Heinz could afford a very different life. Yet he chose to live with very little, despite having ten properties and receives every month about 3.756 euros between pension and other pension returns.
He is 80 years old, living in Darmstadt, Germany, and is a former electrical engineer who also worked as an official in the telecommunications sector.
Its history strikes precisely because of the contrast between the heritage it possesses and an extremely essential lifestyle.
It is not true that he lives on the road: the chronicles describe him rather as a man who, by appearance and habits, could be mistaken for a homeless man.
Heinz tells us to spend less than five euros a month for food.
Much of the food recovers it among what others throw away.
According to him, much more food is wasted in modern society than is necessary.
It is therefore not a condition imposed by poverty.
It is a choice of extreme fruitfulness.
In 2024 Heinz had just spent 700,000 euros to buy his tenth property, while another 100,000 euros had been invested in a final deposit.
Despite its heritage, it does not seem interested in transforming its wealth into luxury.
Its main financial interest remains the purchase of property, often close enough to be able to reach them by bicycle, personally dealing with repairs.
There is another particular element.
Heinz told us not to have close relatives or brothers, although there are some distant relatives.
To the question about who will inherited his heritage, he admitted he has not yet decided and hypothesized that one day he could leave some real estate to the people who live there.
His story does not show that living with very little is a suitable choice for everyone.
It shows however how different it can be, from person to person, the meaning attributed to money.
For Heinz to possess more does not necessarily mean consuming more.