I don’t really have any interests that could be financially lucrative.
The GI Bill is great, and I intend to milk it to the very last drop.
I’ve heard all about the Michigan winters, and I’m not excited. Another place I’m considering is Memphis, Tennessee. The city does have a relatively high crime rate, but overall it’s far more “normal” than Detroit while somehow being almost as inexpensive to live in, and having a more pleasant climate.
Comprehension is a problem but worse is not reading the entire post. (Nor yours either)
Sorry about that.
Did they actually mean the decades??
I’m not going to press you on your interests, and I wish you well in your plans, but I would encourage you to actually sit down and look at a budget because barring buying a remote plot of property and living off the land, I don’t think you’re going to be able to stretch that $50k nearly as long as you think even if you are very frugal. And being poor sucks, especially when some health or transportation crisis comes along. It is ironic truism that it is expensive to be poor, because the sort of issues that would be nominal for a median household become fiscal crises for a poverty-level one, and poor people frequently have to make the choice between having a car to get to work or being able to eat decently for the next week.
For the problems Memphis has (crime, higher than average unemployment, schools that are less than great), it is actually a pretty decent place to live if you don’t mind living in the South (and at least it isn’t in the Deep South although it is edging on it). However, while the cost of living is certainly lower than the Eastern Seaboard or the Pacific Coast, it isn’t what I would exactly call cheap. I’m sure there is someone here who can give specifics on the city and surrounding areas (and explicit warnings to avoid West Memphis at all costs) but I don’t think it is really going to allow you to stretch your nest egg very far.
Sorry about my overly snippy response; it was uncalled for.
Stranger
I thought East Saint Louis was the worst city in America?
Also, Stranger offhand mentioned moving to Alaska. The cost of living in Alaska is pretty dang high, and that’s not even counting the costs of not freezing to death. It’s not ludicrously more expensive than the lower 48, but it’s not a cheap place to live. And there also aren’t vast tracts of cheap land lying around.
If you wanted cheap acreage for living a semi off-the-grid lifestyle you’re much better off looking somewhere in the midwest or great plains. Lots of old farms and dying small towns where you can buy a dilapidated old house with some land for dirt cheap.
The problem with those dying small towns is that there aren’t any jobs or services. If you’re living off of social security or a pension or retirement savings the lack of jobs won’t matter, but maybe you won’t like having to drive two hours every time you want to see the dentist.
However, $50,000 in savings isn’t going to get you more than a couple of years of not working, so you better get used to the idea of bringing in money somehow. Yeah, work sucks, that’s why they call it work. There are ways to make a living without working, but they usually require a lot more work than just plain working.
You’ve heard about Michigan winters.
Right.
Even if you honestly think you don’t care about the cold, one thing remains true: You cannot live as cheaply in the cold as you can in the heat. You need winter clothing, you need warm blankets, you need insulation on your house (yes, need, given that necessities other than your person are damaged by the cold) and, while there are assistance programs for some of those things, one, they might not be very willing to apply to a healthy NEET like you who simply doesn’t want to work, and, two, they don’t cover everything, never will, and that’s by design.
And if you honestly think you don’t care about the cold, you’ve never been cold.
Yeah, as much as I detest work, it is sort of a necessary evil for anyone who isn’t a trust fund kid. Work does indeed ‘suck,’ but it’s not just that. We spend the vast majority of our waking hours either at work, getting ready for work, traveling too and from work, or recovering from work. Undoubtedly some people will shame me for not wanting to work, but I can’t help it, I’m just not a masochist.
Memphis isn’t cheap except in comparison to California or New York. Mosquitos are a bitch. Summers are freaking hot. That being said, I like living here as well as any other place I can afford. Spring and Fall are beautiful, Our music is phenomenal, International blues Festival? The barbeque is the best. If I was moving here now at age 20ish I would look at the Crosstown area or South Main district… lots going on for young and/or able people. But of course living near where you want to work so you aren’t dependent on public transportation is important.
FedEx is a major employer here and provides benefits for part time. This is also a large transportation hub so lots of logistics type jobs too.
If you have questions about Memphis, I can try to answer them.
you can’t get out of working 
work is work, whether you’re working directly on sustaining yourself, or working for someone else who then gives you the money to sustain yourself.
It’s true that ‘work’ is inescapable for almost everyone. And as if that weren’t bad enough, by far the most widespread version of it (known as “employment”) is radically disempowering.
I’ve changed my mind on Memphis. Detroit it is.
True. Great city, improving a lot.
The Detroit-metro area is, and always has been, great.
I say this as a born Detroiter who loves her hometown but fled after 35 Michigan winters; have you looked at Chattanooga? They’re progressive for a TN town and have had municipal wi-fi for years. You can even live in GA and work in the 'Noog.
There are other countries in this world where the American dollar will go even further than in Detroit. Maybe that’s something to consider, if you’re as detached as you say you are.
Seconding this, this is a fantastic idea. I’d recommend the Philippines - it’s warm and tropical, more beautiful than any US state including Hawaii, and jaw-droppingly cheap.
You can have a cook and a maid for $200 a month, live in a fantastic beach-side condo for $400, and eat top-shelf seafood cooked by your cook every day for another few hundred a month.
On your $50k you could live like a king for 2-3 years, or live like a pauper for 5-8 years, all in beautiful environs with absolutely no snow or winter to deal with.
Even if it’s not a perfect long-term solution, I guarantee you won’t regret those 2-3 years if you go there!