Simple living seems to be a sort of trend these days, but no one takes it more literally than Dan Price. Dan was once a photojournalist with a wife and two kids, a stressful job, a ridiculous mortgage, and a “normal” life, as society sees it.

“I told myself, ‘buck up and pay the bills,’” said Price, ” ‘This is just the way life is’ “. Well, turns out, Dan in real life didn’t like the social norm.

Now, for the last 20 years, in fact, Dan lives in a self-described Hobbit hole in the middle of a horse pasture in Oregon that he built himself, mostly from things he found here and there around the farm.

The land he lives on costs him $100 per month, and that is pretty much his major expense. The farm is near Joseph, Oregon where he picks up odd jobs to support himself, in addition to the zine he puts out called Moonlight Chronicles, which is all about the wilderness. When the harsh winter sets in, Dan closes up shop and heads to Hawaii to spend the cold months surfing. This is sounding less crazy by the minute, right?

The inspiration for his unorthodox and completely genius lifestyle came from Harlan Hubbard’s book “Payne Hollow,” in which the author describes moving to a meager cottage in Ohio. Soon after reading the book, his marriage dissolved, so he took it upon himself to simplify. He told NBC News, “I don’t believe in houses or mortgages. Who in their right mind would spend their lifetime paying for a building they never get to spend time in because they are always working?”

The best thing about this lifestyle? The freedom of being self-sufficient. Dan provides for himself without taking handouts. He proudly turns his nose up at foodstamps and other government programs. “I like being able to do what I want to do,” says Dan. I like this guy.

Image via youtube