I’ve lived outside permanently for five years and eat roadkill, people are disgusted but it’s saved me £13,350
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A WOMAN who has lived in a tent for the past five years has lifted the lid on what life is really like in the great outdoors - including the incredible amount of money she saves with her alternative lifestyle. Manders Barnett considers herself to be an outside dweller, spending her days salvaging roadkill to eat and make clothes from, growing vegetables and foraging plants for medicine.
![[Manders Barnett considers herself to be an outside dweller]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/im-self-sufficient-many-ways-960025932.jpg?strip=all&w=540)
The 33-year-old’s quirky way of life saves her a whopping $17,000 (£13,350) a year, with her outgoings totalling just $500 a month (£392). While she says trolls online “judge” her for living in an alternative way and not having a house, she loves spending as much of her time outside as possible – and claims it isn’t cold even in the winter.
![[Her place is well-insulated, and manages to maintain a cosy temperature.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/im-self-sufficient-many-ways-960026737.jpg?strip=all&w=540)
“I live full-time in my 10x12-foot wall tent,” Manders, who sells homemade goods on Etsy, told What's The Jam. “It’s well-insulated, and with a fire in the woodstove it maintains a cosy temperature. “I say I live outside because I consider it to be more inside than outside.
![[She learnt how to live outside from her ex-boyfriend]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/d391254e-52a3-4490-9b2b-4791029d3dda.jpg?strip=all&w=576)
“However, 90% of my day is spent fully outdoors. “I've learned many sustainable skills like hide tanning, basketry, hunting, knitting, foraging, and clothes-making. “I get to work for myself as a content creator and a crafter, make my own schedule, and generally spend more quality time with the landscape around me to try to understand it better - none of which I would be able to do if I had stayed in the city working all of my free time away.”.
![[Manders has given an insight into what it's really like to live outside]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/im-self-sufficient-many-ways-960025900.jpg?strip=all&w=953)
