[Towards Zero Living Costs] Why 'Living Socialistically' in a Capitalist Society is the Ultimate Modern Survival Strategy
I am Kayama, a nomadic worker who travels between Japan and abroad, living a multi-base lifestyle. I survive abroad on 50,000 yen a month. This isn't a boast. I'm here to tell you that this is the 'answer'.
The smartest people living in capitalism are those who act like socialists.
Most people in this world are brainwashed into believing they must 'fight at full throttle' by the rules of capitalism. Yes, it's true that the harder you work, the more you earn. But tell me, how much of your life are you planning to sacrifice for that 'hard work'?
Capitalism is simple: there are capitalists, there are workers, and workers keep selling their time and physical strength. Freelancing is essentially the same. You're just selling your time to clients. Even if the form changes, the structure of exploitation remains the same.
Now, what I want to say isn't 'then move to a socialist country.' It's that you should install a socialist-style 'planned economy' for yourself within the current capitalist society.
In an era where food, clothing, and shelter can be made almost free, why are you still letting your money drain away?
Clothing—let's start there. People who cling to brands are uninformed. Whether it's SHEIN, second-hand clothes, or Mercari, you can get functional clothing for surprisingly cheap. Even Uniqlo is more than enough. No one will die if you compress the money you spend on clothes to the absolute limit.
Food expensesare the same. Food loss services, locker-type services that sell bento boxes nearing their expiration date at rock-bottom prices, and restaurant subscriptions—the options have exploded in the last few years. If you combine them well, you can fix your food expenses at a flat rate. You can easily calculate it in advance. This is a socialist-style 'plan'.
Housing—this is the most powerful point. In Japan, there are 0-yen properties. If you go to rural areas, there's a possibility you can get the property itself for free. Even if you have to pay management fees or utilities, you can make your biggest fixed cost—rent—almost zero. Furthermore, if it comes with land, self-sufficiency becomes realistic. If you grow bean sprouts or Chinese cabbage, you can even compress your food costs. This is no different from practicing a socialist self-sufficient economy as an individual.
Use the 'free monsters' created by capitalism to the fullest.
What about entertainment? YouTube is free. In exchange for making vast wealth through an advertising model, Google is opening up infinite content to us for free. The king of capitalism is doing socialist-style 'free distribution.' It's funny, right? But there's no reason not to use it.
Parks, libraries, administrative services. These are all public goods funded by taxes. You should use them to the fullest, with the intention of reclaiming the taxes you've paid.
Achieving maximum freedom with minimum labor is the modern correct answer.
In a society where you earn more the harder you work, intentionally design your life to 'work only 3 hours.' Compress your spending to the limit and lower the threshold of required income. That alone will make you free.
I am living proof, surviving on 50,000 yen a month. This isn't about being frugal or poor. It's the most clever survival strategy that exploits the loopholes of capitalism.
Only the freaks who can empathize with this way of life, hit follow and like. Goddamn.