Two weeks of tent life convinced a woman to trade her New York City lifestyle for a full-time adventure in the wilderness with her son. Now, she's saving significantly each month and building her own cabin, brick by brick.
Seeking quality time with her son, Britton, 14, Christine Blue, a 41-year-old New Yorker, embarked on a 90-day backyard camping challenge. This temporary move turned into a two-year adventure, with Blue ditching her Uber job and embracing tent life.
The move allowed them to ditch rent and bills, saving an estimated $48,000 (£39,000). Two weeks into her backyard campout, Christine realised the financial freedom it offered. This revelation prompted her to embrace this simpler lifestyle, full-time.
After two years of tent living, she's building a mini cabin to solidify their off-grid adventure, according to a report by Mirror. Previously spending $2,500 a month on rent, utilities, and trash removal in New York City, her new way of life translates to significant monthly savings.
Christine's Journey To Freedom In The Outdoors
"One or two weeks in, it was a lightbulb moment about how much I could save doing this," Christine said. Freed from the constraints of her job, Christine deviated focus to her crochet business, which could now flourish within the confines of her tent.
Christine and Britton upgraded their living situation with a spacious $1,800 bell tent. They opted for a solar generator for power, while a wood stove provided warmth for cooking and blankets and a bed ensured their comfort. The solar generator even allowed Christine to continue running her thriving crochet business.
Christine's monthly expenses have been reduced to about $340. This amount covers the land lease at $180, water delivery at $55 for 275 gallons for drinking, showers, and cooking, firewood delivery at $75, and propane for supplemental heat on colder nights at $30. Solar power is, of course, free.
For Christine, showering was a novel experience, relying on a water tank instead of running water. Additionally, she faced challenges with extreme weather during the winter months.
"The biggest difficulty for us was the weather - when the fire would go out at night and the tent walls would get cold again, snow would pile up and I'd have to get up in the middle of the night and get rid of it to stop the tent falling in," she said.
` and Britton found ways to make their situation work despite the challenges. Britton, having to move between his mum's tent and his dad's house throughout the week, showed great resilience.
"Britton was such a trooper; he'd be there in the middle of the night helping me shovel the snow. It was always a team effort with us. We were always close but living like this really gave us a bond that we wouldn't have without it," Christine noted.
Finding Peace In The Wild
Christine noted that "being in the outdoors like that was like a breath of fresh air." She added, "I went from being tied down to four walls, not being able to keep up with life and bills to being completely free and at peace. When it came to going to the bathroom, I went outside just like everybody did for thousands of years. We used a bucket and biodegradable bags."
Christine has since transitioned to a temporary home in upstate New York, but the dream of her mini cabin on the land she explored by tent remains. Despite a lack of prior experience with outdoor living, Christine embraced the challenge.
Though new to her, she researched what was necessary and saw this as an opportunity to focus on growing her online business while living minimally. Christine, an introvert by nature, thrived in the solitude of the woods, finding peace rather than loneliness.
Christine's story isn't unique. Others have embraced mobile lifestyles, departing from conventional living. For example, a couple traded their 9-to-5 jobs for a dream home on wheels, transforming a shuttle bus into their own haven. Similarly, another individual left her job and routine behind to explore America and Canada with her pets, living full-time out of her Tesla.
