Doesn't matter. If it works for your example, its fine. Someone above considered fixing cars as a "+EV hobby". Sounds like a jube to me. But whatever.

But even in Eastern Europe. If you budget $5 a day for travel, $7 for food, and $15 to sleep. HYACHAHCHAHCHAHCAHCHA. When you can pay for sleep for $1 and then food for $3 for extravagant eating by backpacking standards... it doesn't really matter what else happens.

How do you pay $1 for sleep? Curious... planning a S/SE Asia backpacking trip soon (haven't started digging into details yet). I understand $3/food but was under the impression sleep was a good bit more even in a place like Thailand.

I personally have no clue. I've heard its that cost for some places in Vietnam. No clue though. I would imagine Thailand to be likely the most expensive country in the area.

bali is probably the cheapest.

i dont have anything major to add,

but market volatility is easily avoided by buying residential real estate, since the rental rates will basically rise and fall with your cost of living.



i think living off the 1m can easily be done, and it wouldnt be nearly as terrible as some poeple seem to think it would be.

there are tons of cheap hobbys.
one that stands out is the internet. countless communities where people get around to talk about whatever the **** they want to. even henry - the guy who supposedly has the dream, stress free, balling life spends a significant portion of his day browsing this forum. there must be something to it.




i think there are a lot more things to do than you think.
im starting to get into playing squash at the recommendation of a friend who, for a stretch of time, played almost every day.
just at a local club with a low monthly cost, and the equipment is dirt cheap... and he has something that fills a lot of hours.

i can easily see some friends just playing music their whole life, learning to play songs, writing music, etc.

other people organize advocacy groups for whatever their issue de jour happens to be. or volunteer to feed the homeless. or whatever.

i have family members who live in a rural town because he like to go fishing/hunting all the time. minimal expense.

i have friends that spend ridiculous amounts of time watching tv series. they follow like a dozen different series, and have a regular schedule of what to watch and they try to never miss an episode. personally i cant stand watching that much tv, but i've gotta imagine there are plenty of people who wouldnt mind it.

and, as someone without a 'real' job - i can say that i fill a lot of my time sleeping.
anything less than 10 hours just feels wrong.

16$/month for the WoW Card, 200$/month on Doritos and Cheetos and 700$ every year or so for hardware. If you are hardcore you could play WC3 or CS and save the 16$/month.

Hunting/fishing = minimal expense = someone who never goes hunting/fishing

Like everything, there is an expensive of way of doing it and cheap way of doing it. Also, each additional dollar you spend gives you less "bang for your buck" than the previous.

You left out $12.99 for antifreeze so you can kill yourself.

Those are the two most over-gadgeted, "variety indulged" hobbies on earth.

A rifle/shotgun/bow, some ammo, whatever the license costs are and meat processing if you're incapable of doing your own. Not "cheap", but work-in-able in this scenario presuming one doesn't buy every flaming bag of sht "gadget" that comes floating down the pike. When I hunted, my total costs season to season amounted to sighting in, about 20 rounds every month to keep sharp, licenses and that's it- period. No new cammies every year, no new rifle and scope every year, none of that extravagant BS that's come to be accepted as standard in that game. 'Who can buy more/newer hunting related crap' basically amounts to a swinging dick contest for around the campfire, which one isn't obligated to play.

As far as a functional used boat, fuel and associated costs for fishing; again, not "cheap", but do-able here presuming someone was passionate about fishing and was willing to allocate a meaningful portion of their entertainment budget to it (as a lot of fishing guys not only would do in this spot, but do do with less money in non-theoretical real life)

You mean that $200 fishing pole, in practical terms, is just as good as $50 one?

NO WAY

Most of the time, YES ABSOLUTELY. The difference in quality is often perceived due to price (if I spend more it must be better, right?), than actually quality and/or practicality. But even if you splurge and get a $200 pole -- as long as you aren't buying one each and every year the annual cost of that pole is very small. People tricking themselves into thinking spending more makes them better. This usually isn't the case.

I can't remember what I spent on my main rod, but I have a nice rod and reel that I bought for less ~ $100 (purchased rod and reel each separately). This has worked great for me for >15 years and I have no desire to replace. Also, I have never once wished I had another rod/reel as it has worked flawlessly for me every time I've used it.

EDIT: O/T but do you fish the madison chain much?

I don't fish or hunt and my idea of being in the wilderness is my friend's cottage which has pretty much every comfort you can imagine but isn't one of the requirements for fishing a case of beer?

Also just the gas to get to the lake / wilderness would blow the budget unless you were already living in a rural setting.

A gun and a permit and bullets would blow up budget for many moons. Okay like 2-3. But you would save a ton on food costs. If I could get someone to kill me a deer, I'd shell out the 150-200 for processing and blow that **** up.

Nah. I'm not much of a fisherman. Don't know if I'd have the patience for it. All the folks I do know that do fish, don't do it around Madison much at all either.

Problem is that the most people that have a million want show that they have the million. In germany outside of the large citys " munich " etc.. you could easy live from a million a "normal live". If you want show your neighbour...eyyyy i have money... you have no chance .

I think a live with no work is maybee not interesting you need something to spend your time..i guess for me it would be Sport.... maybee learn something about cars and buying, repair sell a few nice old cars for fun and a bit investing real estate, stock market.

The difference is i can do it if i WANT do something and not if i MUST do something.

A million sure helps to have a juicy live, but it dont guarantee a juicy live.

Having the 1 Mil is about not having to work, or toil, to survive. But a person would still be engaged in some sort of endeavor. Walk the neighbourhood dogs while getting your exercise for a few months. Run the lift at a ski hill for the winter. You grow tired of the politics or general asshattery at one place, move on. You would still earn some money and fill your days.

Hunting/Fishing are expensive hobbies, I don't think our example could support them. Licensing/Equipment/Travel Costs/Lodging would blow up our budget

I mean if we're just going to the pond in our backyard to take a nap and try and get a few bites, that would fit our budget...but any kind of outing requiring travel would be too much

This reminds me of the kid next door in American Beauty.

it can easily be done affordably, but even if you insist that it can't - every other thing that i listed is cheap as **** and something that a lot of people spend a lot of time doing with or without money.

Throw up some numbers folks.

Not to judge but most of the stuff that was listed was stuff that a typical 25 year old male would not be interested in.

before i started playing poker i backpacked around for 10months. my budget was usually $25/day. standard day in thailand:
room 600baht, 3person in it = 200baht = $5 each
food 3x100baht/day = $7/day
alcohol 2buckets = 250baht = $6 4-5times a week.
laundry $1 every week.

(the dollar was worth a little more those days)

most days where spend in the hammock reading secondhand books or sipping banana milkshakes while watching simpsons or screeners of new movies on triangular pillows at resturants.

met some hardcore backpackers who lived on $7/day on average during their 4year trip.

there are tons of tourists living on >$30/day. but yes, it's ev- to do as a professional poker player.

You're seriously illiterate.

-EV to do as a player? Was planning on a playing a bit here and there to extend the trip. Whyso iyo?

I was going to let this drop, buuuut... I looked up prices and was getting dorms in Thailand/Laos for $3/night with the current exchange rates. I figure $10/day would be a bit austere but pleasant (not a drinker). I'll have to ask a couple friends about this who just got back from SE Asia... Probably shouldn't derail this thread anymore with it