Honest Monthly Expenses Living in a Swedish Cabin in the Forest

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[southerntexashomestead]

Wow, that is a lot to spend for 2 people living in a cabin. I live 100% off grid with rain water, wood stove, composting toliet, growing a food garden, raising chickens and growing medicinal herbs & bees. I have one dog who eats what I eat which is organic food. I don't have electricity from the grid. I do have some solar. I spend about $200.°° a month on food, and about $30.°° on cell service. I'm very careful with trips in my vehicle so I spend $30.°° a month on gas. I have a bike and use it often for trips to town which is 5 miles one way. I cut my own wood and heat my home with it. My 5 acre homestead is my job. My land & home are paid for. I don't have bills to pay. Life is good when you learn how to live outside of the global system that enslaves you.

[netza]

Even as a Swede I am really shocked by that high budget. :O I pay half of your gas budget and I drive to work every day (35km one way)! We pay just a liiittle bit more for our firewood every year and have a LOT bigger house (with hardly any insulation), and we only heat with firewood. That food budget also sounds like a lot for only two people even with all organic stuff. So for anyone that is curious, it usually doesn't cost that much living in Sweden...

[ragefault]

That food budget is insane. In swedish prices it's the equivalent of eating over 4 kg of avocados per day for the entire month.

[niklashl]

Your food budget is way higher than I expected. My budget is around $200 a month, and I eat healthy enough and aren’t starving 😅

[RoineIsleMountain]

more then I expected! But you explain why in a good way, and as long as you can afford it, there is nothing bad in spending money on things that makes life easier for you. Great video as always Kalle, keep it up 🙂

[Pudding_Pie]

Nice to see that 2 random dogs in Sweden have more money spent on their food than i do

[dianamegvelia]

I live in Georgia (country) similar lifestyle and my monthly cost is around 700$ and it covers everything ! its so strange . Great video Kalle

[annemariemoormann]

Living in paradise is bound to cost you! Everything is so well arranged in your country, for everyone. The moment I find a way to earn that much money living out in the woods is the moment I’m coming up north! No forest fires, no poisonous spiders, no airpollution, no extreme heat, just solidarity, love for nature, innovative technology and modest, friendly people. I’m to old to move to a different country, but I will anyway. I’m saving up for your book. Thanks for your candour!

[samuelc]

I live in a cabin in my own little forest in Belgium, no running water or gas, but I have a water well, collect rain water from the roof, and I have electricity and internet obviously. Much closer to the city, as Belgium (definitely Flanders) is mostly urban jungle, some rural area, and almost no forest left (yet they keep cutting it down for profit, power, and "progress"). I do have access to discarded food, and can together with my pack of rescue dogs, live an entirely vegan lifestyle, mostly for free. I cannot harm a tree, so I only burn dead wood I collect throughout the year when it is dry, and then saw it by hand and let it dry further in the heat of the stove while it's burning the previously dried wood. I use as little electricity as I can, just to charge my laptop, cell phone my mother and ex-partner got me to stay in touch, and my nintendo switch because I do like to play a videogame. And to cook every day for the dogs. Occasionally, because the days in winter are really short, for a couple of hours extra light.

I've bought a second home in the mountains in Spain, completely off grid, and if all goes well, I hope to go there when spring returns, with my old camper, and start a fruit forest so that in the future, I can just live there harmlessly and sober, eat fruit, walk and run and travel with the dogs, and be left in peace, especially by the state and it's corrupt slave systems (even after I ended my physical slavery to it).

Without going into specifics, I thinks that, my small loan from the bank included that I needed to buy this forest back in the day but I'm almost done with that, we four (3 big dogs and me) live of an average of 400€ a month.

Before I rescued those dogs, when I was considered "successful" with a "job", appartment, luxury, lots of friends, and an eternal void, conflict, and depression inside, I could barely save any money with an income of just below 2000€/month, producing and consuming every day (night, as I worked mostly night shifts). Now I'm "poor" and "invalid", I never felt richer or valued mine or any life higher.

[zachflynn]

My wife and I prioritize the best food that we can get as well, and we usually spend about $800-$1000/month as well. We only buy organic, and as locally as we can for as much of the year as we can. We also do it as frugally as possible. We do also grow quite a bit of our food. I just wanted to tell you that what you spend on groceries is not that crazy when you really care about what you put in your body.

The most surprising thing to me that you shared was the cost of vehicle fuel! But I can imagine that living pretty far from grocery stores and such, and also the higher costs in Europe for fuel, would get it up there. Thanks for sharing. I love to hear about how other people spend their money.

[leandrarohner]

To be honest from a person that lives in Zurich, one of the most expensive cities in the world, I was still surprised at how much you spend. Especially car, dog food and your own food.
I personally don’t own a car, instead I have a abonnement that lets me drive public transport around whole Switzerland without having to pay for it except once a year. Normally that would cost 4500 a year, for people under 25, 2600 but since my father already has this abonnement, I only pay 900 and my company pays me 60 every month for transport, which leaves me with 180 swiss francs a year (same as €) for being able to drive trains, busses and ships around the whole country (yes I‘m super lucky)
So 650€ per month for transport is INSANE for me.
Also I spend 200€ for food (mostly vegetarian and a lot from something called „to good to go“ and I used to have an old cat that didn’t eat a lot, so yes big difference here. On the other hand prices for houses are way higher here, 4000€ per month is normal here for a 4room apartment.

[LoraStaneva]

Amazing video, Kalle! It was very helpful to see the monthly expenses breakdown! 👏
Suggestion for future video: breakdown on what it costs to run a business, be self-employed (fees on registration, taxes, finances on tech equipment, sftwares and so on) 🤓

[samukelohlatshwayo]

Mr kalle Flodin.
My name is Samukelo Hlatshwayo. A 24 year old living in South Africa.

I absolutely love your channel. I watch your videos on a daily basis lol I sometimes repeat others.

I just wanted to comment tell you that u inspire me a lot, coming across your channel was the best thing I ever did.

The honesty and transparency you share with us your viewers is highly appreciated.

Absolutely adore your lifestyle.
Thank you for showing me this lifestyle is possible.

#IamTeamFlodin

[MountainMariner]

I’ve lived solo, remote Alaska for nearly 9 years now. Pricing and budget will be different for everyone to live a similar lifestyle but it was interesting to hear what you spend. In a nut shell living this way is incredible and serene, quite inexpensive if done right. It’s not a life for the lazy or unmotivated though, no matter how much money you have…or don’t have.

[SFlaidlaw]

I am amazed at the difference between costs in different countries. Where I live, in Canada, the cheapest home you can get is $150, 000 on not even an acre. I was definitely surprised at how much it costs you to live your lifestyle. But we all are VERY grateful that you create videos sharing the lifestyle and the affordability factor. How honest you are is greatly appreciated and it's interesting how different the costs are between different areas. 😃

[ibislife]

Hei Kalle, I live in the woods in Norway, just an hour west of Oslo, we have a bad internet connection, via radio signals. Where is almost no 4G either, you can get 5G just a km from my property. I am waiting for Starlink which will open here next spring. 😊 Your cabin is so cozy. Electricity here in Norway is sky rocketing. Fortunately I signed a set price deal last August, for 3 years, so my bill is not bad at all. I do have running water, from a drilled well, I was not allowed to build here without water an sewage, so I have a private sewage system as well. No public sewage, water or fiber in my area. Thank you for sharing 👍

[thewildmitchell]

Truth be told, your monthly bill is smaller than what I'd thought. It's about the same as it would be for me to move out of my mum's into a small city apartment but I would prefer your home 10 times over. Your fuel bill was the biggest surprise!

This is actually really inspiring and I know we all appreciate the openness especially when so many of us subscribed to you are planning to make a similar transition. :)

[ionawoodart]

It is a little more than I expected. Especially the food. But not bad! I know food is expensive in Scandinavia; we are in Finland, and it's very similar to Sweden, but 1000€ is very much more. I do understand it if everything you buy is organic. We do also buy organic, but unfortunately we don't have the option of buying all of our food organic. All the other expenses are also pretty similar to our new country lifestyle in Finland. Car, insurance etc. Thank you for sharing! It's a great honest look into your lifestyle! Much appreciated!

[lifecyclesartanddesign]

Wow, food budget is high! Definitely recommend growing a garden for the summer season to save some $$ and have fresh veg close by :)

[tomasviane]

Everybody his own life-style, but let me tell you that it's possible to live waaay cheaper than this.
Thanks for being so honest!!!!