thanks, DD. i'll elaborate a little, but i hesitate to say too much mostly because i don't want to imply some sort of blueprint or prescription for living without money. i find it most important to have a mindset of wanting to live more free of money, and keeping that mindset as much as i can has led me to all sorts of things i never considered.
in my earlier efforts to live with less money in my life, i mostly reduced my consumption dramatically....not going out to eat, not buying stuff i don't really need, creating "entertainment" for myself and with others, etc. i also started living in much smaller spaces, and often with other people for varying amounts of time. i don't have a cellphone, i no longer use shampoo or deodorant, etc.
but as i continued this path, i found other ways of doing things....going to really, really, free markets....i've grown fruits and vegetables, done a little fishing and crabbing, picked wild berries, apples, mushrooms....gone to food banks (one in washington state also has an organic garden where i planted vegetables, weeded, etc.), got food that was thrown out by various stores....
and i also find stuff all the time....one day, my mate said she wanted a nightstand, and put her attention toward it, and two days later we saw a pair of nightstands on the side of the road that someone gave away for free....for the last 6 years, i've also found wood to heat the small cabin i live in part time from a variety of sources. i've found sunglasses, jackets, all sorts of stuff.
another important aspect for me is giving away what i have, whether my energy or skills that i have to help someone else, or stuff that i no longer use. this doesn't always happen as easily as i thought, mostly because other people often get suspicious when you say you'll fix their computer for free, or watch their dogs for free, or give them a haircut, whatever....i think that, generally, people feel uncomfortable not paying for something. but i keep offering, anyway. i've had a few people stay with me via the couchsurfing website, and i've stayed some places like that myself. i've experienced so much more joy in feeling like i can freely give and freely receive than i ever did when thinking about or actively seeking more money.
all of this has led me to feeling much more creative, in how i live my daily life, and in other ways, like making some music, short films, etc....and i only wish i could find more people who desire the same sort of life....luckily i have one person, sometimes two.
a couple of good reads on the subject....charles eisenstein's "sacred economics" (and "Ascent of humanity"), mark boyle's "the moneyless man", daniel suelo's blog....that keep me thinking, and more inspired.
like i mentioned, the hardest aspect for me has been the reaction of people in my life to this different way of living....especially because at an earlier point in my life i made an above average income, with a big house, etc.....but a few do see how much happier and creative i feel now.
so much for the short elaboration! :)
edited to add:
i also began spending a lot more time outside every day...i really enjoy staring at stuff as it turns out....woodpeckers, clouds, the moon (i try to watch it rise each day), leaves falling off trees, even cars and city lights if i can find a perch a couple miles away.
