vaccine to prevent common forms of HPV that is recommended for children as young as 10. Overall, the vaccine has been shown to be incredibly effective and safe.
Additionally, keeping up on other vaccines is the best thing a person can do to ward off diseases, helping to keep their immune system healthy enough to fight off cancerous cells.
3. Eat more veggies.
In order to give the body all the tools it needs to prevent the growth of cancerous cells, proper nutrition is a must. The best way to get this is through eating nutrient-dense foods, like broccoli, kale, cabbage, and other cruciferous vegetables.
Not only do these veggies contain a lot of fiber to keep the digestive tract healthy and key vitamins and minerals, but they also contain glucosinolates, which are compounds believed to help prevent cancer by giving cells a hand in staying healthy.
4. Limit red meat and processed meats.
It was almost possible to hear millions of hearts breaking simultaneously when the World Health Organization confirmed that eating processed meats like hot dogs, bacon, and sausage directly cause colorectal cancer.
Red meat in general is believed to be harsh on the lining of the gut, causing the body to quickly replicate cells in order to manage the damage. Because the opportunity for harmful DNA mutations to occur is present every time cells divide, having to ramp up the process just increases the odds that cancer-causing mutations will happen.
The problem with processed meats is that on top of their red meat ingredients,nitrates are used to cure and preserve them. These nitrates greatly exacerbate the compounds that damage the gut.
On top of everything else, these meats are also subjected to cooking methodsknown to be carcinogenic, such as charring and frying.
5. Be mindful of alcohol consumption.
While there’s nothing wrong with hitting up happy hour every now and then,drinking to excess is linked with a number of cancers, including those in the head and neck, esophageal, breast, liver, and colorectal.
Damage from alcohol comes when the body tries to break it down. Acetaldehyde is an intermediary product that is formed that is toxic to the body. The damage can be recognized the morning after in the form of a hangover, but over time, the damage to the cells can increase the odds of developing cancer. Alcohol also makes it difficult for the body to metabolize key nutrients it needs to stay healthy.
As a double whammy, research has shown that people who use alcohol and tobacco together have a greater risk of developing cancer than the sum of their individual risks. Some genetic variants also make the effect worse than others.
6. Maintain a healthy weight.
How much a person weighs or the size of their pants has nothing to do with what a wonderful, beautiful person they are.
A person’s weight does, however, play into their risk of developing esophageal, breast, kidney, pancreatic, uterine, and colorectal cancers. How the fat is dispersed around the body also affects the risk. The greater amount of belly fat, the greater risk of colorectal cancer.
On top of reducing cancer risk, maintaining a healthy body weight also makes it more likely that a person will survive cancer, should they be diagnosed.
7. Protect yourself from the sun.
While sun exposure is important for getting vitamin D, the UV rays can cause skin cancer. Some skin cancers can be treated simply by cutting off the growth, while others can quickly spread through the skin — the body’s biggest organ. Skin cancer most commonly appear on the face, scalp, and ears.
Protect yourself by properly applying sunscreen every day and wearing a brimmed hat to block the sun’s rays. Avoid tanning beds, and make sure to monitor moles on your skin for changes in symmetry, size, and color.
8. Stay physically active.
Physical activity, paired with proper nutrition, is one of the most important things a person can do for their health.
Society is becoming increasingly sedentary, which increases the risk of developing lung, breast, colorectal, and endometrial cancers. Making time for exercise is a great way to lower the risks of these diseases while improving overall physical and mental well-being.
Curiously, the exact mechanism by which physical activity prevents cancer isn’t well-understood, but it appears to be related to the hormonal changes that occur in our bodies during physical activity.
9. Reduce stress.
Stress is what invokes the body’s fight or flight response, giving a little extra oompf for short-term, intense activity. If the stressed lasts for a long time, however, that buildup of hormones can have negative effects on the body.
Not only is the immune system become weakened over time by stress, but people who are stressed are more likely to engage in behaviors that increase the risk of developing cancer, including smoking, drinking, or overeating.
Manage stress with healthy habits, such as meditation, exercise, and therapy.
While it might not be realistic for every person to go to the extreme for each of these in order to try to avoid cancer, it’s important to remember that moderation is the key.
More than 8 million people die each year from some kind of cancer. Please help raise awareness for #WorldCancerDay by sharing this advice with your friends and loved ones.
Horse are some of the most magnificent creatures that have ever walked the surface of the earth. Yet us human don’t appreciate them enough and use them for horse racing for personal greeds and treat them without respect.
The reality is that they actually hold superpowers in healing our emotional wounds and trouble bodies to restore our spirits. This is a confirmed fact from Equinsity Retreats, who have trained horse, living in a beautiful looked after ranch that possess the powers to heal.
Watch the story in this short video that gives away a teaser of what to expect and the results you may achieve from such therapy with the horses. We definitely want to see more of these places around the country that pave a path of communication between horses and humans.
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Don’t have a lawn in your backyard? Here is a DIY creative fun and amazing grass day bed idea you can easily build yourself and relax or sunbathe in style! This innovative idea will be a conversation topic when you have your next backyard party! Jason Hodges has a neat idea that shows that even in the barest space you can still have a grassy bed, perfect for a backyard picnic or a an afternoon nap.
Enjoy the video, like our page and share with your friends!
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When this woman saw a huge wolf standing alone in the snow, she did what most of us wouldn’t even dream of doing, she walked up to him and got as close to his face as possible.
It turns out that Kekoa the wolf absolutely loves humans and prefers hanging out with women more than men! He’s a proud member of the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center, and when he isn’t busy flirting with all the ladies he can find, you can find him running through the vast and beautiful wilderness in snowy Colorado!
The woman in this video, Danielle, adores being around these gigantic animals. And even though he might look a little fierce, if you treat him with kindness and respect, he’ll treat you the same way. Naturally Kekoa is comfortable around humans because he’s been around them a lot, so if you see an actual wild wolf, you might be better off staying away from him!
The amazing people at the wildlife center do their best to help preserve these beautiful animals in their huge sanctuary. As more and more humans make their living spaces smaller and smaller, this amazing piece of land will ensure that these proud animals stay safe and wild. The center educates the masses all while helping foster the relationship between humans and nature!
Please SHARE this cute video if you think saving all animals is important!
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Cats have a reputation for being cold and evil, but they’re definitely sweet and protective when it comes to their kittens. These momma cats posing with their kittens prove that every mom can be proud of her children!
Mother cats are tender and caring, but there are cases in which they can reject their kittens. This can happen when their kittens have birth defects, when their litter is too large, or for certain stress-related reasons. It’s important to socialize kittens after 2 weeks, but be sure they spend most of their time with mom – she’s got important lessons to teach them!
Nature is infinitely inventive, but on some occasions it seems to love some of its designs so much that it decides to reproduce them almost completely in the next generation. This is no less true of animals than it is of humans — and in the case of cats, the results can be very cute indeed. Here are some of the best examples we’ve come across.
There’s no need for an alarm clock – when you have the cutest dog in the world waking you up instead.
Lexi is a white and fluffy Samoyed, who is ready to go for a walk. The problem is that her Daddy is still sound asleep in bed. Although she could let him continue to snooze…where’s the fun in that? In the video, we see her on the bed sitting by her owner. He looks quite comfy snuggled under his blankets – so if Lexi is going to get him to part with his bed, she’s going to have to be quite convincing!
The dog begins by ever so gently tapping his chest with her paw. Her Dad opens his eyes and looks at Lexi, gives her a kiss, and goes back to sleep. Well, it’s time for Lexi’s plan B! She starts sniffing his face and giving extra-tiny kisses. When that won’t work, all bets are off. The pup taps her paw on Dad’s face to try and get him to wake up. Although it never shows him actually getting out of bed…really, how could you say no to an adorable puff-ball like that?
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In order to give the body all the tools it needs to prevent the growth of cancerous cells, proper nutrition is a must. The best way to get this is through eating nutrient-dense foods, like broccoli, kale, cabbage, and other cruciferous vegetables.
Not only do these veggies contain a lot of fiber to keep the digestive tract healthy and key vitamins and minerals, but they also contain glucosinolates, which are compounds believed to help prevent cancer by giving cells a hand in staying healthy.
