Earlier quoted context omitted.
Well put. Does the world not already provide enough difficult challenges? I encourage others to test themselves by endeavoring to make the world a better place. Yes, I know that sounds condescending, but I cannot stand the author's self-absorbtion: "By making life harder for myself, I prove how macho I am!"
You're being downvoted, but I think you bring up an interesting contrarian position that I'm surprised so many here disagree with. Couldn't he be working on a startup, instead of living off rice in an ant-filled van?
Living in a van - an inspirational story of frugality and achievement
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Re: Living in a van - an inspirational story of frugality and achievement
#52He learned to live like the homeless: tucked away in his van, quietly hoping campus security didn't notice (they probably were generously keeping an eye on him and his van for his own sake). Seems a stretch to romanticize his lifestyle vis-a-vis Thoreau, who lived in the wilds rather than a parking lot. And he's a long way from Thoreau as a writer: "During rainstorms, I listened to millions of raindrops drum against…
Re: Living in a van - an inspirational story of frugality and achievement
#53As my parents told me when I was hemming and hawing about whether or not I should buy a certain text book for a class, or try to get by without it- I'm already paying thousands and thousands of dollars in tuition and living expenses; I should get the most I can out of it, even if it means buying that $150 book.
Or, to put it more simply- penny wise, pound foolish. I've come to realize I agree; I'd rather go into debt and make the most of college than scrape by as cheap as I can, and not learn anything.
Re: Living in a van - an inspirational story of frugality and achievement
#54This reminds me of an experiment I did in college to see how small of a food budget I could go on while still maintaining three healthy (and delicious) meals per day. I think I got it down to under $2/meal with a carb, protein, and veggie/fruit component to each meal. Pretty amazing when you factor in that I did ~50% of my shopping at Whole Foods. (they have quite competitive prices when it comes to frozen veggies an…
Could you give us a sample ingredient list/menu for a typical day?
The key to keeping down costs is to buy in bulk, something I realize is not feasible to all people because it requires frontloading much of the cost. Scale according to what you can afford.
Breakfast & Dinner Example (I'm using very very generous prices, you can find most of these items for substantially cheaper via weekly sales/coupons or costco)
Breakfast: 2 Slices of Whole Wheat Bread = $0.60 ($3 for 10 slice loaf) 2 Large Eggs = $0.33 ($2 for 1 carton) 1 Tomato = $0.50 1 Banana = $0.50 Incidentals (salt, pepper, butter) = $0.10
Breakfast Total: $2.03
Dinner
Pasta = $0.33 (1 bag of pasta at WF = ~$1 and makes about three man servings) Can of Tuna = $0.50 Frozen Veggies = $0.50 (1 bag of mixed veggies about $1.50, makes three man servings) Canned Tomatoes = $0.50 (1 can = ~$1) Shredded Cheese = $0.40 ($4 bag makes about 10 servings) Olive Oil, Salt&Pepper, = $0.10 1 clove of Garlic = $0.05
Total: $2.38
Heat oil, sautee garlic, add veggies, add pre-cooked pasta, add tuna, season, add tomatoes, check-seasoning, stir-fry and reduce the water down, throw on the cheese.
Again buy in bulk and these prices go down even more. Canned goods, frozen foods, and carbs (rice & pasta are my favorites) are dirt dirt cheap.
For extra health, replace a few meals each week with fresh produce.