Living Without Money

[muddy27]

Ive always been interested in frugal living, instead of running the rat race that most people run in there lives. Doing something the complete opposite trying to climb down the ladder rather than to the top. But does climbing the ladder to the top really get you to the so called top? I dont think it does and I wanted to share some links with you and ask the question, how many of you could live without money? I personally think I could do it aside from missing technology I love computers and really my computer is my most important possession aside from some survival and camping gear that I own. For me its always been the battle between the two kind of giving up the way you were programmed in a way. Or giving up an addiction in which I guess you could say im addicted to computers lol.

Life and Mind Off-Grid (intro)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzJJMEbbTyo&feature=related

Mark Boyle - Living without money
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDSCxtY11dA&feature=related

Living Without Money- New Documentary Coming Out By An Older Lady
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djzitB1xyoc

Mark Boyles Book-The Moneyless Man: A Year of Freeconomic Living (all proceeds go to starting a moneyless community)
http://www.amazon.com/Moneyless-Man-Year-Freeconomic-Living/dp/1851687815

Early Retirement Extreme: A philosophical and practical guide to financial independence
http://www.amazon.com/Early-Retirement-Extreme-philosophical-independence/dp/145360121X/ref=pd_sim_b_5

[Crover_CT99]

There are some good ideals behind this, but some obvious ironies. Most obvious is the fact that both Mark Boyle and Heidemarie Schwermer require money, just not their own. Boyle needs money to start, and Schwermer accepts charity.

I understand their thought process that money leads people away from "what's important", even though that statement itself is too vague for my tastes. For me, it is more manageable to live frugally than off the grid. That and 95% of the people who would get involved with an off-the-grid society would be incessantly pontificating blowhards that would drive me fucking nuts.

[Gorgetrapper]

I'd love to move up into the mountains and tame some bears and wolves to do my bidding.

[Slathar]

paging boggwin to come in and call everyone losers, gays, and sinners.

[VictoryARC]

Ill read some of those links when I'm home on my CPU. My first thoughts are that the things that are important to me and my family that require $ are health care and education for my child. Both of which are extremely expensive. Living like a barefoot hippie in the forest communing with squirrels is great, but I choose to live in a relatively safe neighborhood in a good school system and have the ability to be responsible in case any medical emergencies happen. If you rely on others to take care of you in medical emergencies just because you don't feel like paying for healthcare you're a deadbeat. I have more to say but ill leave it at that.

[Froglok]

Check out the Zeitgeist movement. http://www.thezeitgeistmovement.com/
Crazy bunch of thousands of people from around the world advocating a worldwide transition to essentially get rid of money. I don't necessarily agree with their approach, but I like the ideas and common sense they put forth.

[Sephrana]

of course you can always learn to save money on just about everything so that you can spend cash on those things that are important to you.

Just sayin:
www.moneysavingmom.com
www.commonsensewithmoney.com
www.couponingtodisney.com
www.iheartpublix.com
www.iheartsavingmoney.com
www.slickdeals.net ($$$$ LOVE THIS SITE!)
www.faithfulprovisions.com

I could go on and on......the point is....if you learn to save cash on things you use every day - you can do just about ANYTHING with your left over cash.

money saving mom feeds her family of 5 on a grocery budget of right around $30 a week..... and she and her husband recently bought a house with cash. She has zero debt.

for serious. smart moneyin' FTW. and if you aren't using swagbucks yet.....well....you are missing out :P

message me to ask about them :P

[Sephrana]

I choose to live in a relatively safe neighborhood in a good school system and have the ability to be responsible in case any medical emergencies happen. If you rely on others to take care of you in medical emergencies just because you don't feel like paying for healthcare you're a deadbeat. I have more to say but ill leave it at that.

Ok. I have to address this. You CHOOSE to have the ability to be responsible but not everyone has that capability.

consider someone who is extremely mentally ill and is unable to hold down a job that pays enough for health insurance, their meds AND to have money left afterwards to sock away for medical emergencies...

or perhaps even more sad:

A woman who is told 2 weeks before she has her second child that her husband has decided he no longer wants to be married, never loved her and doesn't really want to be a father.

Have you checked the job market lately? Do you know how much daycare costs? Without any assistance that woman has the cards stacked against her. NOW she is a single mother and unless she happens to have an abundance of supportive folks willing to help her she is screwed.

Now every day for her is a struggle and you can DAMN SURE bet the farm that 90% of women in that position are unable to provide for emergency care for their children - does that make them deadbeats? no - it makes the men worthless wastes of space and when they dont' pay their child support - dead beats.....not to mention that makes the road that much harder for the single mother.

I hear the term "Welfare mom" bandied about a lot and you know what? That is degrading and horrible. Sure there are plenty of people who pop out babies just to get the assistance from the government but i'd wager even MORE people who take assistance are ashamed and embarrassed to receive assistance....why would you insult someone who tries their very best but falls short due to no fault of her own?

Most people assume there are all kinds of programs for single mothers and there may be but damn if they aren't hard to find and get access to.

My friend's brother is autistic. He works at Pizza Hut and he has health insurance and does okay managing his money but he does also have state funded medicaid. is he a deadbeat also for relying on public assistance?

Just because someone is not as blessed and fortunate as YOU are does not make them a deadbeat.

:eek:

Just sayin'

[Froglok]

money saving mom feeds her family of 5 on a grocery budget of right around $30 a week..... and she and her husband recently bought a house with cash. She has zero debt.


Ramen in bulk is cheap. Her kids probably hate her and are malnourished.

[VictoryARC]

Sephrana I totally agree with you. Life is expensive. And people who have disabilities and or not enough resources to have adequate healthcare etc should be helped. I'm not an asshole. I'm saying that a dupster diving, no job having freegan lifestyle is not for me or my family. I chose to be able to travel, live comfortably and work hard for it. I want my son to see my work ethic. I am blessed to have a stable job and I thank god/the universe etc that I'm healthy enough to hold it down. I also appreciate those links on saving $. Ill put some of those practices to use

[john_savage1982]

I've lived off of $10-$15 a week in groceries. If you plan very carefully you can receive good nutrition for very little. Eggs/Milk are cheap sources of protein. Pasta is a cheap carb. Vegetables cost very little.

If you never buy pre-packed food and only buy the bare essentials - cereal, carrots, broccoli, green pepper, concentrate orange juice, milk, eggs, and pasta then you can eat for nothing.

Rent is another story....

[Sephrana]

Ramen in bulk is cheap. Her kids probably hate her and are malnourished.

ACTUALLY thanks for ASSUming wrong. You really should get your facts straight before posting stupid crap like this. How about you go read Crystals blog FIRST! She feeds her children almost exclusively organic foods with a few non-organic things here and there, she bakes her own bread typically using grain that she purchases wholesale from the amish and I believe grinds herself.... and well she does lots of really cool things like that.

So before running your mouth how about you educate yourself first kthxbye~

**note** This may or may not come off bitchier than i really intend it. I am running on very little sleep as I slept at the hospital last night with my 3 year old who had her tonsils out. sleep deprivation and stress FTW!

[Gorgetrapper]

I started reading www.moneysavingmom.com about the part where she was able to buy their house with just cash, and she mentioned god in about every paragraph, I promptly closed it.

[muddy27]

I read everyone's comments and checked out the feedback. Everyone has there own path and choices in life I suppose, and also on what the ideal life is. For me my ideal life is less work and more time to do things like artwork, read books, hike, camp, work on computers things like that. Enjoying simple things in life with out needing to much money. It all depends on how exotic your lifestyle is and what you think you can or cant live without. Someone spoke earlier saying I like to travel etc. Theres always a way to means, I could just as easily step out on the road with a pack on my back and go anywere I want for very little meeting people along the way and carving new life experiences. In the end I see the $ as slavery theres just no other way around it, we grind 40 hours a week for what? Most people get like 2 days off a week to enjoy the fruits of there so called labor which isnt very much time. I just see deeper meaning in life in diffrent ways than what others see them. Its hard to lessen or give up something altogether that youve been brought up on your whole life including society in general. I commend these people and I think theres nothing wrong with the way there living in ways it makes me strive to be a better human being. And also theres nothing wrong with freeganism either. We waste so much stuff its not even funny. If humanity would just stop being greedy and saying me me me everyone could have a good life and not want for anything.

[Ongbak]

Reminded me of "Into the Wild" Movie.

[Crover_CT99]

For me my ideal life is less work and more time to do things like artwork, read books, hike, camp, work on computers things like that. Enjoying simple things in life with out needing to much money. It all depends on how exotic your lifestyle is and what you think you can or cant live without.


I agree that these activities are very rewarding. They are not off limits to the working world though. Time management is key for anyone and it is amazing what you can fit into your life without overload.


Someone spoke earlier saying I like to travel etc. Theres always a way to means, I could just as easily step out on the road with a pack on my back and go anywere I want for very little meeting people along the way and carving new life experiences.


One of my best and most intelligent friend from high school was exactly as you describe. In fact, he was an exaggerated 'Into the Wild' type character. He rejected the rat race and the formal idea of success and happiness, and indeed found his own (happiness). Every time I talk to him he's doing something new and exciting. Don't be discouraged, but I would suggest also not showering yourself with guilt if you don't become the next great modern adventuring renaissance man.


In the end I see the $ as slavery theres just no other way around it, we grind 40 hours a week for what? Most people get like 2 days off a week to enjoy the fruits of there so called labor which isnt very much time. I just see deeper meaning in life in diffrent ways than what others see them.


Keep in mind that doing intellectually stimulating work can be very addictive and indeed rewarding in its own right. I lived my early twenties being a naturalist and a rebel to society's insanity, but as I grew older I became more and more unhappy with that lifestyle.

I agree that the hours people work (in America, my only experience) is not healthy. I definitely wish we could, as a culture, slow the fuck down and be happy with our next innovation coming on next Friday instead of next Tuesday, if you get my drift.