Poor People who live large & their budget. (sell, old, money)

[SaraR.]

Anyone have examples to share?
Here's one. Our friends moved 5 yrs ago to live within their means after retiring. They always made low wages but never got handouts of any kind and existed alright. They are trying to woo us down to Susanville California. It's beautiful, we visited. They shared their budget. They were poor their entire lives spending years doing foster care then just filling in as babysitters for other foster parents.

Their list ..AND ALL OF IT WAS MET !
-Home around 100k or less
-Lakes, nature nearby
-Dollar Store / Grocery Outlet nearby
-Lower Medicare Supplement costs (typing in zip codes, costs vary greatly in different towns)
-Decent food pantries (just in case)
-Enough low wage jobs to go back to work if one passes away
-Orthodox church with a weekly potluck
-Decent grocery store & farmers market


Their Monthly Budget/Expenses
Mortgage/prop tax - $600
(home is 600sq ft w/150 ft sleeping loft not counted in sq ft) & double garage
Utilities-$75 at the most
internet-$10
Chicken Feed/Dogfood- $15
cell phones- $50
Food- $500
Health insurance- $250 (part b+ supplement)
Auto insurance, gas, tags, wear & tear, savings for new vehicle when needed- $300 mo.
Hair & hygiene-$25.
Bikes (with motors)-$50
$1925 a mo. Their Social Security Checks combined are $2185 a mo

They save $125 a month in savings envelope
& save $100 as Xmas/B-Day gifts for their family


Unexpected Perks (taken from their email)
1. Raising 50+ chickens and loving them as pets
80% of the chickens food is raised (maggot/worm farm, vege/fruit scraps. 20% feed is chicken scratch.
Endless eggs. Sell extra chickens. butcher the roosters.
2. Dogfood. Mostly free. mostly fish caught in lake or butchered chicken. old veges
3. better physical shape due to waterskiing, hiking, riding bikes
4. Motorized bikes for longer travels w. trailer to bring groceries home
5. Eat better.Potluck Sundays.

& Guests typically take them out for one meal since they've provided a nice fish dinner & french toast for breakfast and a day of water-skiing.
6. Cheap weekend getaways w/friends who reciprocate
7. Grandkids stay for the weekend 1x month.
8. Heading the church soup kitchen 2x a mo.. Keep leftover veges for pets homemade food.
9. Great thrift stores, can find almost anything there. Medicare Supplement was $50 less mo. than our other location
10. Better socialization being hooked up to a church.
11. Instead of money, volunteering and offering free food (chicken eggs or a whole bird, fish) to Elders/Pastor and deliver meals to the sick.

[SaraR.]

They babysit foster children for the entire weekend 2x a mo. over Summer & 2x a mo. all year. They accept no money.
Kids go water-skiing, swimming & hiking. At home they allow them to assist with gardening, feeding the chickens from the worm & maggot farms, excess veges & chicken scratch.

If he passes away before her. At $1100 a month, she would owe almost $700 a month in mortgage payment/tax & utilities so would need a room-mate to pay half or work Seasonally full time over the summer. That's likely the route she'd take. Her health costs would be zero thru medicaid & medicare.

We will remain with our goal of going off-grid and building our small home on 20 acres instead... to cut costs. We will not have the resources so close by but Susanville is too far for us.

[Threestep2]

I know what chicken scratch costs:>)
Who pays for boat/gas/skies?

[ChessieMom]

I missed the “ living large” part.

[SaraR.]

Originally Posted by ChessieMom

I missed the “ living large” part.

that's too funny

[SaraR.]

Originally Posted by Threestep

I know what chicken scratch costs:>)
Who pays for boat/gas/skies?

sorry but this was lost on me

[Lodestar 77]

Originally Posted by SaraR.

They babysit foster children for the entire weekend 2x a mo. over Summer & 2x a mo. all year. They accept no money.
Kids go water-skiing, swimming & hiking. At home they allow them to assist with gardening, feeding the chickens from the worm & maggot farms, excess veges & chicken scratch.

If he passes away before her. At $1100 a month, she would owe almost $700 a month in mortgage payment/tax & utilities so would need a room-mate to pay half or work Seasonally full time over the summer. That's likely the route she'd take. Her health costs would be zero thru medicaid & medicare.

We will remain with our goal of going off-grid and building our small home on 20 acres instead... to cut costs. We will not have the resources so close by but Susanville is too far for us.

This is what is being asked. Water skiing requires a boat, which requires gas, and skis.

[Threestep2]

Originally Posted by SaraR.

sorry but this was lost on me

There is no budget item for 20% scratch feed for 50 chickens per month.

Who pays for gas and boat to go waterskiing?

What happens when one gets sick or injured and the income the free week end labor aka babysitting foster care kids cannot be supervised thus does not come in?

Budget says Part B indicating age group. What when health issues set in and gardening/chickens/kids are not options anymore for one or both?

[homestead123]

If only they didn't have a mortgage. Even though they are living cheap, they are only an accident away from ruin.

[SaraR.]

Originally Posted by Lodestar 77

This is what is being asked. Water skiing requires a boat, which requires gas, and skis.

ok thanks