Howdy!
Hi, we are Matt and Tabitha Best. Our family consists of us and our 7 kids.
After our sixth child was born, we decided we wanted a major change where we could eliminate excesses and focus on our family. It has taken us a couple years (and another child), and we are almost ready to start our next chapter of life outside the suburbs, hitting the road full time.
As we are getting our feet wet in what types of things to share online, we’ve given our kids nicknames to go by that we feel will be fun for them. So to introduce them, we have:
- Ladybug
- Otter
- Gecko
- Eagle
- Turtle
- Elephant
- Jaguar (the baby)
We are excited for this new direction for our family and can’t wait to share our thoughts and experiences on DitchingSuburbia which was the catalyst for our idea in the first place.
We will be starting our journey from Utah where we have enjoyed visiting so many of the national parks and some incredible state parks, but we are excited to see so much more and provide our children with a much richer education.
Who This Site Is For?
DitchingSuburbia.com is for families who’ve achieved the “American Dream” but found that it’s actually an exhausting, unfulfilling lie.
Your schedule is dictated by the school system, by the HOA, and by your church. You hardly see your kids. Your days run together and you wonder where the adventure is.
What Do We Write About?
On DitchingSuburbia.com we write about leaving a suburban life in search of simpler living, closer family, richer education, and uncommon adventure.
Simpler Living
The American Dream as defined by pop culture is an endless treadmill of consumerism. We value experiences over possessions, actively minimize the amount of advertising in our lives, and make space in our days for relationships.
Closer Family
The typical suburban lifestyle keeps families on the run and apart from each other. Families who’ve ditched the suburbs spend more time in close company and build stronger inter-family relationships.
Richer Education
We opted out of the public school system from the beginning - feeling called to educate our two children at home. Ditching the suburbs has enriched that choice, allowing us to learn immersively, on-location and in person. There’s just no substitute for being there.
Uncommon Adventures
Our modern world is full of designed mass-market experiences. True adventure isn’t designed in advance and involves risk. Kids learn and grow best through adventure.
Own Your Days! It’s time for families to regain control of their lives.
Looking for the Boyinks?
Crissa and Michael Boyink
DitchingSuburbia.com was founded by Michael and Crissa Boyink of Holland, Michigan. They traveled the USA for nearly 8 years. Along the way they raised two teens into adults and launched them off on their own.
In 2018 they felt called to get off the road and redesign their life again as empty-nesters. Mike continues to write a weekly newsletter, which you can subscribe to via Boyink.com.