I rarely eat from dumpsters any more -- I'd like to, but I spend most of my time in cities where there aren't any good ones. Even in Seattle they've been drying up. So having to buy most of my food, my yearly expenses are now more like $3000. I still dodge rent by housesitting and staying with people, and in case that dries up, I got lucky and bought a good piece of land, which you can read about on my landblog.

I get a lot of emails from people who want to "drop out," and I find myself coming back to three points again and again. First, no matter how excited you are, don't rush it. The goal is not to get out of the prison, but to get out in a way that enables you to stay out. It's not like walking through a magic doorway -- it's like growing a fruit tree. Second, it is impossible to get completely outside the system. Being free just means the dominators no longer have you over a barrel, and there are many niches where you can do that. Third,