Family saves at least $1,000 a month on rent by living on a decommissioned military tugboat
They have a view that's worth millions.

Taryn Collins, Jason Loger and their son Russell are living the "tug life."
A family in Northern California has found a way to beat the high price of rent and live a life of freedom on a 65-foot decommissioned U.S. Coast Guard tugboat. According to a recent story by South West News Service, Jason Loger, 37, and his wife, Taryn Collins, 36, bought the boat for $35,000 at an auction in 2019. Since moving to the boat, they’ve had a son Russell who’s two years old.
They purchased the vessel on their second date.
“When I first saw the boat in pictures I thought it was a floating tetanus shot,” Taryn said according to Metro. “But once I got in there and saw Jason’s love and his passion for it and saw the ability to move on water, I fell in love with the whole idea of it.”
Jason is a railroad engineer obsessed with maritime history, and Taryn is a stay-at-home mother. Taryn estimates that living on the boat costs the family about $1,300 a month, including the slip fee, liveaboard fee, and electricity. That saves them about $1,000 over the cost of renting the average two-bedroom home in California ($2,405), and $2,700 over the same house in the San Francisco Bay Area is over $4,000.
@taryndownwalls The engine room gets it’s own video. #livingaboard #tuglife #raisingababy #momtok #momsoftiktok #babylove #babyboy #boatbaby #MaiselChallenge
The monthly cost for the boat is a steal, especially in the area where they dock, but there were some initial costs in making it a comfortable place for the family. The ship was commissioned in 1962 and decommissioned in 1982. From 1982 to 2019, it was an oceanographic research vessel.
“The haul-out, dry docking and launch, inspection, sanding and painting of the underwater portion of the boat for routine maintenance was about $20K,’ Taryn said, according to Metro. “Another $30,000 was spent on materials and equipment for things like shore power transformers to be able to plug into a regular marina, paint, steelwork, a full-sized washer and dryer, flooring, HVAC repairs and equipment.”
Living on the boat allows the family to pick up and go wherever and whenever they like.
@taryndownwalls In between all that we decided to also add *a kid* into the mix. Cant wait for good weather and more hands *even tiny ones* for upgrade projects. #liveaboard #tugboat #fyp
"We have easy access to quick mobility. We can throw off our lines and go watch the sunset without so much as packing or finishing dinner,” Taryn told South West News Service. They also enjoy hanging out with their new friends living on the water. "We also have an incredible live-aboard neighborhood filled with drinks on the back deck and a ton of camaraderie."
Some think living on a boat with such a young child is downright dangerous. But Taryn and Jason have no time for their critics.
“After posting to TikTok, I’m hearing comments saying that it’s delusional and not safe,” Tarn told The New York Post. “[But] what part of it isn’t safe? Everything I’m doing is safe and it’s just as safe as what you would be in a house.”
“No matter if you live in a boat or a house, you need to supervise your children. We have doors and we have brains,” she continued. “I would say about 95% of the people would say that they wish they could do this, and that I’m a good mum to give my son this awesome adventure.”
The couple hopes that living the “tug life,” as they call it, inspires others to live out their dreams as well. They document their unique living situation on Taryn’s TikTok channel, which has over 70,000 subscribers.
“I wanted to show people that they can do this,” Taryn said, according to Metro. “It’s not super expensive if you’re not afraid of water.”
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."