Could You Survive Without Money? Meet The Guy Who Does

[steve_spackman]

DANIEL SUELO LIVES IN A CAVE. UNLIKE THE average American—wallowing in credit-card debt, clinging to a mortgage, terrified of the next downsizing at the office—he isn't worried about the economic crisis. That's because he figured out that the best way to stay solvent is to never be solvent in the first place. Nine years ago, in the autumn of 2000, Suelo decided to stop using money. He just quit it, like a bad drug habit.

http://men.style.com/details/features/landing?id=content_9817

[gloomyDAY]

Lives is a cave? What an apt last name!

[Tazio]

Lives is a cave? What an apt last name!Doesn't suelo mean soil, or ground?

[GridGirl]

I read that story and it immediately reminded me of Fred the tramp that lived on the Wolverhamton ring road. He became a bit of an Internet phenomenon in life and even more so in death. By all accounts Fred quit his job one day and decided to become a tramp. When he died the authorities found that he actually had a fair amount of cash.

I miss Fred, but it's a life that I don't think that I could ever lead.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Józef_Stawinoga

[gloomyDAY]

Doesn't suelo mean soil, or ground?Yes, that's why his name is fitting. Suelo sleeps on the ground.

[emporer_k]

If surviving without money means living in a cave then I think I'll stick with money and live in a house.

[ioan]

I can somehow understand him.
When you see that life becomes a struggle for money for 80% of the Earth population than you understand this kind of people.

The other 20% either have a safe job in the administration or find it interesting and challenging to make more and more money.
However there are many rich people who can't live without money when they ran out of it and suicide is often the end result of their life.
Maybe it's better to leave in a cave than be dead because you couldn't pay back your credit?!

PS: I do have friends back home who do what he does a couple times every year, not because they don't have money, simply because they enjoy it and think it's worth trying out.

[Drew]

That's fascinating but I know for a fact I wouldn't last for more than a week there. If that.

[Wade91]

If surviving without money means living in a cave then I think I'll stick with money and live in a house.
yeah, me to

[Alexamateo]

Pure foolishness, I saw a picture of a man wearing blue jeans and boots with lanterns etc. Where did those things come from? Perhaps he bartered them from a store, (I'll sweep up and clean the stock room in exchange for a pair of pants.), or they were given, regardless, "money" figured in the process somewhere.

Money is a medium of exchange, nothing more, nothing less. It saves time and hassle from having to barter and figure value for everything. If someone wants to live simply, more power to them, but if he was truly living without money, he would raise his own food, make his own clothes and truly live off the land.



I can somehow understand him.
When you see that life becomes a struggle for money for 80% of the Earth population than you understand this kind of people.



Well, struggling for money beats the alternative which was struggling to survive, have enough to eat, and have shelter against the elements. We all live like kings compared to the not so distant past.


Heck, Even Thoreau devoted the whole first chapter of Walden to economy. The more I think about it, the guy in the story is just a bum.

[tmx]

Well there are thousands of American who lost their home due to fore closure and are living in in tents.

[tmx]

Or they can try this to save money: women lives secretly for a year in man's closet (http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b233/eksasol/womenlivessecretlyforayearinmansclo.jpg)

[Wade91]

Or they can try this to save money: women lives secretly for a year in man's closet (http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b233/eksasol/womenlivessecretlyforayearinmansclo.jpg)
wow she must have kept pretty quiet