Is It Feasible to Live Without Money?

[ℜεмїηїs¢εη¢ε]

You know, like go into some remote location and live off the land eating weird things and sleeping under tree branches like Les Stroud/Bear Grylls.

 

[skip]

Maybe, until you need medical care.

 

[DeadonDreaming]

Eating elephants

 

[Architect]

No money, as in zero? Pretty tough, unless you got a plot of land somewhere and set up shop growing your own food.

Better to live on little money. Here's a book by a guy (Dan Price) who lives on practically nothing. He just makes a few bucks from some newsletter he did and this book. Lived in a hole in the ground he built himself, on land rented from somebody for a few bucks a year. Did it in the U.S. too which is good if you want to avoid low cost of living countries with possible political or civil instability.

I investigated that once, and decided it would be better to make a lot of money. Either way you have to work for your bread, equally hard too.* If you go the conventional route then you can invest your wealth, which is a truly wonderful invention.


* It also depends on when you want to have it easy. If you go the conventional route and save up and invest your money, then you have it harder when young and easier when you're old. If you do it the other way you have an easier youth and a harder second half. I can tell you that most people prefer the latter.

 

[intpz]

It's possible, however you may die from a snakebite, a lion, a lightning bold or a simple infection after you step on a branch and cut your foot.

 

[Intellect]

I feel like this is something I might want to experience, but would never build a longterm lifestyle out of.

As architect said, you're going to have to work hard either way. It just depends on which sacrifices you're willing to make.

On the same topic, Dark Days is a really good documentary about people who live in the NYC freedom tunnels:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjjQJipwSxQ

 

[Da Blob]

Yes, it is fairly easy to do here in the U. S., but very difficult to do right.
One needs to produce something to use to barter with, to acquire anything one can not produce on one's own.

While one can subsist on a garden, some poultry and the harvesting of wildlife/wilderness as a hunter/gatherer, that kind of lifestyle is rather over-rated. For example, in the city and employed, one only has to invest 8-10 hours a week to provide food and has a great choice of food products to purchase. Whereas in the wilderness one could invest 80-100 hours a week to provide food that is barely edible (only if one is really, really hungry) and with limited options as to types of food.

Here in central Oklahoma land is cheap and abandoned/vacant farm houses are not hard to find and cheap to rent. There are a number of very content folks now living in this area who escaped from the city, but they brought at least a minimum income with them or means to generate an income.

 

[Absurdity]

You know, like go into some remote location and live off the land eating weird things and sleeping under tree branches like Les Stroud/Bear Grylls.

I would ease into it and seriously invest (heh) in the proper training so you don't die like that Into the Wild idiot.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_the_Wild_(book)

 

[SpaceYeti]

You know, like go into some remote location and live off the land eating weird things and sleeping under tree branches like Les Stroud/Bear Grylls.

Sure, but why would you want to? I like electronics and my car an all that.

 

[ℜεмїηїs¢εη¢ε]

Maybe, until you need medical care.

I better have a backup plan.

Eating elephants

Hell, yea!

No money, as in zero? Pretty tough, unless you got a plot of land somewhere and set up shop growing your own food.
Better to live on little money. Here's a book by a guy (Dan Price) who lives on practically nothing. He just makes a few bucks from some newsletter he did and this book. Lived in a hole in the ground he built himself, on land rented from somebody for a few bucks a year. Did it in the U.S. too which is good if you want to avoid low cost of living countries with possible political or civil instability.
I investigated that once, and decided it would be better to make a lot of money. Either way you have to work for your bread, equally hard too.* If you go the conventional route then you can invest your wealth, which is a truly wonderful invention.
* It also depends on when you want to have it easy. If you go the conventional route and save up and invest your money, then you have it harder when young and easier when you're old. If you do it the other way you have an easier youth and a harder second half. I can tell you that most people prefer the latter.

I read an excerpt from his book and it really does sound wonderful to be free from the usual bothers of life, he's got a garden for food and a stream for water which is better than I was expecting. I think I want to try something like this at least once.

You are correct though, making a lot of money is the better way to go. You can hire people to take pay your bills, manage your businesses, etc and still have a fairly carefree lifestyle. It's more difficult to do, but is more convenient in the long run.

It's possible, however you may die from a snakebite, a lion, a lightning bold or a simple infection after you step on a branch and cut your foot.

That's part of the fun! Maybe you could make medicines from nearby plants or something...

I feel like this is something I might want to experience, but would never build a longterm lifestyle out of.

As architect said, you're going to have to work hard either way. It just depends on which sacrifices you're willing to make.

On the same topic, Dark Days is a really good documentary about people who live in the NYC freedom tunnels:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjjQJipwSxQ

That looks scary... I don't know about that.

Yes, it is fairly easy to do here in the U. S., but very difficult to do right.
One needs to produce something to use to barter with, to acquire anything one can not produce on one's own.
While one can subsist on a garden, some poultry and the harvesting of wildlife/wilderness as a hunter/gatherer, that kind of lifestyle is rather over-rated. For example, in the city and employed, one only has to invest 8-10 hours a week to provide food and has a great choice of food products to purchase. Whereas in the wilderness one could invest 80-100 hours a week to provide food that is barely edible (only if one is really, really hungry) and with limited options as to types of food.
Here in central Oklahoma land is cheap and abandoned/vacant farm houses are not hard to find and cheap to rent. There are a number of very content folks now living in this area who escaped from the city, but they brought at least a minimum income with them or means to generate an income.

Overrated?! But they make it seem so easy on TV!
On a serious note, it's usually going to be better to have money but as long as I'm paying bills/taxes I won't quite feel the same freedom.

I would ease into it and seriously invest (heh) in the proper training so you don't die like that Into the Wild idiot.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_the_Wild_(book)

Yes, that sounds reasonable.

Sure, but why would you want to? I like electronics and my car an all that.

I wouldn't care about most electronics. As much as I like my computer I often wish I didn't waste so much time on it and instead spent more time inside my head. Things like stoves/ovens/microwaves would be tough to live without at first but I guess fires would eventually replace them. I never liked cars. Besides why would I need one? To go to work?
This is just something I’d like to do for a while anyway, not permanently. Maybe a few months would do.

 

[snafupants]

Yes, it is fairly easy to do here in the U. S., but very difficult to do right.
One needs to produce something to use to barter with, to acquire anything one can not produce on one's own.

While one can subsist on a garden, some poultry and the harvesting of wildlife/wilderness as a hunter/gatherer, that kind of lifestyle is rather over-rated. For example, in the city and employed, one only has to invest 8-10 hours a week to provide food and has a great choice of food products to purchase. Whereas in the wilderness one could invest 80-100 hours a week to provide food that is barely edible (only if one is really, really hungry) and with limited options as to types of food.

Here in central Oklahoma land is cheap and abandoned/vacant farm houses are not hard to find and cheap to rent. There are a number of very content folks now living in this area who escaped from the city, but they brought at least a minimum income with them or means to generate an income.

That's so true. Why not capitalize on the infrastructure and save time and energy?

 

[skip]

I would ease into it and seriously invest (heh) in the proper training so you don't die like that Into the Wild idiot.

I always think of the 1992 Gabriel Byrne movie and it's never what someone is referring to when they say Into The West.

 

[SpaceYeti]

I wouldn't care about most electronics. As much as I like my computer I often wish I didn't waste so much time on it and instead spent more time inside my head. Things like stoves/ovens/microwaves would be tough to live without at first but I guess fires would eventually replace them. I never liked cars. Besides why would I need one? To go to work?
This is just something I’d like to do for a while anyway, not permanently. Maybe a few months would do.

You'd also have to find somewhere you didn't have to pay money to live there. Land taxes, yo.

 

[Ex-User (5841)]

You know, like go into some remote location and live off the land eating weird things and sleeping under tree branches like Les Stroud/Bear Grylls.

First, you do realize you combined Les Stroud and "that dude with the British accent" into the same sentence, right?

Yes, if you have enough knowledge. I would consider myself more than capable. Fuck, I could raise a village.

 

[ℜεмїηїs¢εη¢ε]

You'd also have to find somewhere you didn't have to pay money to live there. Land taxes, yo.

While I was looking for such places I found out that Alaska actually pays you just to live there? I must be mistaken... http://pfd.alaska.gov/

First, you do realize you combined Les Stroud and "that dude with the British accent" into the same sentence, right?

Yes, if you have enough knowledge. I would consider myself more than capable. Fuck, I could raise a village.

Yea, I know. Grylls isn't as legit but I still enjoy his show.
Yea, let's go raise a village! One with plenty of elephants to eat.

 

[intpz]

How much does it pay? Off to Alaska I go!

 

[ℜεмїηїs¢εη¢ε]

The website says it pays $878 a year. You can't live off it but hey, free money

 

[Vladimir]

Yes. I'm sure it's been done in the past.

 

[BridgeOfSighs]

Another way this may work if you chose to be homeless, disregard spending money to use modern technology {pay for internet use at library for example}, and dumpster dive for all your food. I'm not sure how clothing would work out, though I know people list stuff on Craigslist or give it away at shelters occasionally.

This was a pretty interesting article on how to do it using the barter system or house-sitting.

 

[intpz]

Clothing is the least of your problems, food is more important. You can wear shit people throw out or buy something for a buck on some yard sale, that seem to be so popular in the US.

 

[BridgeOfSighs]

Clothing is the least of your problems, food is more important. You can wear shit people throw out or buy something for a buck on some yard sale, that seem to be so popular in the US.

Now we're using money!

 

[intpz]

Now we're using money!

You can beg at a yard sale, I'm sure grandma will give you clothes and maybe even a nice dinner.

 

[BridgeOfSighs]

You can beg at a yard sale, I'm sure grandma will give you clothes and maybe even a nice dinner.

Hmmm, new life goal. Find free meal and clothing at elderly person's yard sale.

 

[DeadonDreaming]

Hmmm, new life goal. Find free meal and clothing at elderly person's yard sale.

Old people are tough, yet the meat literally falls off the bone with a little application of heat.

 

[ℜεмїηїs¢εη¢ε]

Old people are tough, yet the meat literally falls off the bone with a little application of heat.

You would eat grandma?

 

[intpz]

I bet he already ate his grandma.