The Buckingham

Photo Credit: http://healthfreedoms.org

A 69-year-old woman has recently made headlines after revealing she has “lived without money for 16 years.”

Although Heidemarie Schwermer had experienced wealth as a young girl, she and her family were later thrusted into poverty after having to flee war-stricken Prussia and deciding to relocate to Germany during World War II. Her family was, nevertheless, able to regain affluence with the launch of a tobacco company.

In an interview with the Business Insider, Schwermer admits feeling uneasy about becoming financially well-off again. Having worked as a teacher and psychotherapist, she subsequently tried to come up with ways to live with no money. This led to her founding “Give and Take Central” in Germany in 1994. Known as “Germany’s first exchange circle”, this organization allows people to “swap services like babysitting or house cleaning for tangible goods.”

After deciding to live without money for a mere year, her old life became increasingly more unappealing. This eventually led to her to adopting a moneyless lifestyle for the past sixteen years.

Nowadays, Schwermer  gives lectures on her mission, for which, of course, she is not paid. More about her life can be found in the documentary “Living Without Money.”