Hello. Happy Holidays. (That's sarcasm, because we might always be on one which is great) My name is Greg. I've fully adopted the ERE before I knew about this book or Jacob. My work was low paying I don't have much of an education, but I was able to work my way up to $80,000 a year salary. Only for 2 years before I was let go. I managed to save over 50% each year. Leaving me with a big enough savings to not have to work full time.
I basically work for less than 200 hours a year. And I'm living off $10,000-$12-000 CAD. But I'm hoping to get it down to $6000. If I get it down to $6000, I can retire now, or else I have to keep going part time. I own 4 properties in rural areas, I was planning on building a homestead but I know nothing about carpentry. Just wanted to learn to be more sufficient, de-monltize my life by doing trading with neighbors and stuff. I have a lot of good skills, but I need to apply my value to life.
I like to produce as much stuff as I can myself, buy everything in wholesale or bulk, use every last discounts and sales I can get, and I still actually manage to travel the country a lot. I rent bedrooms, but I am looking to buy a house in cash, or else build one on one of my properties. Just a cabin, then I wanted to open a small café that doesn't require much maintenance just a guy relaxing back enjoying life.
I've worked landscaping for 20 years and had multiple injuries, I'm only 35, but this feels like the end for me. I can get by with part time which is called Barista fire, but if I find a job I like, 5 more years tops will put me at the number needed to never work again. I'll always be in what's considered poverty but I don't have many hardships. I eat good and have friends, I just need to build that shelter to complete my puzzle. And I like to travel light and rent rooms. I learned to live off $12,000 in Vancouver even, because I got let go and I wanted to protect my savings, then I realized how free I was and I was maintaining it. I can't find anyone else like me so I came here to look. Thanks for reading and good luck everyone
Greg.
Hello From Canada (East/West and North)
Re: Hello From Canada (East/West and North)
Welcome Greg! I like your style. I’m also very interested in low cost shelter. I think you’ll find some like minded folks around here.
Re: Hello From Canada (East/West and North)
Hey Greg. Welcome, sounds like you have a very interesting story. Look forward to hearing more from you.
Re: Hello From Canada (East/West and North)
Hello back from Canada! I am also interested in how you manage to rent the rooms to live there. Is this short term accommodation (subletting) or some other arrangement? (just curious, no need to answer)
Re: Hello From Canada (East/West and North)
It's been getting progressively more challenging as time went on with housing becoming shorter in supply as well as me getting older. I've noticed a lot of these rooms are university students but you can also find adults and families who rent as well.
No subletting, I basically just show up in a city with cash, go on the marketplace and apply at people who are looking for roommates or renting a room in their house that they own, preferably rather live with the owner, for reasons that protect you in tenant agreements depending on location. But the downside is that a lot of times, tenant agreements don't apply to roommates anyways, so it's kind of an honor system. You have to be really nice and get along of course, and I've had no problem with that over my life.
Twice in Vancouver I've been ejected from houses where my landlord and I had verbal disputes over illegal rent increases. Both times I was renting under a tenancy agreement, but it didn't matter cause when they change the locks you're gone anyways. I'm just saying this stuff not so people feel bad, just so they are aware this can happen. But it doesn't usually. I rented about 15-20 rooms in the last 15 years, only 2 went afowl.
All the others I voulentarily moved on, and they would have been happy to keep me for long as I liked. In Vancouver however, 3 or 4 of them have been condemned since, and one burned down. So it's not always a long term solution but on the other hand, I know a fella who rented a room off the same household for 30 years, and he's doing fine I went and visited him in New Brunswick I rented a room in the same house.. my next place I intend on trying is Montreal as it looks as cheap as $400 CAD a month there. Also warning about St John's NL, there was almost 0 vacancy and hotels were gouging. I would have to sleep outside to save money there. So it depends on timing, luck, skill, etc. how you present yourself too. If you call yourself an early retired at my age people are gonna think you spelt retarded wrong, so it's hard to find someone. Although I do work sometimes so I usually just say what I do for work or have done in the past and it doesn't effect my ability to rent. I said what mostly does is age, social status, and income level I guess.
So it kinda just goes like that if you're curious. I've also lived in an RV, both in a city and on my land. Honestly, I know in the book it says living in a cabin/shack is under that, but I don't think it is. You have to own the property, the problem is I need a well drilled, and I need a shack built, after that I think my value I bring to that village alone will be sustainable for years to come. I want to be the modern day Renaissance man that Jacob speaks of in this book.
Re: Hello From Canada (East/West and North)
Thanks for sharing, GregBenn!
Re: Hello From Canada (East/West and North)
Wow, impressive that you lived in Vancouver for 12k a year! Is that Canadian or US dollars? How did you pull that off? How much was your rent itself?
Re: Hello From Canada (East/West and North)
Moved there in 2015. First year rent was an average of $500. ( I was just doing room shares) at the peak I paid $650, but it was a really big bedroom in Burnaby north, because of covid a lot of people left and there was a big vacancy rate.
But I've rented mostly rooms, some haven't been in the best shape but the way I did the comparison was checked other shitty old buildings and they were charging way more some of them. But I don't think it's as sustainable anymore as I got older. I tried to go back last winter, and all I could find was a living room couch for $700/mo. It was a decent area and nice apartment and that was supposed to be a "steal" but from now on I'm going to live in an RV if I ever choose to go back. The housing crisis will cause the gov to overlook you can just park illegally or whatver. Its my landscaping career that brought me there. But it would be a beautiful place to park a van and just enjoy nature, my dad lived in his camper on Vancouver Island for almost free for years. Just seasonal sites that charge almost nothing. But its year round because of the climate.
All CAD dollars.