How do u live on $700/month, truly?

One of the things about food stamps, FWIW, is that everyone doesn’t qualify for the maximum allowed per household size.

What one qualifies for may be intended to supplement and stretch your food budget, rather than be its entirety.

And eligibility criteria do vary from state to state.

I don't know about "more than enough," but I know I've lived on tight budgets in expensive places in ways that seemed impossible both before and after I did it, but it got done somehow.

Prices vary a lot from place to place -- and right now, almost from week to week -- and our personal circumstances differ hugely. What's true for one person might be very different for the next. Ditto (even more so) what seems true in theory vs. what works in real life.

One thing I will say is that if you think you might be getting into trouble, look for help (e.g. food stamps) early rather than waiting till the last minute, because that stuff can take a long time to get approved.

Dingfelder said:

I'm in Oregon now and was in California and elsewhere before, and your figures strike me as VERY low. Additionally, I qualified for food stamps a few years back and it was a very tight squeeze, to say the least. In the meantime, prices for a can of beans at Safeway, for another example, tripled. I drive a 2005 Toyota hatchback, with a perfect driving record, and pay far more than you quote, for another instance. I can't help but feel that you are either stretching the truth considerably or are faced with unique circumstances ... or even ones that you aren't even in.

Have you tried living on $185/mo. in food stamps? It can be done, for sure, and even cheaper. But it is not all that easy if you want to eat reasonably fresh and well. A diet of garbage can be had more cheaply, but one even remotely appealing starts to skyrocket the cost quickly, making $6/day with zero indulgences of any kind seem more like a misery or an accomplishment than any kind of reasonable joy of living. Yes, I can(and have done worse) eat oatmeal three times a day for very nominal cost. Is that living? Sure it is. Survival basis. You may be malnourished and develop ailments, but you won't die. At least not right away.

Anyway, I think you are lowballing the figures here. As someone who has been poor most of his life, with some bizarre highlights of other things entirely, your figures don't run true to me.

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My figures are a reflection of my experiences living where I'm at. I'm in the Southern USA. I've lived on $150 to $200 a month and I have a number of friends who live on $200 or less a month now. I did it, and they do it, because that's what required. I bought in bulk, I cooked my food, and I ate simple meals.

What I provided was one scenario of how someone can live on $700 a month and in my scenario there was money left over too spend on additional food if that's what they wanted. At the end of the day, people need to do what their resources allow them to do. If someone only has oatmeal to eat, then that's what they're going to eat. This world doesn't guarantee everyone great food with indulgences and what's not living to one person is a blessing from the Universe to the next. Bob interviewed a lady on YouTube who's living on $400 a month and she says she's happy so our experiences are not all the same.

CRVL poster @Kaylee (I don't think she's been on the site after the sale) has posted a breakdown of 2021 expenses; she is extremely frugal/clever and did it on ~$230/mo.

$41/mo. for food? Wow, that's 45 cents per meal. Is that with or without outside assistance?
Food stamps,pantry,shelters,etc. How healthy is that type of subsistance?

$95/year for van insurance? What does she drive? What state is that cheap??

$55/mo. for everything else? Phone,clothing,laundry,toiletry items,banking fees,etc.etc.

I know it's possible to live this cheaply but this type of budget would be very unusual.

She details all that in various places on the site (see the link at the top). A thoughtful (and thorough!) person.

slow2day said:

How healthy is that type of subsistance?

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She cooks from scratch more often than the average bear, so I figure it's fairly healthy. After reading her article I recently tried my hand at making tortillas and it was a lot of fun. And tasty.

Van insurance for $95 a year? I'd like details

I live on about that amount. For one thing, you need to "Slow Travel" to keep fuel costs way down. This means shorter distances at slower speeds, and stay a while to "smell the roses" everywhere you go.

I volunteer at a food bank. Someone forgot to tell those we serve how wealthy our Country is. They are happy to be getting the surplus food that others chose not to purchase.
One trying to live on $700 a month should be looking into food banks in their area. In my small town we have at least 3 of them. The food is good, but like I said, it will be what gets donated to the food bank. You get what we got. At my place we always have things like pasta, canned veggies, soups, peanut butter, bread, Some meats, (could be chicken, beef or pork).
To give credit, Walmart, Starbucks, Kentucky Fried Chicken, USDA, and Three Square, Donate tons of food to our food bank, (Salvation Army Pahrump Nv.) Often we will get "goodies" like cakes,desserts & sandwiches, but we always have staples.

DannyB1954 said:

I volunteer at a food bank. Someone forgot to tell those we serve how wealthy our Country is. They are happy to be getting the surplus food that others chose not to purchase.
One trying to live on $700 a month should be looking into food banks in their area. In my small town we have at least 3 of them. The food is good, but like I said, it will be what gets donated to the food bank. You get what we got. At my place we always have things like pasta, canned veggies, soups, peanut butter, bread, Some meats, (could be chicken, beef or pork).
To give credit, Walmart, Starbucks, Kentucky Fried Chicken, USDA, and Three Square, Donate tons of food to our food bank, (Salvation Army Pahrump Nv.) Often we will get "goodies" like cakes,desserts & sandwiches, but we always have staples.

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i go every so often..last time I got 5 pounds of shrimp

GoingMobile said:

I just turned 64 and am on the cusp of going with a smaller fixed income and using Medicare as health insurance. Planning on working until May of 2023 when I'll be 65 and living in my van full time after that. My retirement investments are 401k style rather than a pension. Starting to try to figure this all out. I'm guessing my 401k savings is counted against receiving any government subsidies even though I don't have any arrangements such as an annuity that translates into monthly income. Trying to wait until 66 to take S.S. as its a more substantial monthly amount by then.

After turning 64 I've been bombarded by private special interest messaging advising me what to do. But I'm guessing most of that is more in their best interest than in mine. I'd be interested in any sources of information, government websites, groups such as AARP, etc. others have found useful for developing a strategy to best utilize available resources.

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Sounds like my situation several years back. Not that the same thing will work for you, but here's what I did:

When I retired at 60, my 401K funds went directly into a TD Ameritrade account, and they converted it into a standard IRA. No taxes are due until withdrawal, but before hitting the Required Minimum Distribution age (71 or 72 now???), I converted some of the IRA funds into a Roth IRA, which are entirely tax free from then on with no RMD. Both the Roth and standard IRA funds are mostly invested in high dividend paying stocks and REITs, and some growth stocks, but if I knew nothing about stocks, a mutual fund like Vanguard would be my choice. I took Social Security at age 62, and now it is supplemented by the RMD from the standard IRA. Note that if your annual RMD payout, or any supplemental job income you earn are over a certain amount, that may cause you to pay taxes on some of your SS income.

For healthcare I now use the VA which I paid for by trading a few years of my youthful freedom for government service during the Vietnam War, but I also have Medicare parts A and B plus some side benefits as provided by the insurance company I go through at no extra cost. Talk to an insurance agent about that, as there are several insurance companies willing to provide more than what A and B provide for just the cost of what you pay the government for part B. I use SCAN. If an insurance broker wants to charge you, walk out the door, as they are paid by the insurance company.

A lot of you are mentioning $50 to $100 a month for cell service. With an easy to find party group (through Reddit) Visible is only $25 for unlimited everything, just no international coverage. Yes, internet speeds can be slower than through their parent company, Verizon, but I find them to always be usable in my area, and they say no more throttling.

Every community seems to have at least one Food Pantry, and where I live they function on donated foods and also what they purchase at deeply discounted prices from the area Food Bank.

If you have more than you need, yourself, many Food Pantries maintain a list online of needed items that one can purchase and drop off.

These are a good resource for those struggling to eat.

In those circumstances I would look into getting a part-time or seasonal job doing something I enjoy. Even for people with health issues there are things you can do remotely. Depends what your comfort level is.

Last year was my first experience 'Snowbirding'. I have a paid-off house on a great street and live easily on SS, but winters were getting cold for me. Van is a 2003 Sprinter I build out. Drove to Quartzsite arriving 1/1/21 and returned 3/31/21; 3 wonderful months. Reviewing my records, I was amazed that I spent just under $1700, which included $995 in fuel costs! Pretty sure I must have forgotten some things, I have been keeping very good records since returning to AZ this year and have every penny spent recorded in a detailed Excel workbook. Here is a cost summary for first months, Dec 14, 2021 to Feb 20, 2022

There are of course more living expenses: Vehicle insurance (Car & Van) $100/mo; Medical - uncovered medical and drug costs - averages 1200/yr = $100/mo; Van Maintenace, repairs, parts (it has been incredibly reliable) $50/mo. This adds $250/Mo

Additionally, since I still have a house which costs me money even when I'm not there. Biggest is property tax = $4,400/Yr or $367/Mo. Add $160/Mo for electric, heat and water and $58/Mo for homeowners Insurance. House expenses add $585/Mo

Draw our own conclusions. Seems like $700/mo is doable if mostly boondock and don't factor in cross-country fuel costs. So far, I have been able to do most vehicle repairs and maintenance myself which saves a lot. I do have an emergency fund. Vehicle replacement costs not factored in.

StarryNights said:

Last year was my first experience 'Snowbirding'. I have a paid-off house on a great street and live easily on SS, but winters were getting cold for me. Van is a 2003 Sprinter I build out. Drove to Quartzsite arriving 1/1/21 and returned 3/31/21; 3 wonderful months. Reviewing my records, I was amazed that I spent just under $1700, which included $995 in fuel costs! Pretty sure I must have forgotten some things, I have been keeping very good records since returning to AZ this year and have every penny spent recorded in a detailed Excel workbook. Here is a cost summary for first months, Dec 14, 2021 to Feb 20, 2022

Item	Costs	Notes
Camping Fees	$ 180.00	LVTA fee. Could have saved if got 2wk/$40 passes; two of these would have been enough
Campsite Contribution	$ 60.00	Group meals and firewood contribution. Think I'm light here ...
Fuel - Trip from NH	$ 473.37	Left NH noon 12/14; 1.5 days at daughter's in Indiana; arrived Quartzsite 7:30 PM 12/19. 2,840 Mi total, 21.8 MPG includes some diesel heater use.
Fuel While camping	$ 124.19	Two short fills. Local and back road BLM + trips to Blythe, CA, Yuma, AZ and Lake Havasu city; 784 mi or about 353 Mi per month. (19.75 MPG. Incl maybe hours Diesel Heater use)
Grocery	$ 217.74	I'm mostly vegan, find bargains and eat well. V little Ramin! I did bring some food with me.
Laundramat	$ 3.00	1 time.
Libation	$ 38.09	Beer, etc.
Optional Medical	$ 53.74	Mexico - bought some Ivermectin, Zpacks, and Amoxicillin - - - just in case.
Misc	$ 91.80	Misc supplies, flea market stuff
Mobile Phone	$ 131.18	Two phones for 2 months: AT&T on family plan + Visible @ 25/mo.
Restaurant	$ 29.08	Once - me and friend; London Bridge Fish & Chips
Water	$ 4.50	Could have got free at LVTA, but in town easier and think better
Only costs since arrived in AZ:	$ 933.32	65 days @ $14.36 per day = $430.76 per month
Total with fuel cost for trip to AZ	$1406.70	71 days @ 19.81 per day = 594.38 per month. (Adds $473.37)

There are of course more living expenses: Vehicle insurance (Car & Van) $100/mo; Medical - uncovered medical and drug costs - averages 1200/yr = $100/mo; Van Maintenace, repairs, parts (it has been incredibly reliable) $50/mo. This adds $250/Mo

Additionally, since I still have a house which costs me money even when I'm not there. Biggest is property tax = $4,400/Yr or $367/Mo. Add $160/Mo for electric, heat and water and $58/Mo for homeowners Insurance. House expenses add $585/Mo

Draw our own conclusions. Seems like $700/mo is doable if mostly boondock and don't factor in cross-country fuel costs. So far, I have been able to do most vehicle repairs and maintenance myself which saves a lot. I do have an emergency fund. Vehicle replacement costs not factored in.

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StarryNights, thanks for the detailed breakdown of costs. Best comprehensive account yet!

StarryNights said:

LVTA fee. Could have saved if got 2wk/$40 passes; two of these would have been enough

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I'd like to see a separate thread / blog post / etc about this experience.

Vegan Vanner said:

StarryNights, thanks for the detailed breakdown of costs. Best comprehensive acc

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frater secessus said:

I'd like to see a separate thread / blog post / etc about this experience.

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If you are looking for the fees to stay in LVTAs, they are outlined here: https://www.blm.gov/visit/la-posa-long-term-visitor-area

I had friends staying in Quartzsite LVTAs (there are 4 big ones in Q) but I usually prefer moving around and camping in free BLM sites that are all over the area. LVTAs appeal more to people that want to set up a longer term camp and/or want convenience of a dump station, trash and water and vault toilets.

If you stay for 2 and a 1/2 months the $180 is the same price as staying for 14 days at $40. If you stay longer it is a better deal to pay the $180.

StarryNights said:

If you are looking for the fees to stay in LVTAs, they are outlined here: https://www.blm.gov/visit/la-posa-long-term-visitor-area

I had friends staying in Quartzsite LVTAs (there are 4 big ones in Q) but I usually prefer moving around and camping in free BLM sites that are all over the area. LVTAs appeal more to people that want to set up a longer term camp and/or want convenience of a dump station, trash and water and vault toilets.

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I've read about the fees and amenities (such as they are). I was referring to "Could have saved if got 2wk/$40 passes; two of these would have been enough" and wanted to hear about your own experience in the LVTA. I assume you meant that your stay wasn't long enough to justify the seasonal fee.

My underlying interest is in whether or not they can be economical, maybe for folks with big fuel-hungry rigs who don't have to be relocated 25mi+ every 14d and can dump the tanks at will.

So far I haven't done LTVA because water is cheap in Q at the Pit Stop ($2 for filtered campervan fill ≤40gals) and the trash transfer station is right there. Near American Girl Mine BLM there is a highway rest stop with trash, vault toilets, and potable water. That just leaves the Havasu area where I don't know where to source cheap water.

OTOH, I would love to see the FS set up a summer LTVA in Leadville, CO.