I watched the video. The thing that bothers me most for this sweet lady is her lack of fresh food. She does mention some fresh produce but on a very limited basis. I’m very interested to hear opinions here.
We seldom spend more than we get from SS. No car payments rent or mortgage. Should I die, my wife will struggle since benefits will be cut to her, but she is a very resourceful and frugal lady, so I believe she will get along okay.
No, I don’t believe we could live on SS alone. It would be very difficult. I am very thankful that we saved, invested, and was frugal with our hard earned dollars that we worked for, when we were young, so we wouldn't have to live off of just social security.
I'm the same way (or will be back to that way when my Mazda is paid off), but that's because--like you--my house is paid for and my only expense there is maintenance and real estate taxes. When I was with a non-profit that did home repairs for folks, we had a maximum qualifying income (I believe it was 50% of the Median Income for that county.) I've seen folks living off of $700/month. I assume they had other support (Medicaid, food stamps, etc), but that's really barely scraping by.
I can find fresh food almost anywhere although I have no city experience. But it is important that she stay healthy. So a bottle of GOOD vitamin/mineral would be a consideration. If she were to get sick or have a fall, that would be of major concern. But she mentioned a son. I know to be a burden would be a last resort for her that she wants to avoid.
I liked this woman too. I think I will follow the videos. The comments on YouTube seemed to lean to blaming the government because she is having a hard time. I would like to see everyone doing well but a lot goes into the back stories sometimes.
if I become homeless..maybe I can learn to make utube videos living in....oh..what kind of contraption should I get
The cost of camp sites here has gotten surprisingly expensive from back when I used them. One person I knew approached me to live on my farm. I turned her down because we would not have meshed. And squatting laws are weird.
A motorhome would be a lot nicer, even a small one would have a lot more space and convenience than a van. That was our plan and we did do quite a bit of regional traveling before we retired. But, by the time I could retire he was too ill for us to travel much. I’ve heard that the prices have really gone up. Also, a lot of private campgrounds have a 10 yr. rule and will not accept any motorhomes or trailers over 10 years old. I think you were wise not to let anyone move onto your land, Mary. One thing I wondered about was where she is parking the van. I’m going to try to watch another of her videos today. Yesterday was kind of crazy here with family in and out.
For those who have not yet used the privilege, Walmart has a parking lot policy which allows truckers, RVs and yes vans and cars to use their lots for parking overnight or even for a couple of days. They allow restroom use without making purchases and as long as the parking area is kept clean, quiet and respectful and use the outer parking areas, they have no problem with people parking for a day or two