My Personal Finances 2025

The following is a summary of my personal finances in 2025.
Generally I do not keep track of my spending in detail, as that adds up to a sum of time that could be used otherwise. However, this year I did and I’ve decided to publish it.

The majority of people who visit this website will not find this information interesting or useful, however, I’m certain this information will be useful for some, especially those on a similar journey of downsizing, simplifying and de-monetizing their lives.

In January, I gave away the last few hundred dollars that I had and all of my possessions, entering into The Non-Ownership Experiment. I then lived without money or possessions for four months.
In June, I re-entered the monetary system and started to accumulate some basic possessions.
Shortly after, I moved to northern Wisconsin, where I began the three months of preparation to forage 100% of my food for a year and settled into a simple wooden structure.

This was my highest year of earnings since 2015: $11,500. The reason for this is that I started with nothing and it took more than average finances to rebuild my material life. As with every year since 2015, I have earned below the federal poverty threshold. This is a lifetime vow.

How I earned these funds: $7,535 from hosting Foraging Schools, which are offered on a donation basis to be accessible to all; $3,720 as contributions from supporters and $250 public speaking.

My net worth at the end of 2025 was approximately $6,800 ($750 cash, $6,000 value of possessions).

For more details on my finances, read My Commitment to Financial Transparency, My Net Worth Is … and My Vows.

I have broken down my spending into the following categories:

$800 Food
This is from June-September and includes $300 in wild rice processing.

$2,000 Transportation
This includes gas, train and bicycle maintenance. I purchased a secondhand bicycle with a rack and panniers for $1,000.

$700 Utilities
This includes wood to heat my home, propane for cooking, and a contribution for utilities in the other home on the property.

$400 Lodging and camping

$1,500 Foraging and kitchen items
This includes a chest freezer, dehydrator, blender, pressure cooker, canning jars, cooking pots, bags, miscellaneous foraging items, kitchen utensils and items.

$600 Other items
This includes wool blankets, a headlamp, house decoration, a computer and memory card and tent.

$2,000 Clothing
$585 cotton and linen fabric, $850 wool yarn, $150 deer hide, $200 poncho, $25 thread, $150 dyeing materials, $25 sinew. (I have a substantial amount of cloth and materials that are not yet used.)

$60 Personal care items

$400 Books

$400 Fishing and hunting
This includes licenses.

$300 Gifts and donations
Most of the gifts that I give come freely from the Earth and are an investment in my time and skills, rather than money.

$800 Labor
I hired help with building a few items for my home, clearing brush and purchasing secondhand items.

$1,100 Did not keep track of
A substantial amount of this was likely food.

$500 Left at the end of the year.

This is the summary of money that I earned and spent. I have built a life around skills, relationships and non-monetary exchanges. For me, this is the key to living simply. Although I have a lifetime vow to earn below the federal poverty threshold, I do have many mutually beneficial relationships, and money on my behalf is involved in some of these relationships. As an example, there are many people who are eager to learn foraging from me and will cover the gas and transportation for the opportunity to learn and spend time together. As I’m traveling, many people will host me in their homes and share food (when I’m not immersed in my year of foraging). The point of earning minimal money is not to deprive myself, but rather to create a standard of simple and sustainable living that allows me to be most effective in my service to Earth, humanity and our plant and animal relatives.

If you are interested in decreasing your dependency on money and building a life around skills and mutually beneficial relationships, I recommend exploring the Finances Resource Page of my website.