Introvert Living 'In the Forest' For $500 a Month Baffles Internet

Newsweek

21-07-2025

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An online post describing a man's life on $500 a month in the forest has drawn both admiration and skepticism, as critics dissected his cost-cutting methods and lifestyle philosophy.
Writing under the Reddit handle SpecialistPublic5503, the individual explained how he cycles between legal, free campsites, living mostly alone and relying on basic food, minimal gear and a monthly gym visit for charging electronics.
Frugality and Solitude
The post outlines a stripped-down lifestyle centered on frugality and solitude. With a $3,000 car, a tent setup and 10 20,000mAh power banks for phone charging, he covers food, fuel, insurance and hygiene for around $500 per month.
Meals largely consist of tortillas, canned beans and soy milk, while hygiene involves baby wipes and creek water, a point many commentators fixated on.
"I use baby wipes to bathe every few days," he wrote.
"I might use a smidge of hand sanitizer once a week... I carry a bucket and bathe on the soil away from the water flow."
Stock image: Man wearing a plaid shirt looks at his phone while camping.
Stock image: Man wearing a plaid shirt looks at his phone while camping.
Miljan Živković/iStock / Getty Images Plus
Reddit reactions to the post varied amid 1,500 comments within eight days. Some folks saw ingenuity, others a self-imposed hardship.
One person offered the original poster (OP) a practical idea: "Can I suggest getting a job as a campground host? It doesn't pay amazingly... but you don't use any gas for it."
Others questioned his hygiene and spending logic, or as another individual commented, "Even still, OP is paying $65/m—phone bill for access to the gym. I'd use that for the bulk of my showers."
Working Debt
The man, who self-describes as "under 40" and living in Australia, as well as introverted with a preference for solitude, says he took this route after working full-time and ending up in debt.
He earns about $15,000 annually from short-term jobs, savings and limited welfare.
"There is dignity in having a normal 9-5 life," the OP reasoned, "and it is better than living in the woods for most people."
Financial Trade-Offs
The lifestyle described by SpecialistPublic5503 aligns with principles described in MoneyFit.org, where financial counselor Rick Munster wrote, "Living below your means isn't about cutting out everything fun—it's about spending intentionally so that your financial future is just as important as your present."
Munster described his own realization that higher income didn't guarantee security: "As my income grew, so did my spending... I still felt like I wasn't getting ahead."
The financial tradeoffs of forest living—such as choosing gas money over frequent showers—may strike some as extreme, but according to SoFi.com, there is no fixed dollar threshold for "living below your means."
Instead, it's defined as spending less than you earn, whether that means skipping daily luxuries or, in this case, camping full-time.
Criticism has focused largely on perceived compromises in quality of life. One Reddit user wrote, "As strange as some of your choices are, it's all understandable except 'bathing' with baby wipes... You probably stink to high heaven."
Yet others defended his choices, especially the focus on personal freedom.
"When you're at that small of a margin, the $20 extra a month for that gas can actually be make or break," another remarked.
Restriction Worries
In reply to an invitation to comment from Newsweek, user SpecialistPublic5503 said he was "worried" that the rules may change to be more restrictive on camping, for instance a limit of a month in a year, instead of alternating.
"Also, one big reason I did this was because I work shift jobs and had bad experiences with getting varying shifts per week while having to pay rent, plus psychotic roommates," the OP added.
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