Is it possible to live comfortably in today’s American culture without money or a job? The thought of living without money conjures up images of homeless people in rags pushing their junk-filled shopping carts around the dirty centers of cities, sleeping under bridges and begging for food. Yes, some people do live this way, but it’s hardly desirable. There are other ways – comfortable ways.
John (not his real name) has lived a nearly moneyless life for the past seven years, yet he enjoys a freedom that others, slaving at their jobs, only dream of. He is not suffering either. He lives in a house in a beautiful mountain area. He eats well. He is warm in the winter and has time to spend studying nature, relaxing, and traveling. His living costs average less than $200 per month. Once a year he helps someone remodel a house for a month and this pays his entire year’s expenses. Sound impossible? There’s more!
Liz (not her real name either) owns a house that she rents out. The rent covers her mortgage, plus a little left over to live on. She camps on a rock ledge next to her house and trades reflexology massages for just about every thing she needs from shoes to gasoline for her car. Every other year she spends six to eight months in Asia, traveling.
These are just two examples of people living in America on little or no monetary income yet they are far from suffering. They are enjoying life to the fullest. How is this possible? There are ways we can meet our needs without working 40 hours a week, without debt, without depending on welfare or other government benefits, without a trust fund, and without lack. Let’s start with alternative ways to meet our most basic needs: Air, Water, Food, Clothing, and Shelter. They are all available for next to nothing.
Air and WaterThe first needs are for clean air to breathe and for clean water to drink. These needs are the easiest to meet. The air is free and water to drink is also easy to find. Drinking fountains are everywhere in cities and creeks and springs abound in the country. There are many sources to fill up water bottles without having to pay for it.
FoodThe next need is for food. In America we have become accustomed to eating three times a day and if we miss a meal we feel awful. This is an aberration. Humans are quite capable of living on a lot less food than we are used to eating. In fact, our digestive system never gets a rest. We would be healthier if we ate less. We would also be healthier if we ate less processed foods. If we skipped one meal every other day or fasted one day a week our food costs would be reduced by about 15%. But we still need to eat something. Here are four ways to get free food listed in order of how much work it takes to get it.
1. Forage– There are many resources available on harvesting wild edible plants in every climate. It’s amazing the amount of free, healthy food grows as weeds all over this country. There are abandoned orchards, and gardens that have gone wild, too.
2. Scrounge – Grocery stores throw out a lot of produce that is still mostly good. The big stores have rules against this but small rural markets probably won’t mind. Food items that have reached their expiration dates have to be pulled from the shelves even if the food is still good. Restaurants throw out a lot of food, too. It’s strange that there are laws requiring restaurants to throw the food away rather than giving it away. What a waste. You might be able to arrange a deal with them anyway.
3. Grow your own – If you can find a piece of land to grow a small garden you can grow some of your food supply without much work. Maybe a friend or acquaintance has a small area they would want food grown on. You could plant the garden and share the bounty. Some people plant small gardens on city, county, or state property. Yes, you are taking the chance that your garden could be removed at any moment, but it probably won’t be.
4. Barter – trade some of your time working on an organic farm or at a small market for food. Trade a skill you have for dinner. My wife used to periodically offer to do a small drawing or painting of a restaurant or its owners in exchange for a meal or two. Make yourself available as an entertaining dinner guest!
