The Boldest Things People Have Done To Lower Their Cost Of Living

Everyone likes to save money when they can.

Choosing to buy the cheaper brand of coffee than a pure Columbian bean, or always eating in and never splurging on a night out.

Some people, however, go to slightly greater lengths to ensure their cost of living stays low.

Taking penny pinching to a whole new level.

Redditor GotTheC0nch was curious to hear the greatest lengths people have gone to lower their cost of living, leading them to ask:

"What is the boldest thing you've seen someone do to greatly lower their cost of living?"

"My younger brother decided to be a train hopper for roughly half the year so he doesn't have to pay for rent."- definitely_right

Any Place You Hang Your Hat Is Home

"I work EMS and recently had a coworker that also works part time at neighboring fire department tell us about a coworker they had that moved out of his house and was living out the fire department."

"They did 24 hour shifts and each employee had a bedroom."

"This particular employee would just pick up as much overtime as possible, use the bedroom for sleep, the laundry room for his laundry, the kitchen to cook, and the showers to well you get the picture."

"All of his personal items were kept in truck."

"This lasted about four months before his coworkers caught on."

"His chief told him it wasn't a bad idea but that it was time to move back into his own place."- gil_beard

Couldn't Beat The Commute

"I remember reading a story about a guy who had an internship at some big tech firm, I think Google, in an extremely HCOL area."

"He bought an old uhaul and outfitted it for living."

"He parked in the company lot as obscurely as possible and moved every so often."

"Used the company showers and such."

"Probably the best way to manage that situation if you could handle it."- The_Brightness

Move GIF by Western Illinois UniversityGiphy

While Supplies Last

"I had a friend who would go to farmer's markets and wait until the end of the day, then go up to people and offer to buy the leftovers at a discount."

"Not terribly exciting, but bold."- Nerditter

They Say "Ball And Chain" Is Just An Expression... Well...

"My best friend divorced his spend-a-holic wife who had gotten them into over $50,000 of credit card debt, and wanted to take out a second mortgage on the house to buy herself another car."

"He ended up with half the debt, of course."

"But he moved in with his sister and dug himself out after 4 years."

"He lives alone now and is the most careful person with money I've ever seen."

"She's being supported by her parents who have her on a strict budget."

"She's almost 50 now."

"I shudder to think what will happen when they pass and she inherits."- Any_Assumption_2023

Lowering Hers By Raising Everyone Else's

"Hmm...depends what you mean by 'the boldest'."

"I'd say the most audacious behavior I've seen was from my former roommate and ex-friend 'Sarah', a narcissist and professional mooch, who used her then-friends to get a job, a cheap place to live, borrowed furniture, and even food, while also quietly stealing from us."

"I'm sure she effectively lowered her cost of living through the theft and manipulation."- ConcentrateTrue

evil genius waiting GIF by Kathryn DeanGiphy

Life On The Open Sea!

"I got sick of continuously rising rents, moving rentals and working full time, so I bought a cheap houseboat and anchored it in the middle of the river in my city."

"Close to everything and totally off grid."

"There are no fees to anchor in the river so besides the cheap cost of the houseboat and a kayak to get to and from, it was free."

"It was a bit inconvenient, but I did it for 5 years while working 3-4 days a week and saved up almost everything I earned."

"Just bought a house 50% cash a few years ago because of that houseboat stint."- battleunicorn11

This Deserves Some Applause!

"My FIL is a contractor."

"Thus, he has to buy lots of supplies."

"He buys gift cards first, then buys thousands of dollars worth of supplies on the cards."

"All so he can get the gas points."

"But because he has to buy so much for his business, it adds up hugely."

"He hasn’t paid for gas in years."

"He also has to drive quite a bit so it’s a big money saver."

"Simultaneously the biggest boomer move and the smartest cheating of the system I’ve ever seen."- zucchiniqueen1

You Never Know When Those Miles Will Come In Handy

"A student was living in Los Angeles, in an apartment with a rent he could afford, but wanted to get a master's degree in engineering from the University of California at Berkeley."

"Because the Bay Area is one of the areas with the highest cost of living in the United States, the student decided to continue living in Los Angeles instead, and flew roundtrip from KLAX to KSFO at least three times a week."

"For the entire academic year, he spent approximately $5,600 on his transportation, roughly equating to $650 a month."

"Quite an interesting story!"- britishmetric144

Flying Take Off GIF by AirbusGiphy

Downsize To Upgrade

"I got sick of paying rent, so I bought an RV and remodeled it to be a perfect bachelor pad. 40" TV surround sound, recliner chair, room for a standup jetski."

"I paid someone in East Nashville $200 a month to park in their backyard and use their WiFi."

"I saved up the rent I would have been paying and put a down-payment on a duplex in 2016."

"It was a good call."

"Then, I lived in half of the duplex and sold the RV for the same amount that I had into it."

"Around 3k."- barkingatbacon

Day By Day Pays Off In The Longterm

"A friend of mine works as an on-call pharmacist."

"He goes to rural pharmacies and takes over for a few weeks to a few months when their pharmacist is out."

"He makes like $60 per hour."

"His wife works for a big oil company and, based on her job, seems to make a very high wage too."

"He bought a $1200 van and put a mattress in it."

"That’s where he lives while he’s working so he can pocket the per diem."- heatdish1292

For The Beauty Of The Earth

"Wife and I got rid of all our grass and turned our front and back yard into food garden."

"We only needed to buy veggies in the winter, but this year, we've expanded more planting space so we may be able to freeze more."

"Food is hella expensive now."- TheOrangeTickler

animation play GIF by franciscabGiphy

"Head Out On The Highway..."

"Van life-d while working as an electrician for Seaspan on all the navy boats."

"Saw my friends spending 1600-2000$ a month in rent."

"Meanwhile my rent was 80$ insurance and about 300 in gas a month."

"Wife and I raked it in for about 2 years doing that."

"I love the life style."

"So easy to maintain."

"We built a 93 vandura high top during Covid."

"Still have the van for camping."

"It’s awesome."- Holyacid

Ultimately, It's The Same Fish...

"I've seen one of the episodes of a series featuring the cheapskates and there's someone who feeds her ex husband and friends canned tuna which is for cats because apparently, it is cheaper than those sold for humans."- girlwithcharisma

Let's Hope They Split The Bill...

"My neighbors stole my electricity while I was away for a week, found poorly buried extension cord running from an external outlet to their house."- Patriotfan17

Plug Stekker GIF by STUDIO STKKRGiphy

Anyone moving to New York does their best to find a "rent-controlled" apartment, which severely limits the amount their landlord can raise their rent.

The only thing that could possibly be better than rent control? No rent at all.

Which the above posts have proven is not an impossible solution...