Many many years ago [Yeah, a whole bunch of ’em] I wondered if I could rent my house and live on the rental income. At the time, that income would have grossed about $7000/year, before taxes, expenses and all the other stuff. I thought the math worked, but then life intervened and I did a lot of other things. Along the way I realized the math really didn’t work, for a number of reasons that had nothing to do with inflation.
Here’s my duffle, small enough to fit in the overhead, large enough to carry everything I’ve needed for the past couple of years. It replaces my smaller, 30-year old pack, which went up and down the Andes, across the Outback and lots of places around the world before coming apart at the seams. If you can’t take it with you, do you really need it?
Until the past few years.
Even with inflation, I’ve found that I can live comfortably on an American poverty income as long as I don’t live in America – which is what I’ve been doing for a few months every year for a while now.
I’ll admit to spending more than that living in Ireland. But living in the center of town without a car, I’m not burdened with fuel, tax, parking, insurance and ownership costs. I can walk to the market, restaurants, theatres, pubs and parks. As a tenant, I don’t have to worry about taxes, repair and maintenance costs. And if I decide to move, there’s none of the hassle that goes with selling a house.
Less stuff = more life.
