Those Crazy Beach Bums Are Living The High Life!

Is it possible to live comfortably in today’s American culture without money or a job? Down here in South Florida, the mere thought of living without money conjures up images of those scraggly dudes that live down by the beach, shirtless, shoeless and with a paper bag-covered beer can permanently stuck in their hand! Ok, they may have to beg for their supper, but is this outsider lifestyle really that crappy?

After all, these slackers rarely have to work, worry about debt, depend on welfare, and guess what else? These loafers know how to get what they want (seriously, these guys never lack anything). Think I’m kidding? Well, let’s take a look at how these people use craftiness and tact to meet the basic needs that all humans share: air, water, food, clothing, and shelter …

Not to mention that they find these things for next to nothing:

Air. This is self-explanatory! If you need help here, go take a health class or something.

Water. Drinking fountains are everywhere and the beach is definitely no different! If you didn’t know this already, these guys recycle discarded water bottles and fill ‘em up all day without ever having to pay one red cent (unlike you, sucker). Alternate sources: inside their warm domestic beers!

Food. Americans are soft: we have become accustomed to eating 3x/day and if we miss a meal we feel awful. This goes against the grain of the beachcomber, who eats fresh fish on the daily. Note: humans are quite capable of living on a lot less food than we are used to eating, and these guys live by this fact. Bonus: eating less equals a healthier body (who knew?)!

Clothing. Clothing can be found for little or no money. For the rich bums, thrift stores sell stacks of this stuff really cheap. Also, people are always cleaning out their closets and might be happy to give these men what they’re tossing away. After all, we live in a society of abundance, and these guys are just cashing in.

Shelter. You don’t have to live in a cardboard box to be a beach bum! Sure, some bums like to live under the wide open skies, but most of them live in cramped apartments with other bums and they all chip in for rent, which usually comes out to like $50 a month each! See, they beg for more than beer (not for too much more though)!

As for luxuries … now you’re just talking crazy! These loners might, if they’re lucky, have one or two prized possessions, but most of the stuff that they once cherished probably can be found at the pawn shop (just waiting for their next big lottery ticket haul). I mean, sure, this can get to be a desolate lifestyle after a while, but most of these guys have long stringy hair and old faces, so it looks like they have been at it for quite some time now (if they hated this way of life, do you really think they’d still be going at it this long? I don’t!).

Ok, maybe you don’t want to push the limits of living without money quite this far, but you can absolutely change your lifestyle so you can live on a lot less money than what you’re throwing away every day! The truth: everything you spend money on (from real estate to sports and travel) can be obtained outside the usual system for much, much less. Living the simple life may give you more time to find some unusual opportunities and good deals as well as the chance to hike some mountains and lie on the beautiful beaches. Life offers more than you’re taking from it, so this is why I tried today to give you a much different perspective (I don’t really want you to be a dirty bum [not that there’s anything wrong with that])!

Now go out and grab life by its horns, or at least by its paper bag-wrapped beer cans!