CNBC make it 2024-08-19 00:25:28


38-year-old American expat lives on $73,000 in one of the world’s most expensive countries

This story is part of CNBC Make It’s Millennial Money series, which details how people around the world earn, spend and save their money.

Jewells Chambers doesn’t look like a typical Icelander. In a country where 94% of people identify as native Icelandic, Chambers, a Black American woman, is among the other 6%.

She doesn’t sound like one either. Over the eight years Chambers has lived in Reykjavik, she’s developed a conversational level of Icelandic. “I still fumble on things, though,” she says.

Nevertheless, the native New Yorker has never been surer that this is the exact place where she always needed to be.

“It felt as if there was something magnetic that has been pulling me in this direction, and I still haven’t been able to put my finger on it exactly. But I know it has something to do with the nature, because that has been and continues to be such a rejuvenating piece for me,” Chambers says. “Every time I’m out on a hike or even just a regular walk, getting a little bit out of the city, I just feel really grounded.”

It’s a feeling she wants to share with the world. Since 2018, Chambers has run All Things Iceland, a podcast, YouTube channel and social media brand that explores Iceland’s nature, history and culture through the lens of an expat.

Running the show, which has more than 50,000 YouTube subscribers and 30,000 monthly podcast listeners, has been Chambers’ full-time job since 2020. The company is on track to earn the equivalent of $100,000 this year, from which Chambers will pay herself roughly $73,000 before money is taken out for taxes and contributions to a pension.

That’s not a fortune — especially in famously pricey Reykjavik — but it’s enough to fund the sort of life Chambers, 38, dreamt about in her youth.

“Being here, I feel safe. I feel at home. I’m really happy,” she says. “And that has transformed into something that continues to keep me here.”

Getting through the ‘limbo state’

Chambers says her dreams of living abroad began in high school in Brooklyn during economics class.

“While the professor was talking about U.S. economics and politics, something in my brain was just like, ‘I don’t think I’m meant to live in the U.S.,’” she says.

She’d have to wait for her wanderlust to take hold, however. Chambers hoped to study abroad while attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, but things didn’t work out. “This was something that would hopefully, in the future, become a possibility for me. But it didn’t seem like I knew exactly the direct way that it would happen or how it could happen.”

In the meantime, adult life began. Chambers graduated from college in 2008 with a degree in engineering and about $60,000 in student debt. She moved back to New York City and took a fellowship doing digital marketing for a diversity and inclusion nonprofit, but was barely getting by.

Chambers eventually upgraded to a full-time gig, which helped alleviate some of the financial pressure, but still describes that period as “a limbo state,” “this jumble of trying to figure out my life, trying to make some money, trying to create a career path that made sense for me.”

One thing she had figured out at the time: her love life. In 2013, she reconnected with and began dating an Icelandic man she’d met in college and in two years, the pair were married. By 2016, he told Chambers he intended to move back to Iceland, and she agreed to follow him — on one condition.

“I am not moving unless I find a job that utilizes my skills,” Chambers recalls saying.

Luckily for Chambers, Iceland was in the midst of a huge tourism boom, and digital marketers were in high demand. “This was not a specialty that a lot of people in the country had, or even realized they needed,” she says.

After nailing down a job at a local tourism company, she embarked for Iceland in June 2016.

Falling in love with all things Iceland: ‘My life changed’

Working for that company proved to be a microcosm of Chambers’ conversion to a true-blue Icelander: challenging at first, but eventually eye-opening.

She recalls feeling like she’d never be able to remember her coworkers’ complicated names, let alone keep up with an office full of outdoorspeople.

“They were all mountaineers. They had climbed some of the highest peaks in the world,” Chambers says. “And coming from the concrete jungle it was like, I take the bus to work to get nature.”

But this was the job, she was told. If she was going to market nature hikes and kayaking trips and glacier climbs to potential customers, she had to get out there and do them for herself.  

DON’T MISS: How to be more successful with your money

Once Chambers began personally experiencing the adventures Iceland had to offer, “my life changed,” she says. “Everything became about nature and understanding, respecting and then being able to market that out to our potential customers. And I loved it.”

It helped that Chambers was never made to feel like an outsider because of her identity. Rather, she says, the Icelandic people embraced her in a way that felt untethered to the racial baggage people carried with them back home.

“Living in Iceland has 1,000% had an amazing impact on my mental health,” she says. “The nature aspect has helped me in so many ways, [as has] shedding this idea that it always has to be about my skin color.”

By 2017, Chambers was settled in, and passing the winter days with limited daylight listening to podcasts. At the same time, seemingly everyone from her life back home was asking her about Iceland. Something clicked.

“It dawned on me, and I was like, well, I love listening to podcasts. I’m going to look up and see if anyone else is doing a podcast about Iceland,” she says. “I didn’t see any active ones, so I was like, you know what? I’m going to make a podcast.”

Launching the podcast: ‘I didn’t have any expectations’

Chambers launched All Things Iceland in 2018, with a plan to make it at least a year airing one episode per week. “I didn’t have any expectations,” she says. “I didn’t know what people were going to say or think.”

When she began to receive positive messages and comments from listeners and YouTube viewers, she knew she had something real on her hands.

“At first, it was people reaching out to say, ‘Thank you, this was so helpful,’” Chambers says.

Then came the sponsors. “These Icelandic companies wanted to work with me, and it was like, ‘Oh, there’s money to be made.’”

By day, Chambers was still doing digital marketing, and in 2019, took a job as chief digital strategy officer at an advertising agency. It was a well-paid, demanding gig that Chambers says jeopardized her ability to work on All Things Iceland.

Between her job, her passion project and her marriage, “it was a big juggle,” Chambers says. “It wasn’t easy, and I didn’t love what I was doing enough for it to keep me going.”

By the time the Covid-19 pandemic struck, Chambers was already feeling burnt out and soon scaled down her hours. By the following August, she felt confident enough in the trajectory of All Things Iceland to quit her day job altogether.

These days, things are flourishing. Chambers’ one-woman company brings in money from ad sales, sponsorships and affiliate marketing. She also sells maps, travel consultations and private tours, all while working behind the scenes with corporate clients producing online and social media content.

All told, the company brought in about $50,000 in the first half of the year, out of which Chambers pays herself about $6,000 a month in total compensation.

How she spends her money

This isn’t the first time Chambers as been a one-woman show financially. She shouldered much of the financial load for herself and her now ex-husband from 2016 through 2020 while he built a psychological practice. The pair separated in 2022 and divorced in 2023.

Chambers has a boyfriend who she began dating earlier this year, though the two don’t currently comingle their finances.

Here’s how Chambers spent her money in June. Virtually all of her financial life is conducted in Icelandic krona, converted here to dollars.

Conversions from ISK to USD were done using the OANDA conversion rate of 1 USD to 139.085 ISK on June 30, 2024. All amounts are rounded to the nearest dollar.

  • Housing: $2,031 for rent, phone and Wi-Fi
  • Groceries: $545
  • Cash savings: $428
  • Discretionary: $423 on household items, house and car cleanings, wellness and entertainment
  • Travel: $368 on an upcoming trip to Amsterdam with a friend
  • Fitness: $352 on a gym membership and personal trainer
  • Dining out: $321
  • Life insurance: $73
  • Gas: $65
  • Unexpected expenses: $61 on an emergency visit and medication for a case of strep throat

Chambers’ biggest monthly expense is rent, about $1,941 per month for a 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom apartment in downtown Reykjavik, with a storage area and an indoor parking spot — a key feature for Icelandic winters.

She also spent more than $850 feeding herself in June, evidence that food, especially at restaurants, can get very pricey very quickly. Chambers estimates that an entrée at a restaurant in Iceland will typically run you $25 to $30, and you can expect to pay $7.50 or $8 for a cup of coffee in a downtown café.

A few major expenses you tend to see in American budgets are conspicuously absent from Chambers’ spending. Some of it has to do with her job. Because she has a brand partnership with a rental car company, she gets a company car on the house; she just has to pay for gas.

Other omissions are idiosyncratic to where she lives. Health insurance premiums? Not a thing in Iceland, which has heavily subsidized universal health care. Chambers did shell out $61 to treat a case of strep throat in June, though she could have paid less had she gone to her neighborhood health center rather than the emergency room, she says.

The other major difference is the way Chambers (and all Icelanders) are compensated. The number that actually hits Chambers’ bank account is net of taxes and a contribution toward her eventual income in retirement. Every company in Iceland contributes 6.35% of payroll to the Icelandic equivalent of Social Security and 11.5% to one of 21 pension funds, with each employee contributing at least 4% of pay.

For Chambers, navigating the complexities of being both employer and employee in a foreign country “has been a huge learning curve,” she says. “Getting an accountant to help me with that has been so crucial.”

Looking ahead: ‘Iceland is my home’

In addition to her government mandated savings, Chambers stashes away a chunk of her income – usually 10% of her take-home pay — each month in a savings account. Eventually, she says, she’d like to explore the feasibility of opening a brokerage account, too, to boost her retirement savings.

In the shorter term, though, she’s saving to buy a house with her boyfriend.

She’s hopes to continue to grow All Things Iceland as a brand and a business. As the business continues to expand, Chambers hopes to hire people to help with the nitty gritty of the job so she can focus on being more creative.

Eventually, she says, she’d love to have her own travel show — based out of Iceland, of course.

“When I made that decision and stepped my foot down that day when I came to the country full time, it just felt right and it has continued to feel that way,” Chambers says. “So for the foreseeable future, Iceland is my home.”

 What’s your budget breakdown? Share your story with us for a chance to be featured in a future installment.

Want to be more successful and confident with your money? Take CNBC Make It’s new online course. Our expert instructors will help you master your money and discover practical strategies to boost your savings, reduce debt and grow your wealth — in a way that works best for you. Enroll in ”Achieve Financial Wellness: Be Happier, Wealthier & More Financially Secure″ to start your journey to financial freedom today! Get a 30% discount with the coupon code EARLYBIRD until Sept. 2, 2024.

Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It’s newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life.

This is the No. 1 ultra-processed food I avoid, says dietitian from America’s only Blue Zone

I’m from Loma Linda, California, a small city known as the only Blue Zone in America. Studies have shown that residents live up to around a decade longer than the rest of the United States. 

Today, much of my work is informed by my upbringing, and the strong emphasis my community in Loma Linda put on on health and nutrition.

Based on principles of longevity and research from Blue Zones, I encourage my clients to focus on balanced nutrition, regular joyful movement, developing healthy coping mechanisms for stress management and adequate sleep

My ultimate goal is to encourage my clients to pay attention to the foods that give them energy — and help them avoid foods that are ultra-processed and lack key nutrients.

Why I never consume energy drinks

Energy drinks have become popularized through social media over the years. They’re often marketed as quick solutions for boosting energy, fueling during a pre-workout and enhancing alertness. 

As a dietitian, though, here’s why I advise caution:

1. Energy drinks can disrupt your sleep and your appetite

One of the main ingredients in many energy drinks is caffeine. While it can improve alertness and concentration, excessive consumption of it can lead to adverse effects such as increased heart rate, high blood pressure and anxiety. 

It can disrupt sleep patterns, which can lead to fatigue and further reliance on these beverages. 

Caffeine is known to have appetite-suppressing properties. Many of my clients have reported a reduced desire for meals after consuming caffeinated drinks. 

While an energy drink may provide temporary fullness, it is not a meal and should not be used as a replacement for one.

2. Energy drinks can spike blood sugar and increase inflammation

A typical can of an energy drink often contains up to 30 grams of sugar per serving. Too much sugar can contribute to various health issues, including increased inflammation and dental problems. 

In addition to caffeine and sugar, energy drinks may include other stimulants such as guarana and taurine. While these ingredients are generally recognized as safe, their combined effects with caffeine are not as well-researched and may pose additional health risks

3. Energy drinks can affect your physical and mental health

Frequent consumption of energy drinks is associated with increased symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress, studies have shown, and with a substantial increase in norepinephrine, a stress hormone that could potentially lead to increased heart rate and blood pressure.

Individual responses to energy drinks can vary significantly. Factors such as age, medication use and underlying health conditions can influence how your body reacts to these beverages. 

Knowing that, it is important to consult with a physician before consuming energy drinks regularly, especially if you have any pre-existing health concerns.

For my clients, I always recommend water, green tea, herbal teas, coconut water and kombucha as great alternatives for energy drinks.

If you find yourself constantly needing energy boosts, my best advice is to consider discussing your lifestyle and eating patterns with a registered dietitian. That can help you identify a healthier and more sustainable relationship with food and your body. 

Eliza Cheng is a dietitian and nutritionist based in California. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics at Loma Linda University, and has experience working in eating disorder treatment, including partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient hospitalization for children, teens and adults. Follow her on Instagram @ournourishedbodies and find out more at Our Nourished Bodies.

Want to be more successful and confident with your money? Take CNBC Make It’s new online course. Our expert instructors will help you master your money and discover practical strategies to boost your savings, reduce debt, and grow your wealth—in a way that works best for you. Enroll in ”Achieve Financial Wellness: Be Happier, Wealthier & More Financially Secure″ to start your journey to financial freedom today! Get a 30% discount with the coupon code EARLYBIRD until September 2, 2024.

27-year-old bought a $100 sewing machine to start a side hustle—now it brings in six figures a year

Two weeks before her side hustle’s launch party, Olivia Cleary did the math: At five minutes per inch of fabric, she was running out of time to sew 20 polyester scarves.

She started working on the scarves from 7 p.m. until midnight, and 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. — when she had to leave for her full-time architectural design job. She finished the edges of her “crappy little scarves” on a $100 sewing machine that sat atop a folding TV table in the New York apartment she shared with two roommates, she says.

That was in June 2022. Today, her business — called The Clearly Collective — sells silk scarves featuring iconic architectural landmarks. It hit six figures in annual revenue for the first time in October 2023, and its sales have been relatively steady since then, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.

DON’T MISS: The ultimate guide to earning passive income online

Cleary left her full-time job in April to spend more time running the business, recently completing a startup incubator program at the University of Virginia, her alma mater, she says.

The Clearly Collective has also created scarves for corporate events hosted by St. Regis Hotels, McLaren Automotive and Bacardi, and will soon add an NFL team to that list, says Cleary. Her scarves featured in donor gift bags put together by the U.S. Olympic Committee for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

She credits her ability to whimsically highlight local communities’ most iconic landmarks, from the Eiffel Tower to an archway on a college campus. ”[My style] is an intersection of architecture, design and marketing,” Cleary says, adding: “The designs are a translation of how I understand what a community means to people.”

Here’s how Cleary built her business while maintaining her full-time job, gaining a boost from TikTok virality along the way.

From outdoor tables to architecture-inspired scarves

Cleary studied architecture at the University of Virginia, graduating in 2020. She moved in with her parents in Boston and, wanting to host friends outside during the Covid-19 pandemic, built two five-foot-long tables out of wooden pallets from a nearby garden store.

When her mom’s friends started asking to rent the tables, she made it a side hustle, adding placemats and glassware to her company’s rental options. Cleary called her business Backyard Banquet, and took it with her when she landed an architecture job in New York that fall.

Backyard Banquet wasn’t easy or lucrative, she says: She had to “schlep” the tables up to her sixth-floor walkup, and didn’t have enough time or funds to hire help. But the experience of running a business gave her confidence that she might be able to monetize her creative pursuits one day.

After shuttering Backyard Banquet in 2021, Cleary created a new side hustle to supplement her $45,000-a-year job. She tried painting custom designs onto white jeans, profiting about $20 per pair sold to her friends, but the project proved too time-consuming.

Instead, she looked into printing her designs onto other materials. She settled on polyester scarves as a chic, unique and cost-effective alternative, and sewed the edges herself to add a little polish, she says.

Cleary built a website, and launched The Clearly Collective in June 2022. The business gained traction that fall after she designed an orange scarf featuring UVA’s rotunda for a friend and posted it on TikTok, she says.

The post went viral, with at least 40,000 views. Over the ensuing month, her TikTok audience grew, with another video surpassing 200,000 views.

Virality brought orders and pre-orders alike. “Strangers from all over the U.S.” requested scarves featuring architecture from colleges like Georgetown University, Duke University and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Cleary recalls.

Building a side hustle into a luxury fashion business

The pre-orders gave Cleary funds to upgrade her scarves’ quality. She tested five new manufacturers before settling on one that offered silk fabric with professionally hand-rolled edges, she says.

Cleary then raised her prices to reflect the luxurious new material, helping her company become profitable in late 2022. The scarves now start at $135 on her company’s website, up from an initial price of $45.

In February 2023, a McLaren dealership in San Francisco emailed Cleary, saying they found her on Instagram and wanted her to make scarves for guest gift bags at a car show. It wasn’t her first corporate partnership, but felt like an inflection point for the business, she says.

Brand deals now make up about 65% of her company’s revenue, Cleary estimates. She declined to share specific revenue figures for her company.

The Clearly Collective’s staff is small: Cleary, a contractor and an intern. Cleary says she wants to hire some part-time help, particularly to help with designing, and see how big she can grow the business as her full-time job.

“When I started, I had no idea this was something I could do,” Cleary says. “I’m this random girl from Boston. I have no ties to fashion, no ties to luxury. [I didn’t realize someone like me] could suddenly establish themselves and say, ‘I’m a luxury brand designer.’”

Want to make extra money outside of your day job? Sign up for CNBC’s new online course How to Earn Passive Income Online to learn about common passive income streams, tips to get started and real-life success stories. CNBC Make It readers can use special discount code CNBC40 to get 40% off through August 15, 2024.

Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It’s newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life.

37-year-old went from working in finance to bringing in more than $100K a month selling clothes

Zoreen Kabani always assumed she’d go into a traditional professional field.

The 37-year-old’s family immigrated from Pakistan to California when she was 14 and those were the paths she knew. In Pakistan, the cultural expectation is “you either are in finance or you’re an engineer or you’re a doctor,” she says.

And for the first decade or so of her working life, she did follow one of those paths. Kabani studied finance during both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees and got hired first at Goldman Sachs in 2010 then at JPMorgan Chase in 2013. “But I never felt fulfilled,” she says.

In April 2022, “I decided to cold turkey quit my job” at JPMorgan, she says, and find work that fed her soul. Specifically, she wanted to do something creative. A few months later, her younger brother introduced her to auction app Whatnot, where sellers livestream auctions of new and used items ranging from electronics to baseball cards.  

Kabani found her way into the women’s fashion section and “became obsessed,” she says. Within a month, she thought, “I can do this.”

Kabani, who’s now based in Las Vegas, has since both dived into auctioning on Whatnot through her page, zkstyles, and taken her hustle full-time. She often brings in more than $100,000 per month. Here’s how she built her online business.

‘I love finding deals’

In June 2022, when Kabani decided to dive into selling, she knew she’d focus on women’s fashion. “That was personally a passion of mine,” she says.

In part, that’s because she’s always loved shopping. As a child of immigrants, “I grew up very thrifty,” she says, adding that, “I love finding deals.” After scheduling her first stream, she applied this skill to find about 50 items to sell in thrift stores and on clearance, she says.

“I had probably some vintage T shirts in there,” she says. “Some cute women’s fashion items like a Nike hoodie.” Kabani has a darker, goth aesthetic, she says, “so I had grungy items in there,” too. She remembers having about 50 people tune in and 20 to 30 people ultimately buy items.

“Being in sales for about 13 years,” she says, “It was a very natural progression for me to get in front of a camera and talk about a product.” The difference was, instead of selling stocks, bonds and investments, she was selling cute shirts and pants.

“And I absolutely loved it.”

Most sellers stream ‘twice a week at most’

After booking a few more streams, Kabani started seeing the money come in. “My whole goal was to not dip into my savings,” she says, “and I was able to do that with my Whatnot streams.” Within a couple months, she decided to take her hustle full time.

She made sure a few elements of her business stood out on the platform. First, Kabani built a Monday-through-Friday stream schedule, not unlike the schedule she was accustomed to in corporate America. When it came to other sellers, “most of the people were streaming twice a week at most,” she says.

Second, while many fashion streamers liked to simply show the items they were selling, Kabani offered styling tips. If she was showing a black Macy’s sweater, for example, she would say, “you can pair that with a pair of jeans and do some Dr. Martens and it would look really cute,” she says.

In her first month alone, she grossed more than $12,000.

‘I’m having so much fun playing with clothing’

To-date, Kabani has sold more than 75,000 items on the site, according to her profile.

These days, she keeps a rigorous six-day per week streaming schedule, usually beginning around 7 p.m. Pacific Time. Streams last anywhere from two to seven hours, depending on inventory and her own energy levels. “I have customers who tune in at the same time every single night for me,” she says. She uses her iPhone to record herself.

Having scaled her business so “we’re sometimes shipping out 2,000 units per week,” she says, she’s had to upgrade her sourcing. She now uses sites like Boutique by the Box, where sellers can buy boxes of brand name clothing from companies like Madewell and Aerie. She also works directly with suppliers who’ll let her know about brand liquidations.

Costs associated with running the business include inventory, shipping and shipping material. Those can vary because the types of clothes she sells vary, too. “I can have inventory where my average cost of goods is $5,” she says. “But I can have inventory where my average cost of goods is $25.” Whatnot fees can add up to about 11% of the item’s sale price.

Still, the business is doing pretty well. In October 2023, she brought in more than $100,000 for the first time. In 2024 alone, she’s brought in more than $900,000. Kabani prefers not to share her take-home pay but says she transfers funds to her personal account as needed and reinvests most of her earnings into the business.

“I probably have 15-hour days,” she says of the grueling schedule. But she loves what she does.

“It’s my business and I’m having so much fun playing with clothing.”

Want to stop worrying about money? Sign up for CNBC’s new online course Achieve Financial Wellness: Be Happier, Wealthier & More Financially Secure. We’ll teach you the psychology of money, how to manage stress and create healthy habits, and simple ways to boost your savings, get out of debt and invest for the future. Start today and use code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 30% off through September 2, 2024.

Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It’s newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life.

This couple lives in an apartment in Italy that sat mostly abandoned for 22 years—take a look inside

In 2020, Kristina Knighten, 38, and her husband, Paul Cordier, 46, closed on their dream home in Lago d’Iseo, Italy.

They bought the two-bedroom house for 23,000 euros, or $24,973, at the time.

“It looked like a house you drew when you were a kid with the pitched roof, the door in the center, and the two windows upstairs,” Knighten tells CNBC Make It. “It was really cute and just steps away from the train, steps away from the lake. It felt too good to be true.”

The couple started renovations on the home in March of this year — it needed a new roof, for example — and estimated the renovations would cost about 100,000 euros or $108,578.

“It was going well, and we were making good progress but unfortunately, the costs increased by 25%,” Knighten says.

The couple decided to go the DIY route: “When we looked at the invoices, labor is the biggest cost, so if my husband can provide the labor, then maybe we’ll get this over the line.”

At the start of renovations, the couple was living in a nearby rental apartment and had hoped they’d be ready to move into their new home by the time the lease had come to an end. Unfortunately, that was not a possibility and the couple had to work fast to secure new housing.

At the same time, Cordier’s sister was getting ready to close on a home in Italy of her own.

“She wants to eventually relocate here as well, so we had been keeping an eye on properties for her,” Knighten says.

“Luckily, she liked this apartment, which happens to be across the street from our house.”

Cordier’s sister lives in Bangkok and never saw the apartment in person. Cordier acted as her power of attorney in Italy to help her close on the property. She bought it in an all-cash deal for 39,000 euros, or $42,604 and the couple moved in.

The apartment hadn’t been lived in full-time since 2002. The previous owners, who inherited the property, occasionally used it as a vacation house.

Some of the things the couple found inside were a calendar from 2006, a chest of drawers from the 1920s, old photographs of a competition the town used to host, and old bowls with recipes hand-painted on them.

“It was absolutely covered in dust and smelled very musty. It needed a lot of paint and the plaster was crumbling off the walls,” Knighten says. “Even after we had the electricity turned on, we had to make sure it was safe because it’s a very old building.”

The apartment’s layout is quirky, Knighten says. For example, the bathroom is an outhouse, with a toilet, shower, and tile.“We jokingly refer to it as glamping.”

The ground floor has an open living room and kitchen, but to access the two bedrooms, you have to go up an external staircase to the second floor. The bedrooms are railroad-style, so the couple has to pass through one room to get to the other and back out to the common areas.

One thing this apartment has that the couple’s house doesn’t is a backyard overlooking the lake.

“If this had been on the market when we bought our place, we would have bought this instead,” Knighten says. “We don’t have any outside space at our house and since we’ve been here, we go out and have a glass of wine. It’s just really nice.”

Cordier’s sister is saving up to renovate the old apartment and doesn’t plan on moving to Italy for another two years. She isn’t charging the couple any rent, and in return, they are fixing up the property as much as they can.

“We cleaned up the backyard, we cleaned all the furniture, we painted the walls and just trying to make it nicer while we are here,” Knighten says.

Knighten and Cordier hope to be moved into their house by Christmas but are thankful to have this current space just in case that doesn’t happen.

“We’re in a very fortunate situation where we can stay here kind of as long as we need for free,” Knighten says. “It’s not ideal. I don’t want to be having to go outside to pee in the middle of winter but we will do it.”

Conversions to USD were done on August 13, 2024, using OANDA conversion rates of 1 euro to 1.09 USD. All amounts are rounded to the nearest dollar.

Want to be more successful and confident with your money? Take CNBC Make It’s new online course. Our expert instructors will help you master your money and discover practical strategies to boost your savings, reduce debt and grow your wealth — in a way that works best for you. Enroll in ”Achieve Financial Wellness: Be Happier, Wealthier & More Financially Secure″ to start your journey to financial freedom today! Get a 30% discount with the coupon code EARLYBIRD until September 2, 2024.

Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It’s newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life.