It is nothing short of a nightmare, as anyone renting will attest.
Even though you frequently pay the equivalent of a mortgage each month, you still find yourself attempting to pinch pennies and save money for a deposit to leave your current circumstances.
One man became so fed up with the entire system that he took much more extreme measures than, say, returning to live with his parents while saving up for a deposit.
He decided to live in a cave instead, and as a result, he spent an incredible 16 years living the life of a contemporary caveman.
Yet Daniel Shellabarger, also known as Suelo, didn’t only live in a cave; in the end, he turned his back on modernity and went the entire time without using any money.
He first decided to leave his previous rented home and enter a cave close to Moab, Utah.
How did he survive, then?
He subsisted on garbage he collected in trash cans, roadkill, and veggies he grew close to his cave.
However, he had to return to the modern world and civilization in 2016 because he needed to help care for his old parents.
In an episode of Only Human, Suelo discussed his odd way of living, saying: “I’ve been sleeping in caves longer than I’ve gone without money probably since the mid-90s.
“I made the decision that I didn’t want to pay any more and live outside when I had a solid job in town.”
Suelo just had a few simple possessions when he was a full-time, penniless cave dweller.
He claimed that because “so much” is “thrown out,” it is simple to eat when you have little money. He also claimed that nothing he has ever eaten from a trash can has ever made him ill.
While he gave up the trappings of contemporary life, Suelo said he never received food stamps or any other government assistance, although he did acknowledge using a library computer to write his blog.
He recalled the exact moment he stopped caring about money, placing his last bit of cash in a phone box and walking away.
