This 44 Year Old Man Lives Rent Free And You Won't Guess How

It involves sand.

Jenny

• Published in Interesting
• January 29, 2018

The world today is a lot different than it used to be. In a lot of places worldwide, the national debt is soaring, unemployment rates are high, and costs of living are disproportionately high. Basically- people are up against a lot if they want to live comfortably or at/above their means. With that being said, it's natural and common to want to escape this reality somehow. You might dream of moving to a tropical island and never returning, or even building a space shuttle and going to live on the moon.

Well, look no further- a Brazilian man named Marcio Matolias has found an interesting escape that is a little more accessible.

Mr. Matolias has lived rent-free for 22 years in a giant sandcastle he built on the Barra da Tijuca in Brazil.

Here he is, pictured alongside his home.

The 44-year old Mr. Matolias is a native of Brazil and had always enjoyed the beach. When he was 22, he realized that he was going to have a lot of trouble consistently coming up with the money to sustain his lifestyle, so he found an unusual solution - he built his sandcastle.

"I grew up in the Bay of Guanabara. I always lived on the beach...people pay exorbitant rents to live in front of the sea. I do not have bills and here I have a good life."

Mr. Matolias admits that a typical beachfront house in Brazil would cost a fortune. Instead of working like crazy to be able to afford, such a home, he lives rent-free and is able to do what he wants. His days consist of playing golf, going fishing, and maintaining his sandcastle home.

Watering his home (presumably to keep the sand packed down and stable) is one of the enjoyable tasks Mr. Matolias gets to do everyday- rather than slave away at work to afford a beachfront house.

From his sandcastle home, he also lends out and sells used books in return for a small and voluntary donation. This income is used to pay for his food.

However, there are a couple of issues Mr. Matolias' home. One issue is that the inside of the sandcastle, where he must sleep and keep his possessions, is very compact and not very spacious at all.  Sometimes, when it gets way too hot, he can't even sleep inside at all:

"The sand holds all the heat, so sometimes at night I can not sleep here...I'll spend the night at a friend's house, but I prefer it here even if I have to lie outside by the sea."

The sandcastle's tiny 3x3m interior is where Mr. Matolias must keep all of his books and possessions, and where he must sleep and spend his downtime.

Unfortunately, the other main problem he faces is theft. Mr. Matolias accepts donations for his used book business in a donation box outside of the sandcastle, and every once in a while, someone will steal the money while he is not attending to it.

Despite the flaws in his living situation, Mr. Matolias is obeying the law and is perfectly happy. In regards to his home and his business, he says: "I have become a sort of tourist attraction and social service too,"

We should all learn a lesson from him- that life doesn't need to be complicated. 

In the words of Arian Foster- "Everyone should smile. Life really isn’t that serious. We make it hard. The sun rises. The sun sets. We just tend to complicate the process."

Jenny