Chris Boyle graduated from Colorado State University in December 2003, and as an out-of-state student, was $50,000 in debt when he started his job teaching in Poudre School District.

He has a $120 monthly loan payment that he says isn’t too bad if it were his only monthly bill.

“But when you add my mortgage, car payment and car insurance, it’s hard,” he said. “It’s another payment that I have to make.”
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Naomi Cleaver advises a family who subdivided their house to help with the mortgage

Garie Whincrop recently bought an impressive semidetached, seven-bedroom Victorian house in Lincolnshire that they share with their their son Harley, 16, elder daughter Monet, 14, and younger daughter Indy, 8. They had been looking for a house of this size for five years. A hefty mortgage later, they are now the delighted kings of their Gothic “castle”, albeit one in need of a lot of remedial work and the tailoring of its Victorian layout to modern family life.

To help with the mortgage payments, Sharon and Garie cleverly converted their lower-ground floor into a small flat that they let. They are also doing much of the refurbishment work themselves to make the most of their ?30,000 budget. Although they feel confident about managing the build, they are “flummoxed” by the interior design, particularly on the ground and first floors. They would like a new family kitchen that will accommodate informal dining and a snug seating area; a study for Sharon; a laundry room; a formal dining room and a boot room, because the house is on the edge of a stunning valley.

continue reading "How to make money from your home"