Hi all! I just signed up today and I am reallly looking forward to becoming a member of this community. I am a 68 year old woman, and loving it! I finally walked away from a job last year. I have no retirement funds but I live on Social Security very well even though it would be considered waaaay below poverty level. When I quit I was fortunate enough to receive unemployment and the Social Security so that enabled me to move out of the city and into an area with no jobs but lots of trees, water, wildlife, mountains and forests. This was a lifetime dream I thought I would never realize. My goal was to begin to work full time on my hobbies which are scrapbooking, mixed media collage, greeting cards, photography and whatever else I took a fancy to do. Amazingly, I found a little mini-house that was only 400 a month and worked within my very narrow budget. I got rid of all my possessions by giving them away rather than selling them, packed up my antique linens, antique china and all of my art supplies, grabbed the cat and am now happily into my new life. On Sept. 16 I had been here a year. The first year has consisted mostly of watching the trees grow (they are even slower than grass) GRIN.
I certainly can use ideas for keeping costs at a minimum and I am excited to have found a community devoted to that subject. As far as I am concerned, I have the perfect life. I never get over the joy of being free to do as I wish. I keep reading how difficult it is to live with little money, but I can't really identify with that idea because I feel richer than ever before in my life. When you realize a life-long dream, however simple that may be, every day is a new delight.
Wishing everyone a joyful Fall season---Sharon
