Today, Linda opened our new bank account. This is the account we are going to stash money in until we're ready to leave, as well as to fund purchases related to the move.
We chose a major national bank so that we can just use that bank account when we move out there, and it will be recognized. Of course, we just opened the account with the minimum deposit of $25, so we have a long way to go!
Any donations we receive from the readers of this blog will go directly into that fund.
To all those who have already donated, THANK YOU!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Whatever Shall They Do?
Today, I spent the entire day repairing my brother's car. Somehow the timing belt jumped several teeth while the car was idling last weekend to defrost the layer of ice that had built up.
Strangely, there was no obvious damage to the timing belt, and luckily for him, there was no engine damage due to the interference design. Since he was due for a new timing belt in less than 30,000 miles, we elected to just do the maintenance early.
My family has come to rely on me for both computer and automotive repairs. Moving to Texas will take that skill set away, and mean that they will have to pay a shop for their automotive and computer needs. This is one of the negatives of moving. However, I need to do what is right for me.
Moving to Texas and building my own home on my own land has enormous appeal to me. I will no longer be in the Rat Race, and the manual labor will certainly be good for my health.
Strangely, there was no obvious damage to the timing belt, and luckily for him, there was no engine damage due to the interference design. Since he was due for a new timing belt in less than 30,000 miles, we elected to just do the maintenance early.
My family has come to rely on me for both computer and automotive repairs. Moving to Texas will take that skill set away, and mean that they will have to pay a shop for their automotive and computer needs. This is one of the negatives of moving. However, I need to do what is right for me.
Moving to Texas and building my own home on my own land has enormous appeal to me. I will no longer be in the Rat Race, and the manual labor will certainly be good for my health.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Practice Makes Perfect
We plan to set up a 1.6Kw wind turbine when we get out there, with a few PV panels to keep the batteries topped up when the wind is low or when I am performing maintenance on the turbine. Since my estimates of our power use show us using about 4.4Kw continuously (based on the number of KWh in our power bill divided by 30 days, then divided by 24 hours). We have a lot of cutting back to do if we want to live on 1.6Kw peak production.
I have been researching where to buy my wind products, and there is a whole lot of cheap Chinese junk on the market. Since the turbine is not going to be a hobby project, but a system that we depend on, reliability is key. After researching quite a bit, I keep finding myself being directed to one place: Missouri Wind and Solar.
Jeff Molly is the owner of the operation. He has put together four videos in which he gives tips for how to cut your electric bill in half. His videos are rough and were edited in-camera, so there are a lot of cuts. However, despite the quality of the video production, the information he presents in these videos is very very useful.
Check them out! And remember to "like" his videos and subscribe to his YouTube channel. It's about 80 minutes of video in total, so make sure you take your time to take notes!
Jeff is fun to watch and can be rather opinionated, but that's what I love about him!
I have been researching where to buy my wind products, and there is a whole lot of cheap Chinese junk on the market. Since the turbine is not going to be a hobby project, but a system that we depend on, reliability is key. After researching quite a bit, I keep finding myself being directed to one place: Missouri Wind and Solar.
Jeff Molly is the owner of the operation. He has put together four videos in which he gives tips for how to cut your electric bill in half. His videos are rough and were edited in-camera, so there are a lot of cuts. However, despite the quality of the video production, the information he presents in these videos is very very useful.
Check them out! And remember to "like" his videos and subscribe to his YouTube channel. It's about 80 minutes of video in total, so make sure you take your time to take notes!
Jeff is fun to watch and can be rather opinionated, but that's what I love about him!
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Lol... I am such a n00b.
Linda and I both grew up in the Midwest. She in central Kentucky, and me in southwest Ohio. We've always had on-grid electric, city water and sewer, natural gas heat, phone lines, cable TV and (in the last 15-20 years) the fastest Internet access available in our area.
So, she and I are moving to the west Texas desert with no electric, well water we have to fetch, no sewer unless we build a septic tank, propane for cooking and heat, no phone lines, satellite TV and max-transfer-per-month-capped satellite Internet.
Talk about a 180-degree turn!
So, there are certain practicalities of life out there that Linda and I have *absolutely no clue* about. Thankfully for the wonderful folks over at the Cornudas, Texas Forum, I have a place where I can ask my noob questions without fear of being laughed at...well, at least they won't laugh at me publicly. I'm sure many of them will get quite a hoot about my city-slicker ways.
I keep asking questions like "How do you keep your cold water cold when it's sitting in an above-ground tank all day in the desert?" or "How do you deal with your black water (human waste)?"
Lol...I am such a noob.
So, she and I are moving to the west Texas desert with no electric, well water we have to fetch, no sewer unless we build a septic tank, propane for cooking and heat, no phone lines, satellite TV and max-transfer-per-month-capped satellite Internet.
Talk about a 180-degree turn!
So, there are certain practicalities of life out there that Linda and I have *absolutely no clue* about. Thankfully for the wonderful folks over at the Cornudas, Texas Forum, I have a place where I can ask my noob questions without fear of being laughed at...well, at least they won't laugh at me publicly. I'm sure many of them will get quite a hoot about my city-slicker ways.
I keep asking questions like "How do you keep your cold water cold when it's sitting in an above-ground tank all day in the desert?" or "How do you deal with your black water (human waste)?"
Lol...I am such a noob.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Plenty of Time for Planning...Thankfully.
I've been crunching a lot of numbers lately. Trying to figure out when we can get our act together and move to Texas.
Looks like the target is two years from now. If we can save like I'm projecting, we will have somewhere between $10-15k in2 years' time. This will give us the ability to move easily. Also, over these next few years, we will be making purchases to prepare.
First, a camper. This will be our temporary housing while we build our home. I've got the Jeep ready as a tow vehicle, but since it only has a towing capacity of 5000 pounds, we can't get a monster of a camper. It's going to be interesting having two adults, four Pomeranians and three cats living in a 25' camper! Needless to say, we will all be spending a lot of time outside.
Then land. Pure and simple. We need a place to BE. We've selected a plot near the micro-town of Cornudas, TX, and expect to sign the contract within the next few weeks. Once we have the minimum paid in, we can start using the land.
Next, we need to plan out how we are going to supply power and heat. Although we will be in the desert, it can get cool in the evenings and cold at night in the winter. Also, we're not interested in shucking off all our technology; we just want to get off the grid and live a simple life. We've decided to use primarily wind turbine power with some solar panels to supplement.
On top of all that, we need to design our home and decide whether we're using earthbag or straw bale construction.
Also, I will be refocusing my schooling. Next semester, I am going to start taking Spanish. I figure being conversant in that language can only help when I will be less than 100 miles from the Mexico border.
Looks like the target is two years from now. If we can save like I'm projecting, we will have somewhere between $10-15k in2 years' time. This will give us the ability to move easily. Also, over these next few years, we will be making purchases to prepare.
First, a camper. This will be our temporary housing while we build our home. I've got the Jeep ready as a tow vehicle, but since it only has a towing capacity of 5000 pounds, we can't get a monster of a camper. It's going to be interesting having two adults, four Pomeranians and three cats living in a 25' camper! Needless to say, we will all be spending a lot of time outside.
Then land. Pure and simple. We need a place to BE. We've selected a plot near the micro-town of Cornudas, TX, and expect to sign the contract within the next few weeks. Once we have the minimum paid in, we can start using the land.
Next, we need to plan out how we are going to supply power and heat. Although we will be in the desert, it can get cool in the evenings and cold at night in the winter. Also, we're not interested in shucking off all our technology; we just want to get off the grid and live a simple life. We've decided to use primarily wind turbine power with some solar panels to supplement.
On top of all that, we need to design our home and decide whether we're using earthbag or straw bale construction.
Also, I will be refocusing my schooling. Next semester, I am going to start taking Spanish. I figure being conversant in that language can only help when I will be less than 100 miles from the Mexico border.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
The HexHouse - Decisions, Decisions
Linda and I are looking into a couple building techniques. Earth bag and straw bale. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, so we want to explore these fully.
Earth bag construction yields very sturdy walls. In fact, they are even bulletproof! However, the bags that they are made of are usually not UV-proof. So, this means that as soon as you have the wall up, you have to protect it from UV by slathering some sort of stucco/cob/concrete, etc onto the outside surface to keep the light off it. Earth bags are also very heavy. They usually measure about 12x24x6, and that much earth can weigh 80 pounds or more! So, when the walls start getting high, I'll have to lift those suckers up there! Yikes!
Straw bales, however, weigh only about 40lbs and are twice the size of an earth bag. This means that the wall will be 1/4 the density of an earth bag, which means that it will likely NOT be bulletproof. You still have to slather the outside with something, but you are under less time constraint. Only impending rain or strong winds may force you to accelerate your plans.
So, straw bale will build faster and not have the time constraints due to UV exposure, but they won't have as much structural rigidity and won't be bulletproof.
Decisions, Decisions.
We have, however settled on a basic design. We're calling it the HexHouse.
This is just my first basic design layout. I have larger hex paper that I will go into detail on. The layout of which hex is used for what purpose is still being decided, but the 7-hex design is what we're going with. For scale, each side of the hex is 8' long. That will give us about 1300 sq. ft.
Earth bag construction yields very sturdy walls. In fact, they are even bulletproof! However, the bags that they are made of are usually not UV-proof. So, this means that as soon as you have the wall up, you have to protect it from UV by slathering some sort of stucco/cob/concrete, etc onto the outside surface to keep the light off it. Earth bags are also very heavy. They usually measure about 12x24x6, and that much earth can weigh 80 pounds or more! So, when the walls start getting high, I'll have to lift those suckers up there! Yikes!
Straw bales, however, weigh only about 40lbs and are twice the size of an earth bag. This means that the wall will be 1/4 the density of an earth bag, which means that it will likely NOT be bulletproof. You still have to slather the outside with something, but you are under less time constraint. Only impending rain or strong winds may force you to accelerate your plans.
So, straw bale will build faster and not have the time constraints due to UV exposure, but they won't have as much structural rigidity and won't be bulletproof.
Decisions, Decisions.
We have, however settled on a basic design. We're calling it the HexHouse.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Small Moves, Ellie.....Small Moves...
We've taken another baby step. Linda has filed for her Social Security benefits since she turns 62 in a couple weeks. This will give us the money we need to make the land payments without impacting out current budget at all!
We also have selected our lot and the contract for it is being mailed today. So, once we receive it, we send a check for $500 and our monthly payments.
Woot!
We also have selected our lot and the contract for it is being mailed today. So, once we receive it, we send a check for $500 and our monthly payments.
Woot!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Community Makes all the Difference
Well, we haven't left yet, and we've already found our neighbors! We have not bought land, our camper any of our supplies, nor are we financially able to go just yet, but we discovered the forum at http://cornudastexas.us/ and everyone there seems to be just great!
It seems that Fred (the landowner that is selling the land) is very well respected and people there say "you can't go wrong with Fred." That gives me a really warm and fuzzy feeling.
After having read that forum for the last few hours, I keep wondering how fast I could put this all together to exit the Rat Race! Now more than ever, I want to go NOW NOW NOW. But alas, I cannot....yet.
I will continue to prepare. As soon as I can. I'm outta here.
It seems that Fred (the landowner that is selling the land) is very well respected and people there say "you can't go wrong with Fred." That gives me a really warm and fuzzy feeling.
After having read that forum for the last few hours, I keep wondering how fast I could put this all together to exit the Rat Race! Now more than ever, I want to go NOW NOW NOW. But alas, I cannot....yet.
I will continue to prepare. As soon as I can. I'm outta here.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Relaxing Security
I can't stand it.
Concealing the fact that I'm working toward moving to Texas is already unbearable. So, Linda and I have decided to relax the security on "the secret."
This blog is now public; I doubt my family and close friends would stumble across it anyway. So, we won't be shouting our plans from the rooftops, but we won't be actively concealing what we are up to.
So, comment away!
Concealing the fact that I'm working toward moving to Texas is already unbearable. So, Linda and I have decided to relax the security on "the secret."
This blog is now public; I doubt my family and close friends would stumble across it anyway. So, we won't be shouting our plans from the rooftops, but we won't be actively concealing what we are up to.
So, comment away!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Adventure!
(Also posted on my FaceBook page)
This evening, Linda and I met our good friends, Eric and Tracey Power and their kids at Cici's Pizza near Jungle Jim's.
We had a GREAT time hanging out. However, when we went to leave, I discovered that the right rear tire of the Jeep was flat.
NO PROBLEM! I'll just put the spare on.. right? HA! If only it were that easy. It was rainy and cold. I had to use the factory crap jack. I loosened the lug nuts, then crawled under the Jeep to put the jack under the axle. Got absolutely soaked. YUCK.
I jacked up the axle and removed the lug nuts. However, the wheel was rust-welded on. GRRR. I kicked it several times. Nothing. I lowered the jack enough to put some weight on the tire, reinstalled the lug nuts most of the way and tried using the gears to shock it lose. NOPE.
When I got the spare out of the Jeep, it seemed a little soft to me, so when Eric and Tracey took me home to get some tools, I brought the spare with me to check the air pressure. Thank God I did. There was 4psi in the spare. It's supposed to have 60!
We returned to the Jeep with a rubber mallet, a mini sledge hammer and some blocks of wood, a REAL JACK (lol), some penetrating lubricant and a torch.
Tried all of the hammers, penetrant and even the torch. Nothing. So, finally, I stuck the jack handle trough the wheel and levered against the brake rotor.. After several attempts, it finally broke loose.
I got it home and checked the tire. Looks like a nail puncture, although the nail was no longer there. My neighbors across the alley have been re-roofing their house, so it would not surprise me if that's where I picked up the item that caused the puncture.
I'll plug the hole and reinstall the tire tomorrow after work. I'm worn out. I'm going to bed.
This evening, Linda and I met our good friends, Eric and Tracey Power and their kids at Cici's Pizza near Jungle Jim's.
We had a GREAT time hanging out. However, when we went to leave, I discovered that the right rear tire of the Jeep was flat.
NO PROBLEM! I'll just put the spare on.. right? HA! If only it were that easy. It was rainy and cold. I had to use the factory crap jack. I loosened the lug nuts, then crawled under the Jeep to put the jack under the axle. Got absolutely soaked. YUCK.
I jacked up the axle and removed the lug nuts. However, the wheel was rust-welded on. GRRR. I kicked it several times. Nothing. I lowered the jack enough to put some weight on the tire, reinstalled the lug nuts most of the way and tried using the gears to shock it lose. NOPE.
When I got the spare out of the Jeep, it seemed a little soft to me, so when Eric and Tracey took me home to get some tools, I brought the spare with me to check the air pressure. Thank God I did. There was 4psi in the spare. It's supposed to have 60!
We returned to the Jeep with a rubber mallet, a mini sledge hammer and some blocks of wood, a REAL JACK (lol), some penetrating lubricant and a torch.
Tried all of the hammers, penetrant and even the torch. Nothing. So, finally, I stuck the jack handle trough the wheel and levered against the brake rotor.. After several attempts, it finally broke loose.
I got it home and checked the tire. Looks like a nail puncture, although the nail was no longer there. My neighbors across the alley have been re-roofing their house, so it would not surprise me if that's where I picked up the item that caused the puncture.
I'll plug the hole and reinstall the tire tomorrow after work. I'm worn out. I'm going to bed.
More Preparation & Generating Monies
I went out and spent most of the money I made selling stuff on new bits and pieces to make the Jeep a better tow vehicle and to address a few things it needed.
I completed the installation of a transmission cooler which will be needed when I start towing. I installed a new horn, since the factory one was damaged in the collision that had totalled the Jeep. It was weak an anemic sounding. I picked up a "Highway Blaster" over at AutoZone and put it on. Now I can honk at people! I guess I can remove the sign that reads "Horn broken, watch for finger" from the rear window.
Linda's not too happy that I spent most of the money, but these are things that directly relate to our plans to depart. We had agreed that any monies that we make selling stuff or extra cash will be either banked or used for preparation. I guess she just figured I'd bank more of it!
I've got a couple other things for sale, too. One of them is my old MacBook which has a problem with its hard drive connection internally. I can hook up an external USB drive and boot the laptop and it works just fine, although a bit slower because of the speed differences between SATA and USB2. I've gotten one little nibble on it, but I think the guy realizes that he's not going to be able to fix it, and is going to back off. We'll see. If I must, I'll lower the price further, but I'd really rather not.
The other item is an HP LaserJet 4000DTN printer. It's a nice printer. It has two trays AND a duplexer. I had originally asked $150 for it, but have gotten no bites. So, I lowered the price to $100. Let's hope that someone wants a really nice workhorse printer. We won't be needing it where we're going..they use too much power. We'll have to get a cheap inkjet, or just keep the little laser printer we have here and put it on a switch so it doesn't use power keeping the fuser warm.
I've got lots of other stuff I'm thinking about selling. Lots of PCs and PC parts, Four older macs, a Color Laserjet 4500, my waterbed (I'm tired of it anyway), our surround-sound stereo system and extra parts, my large air compressor (I'd replace it with a smaller portable unit), and lots of other large tools from my collection that would be difficult or expensive to transport.
And the biggie -- I'm thinking of selling my Miata. I really love that car. It's fun to drive! However, where we're going, a convertible sports car just doesn't make sense. Besides, mine is rusted out and needs body work. I still need to wrap my head (and heart!) around that idea so that I can be OK with it. I've had that car for over ten years...It's like a comfortable pair of jeans.
I completed the installation of a transmission cooler which will be needed when I start towing. I installed a new horn, since the factory one was damaged in the collision that had totalled the Jeep. It was weak an anemic sounding. I picked up a "Highway Blaster" over at AutoZone and put it on. Now I can honk at people! I guess I can remove the sign that reads "Horn broken, watch for finger" from the rear window.
Linda's not too happy that I spent most of the money, but these are things that directly relate to our plans to depart. We had agreed that any monies that we make selling stuff or extra cash will be either banked or used for preparation. I guess she just figured I'd bank more of it!
I've got a couple other things for sale, too. One of them is my old MacBook which has a problem with its hard drive connection internally. I can hook up an external USB drive and boot the laptop and it works just fine, although a bit slower because of the speed differences between SATA and USB2. I've gotten one little nibble on it, but I think the guy realizes that he's not going to be able to fix it, and is going to back off. We'll see. If I must, I'll lower the price further, but I'd really rather not.
The other item is an HP LaserJet 4000DTN printer. It's a nice printer. It has two trays AND a duplexer. I had originally asked $150 for it, but have gotten no bites. So, I lowered the price to $100. Let's hope that someone wants a really nice workhorse printer. We won't be needing it where we're going..they use too much power. We'll have to get a cheap inkjet, or just keep the little laser printer we have here and put it on a switch so it doesn't use power keeping the fuser warm.
I've got lots of other stuff I'm thinking about selling. Lots of PCs and PC parts, Four older macs, a Color Laserjet 4500, my waterbed (I'm tired of it anyway), our surround-sound stereo system and extra parts, my large air compressor (I'd replace it with a smaller portable unit), and lots of other large tools from my collection that would be difficult or expensive to transport.
And the biggie -- I'm thinking of selling my Miata. I really love that car. It's fun to drive! However, where we're going, a convertible sports car just doesn't make sense. Besides, mine is rusted out and needs body work. I still need to wrap my head (and heart!) around that idea so that I can be OK with it. I've had that car for over ten years...It's like a comfortable pair of jeans.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Two Down, God Knows How Many More to Go
Today I sold a motorcycle that has been sitting in my garage for the last several years. I could have parted it out for a lot more money, but I just wanted it gone.
Unfortunately, I didn't have the title for the bike, so I couldn't sell it for what it's really worth. Luckily, I found a guy that wanted it for parts, so I unloaded it for $200. That will help with the funding, and also will de-clutter our life a little more.
Also, I have someone coming to buy our treadmill. We bought it several years ago and well, like most people who buy home gym equipment, they use it for a few months and then stop. We haven't used it in over three years.
It's a really nice treadmill. We bought that model because it was one of the few that could handle my weight (300lb). It has shock absorption and can go up to 10 MPH, so a smaller person should be able to do some serious running on it.
I'll be selling it for $300. Woot! More money and less clutter!
Unfortunately, I didn't have the title for the bike, so I couldn't sell it for what it's really worth. Luckily, I found a guy that wanted it for parts, so I unloaded it for $200. That will help with the funding, and also will de-clutter our life a little more.
Also, I have someone coming to buy our treadmill. We bought it several years ago and well, like most people who buy home gym equipment, they use it for a few months and then stop. We haven't used it in over three years.
It's a really nice treadmill. We bought that model because it was one of the few that could handle my weight (300lb). It has shock absorption and can go up to 10 MPH, so a smaller person should be able to do some serious running on it.
I'll be selling it for $300. Woot! More money and less clutter!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Gettin' Greasy
Before we pack up and split, there are of a number of things that need to be done to prepare. Regardless of where we wind up, there are a number of things we will need.
Soon, I will be looking to purchase a camper. This will serve as our home while we build a natural structure (most likely earth bag). In order to fetch this camper and haul it to West Texas, I need a tow vehicle.
A couple years ago, my sister's boyfriend's 97 Grand Cherokee was totalled. I convinced him to buy it back as salvage and sell it to me. It took me 2 years to get it paid off and for me to get the title. I then repaired the damage and got the vehicle certified for road use as a rebuilt salvage vehicle. I've decided that I will make that into our tow vehicle. Since it's also a 4x4, it will be very useful in Texas.
I did a bunch of research on towing with a Jeep. The most significant recommendations were to install a transmission cooler and to upgrade the lubricant in the differentials. My Jeep did not have a hitch, a trailer light controller or an electric brake controller. I picked up all the stuff to turn my Jeep into a tow rig and as of today, I have it about 95% complete.
The only thing that remains is to run the hoses for the transmission cooler, replace a worn tie rod end and lube the rear differential. I need to run to the parts store to pick up some hose, some friction modifier for the differential and the left outer tie rod.
I'll go grab those things and get it all wrapped up tomorrow. Then I can start focusing on other things.
Soon, I will be looking to purchase a camper. This will serve as our home while we build a natural structure (most likely earth bag). In order to fetch this camper and haul it to West Texas, I need a tow vehicle.
A couple years ago, my sister's boyfriend's 97 Grand Cherokee was totalled. I convinced him to buy it back as salvage and sell it to me. It took me 2 years to get it paid off and for me to get the title. I then repaired the damage and got the vehicle certified for road use as a rebuilt salvage vehicle. I've decided that I will make that into our tow vehicle. Since it's also a 4x4, it will be very useful in Texas.
I did a bunch of research on towing with a Jeep. The most significant recommendations were to install a transmission cooler and to upgrade the lubricant in the differentials. My Jeep did not have a hitch, a trailer light controller or an electric brake controller. I picked up all the stuff to turn my Jeep into a tow rig and as of today, I have it about 95% complete.
The only thing that remains is to run the hoses for the transmission cooler, replace a worn tie rod end and lube the rear differential. I need to run to the parts store to pick up some hose, some friction modifier for the differential and the left outer tie rod.
I'll go grab those things and get it all wrapped up tomorrow. Then I can start focusing on other things.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Plant Life in the Chihuahuan Desert
Wow. I just stumbled across a blog dedicated to photography in the Chihuahuan Desert.
aneyefortexas.wordpress.com
Absolutely stunning. Check it out.
aneyefortexas.wordpress.com
Absolutely stunning. Check it out.
Have You Lost Your Minds?
Have You Forgotten to Take Your Meds?
I can hear it now...... "Why would anyone want to move from the Midwest, where it is green and the land is fertile, having lots of water and wildlife, family, friends and a career? Why would you want to move to the Desert Southwest, home of tumbleweed, scorpions, and rattlesnakes? Why move to a place where there is little water and just a bunch of scrub brush? Have you guys gone completely bananas?"
I'm sure we will be wondering this very same thing, from time to time. For years, I have had the dream of someday retiring to a place where I didn't have to work, except for myself on my own terms. Sometimes those dreams were fantasies of being so rich that I could afford to wipe my ass with one-hundred-dollar bills. Sometimes those dreams were of me just walking out of my life and not looking back.
I think I've found the middle ground. I will go live off the land, and work only hard enough to survive. Then, I will have the freedom to explore the things I want to. Of course, there may be some costs involved, but not having a mortgage, car payment, electric bills, etc will make it a lot easier to afford things on whatever meager income I produce.
I've turned a corner. Being rich isn't about dollar signs and bank balances with 2 or 3 commas in them. Being rich is an attitude. A state of mind. Being rich is also relative. If you compare the least monied family in the United States with the average "middle class" in Ethiopia, the American family will appear to live like kings. However, the American family that has more material wealth than that of the Ethiopian is clearly the poorer of the two. Why? Because of attitude.
So...Where did you get this harebrained idea?
With the coming Zombie Apocalypse, I have felt the need to become less dependent on our national infrastructure. Just imagine how quickly our modern society would collapse if the entire United States power grid was shut off? No damage, no deaths, just poof! No power. Without electricity, we would be in chaos in a matter of weeks. Since our society is dependent on gasoline pumps, grocery stores and the Internet, losing all of these things suddenly would be more than many could handle.
So, I decided I wanted to take up hunting. I used to think venison was yucky. But in recent years, I've discovered that I really liked it. So, hunting became an option. So, I started looking into what I would need to know and what gear I would need to learn to hunt. This also started me on the road to looking for places to hunt. I decided that having my own land to hunt on was really the best plan, since I wouldn't have to worry about "permission," nor would I even need a hunting license to hunt on my own property.
So, over the last couple weeks, I've been using LandWatch.com to look for properties that I could afford to buy outright or nearly so with owner financing. So, I started looking for properties in the $4000-$5000 range. I also figured that in order to hunt effectively, I'd need at least 10 acres. So, I put into the search options for Owner Financed, 11-50 acres, $5000 or less. And what did I come up with? You got it. West Texas.
So, I started thinking about it. Since I live in Ohio, buying land that is a 23 hour drive away isn't really doable as a hunting ground. Driving all the way there, hunting and then bringing the game back would negate any potential cost savings by orders of magnitude, as well as consume enormous amounts of time (4 days round trip, driving 12 hours a day) just to get there and back. So buying it for just hunting was not an option.
Then, all of a sudden, things started to gel. Why not go LIVE on that land? Get away from the Rat Race all together? That's when I started talking to Linda about leaving Ohio and moving to the desert. She has wanted to go live off the land for as long as I've known her, and there's always been a stopper somewhere. Well, now, we've decided to "pursue it until there is an insurmountable obstacle."
So, we've decided to start researching. More to come in future posts.
I can hear it now...... "Why would anyone want to move from the Midwest, where it is green and the land is fertile, having lots of water and wildlife, family, friends and a career? Why would you want to move to the Desert Southwest, home of tumbleweed, scorpions, and rattlesnakes? Why move to a place where there is little water and just a bunch of scrub brush? Have you guys gone completely bananas?"
I'm sure we will be wondering this very same thing, from time to time. For years, I have had the dream of someday retiring to a place where I didn't have to work, except for myself on my own terms. Sometimes those dreams were fantasies of being so rich that I could afford to wipe my ass with one-hundred-dollar bills. Sometimes those dreams were of me just walking out of my life and not looking back.
I think I've found the middle ground. I will go live off the land, and work only hard enough to survive. Then, I will have the freedom to explore the things I want to. Of course, there may be some costs involved, but not having a mortgage, car payment, electric bills, etc will make it a lot easier to afford things on whatever meager income I produce.
I've turned a corner. Being rich isn't about dollar signs and bank balances with 2 or 3 commas in them. Being rich is an attitude. A state of mind. Being rich is also relative. If you compare the least monied family in the United States with the average "middle class" in Ethiopia, the American family will appear to live like kings. However, the American family that has more material wealth than that of the Ethiopian is clearly the poorer of the two. Why? Because of attitude.
So...Where did you get this harebrained idea?
With the coming Zombie Apocalypse, I have felt the need to become less dependent on our national infrastructure. Just imagine how quickly our modern society would collapse if the entire United States power grid was shut off? No damage, no deaths, just poof! No power. Without electricity, we would be in chaos in a matter of weeks. Since our society is dependent on gasoline pumps, grocery stores and the Internet, losing all of these things suddenly would be more than many could handle.
So, I decided I wanted to take up hunting. I used to think venison was yucky. But in recent years, I've discovered that I really liked it. So, hunting became an option. So, I started looking into what I would need to know and what gear I would need to learn to hunt. This also started me on the road to looking for places to hunt. I decided that having my own land to hunt on was really the best plan, since I wouldn't have to worry about "permission," nor would I even need a hunting license to hunt on my own property.
So, over the last couple weeks, I've been using LandWatch.com to look for properties that I could afford to buy outright or nearly so with owner financing. So, I started looking for properties in the $4000-$5000 range. I also figured that in order to hunt effectively, I'd need at least 10 acres. So, I put into the search options for Owner Financed, 11-50 acres, $5000 or less. And what did I come up with? You got it. West Texas.
So, I started thinking about it. Since I live in Ohio, buying land that is a 23 hour drive away isn't really doable as a hunting ground. Driving all the way there, hunting and then bringing the game back would negate any potential cost savings by orders of magnitude, as well as consume enormous amounts of time (4 days round trip, driving 12 hours a day) just to get there and back. So buying it for just hunting was not an option.
Then, all of a sudden, things started to gel. Why not go LIVE on that land? Get away from the Rat Race all together? That's when I started talking to Linda about leaving Ohio and moving to the desert. She has wanted to go live off the land for as long as I've known her, and there's always been a stopper somewhere. Well, now, we've decided to "pursue it until there is an insurmountable obstacle."
So, we've decided to start researching. More to come in future posts.
Start at the Beginning: A Very Good Place to Start
Secrets are for keeping
I have made the blog private so that only I and my wife can post, and the one friend who knows about this can read it.
At some point down the road, we will make this blog publicly available, but not until we are ready to reveal our plans to the people around us. We do this because we know that this will be a controversial subject for my friends and family, and we want to have our ducks in a row and our research done before we holler from the rooftops that we're moving to West Texas.
That said, I feel that I can start using names now, since nobody but those in the know can even see this.
My name is Chad Douglas. My wife's name is Linda Douglas, the friend who knows about this is Ken Riley, whom shall be called Chad, Linda and Ken, respectively throughout the blog.
About Us
Linda and I have been married since June of 2002. We have lived with each other since December of 1993. Needless to say, our relationship has endured and survived many challenges. Linda is 25 years older than me. This is disturbing to some people, and in fact, my family had some issues with it for a while until they got to know her. We, of course are used to the occasional eyebrow-raising or the accidental referral to me as "your son," and we just laugh it off and enjoy the fun of watching them recover when I explain that I'm her husband!
Linda and I are not farmers. We are essentially "city-slickers" all the way. We have always had an interest in the outdoors, and Linda has grown some rather impressive medicinal herb gardens over the years. In the past, it has been I that resisted moving away from "city life," but now that I'm feeling the Zombie Apocalypse coming, I have completely relaxed this position and actually surprised both Linda and Ken when I said that I wanted to "bug out."
Prepare, Prepare, Prepare. Research, Research, Research.
Linda and I figure it will be a couple of years before we're ready to move. During that time, we've decided to start trimming our lifestyle down. We started looking around our house and realized that 98% of all the crap in the house is stuff that we don't need. Sure, this stuff is nice to have and may be fun to use, but it doesn't contribute directly to our survival and basic enjoyment of life.
Case-in-point: The 46" LCD TV. When we move out to Texas, we are not going to have a lot of living space. Our plan is to buy a travel trailer and live out of it while we build some earth bag structures for living, storage, and livestock. Because of this, we really won't have room for a 46" TV, nor will we NEED one. Since the camper we will live in has a space the size of a restaurant booth for congregating, I think we can get buy just fine with a much smaller 22" LCD monitor that I use for one of my computers. So, we will be selling stuff off and getting rid of junk.
So, since we know nothing about the area that we plan to move, nor do we know anything about farming in general, we have a lot of work ahead of us. We need to learn about the area, what resources are available, and the costs associated with making use of those resources.
We will need to acquire a great number of things, most notably:
We also will need to acquire a second language - Spanish. Both of us have a few words, but not even a functional vocabulary, let alone a conversational one. I guess it's time to invest in Rosetta Stone, start having conversations with each other in Spanish and start watching Spanish TV shows. Immersion is the best way. Boy will the dogs be confused when we start giving them commands in Spanish!
That's all for now, and as I think on this more and more, I'll add what I'm thinking, as well as what we're learning. Hopefully, Linda will log in here and post what she thinks and learns, too.
I have made the blog private so that only I and my wife can post, and the one friend who knows about this can read it.
At some point down the road, we will make this blog publicly available, but not until we are ready to reveal our plans to the people around us. We do this because we know that this will be a controversial subject for my friends and family, and we want to have our ducks in a row and our research done before we holler from the rooftops that we're moving to West Texas.
That said, I feel that I can start using names now, since nobody but those in the know can even see this.
My name is Chad Douglas. My wife's name is Linda Douglas, the friend who knows about this is Ken Riley, whom shall be called Chad, Linda and Ken, respectively throughout the blog.
About Us
Linda and I have been married since June of 2002. We have lived with each other since December of 1993. Needless to say, our relationship has endured and survived many challenges. Linda is 25 years older than me. This is disturbing to some people, and in fact, my family had some issues with it for a while until they got to know her. We, of course are used to the occasional eyebrow-raising or the accidental referral to me as "your son," and we just laugh it off and enjoy the fun of watching them recover when I explain that I'm her husband!
Linda and I are not farmers. We are essentially "city-slickers" all the way. We have always had an interest in the outdoors, and Linda has grown some rather impressive medicinal herb gardens over the years. In the past, it has been I that resisted moving away from "city life," but now that I'm feeling the Zombie Apocalypse coming, I have completely relaxed this position and actually surprised both Linda and Ken when I said that I wanted to "bug out."
Prepare, Prepare, Prepare. Research, Research, Research.
Linda and I figure it will be a couple of years before we're ready to move. During that time, we've decided to start trimming our lifestyle down. We started looking around our house and realized that 98% of all the crap in the house is stuff that we don't need. Sure, this stuff is nice to have and may be fun to use, but it doesn't contribute directly to our survival and basic enjoyment of life.
Case-in-point: The 46" LCD TV. When we move out to Texas, we are not going to have a lot of living space. Our plan is to buy a travel trailer and live out of it while we build some earth bag structures for living, storage, and livestock. Because of this, we really won't have room for a 46" TV, nor will we NEED one. Since the camper we will live in has a space the size of a restaurant booth for congregating, I think we can get buy just fine with a much smaller 22" LCD monitor that I use for one of my computers. So, we will be selling stuff off and getting rid of junk.
So, since we know nothing about the area that we plan to move, nor do we know anything about farming in general, we have a lot of work ahead of us. We need to learn about the area, what resources are available, and the costs associated with making use of those resources.
We will need to acquire a great number of things, most notably:
- Camper
- Generator
- LAND
- Solar / Wind Generation
- Any Much, Much More!
We also will need to acquire a second language - Spanish. Both of us have a few words, but not even a functional vocabulary, let alone a conversational one. I guess it's time to invest in Rosetta Stone, start having conversations with each other in Spanish and start watching Spanish TV shows. Immersion is the best way. Boy will the dogs be confused when we start giving them commands in Spanish!
That's all for now, and as I think on this more and more, I'll add what I'm thinking, as well as what we're learning. Hopefully, Linda will log in here and post what she thinks and learns, too.
Let's Get this Party Started!
This is the first post.
Over the last several years, I have had an increasing feeling of "something" coming down the pike. Lots of people have felt this, too, and it has been given a name. The Zombie Apocalypse. Do I think that there will be a bunch of brains-hungry zombies in tattered clothing marching with their arms held in front of them? No. Not really. I use the term "Zombie Apoalypse" to describe this feeling. Perhaps World War III is coming. Perhaps it's some kind of socioeconomic collapse. Perhaps it's the early stages of schizophrenia. At any rate, I feel increasingly ill-at-ease with the status quo.
I have been a "technology" guy all my life. I've been working with PCs since the mid 80s when I was a kid and my dad bought an original IBM PC (4.77MHz, 640k RAM, Monochrome monitor, 2 5.25" 360k floppy drives). Now, I work as a Desktop Support person at a major US University in the Midwest.
My wife spent 20 years as a technical writer, so she's no stranger to technology as well. However, for the last 10 years, she has been functioning as a housewife, managing the household chores and feeding the pets.
Coupled with the feeling of the coming Zombie Apocalypse, I recently woke up to the idea that I go to work every day not to fulfill my needs and have a happy home life, but rather to pay for all the stuff and support technology that allows me to work! This is what I call the Rat Race. Going round and round and round, only to find that to go around, you have to keep going around.
My wife and I have decided that we are tired of the Rat Race. So, we're planning a move to West Texas. We're going to buy some land in the desert and build a house and live as "Off the Grid" as we can.
This blog is dedicated to documenting the process from now until we're done.
Over the last several years, I have had an increasing feeling of "something" coming down the pike. Lots of people have felt this, too, and it has been given a name. The Zombie Apocalypse. Do I think that there will be a bunch of brains-hungry zombies in tattered clothing marching with their arms held in front of them? No. Not really. I use the term "Zombie Apoalypse" to describe this feeling. Perhaps World War III is coming. Perhaps it's some kind of socioeconomic collapse. Perhaps it's the early stages of schizophrenia. At any rate, I feel increasingly ill-at-ease with the status quo.
I have been a "technology" guy all my life. I've been working with PCs since the mid 80s when I was a kid and my dad bought an original IBM PC (4.77MHz, 640k RAM, Monochrome monitor, 2 5.25" 360k floppy drives). Now, I work as a Desktop Support person at a major US University in the Midwest.
My wife spent 20 years as a technical writer, so she's no stranger to technology as well. However, for the last 10 years, she has been functioning as a housewife, managing the household chores and feeding the pets.
Coupled with the feeling of the coming Zombie Apocalypse, I recently woke up to the idea that I go to work every day not to fulfill my needs and have a happy home life, but rather to pay for all the stuff and support technology that allows me to work! This is what I call the Rat Race. Going round and round and round, only to find that to go around, you have to keep going around.
My wife and I have decided that we are tired of the Rat Race. So, we're planning a move to West Texas. We're going to buy some land in the desert and build a house and live as "Off the Grid" as we can.
This blog is dedicated to documenting the process from now until we're done.
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