I have a friend, John, who lives about as cheaply as a person can live. He has a truck that's outfitted with a cargo trailer, and the cargo trailer has been set up to have everything in it he needs to live. He lives alone, just him and his dog, and together they go wherever they want and seldom have to worry about much of anything. He's been living like this for the ten years that I've known him, and I have to admit I am completely jealous. He gets a tiny payout from the military every month, and somehow that's all he needs to get by. He doesn't have a house, so he doesn't pay for all the huge expenses that go with that. He gets his electricity from a portable solar powered device, and he insulated his trailer with Reflectix to keep the temperature comfortable. He also travels north and south as the weather changes, like a snowbird, so that minimizes the problem with getting warm and keeping cool. He uses the wifi at McDonald's and coffee houses and cooks for himself on a hot plate. He has a solar shower that he uses most of the time, although sometimes it's enough to just sponge off with a spray bottle and a towel. He has a bucket with plenty of garbage bag liners and some kitty litter to use as an emergency bathroom whenever he can't get to a public bathroom, an idea that I've implemented myself for camping that works amazingly well. He's thought of everything and lives quite comfortably. Most nights he camps on BLM land or at various parking lots where he knows he won't get in trouble. He also owns a tiny piece of property in Arizona, where he stays when the weather there is comfortable. It's one of those places where he paid a few hundred dollars for it but it has no water and electricity. He loves it though. He's a man of property, he says. Sometimes I really envy John! He gets to go wherever he wants and is beholden to nobody. He's so free. And his expenses are gloriously low. But I don't think I will ever convince my husband to get rid of The House and take on the gypsy lifestyle, alas! It does sound tempting though. There's actually quite a few people out there who live like John does. There's a group I'm aware of who even have get-togethers a few times a year. What do you think? Does this lifestyle sound good to you? Would you ever dare to take the plunge and try living this way?
I know that I could not live like this. I admire people that do. However, I feel that I need roots down somewhere. I need a place I call home. I think there are many lessons we can learn from people like John. We can learn to be thankful for what we have, not to be so reliant on "conveniences", and how to full use what you got. I doubt, I know, that my family of three could not live this way. I think it might be easier to live this lifestyle on your own, not having to worry about anyone else. I think I will leave this lifestyle to people braver than I.
There is no way that I could live like this, nor do I particularly admire someone who can. I guess to each their own. Its not that I could never live with less than what I already have. I think I could surely do without many things I have in my life. I just feel comfortable in admitting that I would not want to do this. After all, I am not even much of a fan of camping. I enjoy being an active member of my community and being involved in my neighborhood. I cherish the stability of having a roof over my head and a grocery store walking distance from my house. I have nothing against John's lifestyle choice, it just is not for me.
Wow, your friend, I am jealous of and at the same time not. I want to be able to live a life that simple but I don't want to live the rest of my life in a trailer, I want to live in a decent house not a moving camp. But so far the farthest I've been to saving money is skipping meals. I've tried skipping lunch and dinner before when I was skinned out by my rent and I did it for almost a month until I get my salary and I have to save money until I get a stable rush of income. It did me good actually, I lost 30 pounds but I wouldn't recommended it for the life of me.
I'm not a fan of camping either. I'm just not very outdoorsy. Though I love traveling, like Mindy I don't like the idea of moving around a lot. I moved a lot during my teen years and it is a nightmare. I suppose it's easier if you minimize your stuff but I have enough items of sentimental value that it wouldn't be easy. It just doesn't feel very private either and I wouldn't feel comfortable not having a place to call home. I don't think I could handle using public wifi all the time.
I think his lifestyle sounds pretty cool. Since the world is set up to take our money at every opportunity, it's cool to see someone who lives off the grid. I like technology a little too much to live that way and I would miss video games too much, but I think it's awesome that he's free of a lot of the trappings of modern life and doesn't have the utility and credit card companies sucking the life out of him.
I enjoy too many modern conveniences to take up a gypsy lifestyle. What I try to do is be economical. If I can save 30% to 50% on a product or service, I am happy. Since watching shows on TLC like Extreme Couponing, I realize there's a fine line between making an effort to save money and turning into a savings fruitcake. So, I try not to go so far that I stop enjoying my life.
Probably not as far as that. I think the farthest I can go is to skip meals and walk home instead just to save a few dollars. I've never really been cheap on myself when it comes to saving money but I do save money. I just don't want to go hard on myself just to save a few pennies which I'm sure I'll be able to make the next of work.
I am always on the lookout for saving money. It doesn't matter what I wan't to purchase, I have to make sure I have the best or the most reasonable price. There are many competitors out there and many people are trying to find the best deal options because we are constantly at a recession and prices are going up, haven't you noticed? Gas prices, food prices, even home bills for electricity and etc. After prices started to go up, I began to save money and shop at alternative stores than I would at the original stores, for instance I would usually shop at Harris Teeter for my groceries, but I like to substitute that for Dollar Tree because everything is a dollar each. For clothing, instead of shopping at big stores such as Aeropostale and Hollister, I have substituted that for Goodwill and Platos Closet since they are much more affordable.
