A smart woman managed to save $48,000 over two years by packing up her household goods, ditching the nine-to-five and pitching a tent.
In June 2021, Christine Blue (41) and her son Britton (14) from New York packed their bags and gathered their dogs to embark on an adventure of nomadic life.
Christine first made the move as a fun 90-day camping challenge to spend time with her son over the summer holidays.
She quit her job as an Uber driver, bought a tent at Walmart and pitched it in the back yard.
But a few weeks into the challenge, the 41-year-old mother realized how much money she could save by living in the wilderness, which convinced her to take up the new lifestyle full-time. Now, after living in a tent, she’s building a mini-cabin to make the move permanent.
Christine Blue (pictured), 41, from New York, managed to save $48,000 over two years by packing up her household goods, ditching the nine-to-five and pitching a tent
Back in New York, Christine racked up bills of $2,500 a month for rent, water, electricity, gas and garbage disposal in her home.
But after a few weeks in the tent, the mother-of-one decided to change that.
She said: ‘A week or two later it was a light bulb moment about how much I could save doing this. I even quit my job and instead focused on a crochet business out of the tent because I don’t need the money anymore.’
As Chritine and her son made the change more permanent, they expanded their space by moving into a bell tent at the cost of $1,800 with a solar generator for their power costing $1,500.
Inside the tent there’s a wood stove for cooking, cozy blankets and a bed, and the solar generator meant Christine could set up her laptop and run her crochet business.
It is also furnished with carpets and soft furnishings from Christine’s home to make it more homely.
Britton moved between his parents’ houses throughout the week, spending time in both the tent and his father’s house.
The small investment in a larger space meant that Christine was able to save $2,000 a month that she would have spent on a house.
Inside the tent (photo) Christine added a wood stove for cooking, cozy blankets and a comfortable bed
The mum-of-one added plush blankets and cushions to make the marquee a home away from home
Inside the tent was an impressive wood stove for cooking (pictured), powered by a solar generator
After Christine enjoyed a 90-day camping challenge with her son Britton, she decided to purchase a higher quality tent that costs $1800.
Christine’s monthly costs were cut to about $340 a month.
The monthly amount included the ground lease at $180, water delivery at $55 for 275 gallons for drinking, showering and cooking, firewood delivery at $75, propane for supplemental heat on colder nights at $30 – with solar power that is free.
For Christine, showering was a new experience, using a tank rather than running water – and extreme weather also presented challenges during the winter months.
She said: ‘The biggest problem 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 and get up in the middle of the night. get rid of it to prevent the tent from collapsing.
‘Britton was such a trooper; he would 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 said it was a ‘light bulb moment’ when she realized how much money she could save by living in the wilderness
Since making the change, Christine has quit her job as an Uber driver and is running an online crotchet business
The mother-of-one can cook on her wood stove – which is powered by sustainable solar energy
Christine now focuses on her crossover business, as she needs much less money to survive after reducing her bills
‘Being out in the open like this was like a breath of fresh air, I went from being tied to four walls, unable to keep up with life and bills to being completely free and at peace.
‘When it came to the bathroom, I went outside, just like everyone else for thousands of years. We used a bucket and biodegradable bags.’
Christine has now moved into a temporary home in upstate New York while she is busy building her new mini-cabin in the place where she went to live in her tent.
She added: ‘I loved being outside and hearing the sounds of nature around me, things like that really helped my mental health.
‘Of course it’s difficult, I had to fetch the water myself, chop the firewood, make sure everything is safe – you have no one to rely on but yourself.
Christine said since moving into the wilderness she had developed a strong bond with her son Britton (pictured)
Christine said the biggest problem is the weather – because if the fire goes out at night the tent walls will get cold, but her son Britton has been a big help
Christine now gets a monthly water delivery at $55 for 275 liters for drinking, showering and cooking
Christine found peace living in a tent, and now she’s building a mini-cabin to live permanently in the wilderness
The 41-year-old significantly reduced her bills from $2,500 to $340 a month, including the heating for her ball tent
‘We started the journey in Illinois, but we were only there for the first three months and then we moved near my parents over the winter, just for some peace of mind in case something ever went wrong.
‘But once the snow cleared we found a beautiful place to settle in upstate New York – I fell in love with the area.
‘I’m not an outdoorsy person; I had never gone camping before so this was a big leap to make.
‘I had no experience working in this, of course I researched what I needed, but it was new to me.
‘I decided if I was going to live with minimal expenses, then I was going to take advantage of it and focus on growing my online business.
“I really liked living alone in the woods, I’m an introvert by nature so it never felt lonely, I was just completely at peace.”