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IMHO $300 to $500 for utilities is high. We have a small house, well insulated of about 1000 ft. sq., heat with wood, mostly don't need A/C, utilities seldom go over $100.
Ditch the cable TV, we are out in the boonies and get about 12 channels OTA.
If you want to air condition a "Dallas" (the old TV show) style house, go ahead, it's a free country. But it's going to cost enough that you won't (likely) get your fixed expenses below $1K.
find a little town like vernon or near wichita falls that the freeway bypassed. small houses or apt are cheap. cook your own food, like the ham scraps and cabbage..actually good. buy dried beans. buy whole lettuce heads. tv wastes your time. find a wi fi spot to use a laptop and pay all your bills on line for free. find bank with few restrictions and good service like bank of america. use laptop to look for extra jobs or to sell/ buy stuff for profit. i bought a 2000 kia spectra for 4000 in 2006. it had a few dings, but, runs like a swiss watch. with care they go nearly 300,000 miles gets 30 plus mpg. if need a phone, no contract phones are available....basic phone is cheap. or, borrow one.
if you have dirt, grow a garden with potatos and carrots ( more animal resistant) watch for bargin sales. walmart cheap frozen meals sometimes dips to 80 cents. clothes at good will, some are new.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by yellowsnow
One adjusts to living on what one has. There are still many worthwhile things that are free.
I think it can be done. It will make you really appreciate the non-necessities you do buy. A meal out will be a real occasion.
$100/ mo buys Groceries and entertainment for 2, often 3 in my house. A special night out costs ~ $20 for big spending, in summer when a picnic is appropriate it costs about $5 for special food and free concert in the park.
On my trip last week to NE TN,
Lodging = $60 (private guest homes @ $10 ea)
food = $24 (including one night 'out-on-the-town')
gas =$130 (I really like to drive, and needed to run around a bit ~ 1500mi)
rental car = $96
(airfare, free.... mucho miles to burn)
So, I could travel by bicycle EZ for $1000/month. BUT... healthcare ($1000/ mo) AND current property taxes ($1000/mo) are a hindrance to such a carefree existence at this moment.
So, I could travel by bicycle EZ for $1000/month. BUT... healthcare ($1000/ mo) AND current property taxes ($1000/mo) are a hindrance to such a carefree existence at this moment.
I know some people manage to do it, but think it would depend so much on your circumstances----especially your health. I'm saving as much as I can (I live on 1350 a mo. with no mortgage) so I will have a little in the bank/cd's to supplement social security, as the most I will get would be $1,000 a mo. I'm worried about it, though. All I know to do is try to live within my means now and save as much as I can for future. Not well enough to work outside home anymore, but try to sell items once in a while. My huge expenses are for insurance/healthcare and only expect that to go up at the rate we're going. Too much resistance to changing our healthcare system in this country, IMO. Wish all the people who definitely fall into the "Have" column would have to live like the ones in the "Have Not" column at least briefly, so they'd get some idea how tough it is for many people out there. I don't mean my situation---I'm ok---but many others out of work or very ill, etc.
There is also "quality of life" to consider. It's easy to consign someone else to living in a studio apt. in unsafe area, without dependable transportation, and then no computer or tv? Not many of us would like that to be our situation, so why is it okay for others?
I do commend many of you who post on CD, like those who keep the columns on frugal or shoestring living going, but afraid I couldn't handle it. When you don't feel good, it's sometimes a real effort to cook, much less garden.
Anyway, guess I'll find out after 6 more yrs. if it IS possible! I figure I will probably have to downsize yet again, but not sure if I can find any place much cheaper where it would be safe. As a single woman alone that is always a concern, too.
Wish all the people who definitely fall into the "Have" column would have to live like the ones in the "Have Not" column at least briefly, so they'd get some idea how tough it is for many people out there.
Wish all the people who definitely fall into the "Have" column would have to live like the ones in the "Have Not" column at least briefly
We all need to do that.
Until he went to a nursing home we had a wonderful neighbor who lived on a fixed income of $800 and change. No internet, no phone, no cable television and his lights were always off to conserve electric. The only light you would ever see on was a single 60 watt bulb in the family or bedroom.
This was when the new florescent lights came out so I bought a dozen, showed him how they only used 15 watts of power giving off the same light as a 60 watt bulb. For the same money he could burn four lights instead of one.
Oh, to answer the question about $1,000/month. I could do it but it wouldn't be pretty. No cablevision, no internet, no phone and no cell phone.
I really need air conditioning in the summer. Our summer electric runs $250/mo but I keep it comfortable where I want it so I guess I would have to learn to live with fans. Wear a sweater in winter but at least here it seldom gets below 50 degrees.
No car. But we are lucky, in Georgia golf carts are legal in smaller communities as long as not ridden on state highways. In our town we have a sizable community of golf cart users (small town you can get anywhere in 10 to 15 minutes) so if I could I would at least want a golf cart.
Yeah, I could do it but as I said it wouldn't be pretty and the one thing I haven't factored in is medical. With medical I could do it on $1,600/month and for $2,000/month I could live pretty well getting back cablevision and internet. For phone I would still dump mine and go with the magic jack. If I had a cell phone I would get one of the prepaid $100 which is good for 1,200 minutes and last a year.
Anyway, back to my neighbor.
He loved it, cost me about $80 but worth every cent especially when he started leaving the porch light on in the evening.
We always bought a little extra food. This area of the country has wonderful peaches and strawberries when in season with the best way of getting them is fresh right from a roadside stand. Instead of a dozen peaches I'd get two dozen, instead of a gallon of strawberries I would get two.
We order all our eggs from a local farmer, they are cheaper, fresher, better tasting and healthier than you get in the store so I just increased our standing order from two dozen/week to four.
When we went shopping if we needed a half gallon of orange juice we'd get two.
He had a large yard like mine and to mow it someone gave him a rider mower. I made him a deal, I would pay for all the gas and the repairs to the lawnmower if needed if he would mow my yard. I wasn't taking advantage he loved riding his mower around and I loved the fact I didn't mow my yard for three years. This came about when I noticed he would mow my yard if he was doing his and mine looked like it needed it. He really liked it so the deal was a win-win for both of us. I think I paid for a new blade, a couple gallons gasoline a week (big yards his was even bigger than mine) and I bought a new battery once. When gasoline was $4 and living on $800 and change it was a big deal for him to buy a gallon so it worked.
But the biggest thing was a phone. For around $40 I purchased one of those Magic Jack phone jacks which got us one year of unlimited phone service as long as you have high speed internet. You even get your own number. We already had a phone line I bought a quad set of wireless phones, kept the master in the bedroom with the ringer off giving the other three phones for him to use. Until he had to move to a nursing home he had free unlimited phone service able to call anywhere in the US and Canada free. When I gave it to him you would have thought he hit the lottery.
Moral of the story is you don't have to spend a lot to bring some much needed sunshine into someone's life. Your reward in giving far exceed anything your neighbor receives.
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BUT... healthcare ($1000/ mo) AND current property taxes ($1000/mo) are a hindrance to such a carefree existence at this moment.
