Website owner: James Miller
On how little cash income can one live? I have asked myself this question many times over the years. It is a very important question. A central question. It is directly related to the question of how realistic the idea of self- sufficient living is. The less cash income you can live on, the more realistic is the idea of self-sufficient living for you. So what is the minimum in cash income that one can live on? Well, the answer to that question depends very much on the person involved. If you are a frugal, disciplined, self- reliant, rational individual with simple tastes and with no expensive bad habits such as drinking and smoking the answer is quite different from what it is if you are a drinking, smoking, party-loving spendthrift. So I phrase the question differently. How little cash income could I live on? Well, I have a small 16 foot by 24 foot cabin up in the mountains. It is a frame cabin and has one main room, a bathroom, three closets, a red oak floor, and is finished with drywall and paneling. It is very well insulated with 12 inches of insulation in the ceiling and 4 inches in the walls. The cost of the cabin? A little over $10,000 (plus a whole lot of time and work on my part). On how little money per year could I live in this cabin? I believe I could live there on a few hundred dollars per year ($500 to $1000). That includes taxes, heating costs, electricity, food, clothing, transportation, entertainment, everything. I haven't spent any winter months there but I believe the winter heat bill would be very little. It holds heat very well. My tastes in food are simple and with a garden my food bill could be minimal. I like to read, hike and fish and my entertainments never cost me anything. My clothes are simple, inexpensive and wear a long time. I could live there on a few hundred dollars a year with no trouble and live well. Apr 2001
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