Early Retirement Extreme Forums

<t>Also, on the topic of heating:<br/> Before you buy the woodstove, consider the other components required to install it on a boat. Besides the stove, you will need heat shielding, stainless steel stovepipe, and a bronze deck iron/Charlie Noble. In the US, the deck iron alone will cost $150-200. SS...

<t>Welcome to liveaboard life. My boyfriend and I are living on a 32' sailboat on the coast of Texas. I am beginning to doubt that living on a boat is cheaper than some of the other alternatives we have tried, but we are enjoying it. I think it's more likely that we are being frugal in other areas t...

<t>My boyfriend and I both have 55L Osprey packs. He got his used and has had it for 5 years. I bought mine new 4 years ago. They've seen A LOT of use and are still in good shape (multi-state AT trips, thru-hiking the Long Trail, hitchhiking, etc.) His hip straps wore out about a year ago and Osprey...

<r>OK, aspiring bicycle mechanics, here is a problem I've never had before:<br/> I own a pedicab. It is a large, passenger-carrying tricycle. All the of the forward drivetrain components (pedals, crankset, 7 spd. freewheel, derailleur) are identical to your average mountain bike. Since it is a tricy...

<t>I'd like to use some of the many cans of almost full latex paint that are sitting around our rental house. Upon inspection, they seem to have separated into some liquid on top and a latex cylinder of rubber eraser consistency. I did some preliminary prodding, but before I waste the energy, I thou...

<t>My SO and I just discovered the Texas state surplus store, owned by the Texas Facilities commission. They sell old cop cars, state vehicles, office, and office equipment but also lots of great stuff confiscated at the airport. Ours has a TUBS of pocket knifes, TUBS of multitools sorted by brands,...

<r>I grew up in a log cabin in rural Pennsylvania (20-25 years ago). When I was young we raised animals and my dad went hunting every year. We ate wild turkeys, squirrels, deer, etc. With no McDonalds, I ate "squirrel McNuggets" as a kid. <br/> Shooting at cans and targets was a pretty common social...

I'd vote for a road bike or, if you're worried about overtraining, a scooter or a small motorcycle. I can't imagine paying $3,000 for an electric bike rather than just buying a used motorcycle/moped.

<t>Your brake pads just need to clear your tire and the tension has to be such that they're gripping your tire when you pull the break lever and coming away again afterward. A few ideas for things that may complicate the basic instructions for brake adjustments that are probably all over the interne...

I just finished Chichester's Gipsy Moth Circles the World. It was pretty great. Old enough to be classic but not so old that the language is cumbersome. I tried reading Slocum's account a few years ago, but got bored by the wordiness.

<t>One of our favorite cheap snacks are sweet potatoes once we figured out you can cook them in the microwave (poke fork holes, stick in for 5 minutes whole). They're on sale for Thanksgiving this week for 20c/lb and they never seem to go bad. We put some vegan butter on them and eat them skins and ...

<t>I've only tried the handlebar-mounted kind and they're not worth it in my opinion. Even though the mirror was large, on a very stubby arm, and anchored well, the vibration transmitted from the handlebars makes them worthless for being able to tell what's going on. I've never tried the helmet moun...

Thanks for the answers. $50 isn't so terrible, especially if you think what some people pay to have them done by someone else every year. I have all the money for my taxes ready now, so I'll try to read up and pay it all ASAP.

<t>I've done my own taxes the last couple years, including my taxes for 2010, the first year I was self-employed. I didn't have to pay any estimated taxes in 2010 as it was my first year of self-employment, and because I had no taxable income in 2009. In 2010, my only taxes were about $1100 of SE ta...

<t>It frustrates me that there isn't a clearer focus, but I don't think it's bad that people are out yelling what ever it is they do think. It's a hard situation, because the people who best understand economics and politics and who would be the people best able to eloquently express what has gone w...

<t>I use Google Voice for calls at home. It's been pretty good. The reception is bad if anyone in the house is using bittorrent, otherwise I'm told it indistinguishable from a regular phone on both ends. Sometimes the calls don't initiate on the first try and I need to wait a few minutes and call ag...

<t>I have been using a 100 min plan from Consumer Cellular plus google voice for my communicating needs. However, I'd like to get a smartphone so that I can take credit cards at work (as a bicycle taxi). There are enough folks with smart phones that losing rides to cabbies with squares is becoming a...

<t>Does everyone know about the TX drug card? I went to have a $27 prescription filled last night and asked CVS, "Can I get this cheaper somehow?" They asked if I had a TX phone number, then gave me $10 back. When asked what magic produced the $10, they said "Texas drug card. It's free." I'm pretty ...

Here in Texas you can just fill out a notice of title transfer online. The sales tax and everything else from then on is the new owner's problem.

Yes, thanks again for organizing and stimulating discussion.