How Far Would You Go?

[amastewa93]

So my fiance and I have been on a kick where we have been watching a TON of survival shows (no clue why). Anyway, we've been binging Nat Geo's "Live Free or Die." One of the individuals (his name is Colbert) on the show got divorced and had to file bankruptcy back in the 80s and then decided to move out into the Georgia swamp and live there as cheaply as he possibly could.

He built his own home with materials he gathered over 10 years with nothing more than hand tools. While he has been living out there, he has also caught all of his own food. He virtually needs no money and spends nothing.

Here's the kicker: he was formerly a financial advisor and lived in some mansion-style home.

I think him moving out into the wilderness to "avoid expenses" has a lot to do with anxiety over hitting another financial wall. Obviously, he hit hard financial times but how far would you go to stay out of financial trouble like that? Would you move out to the middle of nowhere?

[MooseBucks]

I think if you read about the folks who survived the Great Depression there are many stories similar to this. In terms of recent times I’d say without a doubt savers/frugal living folks are in the minority.

[bjl584]

If need be, I could get pretty frugal. I probably wouldn't become a mountain man though. Cancelling cable and clipping coupons would probably suffice.

[disneysteve]

I don't think I could go that far off that grid, especially as I get older. I'd be perfectly satisfied with a far simpler lifestyle though.

My first apartment was a one-room place. I had a sofa bed (from a used furniture store), a desk (trash-picked), a dresser (hand me down), and a dining table (also bought used). While in med school, I spent some time living in a boarding house where I had a shared bathroom down the hall and a cooler in my room as my "refrigerator". I can live pretty simply if I need to.

I've often wished that we had lived much more simply over the years. If we had, I'd probably be retired by now.

[MooseBucks]

I've often wished that we had lived much more simply over the years. If we had, I'd probably be retired by now.

I realize this is slightly off topic but do you think you & your family would be as happy if you lived more simply? It’s something that is top of mind right with my wife and I going through our 2017 spending.

[amastewa93]

I don't think I could go that far off that grid, especially as I get older. I'd be perfectly satisfied with a far simpler lifestyle though.

I was in tears. His cabin burnt down (the one he built by hand) and he said that it was just a sign that he'd accumulated too much! He felt better having even less.

I definitely couldn't live that way. Mostly for hygiene reasons haha.

[disneysteve]

I realize this is slightly off topic but do you think you & your family would be as happy if you lived more simply? It’s something that is top of mind right with my wife and I going through our 2017 spending.

I would be just fine personally. My wife and daughter not so much. I'm definitely the one of the three of us who would be willing to make more cuts. If I had remained single, I'd absolutely be retired by now.

[snafu]

I've not seen the specific series but I wonder why a person would go to such a major degree 'off the grid.' During the 2009-12 downturn a lot of people discovered their self image and how they identified to others was damaged when they lost their job/career. Some reacted by living off the grid to various degrees.

As I transition to retirement, I'm doing my best to reduce my 'footprint' and get rid of stuff that no longer serves our needs. I don't mind giving up stuff, it can be replaced if needed. I am much more mindful of how much I value relationships. My much loved SIL and two friends passed in the last two years and I still want to phone and mention....I see I am treated differently by those aware of my complicated surgical situation.

[disneysteve]

I've not seen the specific series but I wonder why a person would go to such a major degree 'off the grid.'

I can't help but wonder if there isn't some element of mental illness in a lot of those cases.

[Fishindude77]

I can't help but wonder if there isn't some element of mental illness in a lot of those cases.

In this case I think it's just a TV show created for your entertainment. Who knows how much of it is factual.

[disneysteve]

In this case I think it's just a TV show created for your entertainment. Who knows how much of it is factual.

True, but even on the TV "reality" shows, there is a fair amount of mental illness. It's blatantly obvious on some shows, like the hoarders show, but also on other extreme sort of shows where the behavior being exhibited just isn't normal acceptable behavior. Unfortunately, we've become a society that has no problem exploiting these folks for entertainment and profit.

[Tabs]

Well, I almost lived in a car by choice. Still kind of working on it.

I think there are probably layers of reasons why one would arrive at such an extreme. Perhaps it's also personal comfort level, or a sense of adventure, and of course some determination and desperation mixed in.

For me, it's basically like that, but I too stopped short for now, due to personal hygiene reasons. I really do think the details can be worked out though, but not without some extra steps and re-training.

Even if I haven't "launched" into a more off-grid lifestyle, just knowing it's there, and I can do so any minute if need be is kind of a relief to me. Like a safety net of sorts.

As for shows like that, I am not just fascinated, but it's also kind of an instructional for me haha.

[disneysteve]

Even if I haven't "launched" into a more off-grid lifestyle, just knowing it's there, and I can do so any minute if need be is kind of a relief to me. Like a safety net of sorts.

I think that makes sense. Knowing that if things really crashed, you could get by with much less is kind of comforting.

Realistically, almost all of us could get by fine. We just don't tend to think about it.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

When it comes right down to it, you know most of you have the basic drive to do whatever needs to be done to survive in dire circumstances. One just hopes to do it with dignity.

[~bs]

When it comes right down to it, you know most of you have the basic drive to do whatever needs to be done to survive in dire circumstances. One just hopes to do it with dignity.

This is the best answer imo.