Early Retirement Extreme Forums

I liked Flagstaff and Missoula a lot. You Can find communities in a lot of places, but you need to stay somewhere. Miami seemed awful to me, si you might be better of Moving, but i would avoid hyped places.

Yeah, Miami does suck. I’m looking forward to getting out west soon. I’m planning a road trip in the summer for 3-4 weeks to visit AZ, UT, CO, ID, and MO. And by planning, I mean I’ll take a cheap flight and rent a car for a few weeks to sleep in.

I actually would like to plant some roots, but I may as well be planting in desert sand in Miami, no matter how strong a plant I may be.

@Jean, are there any other towns you’d suggest? Agreed, that’s why a town like Greeley, CO appeals to me more than Boulder. It’s front-range, but it won’t cost you an arm and a leg to live there.

Jean wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 23, 2019 5:15 pm

You Can find communities in a lot of places, but you need to stay somewhere.

I think this is very true. Not only because staying longer allows for more time to discover these communities but also because communities often require some tenure or for people to prove themselves a valuable member of said community before they are invited in to become part of that community.

jacob wrote:because communities often require some tenure or for people to prove themselves a valuable member of said community before they are invited in to become part of that community.

True, 30 years of just parking your car in a community= about 3 days of substitute teaching at the neighborhood school.

I have moved a lot over the last few years, and I agree with theanimal in that place can have a huge impact on well being.

You're young enough to be able to try a bunch of new places, so I say pick the city that seems most interesting on your trip and go for it.

If you're looking for more good options, you should check out the awesome spreadsheet C40 made when he was searching for a new place to live.

It comes from the ERE city thread.

Crested Butte, Colorado. You'll need a car as reasonably-priced groceries are a half-hour drive away. You're welcome.

I don’t think much exists that rivals Boulder’s access to outdoors activities. The only thing I thought it was worse for compared to other areas with regards to outdoor activities was swimming. One shallow creek fed by freezing snowmelt which people “tubed” down. I was hyped for my first time “tubing” Boulder Creek. But really you’re just tubing a few hundred feet at a time, then walking most the way because it’s too shallow.

Still there are some good swim holes and even a couple places to jump in, but not quite like what you find in the South.

Boulder isn’t so expensive. From what I remember, rent was the only outrageous part. The climbing gyms can be expensive as well.

If you can shack up with roommates, it’s affordable. There’s a lot of yuppies, but there’s also a ton of people to do things with (two categories not necessarily mutually exclusive). Can literally ride your bike to thousands of rock climbing routes.

Viktor K wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 24, 2019 2:27 am

I don’t think much exists that rivals Boulder’s access to outdoors activities.

For starters you have all the places in Colorado that are actually in the mountains... and sufficiently away from Boulder.

Yeah, maybe. I just remember the convenience factor being super high there. I walked across the street to a grocery store, walked to school (longboarded, weather permitting), climbing gym, and work. And rode my bike to the mountains to climb outside, or caught a 5-15 min ride with a friend, depending on how far up the canyon we wanted to go.

Also I had family and friends in Denver, so that was only I think 30-45 mins by bus, but it could have been longer.

I loved it there.

Northern Florida has beatifull empty beaches and is closer to your parents.

unemployable wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 24, 2019 1:14 am

Crested Butte, Colorado. You'll need a car as reasonably-priced groceries are a half-hour drive away. You're welcome.

My god that place looks amazing.
CO and UT would probably be my dream ERE landing spots, too bad I can't move there because I'm Italian

Colorado does not have enough water.

I've never been, but I dated a girl that lived in Missoula for a few years. She loved it, but the winter lack of sunshine about drove her insane. Something to consider if you are susceptible to SAD.

7Wannabe5 wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 24, 2019 6:43 am

Colorado does not have enough water.

Colorado has plenty of water for Colorado. Now adding on Arizona, Vegas and southern California is a different matter.

Nobody has recommended the MMM commune???

Even in a perfect location, life changes. Maybe you don't want to party at Liv every Friday night, but Miami is a city of millions with varying population densities in the outlying areas. There must be something out there to avoid the next year being miserable.

slowtraveler wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 23, 2019 12:25 pm

I met many spiritual people at events, not exactly locations. Like Vipassana or a healing workshop but not a hippy, meditation-based school. There will be like minded people doing these activities, not necessarily at abc location.

Have you tried meditation or yoga classes/groups? It seems like as good of place as any to try to meet hippies and it might help with your emotional ups and downs.

THF reporting for dutiful sharing of new strategy:

I increased my age a few years, and replaced about half of my okcupid photos of places I’ve been to with public domain 4K iterations on the internet. I filtered all of my photos. I answered only 100 questions related to only three attributes max and placed them as very important (i.e. only answer questions with a lean on pro long term only, outdoors, kindness, and mark them as very important). I then paid for A-list. I added about a hundred key words to the bottom of my profile.

Now I’m getting dates and likes every day it seems. Much more than before. I think some ppl take this even further by replacing their profile photos with models that *look* like them. Oh. the times we live in.

————-

In other news, fuck you guys, do you ever get that feeling of throwing everything up in the air and living on a sailboat? Like, many days everything's fine and you’re there planning 3 years of accumulation and progressive credentialism like it’s no no big deal on your spreadsheet, then the next you’re thinking about chucking the keyboard at the nearest “hey, have you done this yet” office worker.

seriously though, working over years is hard as fuck. Not so much day to day, but the fluctuations of stress takes a toll. I have no idea how people do this shit and come out sane after 40 years.

Note to self: is looking attractive and not stressed out a privilege? In other words, I wonder if wealthy faces who’ve never worked in their life look fresher than those that have for 10 years.

I feel you. Maybe you should think about changing often between minimal wage jobs, instead of following a career?

I have had the odd day of thinking 'screw it' in a similar way to that you describe. Although not often. But then I am happy to say 'no' to the have you done yet questions and then list 5+ reasons why. Tend to get left alone then. I accept this isn't possible in jobs where there is less autonomy/increased risk of being laid off.

I think the people looking older/less attractive is probably more from the coping mechanisms with stress (Neglecting exercise/diet or choosing self medication with chemical crutch of choice) than the stress itself.

Leaving work at the door also really helps.

I increased my age a few years,

Are you saying you are lying about your age? That doesn't seem right.