Living Well & Peacefully on $12,000 a Year
I stumbled upon this wonderful story today about a woman who has found contentment in her life yet lives at the “poverty” line. I can relate to her story because when I was a resident I blogged in detail about my own budget which was also at the poverty line ==> MD Living in Poverty . It was through the cutting of unnecessary expenses and eschewing the greed fueled American lifestyle that I was able to escape medicine. No fancy car, latest high tech gadget, or gaudy piece of jewelry was worth giving up my freedom for as long as I was chained to a job in healthcare. Thanks to this realization, I will never step foot in a hospital again unless it is to visit a dying relative (I made a vow to not spend my last days in a hospital bed no matter what the circumstances! I consider myself a DNA- “Do Not Admit”).
Anyone can do this if they really want to make a change in their lives. By living within her means, Ms. Wilcoxon has been able to escape the relentless and punishing American rat race. Unlike most other Americans who work themselves to death so they can buy things to justify the countless hours they clock in everyday and to impress others within their social circles, this woman has courageously turned her back on all that. She appears to have found a MUCH easier path to achieving happiness and peace in her life without all the needless sacrifice. Instead of slogging away, 12 hrs a day, at some dreaded soul sucking job, Ms. Wilcoxon instead lives on a charming boathouse on the bay in San Francisco and leisurely spends her days taking in the beautiful environs and doing what she loves to do…paint. Kudos to You, Ms. Wilcoxon, for discovering the secret on living well….and all for a mere 12K year!! Here are some highlights from the video portraying her lifestyle:
“I don’t have huge payments, I’m not stressed out by a job, I make just enough money to pay for my lifestyle, I don’t need a lot of money for a big house with 3 cars and 5 bedrooms and big payments, it‘s not what I’m interested in.”
Wilcoxon lives on about $12,000 a year, paying a small monthly fee to the cooperative for berth rights (which includes sewage and laundry). Her electric bills are only about $12 in the summer and $60 during the frosty winter months.
Her minimal expenses allow Wilcoxon to live as an artist. Her work has been shown in the American University Museum (Washington DC) and she’s represented in New York (Brenda Taylor Gallery) and San Francisco (Jack Fischer Gallery), but her most enduring work is her boat home itself.
I never understood the people who slave away at stressful jobs for money.
To me, free time is the most important thing. Honestly, all I really need is a computer and I’m happy.
I think we mostly hear and see about how people are always after material things and money all the time. Stories like living under the poverty line never make it out, yet they exist everywhere. It’s very common for families to live modestly and not participate in the American Rat Race. My family included live under the poverty line as well and although there is nothing wrong with going out there and try to make a living by making more money, it’s crucial to becareful that you do not lose yourself along the way. If you have to lose your vacation time with family and friends to earn more money for a bigger house, it’s not worth it. If you’re losing sleep over stock prices, it’s not worth it.
“Stories like living under the poverty line never make it out, yet they exist everywhere”
Which is why I jumped on this story when I first saw it because you rarely hear about stories like this. It was a refreshing change away from reading about the latest top 10 list, or how many millions some CEO, sports figure, or celeb made that our media loves to bombard us with.
loved this wee video! What a cool woman and i LOVE her boat and her style. Thank you!