Sick of modern-life and paying rent, man lives in cave for 16 years

Rent is an unavoidable monthly expense if you don't own a house or live away from your hometown. It is unavoidable for students, salaried professionals, and people of all walks of life.

Modern-day life calls for steep rent cities due to various factors. While some are able to pay it easily, others find alternate options. But will there ever be a time when a person without a home can avoid paying rent and yet live peacefully with a cover over his head?

No one can answer this question better than Daniel Shellabarger, a former home dweller who lived in a cave for 16 years after getting sick of paying rent.

Shellabarger, also known as Suelo, managed to live all by himself in a cave for 16 years without using any currency for a very long time.

Most people move to a cheaper place or a hostel when they cannot afford the rent. But Shellabarger lived out a modern caveman's dream at Moab near Utah.

And that wasn't the only thing he changed in his life. He let go of everything modern and lived life like a primitive before finally turning to cash.

He lived on natural vegetation and things he collected from the road. But in 2016, he had to return to civilization to look after his aging parents.

Shellabarger said he has been living in caves since the mid-90s. However, The decision of moving permanently to the cave happened in 2009, when he abandoned all his possessions.

He is now a well-known face, having appeared in magazines and in a episode of of Only Human, where he said: “I've actually been sleeping in caves longer than I've lived without money probably since the mid-90s. When I had a respectable job in town I decided I didn't want to pay anymore and live outdoors. When Suelo lived in a cave full time without money, he only lived with a few primitive possessions," he said.

Describing the time when he decided to give up using money, he said: "I took money out of my pocket and went to a phone booth in Pensylvania and I put it on top and I figured somebody will take it."

"When I did it it was really mystical to me, I walked out and it just felt like freedom like warm water was pouring over my head. And I just felt like wow I feel completely comfortable and completely free I feel like Im at home and it doesn't matter where I am I feel like I'm at home," he added.

Further, he said he has never received any governmental support while he lived in his cave.

When asked what was the reason he moved into a cave and lived alone, he said he was severely depressed with modern-life.