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Could you imagine living without money, by choice? There's a 69-year-old woman who's done it. And she says it's made her happier.
A recent wakeup-world.com post covers the unique lifestyle of Heidemarie Schwermer. Over 20 years ago, Schwermer was a teacher and mother of two with a marriage that had dissolved. She moved her kids to Dortmund, Germany, where she was shocked to find a large homeless population; it was a situation that became her impetus for starting the shop, "Gib und Nimm" (Give and Take).
The swap shop or Tauschring saw no monetary exchanges, only the trading of "skills and stuff." Schwermer believed the homeless would find empowerment through being useful, but they never embraced the shop. Instead, they told Schwermer they saw few parallels between their lives and her educated, middle-class background.
Fortunately, the city's unemployed and retired were eager to share their skills and the shop grew in popularity. It also became a turning point for Schwermer whose experience in the world of trading made her realize she had more than she needed.
She began to give away something for every thing she bought. Then, unhappy with her employment, she took on other jobs such as washing dishes. When friends implied she was squandering her education, she told them she "didn’t feel like she should be valued more because of her studies than someone working in a kitchen."
Eventually, the Tauschring had become a way of living, so much so that Schwermer was hardly spending anything. In 1996, she decided to sell her apartment and live without money. What was supposed to be a 12-month experiment has lasted 15 years.
Today, her only belongings require the space of a small suitcase and backpack. She has a savings of only 200 euros and has forgone health insurance in favor of self-healing. Following the principles of give and take, she continues to do work for the Tauschring whose members help her with housing. Any money Schwermer receives, she gives away.
The author of two books, Schwermer has asked her publisher to give any earnings to charity to make "many people happy instead of just one."
