For the past 10 years, a woman in New South Wales, Australia, has been living a very simple life. She doesn’t work for money, doesn’t use money at all, and has never bought anything. So, how does she manage to live her life?
According to a report from Yahoo News, this woman, Jo Nemeth, who is now 56 years old, used to work in community development and lived in a rented house with her daughter. They could barely manage to balance their income and expenses, but she realized that money was actually causing more stress in her life.
When her parents gave her a book as a birthday gift on how people can live with little or no money, she eagerly read it and decided to follow its principles.
In 2015, at the age of 46, she quit her job, got rid of many belongings, and gave all her money to her daughter, starting her life without money. At that time, her daughter Amy had already completed her studies.
Initially, Nemeth built a small house from reclaimed building materials on a friend’s farm where she lived for 3 years. Then in 2018, she moved in with her friend Sharon Brodie and her family. Besides Brodie and her family, Amy and her family also lived there, creating a multi-generational household.
Nemeth doesn’t pay rent but helps with cooking, cleaning, managing the garden, and makes items like soap, laundry detergent, and fermented foods to save money for the household and reduce environmental impact. This lifestyle makes her very happy.
She said, “I enjoy staying at home, and I like the challenge of meeting our needs without money – it’s like a game to me.”
Nemeth is currently single and doesn’t own a house, car, or any property. She doesn’t receive welfare benefits, have savings, donations from others, or secret emergency cash reserves. She travels by bike, walks, or hitchhikes.
Nemeth told Yahoo News that when she lived on her friend’s farm, her biggest concern was sourcing food. Although she grew a lot of vegetables, she always had enough to eat.
At the beginning of her new moneyless life, she was most worried about how others would perceive her.
She said, “I thought people would think I was crazy, but no one said that, at least not to my face. Amy has always been very supportive, and I have a large group of friends willing to help.”
However, some things took time to figure out, such as where to get toilet paper.
To solve this, Nemeth’s friend who works at a café started collecting all the napkins people used under their coffee cups for her. She found it wasteful to throw them away, so she used them as toilet paper.
She also practices a gift economy, helping others with tasks like planting and production in exchange for goods or services like coffee, a phone, or rides.
She said, “I have considered living with a small amount of money, but I believe not having money is easier. I lack self-control and would spend money on frivolous things.”
She mentioned that she is not choosy in her way of living. She doesn’t mind wearing second-hand clothes, and she even cuts her own hair. What she truly enjoys is picking flowers from the garden, which is all free.
After moving to live with Brodie’s family, she devoted a lot of effort to the community garden, using her time to help local residents. She now has this freedom, and nothing can stop her. She believes that a regular life might not be as fulfilling.
After ten years of living without money, her first challenge is that she needs to see a dentist soon. She plans to raise funds on the GoFundMe website and offer educational courses, like teaching tofu-making, as a reward. This way, she can raise money for dental care while staying true to her values.
Nemeth is not the only one living a moneyless life. There is a group of people around the world who choose to live this way, but the exact numbers are unknown.
As for whether anyone else can live this lifestyle, Nemeth said it might be easier for an individual. A family could also do it, but it might require a different approach to create such a life.
She said, “For a certain type of person, I would recommend it, but we can all cut expenses, assess our actual needs, and only spend on those necessities.”