how to live on $600 per month

[livingon600amonth]

I should also say that I get food stamps and grow vegetables to sell from my front yard.

 

[minimotos95]

Old thread but like the subject, My budget recently is as follows
$260 lot rent - 15A, wifi, bathroom and shower included included.
$60 into savings for annual insurance, full coverage on van, liability on motorcycle
$75 food/coffee/booze
$60 prepaid smartphone plan(starting soon, was on a $80)
$25 dog food
--- $480 in solid expenses
My van has been taking all of my extra money and will for a few more months until it's perfect.. driving my average monthly spending to around $600-650

note- on some months I will spend a lot extra on crap I "need", this month I had to drop almost $600 on a new phone and tools, next month I should be spending $2-300 on van parts...

 

[GotSmart]

I don't know about Canada, but here in the United States it's possible, and here are the numbers.

If one Initially has an inheritance of $8000 this is how to be set for life:
Buy a house where you can run a woodstove, don't pay property taxes, and where it rains enough to not have to pay a water bill.

Buy a house with what? $8,000?  Property?  Where is a place that does not charge property tax? Free water?  Do you know how much a water well is, or filters for a non stream system??

I am not sending emails to a unproven poster.  Been there, and trolled after that.

 

[ZoNiE]

Regardless of what you do, if you keep the land, you should at least pay the taxes monthly. $167/month leaves you $433. If you are not moving the rig around, then your gasoline costs should be much lower than the typical van dwellers here who move around a lot. $600 should be doable.

 

[Brian_and_Jesse]

In the U.S. you can live in a van on public land for $600 a month pretty easily because you will have no housing costs of any kind. But i have no idea if that is true in Canada and of course you will have to deal with the cold. Here you can drive 300 miles from the mountain to the desert and avoid extremes of temperatures. You can't do that in Canada.<br><br>Wish I could be more helpful but I just know very little about Canada's land laws.<br>Bob

Morning, Bob!

Doesn't matter where one is in Canada (although the west is the best for wilderness and moderate temps),Crown land is much the same as BLM land, with fewer rules and regs.

Where I've called home (our base) for the past quarter century, it's possible to drive from 5,500 feet (Alpine) to 800 feet (desert) in a couple or three hours (depending on the weather). The Coastal Mountains in BC are well suited to mobile living.

Where in Canada are you parked, Elaine?

Shalom,


Jesse.
P.S. I wouldn't go back to a bad domestic situation for *any* reason. BTDT, would NEVER do it again!

 

[akrvbob]

Jesse, can you tell me where it is warm and pleasant all winter in Canada? It's news to me that such a place exists. Is BC much different than WA state? I'd never in a million years consider living there in the winter. The west is rainy, cold and dreary and the east is just cold. I've driven through northern BC and Alberta in the winter and both had unacceptable weather for me.

Also, this thread is about living very cheaply and what I hear from all the Canadian members of this forum is that it is much more expensive to live in Canada than in the US. My limited experience in CA verifies that totally. I go into Canada completely stocked up so I don't have to pay your much higher prices.

Bob

 

[Almost There]

Jesse, can you tell me where it is warm and pleasant all winter in Canada? It's news to me that such a place exists.
Bob

It depends on your definition of 'warm and pleasant' ...

Lower mainland in the greater Vancouver area seldom sees snow and if it does, it's melted within a day or so. But it's also the rainy season. I watch the weather reports for the area on a regular basis since both my sons live in the GVA.

If and when I get so old that I can't travel at all I will settle in the area but I know already that my arthritis will hate the colder damp rainy days immensely!!

 

[ZoNiE]

To a Canadian, "warm and pleasant" is anything above freezing... :dodgy:

 

[Almost There]

To a Canadian, "warm and pleasant" is anything above freezing... :dodgy:

Not this Canadian....

But then that's why I spent 14 years loving every minute of living stateside. Unfortunately it's no longer possible for me to do so, hence I'm becoming a snowbird. I'll relish my time stateside and grump and whine about coming back to Canada for my mandatory 6 month 'present and accounted for' time!

 

[BC Guy]

Lower mainland in the greater Vancouver area seldom sees snow

Not exactly.  But I will admit that things have changed a lot in the past 10 years or so.   The last "bad" snow was in February 2008.  I was very glad that I had just bought an SUV, otherwise I would not have been able to get to work for a couple of days.  The snow stayed over a month.  In contrast, this past winter, there was snow on the ground for one day only.
As for moving here, there are no houses (that I am aware of) in the GVRD for under $300,000.  You have to get out to Mission to find stuff in the $200,000 range.  Naturally, this effects rentals as well.

 

[Brian_and_Jesse]

Jesse, can you tell me where it is warm and pleasant all winter in Canada? It's news to me that such a place exists. Is BC much different than WA state? I'd never in a million years consider living there in the winter. The west is rainy, cold and dreary and the east is just cold. I've driven through northern BC and Alberta in the winter and both had unacceptable weather for me.

Also, this thread is about living very cheaply and what I hear from all the Canadian members of this forum is that it is much more expensive to live in Canada than in the US. My limited experience in CA verifies that totally.  I go into Canada completely stocked up so I don't have to pay your much higher prices.

Bob

Morning, Bob!

I wouldn't say it's warm in BC in winter, but not all of it is wet and rainy, and the temperature does vary wildly from place to place. For example, Vancouver, while rainy in winter, seldom dips below the freezing point at night, but rain destroys RVs, and I don't like Vancouver in any case. Washington State is very different climatically from Western BC, but I don't like Seattle either unless there's a Blue Jays/Mariners game on. (Brian and I love baseball and the Blue Jays is 'our' team.)

There is a place I think you'd like, as it has a desert climate and is very dry all year, and while it still gets cold in winter, it's a dry cold and so doable. It's Canada's 'hot spot' and the temps soar into the nineties in the summer, and sometimes higher. It's the best kept secret I know of and it's gorgeous there. It's called Lillooet and it is about a five-hour drive North up the 99 from Vancouver. (Our cabin, the one we rent from a friend, is three hours from Lillooet, driving on a logging road, but it has an Alpine climate and sits at 5,500 feet.) If we're not touring, we head for Maui in winter - or we did - but we won't be leaving CONUS for the next five winters, if we're spared.

You're right about the prices here - they're ridiculous, and the farther into the mountains you go, the more everything costs, from gas to food to services.

The drive up Highway 99 is arguably one of the most spectacular on the planet. You need to go over the Duffy Road to get from Pemberton (15 mins north of Whistler) to Lillooet, and while it's a dangerous drive, it's worth it. (I love the drive along Road 40 to Bralorne, where our cabin is, but few 'outsiders' care to traverse it, as it's treacherous and it eats cars.)

There are loads of places to boondock in that area though, so for Spring, Summer, and Fall camping, y'can't beat it.

Hope this helps.

Shalom,

Jesse.

 

[Brian_and_Jesse]

P.S.  If you can hunt, fish, and gather, your food bill should be minimal, and there's lots of fresh water around in the pristine lakes and streams.

A word about expenses. The U.S. tax structure is such that I wouldn't consider living there as a resident. This is where Canadians are far better off. Healthcare, medication, and the general tax structure is far more user friendly than anywhere in the States.

Jess.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Not this Canadian....

But then that's why I spent 14 years loving every minute of living stateside. Unfortunately it's no longer possible for me to do so, hence I'm becoming a snowbird. I'll relish my time stateside and grump and whine about coming back to Canada for my mandatory 6 month 'present and accounted for' time!

could you stay so long before cause of work or something? i wonder if you could get 'hired' again [emoji14]

 

[Almost There]

could you stay so long before cause of work or something?  i wonder if you could get 'hired' again

Nope, anything more than 6 months absence means that my health care and about 50% of my government pension money would be cancelled. For those reasons alone I have to be present and accounted for.

Also, I just handed in my retirement notice because I don't want to work anymore...I want to be retired...time for this gal to go play!! 

How I stayed so long before is not possible any more anyways.

 

[Brian_and_Jesse]

Years ago, Brian and I lived in Aspen for ages, DG.

Before 9/11, the six month length of stay wasn't often enforced. We had a Canadian-based 'business' (as we still do now) and paid Canadian taxes, but boosted the U.S. economy by spending our dollars there. We even had the FBI visit us once (unrelated to our staying over the time limit), and they didn't say a word about geography.

9/11 messed everything up, just as it was intended to.

Shalom,


Jesse.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Nope, anything more than 6 months absence means that my health care and about 50% of my government pension money would be cancelled. For those reasons alone I have to be present and accounted for.

Also, I just handed in my retirement notice because I don't want to work anymore...I want to be retired...time for this gal to go play!! 

How I stayed so long before is not possible any more anyways.

It's not clear to me from your posts - do you need to be in Canada for 6 months, or in your home province for 6 months?  Unless it's the later, I would think you could spend your six months visiting parts of Canada you've never seen before.

Regards
John

 

[Almost There]

It's not clear to me from your posts - do you need to be in Canada for 6 months, or in your home province for 6 months?  Unless it's the latter, I would think you could spend your six months visiting parts of Canada you've never seen before.

Regards
John

Technically, you're supposed to be in your home province because health care is regulated by them. Different provinces have different regulations regarding length of presence, BC allows you to be out of province for up to 7 months without jeopardizing your health insurance.

Federally, I have to be present in Canada for 6 months to maintain my eligibility for Old Age Security which comprises just under 50% of my 'pension' income.

But since there are no borders and check stations between provinces, I *could* travel to other provinces. There are several problems inherent in that - one being cost. Gas is running around $1.25 a liter, just under $5.00 a US gallon. The next province west of me is only a mere 1,000 miles.

I'm not worried, there are lots of places to explore here, either for the first time or with a different eye now that I won't just be passing through. Mostly summers here are meant for canoe trips, lazing at the beach, eating barbecues and I might just take up fishing again! I geocache so I can always find interesting places to get to!

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Technically, you're supposed to be in your home province because health care is regulated by them. Different provinces have different regulations regarding length of presence, BC allows you to be out of province for up to 7 months without jeopardizing your health insurance.

How do Canadians move from Province to Province?  After spending six months in the US could you not establish a new "residence" in, say, Nova Scotia instead of  - Ontario, is it? - and then spend six months there before coming back to the US?

Regards
John

 

[Almost There]

How do Canadians move from Province to Province?  After spending six months in the US could you not establish a new "residence" in, say, Nova Scotia instead of  - Ontario, is it? - and then spend six months there before coming back to the US?

Regards
John

When you move between provinces they all have an interprovincial agreement that covers you for health care at the original province of residence 'out of province' rates for 3 months. So each province covers you for the next three months when you move but with a bit of a kicker built in!

This is where it gets a little complicated - each province dictates what it will pay for, for any out of province claims - for example, Ontario only covers an out of province hospital bed to the tune of $400.00 per day, no matter if it's general ward or ICU, which as we all know won't even begin to cover the cost. Anyone travelling out of province is wise to carry something like Blue Cross travelers plan to top up the coverage. Ambulance and drug coverage for seniors is similarly limited for out of province claims which are paid at different rates than if you were in the province.

Once you've established residency in the new province by having drivers' license, which btw, you need proof of an address to get, then at the end of the 3 month period you get health coverage in the new province of residence.

When the day comes where I don't have ties to Ontario, the plan is to move to BC. I'm still pondering the logistics of it since I full intend to take at least 3 months of wandering to get there - lots to see and do and a long way to drive. When I arrive and establish residency - my son doesn't know it yet but I'll be 'living' at his address...  I'll immediately have to apply for BC health coverage and wait out the 3 months without disclosing that I haven't been in Ontario for however long I was on the road. Fortunately, I'm healthy and don't use traditional western medicine except for accidents that need casts and stitches!

 

[VanGirl]

Old thread but like the subject, My budget recently is as follows
$260 lot rent - 15A, wifi, bathroom and shower included included.
$60 into savings for annual insurance, full coverage on van, liability on motorcycle
$75 food/coffee/booze
$60 prepaid smartphone plan(starting soon, was on a $80)
$25 dog food
--- $480 in solid expenses
My van has been taking all of my extra money and will for a few more months until it's perfect.. driving my average monthly spending to around $600-650

note- on some months I will spend a lot extra on crap I "need", this month I had to drop almost $600 on a new phone and tools, next month I should be spending $2-300 on van parts...

Where is this campground for 260 with WiFi?
VanGirl