“Money often costs too much.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Pictures of places where you can live on $75 a day

Traveling through the Peruvian countryside made me realize something. We Westerners pay way too much for the “luxury” of living in our lousy states. Bad weather, ugly girls, and a serious lack of museums or activities is expensive.

In the United States you need a car to get around almost every one of our urban areas. You also have to pay inflated rates on every good due to some insane taxes. And almost every city that’s worth living in will cost you a small fortune.

Below are two foreign cities that cost me less than $75 a day to live in. Following those are two American cities where you probably can’t live on $75 a day or anything close to it.

Ica, Peru.

Average rent: I could have stayed a month for $300 to $400.

Coffee: Between $0.30 and $1.00.

Lima, Peru

Average rent: $600 to $800 bucks a month if you rent for at least one year. $900 to 1,000 otherwise. All utilities and furniture are included.

Coffee: $4.31 for Starbucks, about $2.00 for anything else.

Pictures of places where you can’t live on $75 a day

Scranton, PA.

Average rent: $1,160.00.

Coffee: $3.75.

Gary, IN.

Average rent: $1,160.00.

Coffee: $5.95.

Other factors

I grew up in the Midwest. In fact, my hometown is insanely expensive despite the fact that it isn’t even a major city. A burger, fries, and a milkshake would run you almost $20. For frame of reference, it would have taken me two hours at my retail job to afford lunch.

In a place like that, or even in a lot of these terrible mid-sized cities, you’re paying out the nose for nothing. The weather’s bad. You don’t live near an ocean. There’s no real nightlife. And you aren’t going to run into many hot girls.

Take your money and move overseas where it’ll go farther. I spend less now than I did back in Iowa and I’m living like a king. House on the Pacific, city of over 9 million, plenty of opportunities for fun, the works.

Asia, South America, and parts of Europe are ridiculously cheap. You’d be able to survive on next to nothing while banking the rest of your cash.

“Nerds should be constantly shamed and degraded into submission”

– Sam Biddle

Is #GamerGate a right-wing movement?

I haven’t paid any attention to the Gamer Gate fiasco. I only buy one video game a year and its either an obscure title or something from my childhood. Men and women fighting on the Internet really doesn’t interest me either. I’d rather focus on my hobbies or go to the zoo.

Unfortunately, I had to stop being indifferent. Recent bullying comments made by Sam Biddle, a writer for media giant Gawker, got me involved.

Bullying and attacking people for being nerds is something that hit me on a personal level. I grew up in Iowa collecting comic books and playing Dungeon & Dragons. My teenage years weren’t exactly a cakewalk.

Since then I’ve always kind of felt bad for guys who got picked on due to their geeky interests. While there are some genuine weirdos in the comic and gaming niche, most of the dudes are good guys. They might be a little socially awkward or “uncool,” but I’d rather hang out with them and talk about how awesome The Hood was than spend 30 minutes with Biddle and his Gawker cronies.

Like I already said, there are some annoying gamers and nerds. But every culture has weirdos and people you don’t want to be around. For every basement dwelling creep there are 10 normal people who’d I’d proudly associate with.

With that said, I was really shocked to see that the “best” smear that news outlets could create about Gamer Gate involved politics. According to the press this is like some sort of digital version of the Tea Party. That really surprised me because most of the nerds I know are left leaning.

Gamers as sexists and harassers

I’ve never met a gamer who legitimately threatened women, or gay people, or minorities. Most of their “offensive” comments towards women are poor attempts at flirting. I guarantee that any woman with a Tinder account has heard way more inappropriate and sexist stuff than most female gamers.

Trying to end sexism in gaming culture would be like me trying to prevent 12 year-olds from saying “I f*cked your mom” whenever I play Xbox. It comes with the territory and, while it might suck, you just have to deal with it. I’ve played video games and had other men say they were “going to rape me” or “shoot my d*ck off” and I didn’t get offended.

Trash talk is part of competition

When I played basketball, or box now, people said all kinds of horrible things. Name calling and insulting others is a natural component of win-lose situations. People tend to forget this but competitive play is a simulation of war. “Sports is a metaphor for war” as the old saying goes. When you’re in a game, be it intramural football or the latest Battlefield installment, you have an enemy. In that environment it’s us verses them.

That doesn’t mean the aggression carries over to the outside world. I can punch it out with my sparring partner and then swap Christmas gifts ten minutes later. When I played basketball the guys you were boxing out on Friday would be at the same house party come Saturday night. Outside the game everyone got along.

Video games are no different. You’re entering a simulated war, sometimes literally, and you’re expected to deal with some nasty stuff. But at the end of the day it’s all pretend. Nobody is actually going to rape you, f*ck your mom (unless your dad is on the opposing team), or rip off your head and sh*t down your throat. It’s the same reason why no one is going to plant a landmine in your yard or shoot a plasma rifle at you, all that is only part of the game world.

Profile of an angry right-wing Gamer Gate supporter

After looking through a list of anti-Gamer Gate propaganda I decided to see if I fit the stereotype. Due to the fact that I am a gun enthusiast and advocate that young men don’t get married, I’m probably more “right-wing” and “extreme” than most participants. Below are four common tropes about Gamer Gate supporters. Lets see how I stack up:

Racist

This is sort of like a generic insult that social justice warriors love to use. Everyone they disagree with is a secret member of the Klan.

I think this one is a little weird because a lot of the gamer nerd culture guys I know are pretty cool with everyone. Back when I used to play lots of video games there were several “people of color,” as the far-left likes to call them, in our group. No one tried to lynch them and we’re all actual friends to this day. In fact, until I started writing this article I didn’t even realize that there was any sort of difference between us. Those guys are my friends and I know them by their first names, not their skin color.

Also, my girlfriend is, to use that politically correct term again, a “person of color.” Although I’m sure that some harasser masquerading as an activist could still pin me for racism of some sort, it’d be pretty difficult to do.

Homophobe

Like racism, Homophobia is another standard accusation. “I don’t like all the corruption in game journalism” says the concerned gamer. “What are you? A right-wing homophobe?!!!” Screams the social justice warrior.

Another dude I grew up playing video games with turned out to be gay. No one cared and we still hang out with him. Once again, he’s our friend and not some trophy to show how tolerant and progressive we are.

I think video games, like movies and comic books, have always been accepting of gays. Most of the people who grew up gaming aren’t rushing out to joining the Westbro Baptist Church or anything like that. Nerd culture has been, and always will be, about accepting everyone. These social justice types are nothing but bullies who try to pretend like they’re on board with acceptance.

Look at Sam Biddle, he’s all about tolerance as long as someone is getting abused and humiliated.

Sexist

I’ll be the first to say that I’m probably way more sexist than most of the Gamer Gate supporters. When I was a teenager I had low self-esteem and thought that sleeping with a lot of women would solve it. This didn’t work and I’d wouldn’t recommend doing it.

With that said, would never support any type of harassment or abuse towards women. Also I’ve helped donate food to the local battered women’s shelter in my hometown.

So I guess that I’m more sexist in the James “I chase a lot of girls” Bond  manner than the Hugo “I tried to kill my girlfriend” Schwyzer sense. Not that either is a good thing, but no one every actually got hurt from what I was doing and there wasn’t any malice.

Republican/Right-wing

Gamer Gate as a right-wing movement has to be the strangest thing I’ve ever heard. No gamer I have ever met has been a Republican. The biggest gaming guy I know was in a students for Obama group and is about as left as you can go. And he’s not even cool with the Gamer Gate slander that media organizations are throwing out.

Personally, I’m really anti-war and believe that there should be an earnings ratio cap within corporations. Also I’m big into environmentalism and have personally planted about 1,000 trees in the past two or three years. Although I don’t vote, I don’t really think that any of these things fall under the banner of being right-wing.

Also, the anti-Gamer Gate crowd is being supported by a known Nazi! I don’t think you can get any more right-wing than that.

Closing thoughts

It’s pretty crazy to think that a corrupt house of Nazis, abusers, and other unsavory types is trying to discredit a serious movement that wants some journalistic integrity and equality for all. The men and women supporting Gamer Gate are tired of being beat down and oppressed. They want standards and fairness for all. A place where they aren’t going to get threatened by men like Sam Biddle and his ilk.

And yet they’re the bad guys. The team filled with Nazis, abusers, and known liars is supposed to be the one with the people’s best interest in mind. These guys are somehow the people you want in power. The folks who know what’s best for society. In fact, they’re so confident in their ability to rule effectively and fairly that they’ll try to put down and silence anyone who questions them.

Even though I’m not the biggest gamer in the world, I’ll still support Gamer Gate. Their fight goes beyond entertainment. Its a battle to end corruption and oppression. A fight to bring the putrid and festering institution, bloated with bullies and racists, to its knees.

And after watching advertisers pull out from sponsoring sites like Gawker, home to dozens of individuals who make a living by promoting intolerance, I think the corrupt and evil are going to lose this time.

“In the great cities we see so little of the world, we drift into our minority. In the little towns and villages there are no minorities; people are not numerous enough. You must see the world there, perforce. Every man is himself a class; every hour carries its new challenge. When you pass the inn at the end of the village you leave your favorite whimsy behind you; for you will meet no one who can share it.”

– W.B. Yeats, The Celtic Twilight: Faerie and Folklore

Why you should visit smaller cities

Although I advocate living in a major city, visiting smaller towns can be fun too.

Right now I’m traveling around the Peruvian countryside and am spending the night in a place with less than 200,000 citizens.

Here are a few of my observations from being a foreigner in this tiny community.

1. Everything is dirt cheap.

Once you get outside of a big city everything gets insanely cheap. Here in Peru you can rent a standard private hotel room with WiFi and cable for $10 a night. A half liter yogurt parfait and ham sandwich cost me $3.

When people talk about living abroad on $12,000 a year its because they stay in places like this.

Outside the main tourist destinations and major cities your dollar will go incredibly far.

2. Girls are naturally curious about you.

I’m no male model, but all day I’ve had girls checking me out. Women will stare at you making it really easy to go up and talk to them. If you’re off the beaten path you’ll have an “exotic” look. It’s pretty cool.

However, there is a downside. Street peddlers and beggars will bombard you all the time.

If you can deal with all the attention you might want to visit someplace smaller.

3. Traffic is crazy.

A lot of littler places are behind the times. This means that there are all kinds of unsafe vehicles speeding around town. Traffic lights and stops are almost non-existent. And the few I’ve seen have been treated like suggestions. Also, drivers love to lay on the horn.

Bring earplugs for the constant beeping and honking.

4. Your options are very limited.

There are about three restaurants that look safe enough to eat at. And there’s no gym. Oh, and you aren’t going to find an Apple store or Radio Shack.

If you choose to hit up a smaller city you will run into problems. Unlike the United States, where every town with more than 2,000 has a Wal-Mart, foreign cities are pretty basic. There’s no mega mall or Amazon. If you need something specific you’re probably out of luck.

5. There are still plenty of things to do.

I wouldn’t want to live in a small third world city, but they can be fun to visit. If you’re looking for a different experience and are willing to sacrifice a few luxuries,  going someplace out-of-the-way is enjoyable.

Spending a week sampling their restaurants, visiting their museums, and going to their bars can be a cool diversion. If you have some extra time I’d recommend checking out a few of the more obscure places in whatever nation you’re traveling through.

“They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”

– Andy Warhol

Tomorrow will be the best day of your life

Hey guys,

Today I want to keep my post short and sweet. That’s because I’m catching a bus to see the Nazca Lines in about half-an-hour and don’t have time to write anything serious.

Anyway, what I wanted to talk about was progress.

If we wound the clocks back a year you’d see me in a totally different place. Somewhere kind of dark and depressing.

At the time I’d dropped out of college and was making $10 an hour putting pants on shelves.

It sucked.

All my friends were off chasing girls, partying, and having a grand old time. And I was miserable.

Every morning I got up before dawn, drove to my lousy job, and spent 10 hours in the back area stocking clothes. The company even had a little monitoring system so I couldn’t take breaks or slack off. That whole shift was spent working.

On top of this the only two days I got off were Tuesday and Sunday. I couldn’t go out on a Friday night or make plans for any weekend trips.

When I did occasionally go out on a Saturday I was so tired and down in the dumps that it was hard for me to socialize. I felt inferior to all my friends and would lash out.

It would be easy for me to sit here and complain about “poor labor laws” or “bad work conditions,” but all of this was on me. There was no one else to blame. At the time, however, my mindset sucked. I played the victim. Nothing was my fault and life had dealt me a bad hand.

Things went on sucking for a long time. Almost my entire fall was spent in misery and self-pity. Then I took action. Something snapped and I realized that I was in control. It happened one afternoon while driving home from work.

There was an epiphany. “Tomorrow will be the best day of your life” said a little voice in my head. “But you need to do some work to make sure it happens.”

I pulled over and took out a piece of paper, I always carry a pocket notebook, then I wrote:

“Goals: Move somewhere nice by 2014.”

That short sentence was a game changer. It gave all my rage and anger a target. Instead of spewing misery at the world I had something to focus on and push towards. Instead of sulking around I stayed up late to work on business projects. I wasn’t trapped forever due to some bad circumstances. There was an escape route and I could easily reach it.

Whining gave way to winning.

365 days later I’m as happy as a clam. My living room window looks out on the Pacific Ocean and rolling out of bed at 4:45 in the morning is a thing of the past.

In less time than it takes to get a college degree I turned my whole life around. Everything went from bitter and bleak to being a joy.

There are all kinds of horrible things that life throws at you. You contract some disease, lose all your money, get cheated on, the list is endless. All those things are terrible and ruin your day. But every problem can be fixed. Instead of wallowing in sorrow look for a solution.

Things can always get better and will turn around. You just have to allow them to.

As long as you’re willing to do some work and lay a foundation, tomorrow will always be the best day of your life.

“I want to be an entrepreneur. What type of blog should I start?”

– Common email question

Easiest businesses for young entrepreneurs

Two to three times a week I get emails from young guys who want to start a business. All of them inevitably ask about blogging or writing eBooks.

While these are perfectly fine ventures, they aren’t the best choice for most people. As I explain in the video below, blogging never guarantees that you’ll make a single cent. Putting 100 hours into something that doesn’t payout can leave a bad taste in your mouth keep you from trying again.

Due to the constant hype surrounding guys like Tim Ferriss and Pat Flynn, many people forget that there are other ways for them to turn a profit. Not every business has to involve blogging or creating a product. In fact, you could do something with zero input costs and proably make more money than most aspiring marketers.

When blogging is a good choice

Before I get into some of the other ventures that you could be doing, I want to point out that there is money in blogging. It just takes a while before you see it.

If you’re wiling to put in the effort, blogging can become a lucrative little side business. A couple hundred bucks a month adds up quickly.

People with the time and the patience to build up a brand can eventually monetize their work. However, anyone looking for quick cash need not apply.

Internet business is a tough racket and one of the hardest markets to break into. You need some laser like discipline in order to survive.

The case for a part-time job

When I go back to Iowa I’m going to work at the same Christmas tree farm that I’ve helped at since I was 16.

The job takes about 10 hours of my week and I enjoy every minute of it. Carrying trees and being outside is fun stuff. There’s really nothing else to do at 2 pm on a Saturday and I can use the extra money for holiday expenses.

If there’s a job you like to do that isn’t too stressful, or time-consuming, go for it. I know a guy who does article writing but also works at the mall part-time. This way he can socialize and meet girls while still getting paid.

If you’re doing some side work for someone else try to find a venture that isn’t very stressful or exerting.

Roofing houses is a tense activity that will wear you down. For a side income it isn’t a very good choice. A part-time job should be easy. Choose something where you have a lot of downtime and can goof-off a little.

Making an infallible business

While blogging is good for long-term profits and a part-time job is great for easy money, there’s a venture that gives you the best of both worlds.

You can start a service based business that pays immediately. And it doesn’t even have to be anything complex. Walking dogs, teaching language lessons, the opportunities are endless.

These little ventures are great because they don’t require any real investment. If you play guitar giving lessons shouldn’t be terribly difficult. You don’t have to spend five years perfecting your craft before monetizing it. Just take a hobby and build a business around it.

These gigs allow you to experiment with business while still guaranteeing that you make money. There aren’t a whole lot of variables to keep you from succeeding.

Final thoughts

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there are a million ways to make money.

You can do something trendy, like blog about your vegan bicycling adventures, or you can opt for a more traditional route, like getting a part-time job.

And while all of these ventures are great, there are certain businesses that are better for newer entrepreneurs. The easiest businesses for young people are the ones with the least amount of moving parts.

Teaching yoga or writing articles might not sound as glamorous as making 9 million dollars a day off cheesy eBooks, but it is way easier.

The biggest mistake I ever made was overlooking simple projects. I had grandiose schemes that were too complex to pull off. The only thing they left me with was a sense of despair.

Before you try to take on the world, choose one skill and master it. You can monetize this and live off it while working on your magnum opus.