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The cost of living for the future

By Ari | May 8, 09 08:46 AM

Lately Shira and I have been thinking about moving, to save money. Our vegan ecovillage project is going well, but slowly. (And rightfully so.) In the meantime, we're continuing to love our big Ithaca apartment - it's far larger and more beautiful than anything we lived in in NYC, and it's cheaper, too. When we first moved here we were staggered by how much you can get for so little - from our jaded Brooklyn perspective. But now that we've been here for a while, we're making connections with a lot of people who are avoiding paying a lot to live, in some very creative ways. We're realizing just how much we're spending per year on housing, and how many hours of freelance work that translates into - and it's a lot of hours!

Helen and Scott Nearing, early back-to-the-landers, figured out how much cash they needed per year - the amount of cash money they'd need to pay for the few things they couldn't provide for themselves or barter for. They worked enough to make that amount of money and then they stopped working, in the belief that accumulating profit is wrong. That meant that if they finished getting their needed cash in April, they could just make music and write and work their land for the rest of the year with no need to make any more cash at all. Shira and I have been very inspired by the Nearings and love this idea, and are working toward it, though a portion of our cash outlays will ideally go into savings each year (we're planning a family, and want to be able to give our future kids something to start off with when they're grown).

So, getting into a cheaper housing situation would be very prudent. The trouble is, moving is a real pain in the ass when you have as much stuff as we do (we have hundreds of books...), and we're really enjoying having a space where people can stay with us, and where gatherings are possible. Our apartments in NYC were sorely lacking in this department. Our Ithaca apartment feels like an event space sometimes, or a B&B - we've got two private, comfortable, extra rooms where people can stay over. Our well-stocked kitchen (thank you family and friends and freeganism!) can feed a huge group of people. We've got so much stuff in here that sometimes I feel like we've got the makings of a common house right here in our apartment - when I feel stressed about how many power tools and kitchen gadgets and art supplies and children's books and toys we have, I think, it's okay, our kids will love it all, in the future. Our ecovillage will use it all, in the future.

Some time ago, I remember feeling burdened by our stuff, and the cost of having a place that fits it all. I was reading Home Work and admiring the cute wagon-houses and yurts and tiny cabins, and I wished I had so little I could put it all in a backpack. We could pack up our few belongings and traipse off to Mexico to visit our friend Emily, or bike cross-country, or whatever. But we have cat friends now who depend on us, and our belongings aren't a burden, but a hope chest.

The question is, could we find a cheaper way to live anyway, in the immediate future, while we wait for Ahimsa to crystallize? We've been looking at smaller apartments and even tiny houses that are cheaper than this place, but we've also been looking at larger houses with friends. But would it be worth the bother - and breaking our lease - to pack up our nest and move it? Do we want to work those hours to pay the extra cost of living in such a big, bright, comfortable space?

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