(This is mostly a repost of my introduction post.)
Hello! I am Violets. I am 36 and from the Appalachian area of the United States. I first found ERE years ago, but my intent at the time wasn’t to retire early but to slow travel and live in many states in the united states…Although I wasn’t saving for retirement, many of the Ere tenets came in handy–I took the 200-300 a month rent to heart. For my twenties, I was able to work and live in multiple states that I wanted to visit on very little money, because of ere. I often returned to read the blog or forum for inspiration on living cheaply and well–high quality reading content, always thought provoking and inspiring.
In my early thirties I experienced a Traumatic event and afterwards developed either schizophrenia or PTSD, the psychiatrists didn’t agree. As it progressed I was unable to work for a couple of years and was eventually hospitalized due to the severity of the symptoms. With Treatment I experienced no symptoms, but it changed my goals in life. Due to a strong network of friends and family, during my progression into disease I wasn’t homeless, was fed, and had intermittent odd jobs for cash. I developed alcoholism during the time my symptoms were present, drinking to escape the fear and delusions that accompany the disease. I still struggle with that. My financial goals, as such, are not foremost for early retirement but to buy a house and invest enough to pay property taxes in a walkable/bikeable area. I want to have a place to live, legally, as I cannot ask my friends and family to support me again if the symptoms return as often do and being homeless in the United states, which I have high odds of experiencing, is a less than appealing proposition.. When I achieve that goal, of having a place to legally exist, I will probably pursue financial independence, but it would scarcely be retiring early. (I did qualify for disability after being hospitalized but did not pursue it, as after treatment I did not have symptoms. If they return however, that may be an option. It would be easier to live on with a paid off house..)
Luckily, I currently have a job that provides housing, utilities and wifi as part of the compensation package. While I do not make a lot, barely above poverty level, I am able to save close 50% of my income when paying attention. The last 6 months I’ve backslid on my savings rate, so I thought I might come here, make a journal, and seek friendship with people that inspire sticking to a good savings rate. (I am pursuing higher paid employment, but time will tell how that pans out.)
I’m into various hobbies–Hiking, I garden, I play board games in person and online at board game arena, I read 4-8 books a month but it isn’t the kind of reading that improves you, haha, it’s mostly fantasy and scifi, I go to the gym for weight machines and to try to improve my walking speed using the treadmill, and sometimes I draw. They are, for the most part, a handful of inexpensive hobbies. (The gym is the worst, and I should probably invest in weights for home, but I haven’t gotten that far and enjoy getting out of the house/work environment and going there.)
My first two years working here I saved around 50% of my paycheck without really trying. I don’t pay any rent or utilities, so it is natural to save that money. However, this spring, lifestyle creep got me and I’ve only been saving 25%. To remedy this, I started tracking everything I spent for this pay period, and when I get paid on Friday I plan on posting a Spending review. I’m not sure how bad I’ve gotten about spending, so I’m a little apprehensive, haha.
I need to save about 2x more than I have currently saved to buy a house in my area in cash.
House Quest
Re: House Quest
Welcome Violets. And congrats on being a third of the way to buying a house. What games do you play on BGA?
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Laura Ingalls
- Posts: 785
- Joined: Mon Jun 25, 2012 3:13 am
Re: House Quest
Welcome to the forum
You might be a good candidate for Habitat for Humanity.
You would also get opportunities to learn how to do some carpentry.
You might be a good candidate for Habitat for Humanity.
You would also get opportunities to learn how to do some carpentry.
Re: House Quest
@trailmix
Thanks for the Welcome! I play a variety--Most common are Sushi Go (low brainpower.) and Splendor (I like the less successful of the two major strategies to play, so I'm not particularly great. Haha.) I am Violets55 over there.
@Laura Ingalls
Thanks for the Welcome!
I don't think I really qualify for H4H...I looked it up and I'm not actually at poverty level, I was mistaken. I make 300 dollars more than the medicaid limit, which I thought was poverty level but is actually 138% of poverty level in my state. I've tried before to volunteer for h4h (in the past, pre-schizophrenia) and never received a reply. Carpentry skills are neat though...=)
Thanks for the Welcome! I play a variety--Most common are Sushi Go (low brainpower.) and Splendor (I like the less successful of the two major strategies to play, so I'm not particularly great. Haha.) I am Violets55 over there.
@Laura Ingalls
Thanks for the Welcome!
I don't think I really qualify for H4H...I looked it up and I'm not actually at poverty level, I was mistaken. I make 300 dollars more than the medicaid limit, which I thought was poverty level but is actually 138% of poverty level in my state. I've tried before to volunteer for h4h (in the past, pre-schizophrenia) and never received a reply. Carpentry skills are neat though...=)
Re: House Quest
Allright. This is my review of two weeks spending. I’ve had this job for 2 and a half years, and at the beginning of the year I had saved 1000 a month for every month I had worked. I wasn’t really tracking my expenses, but my monthly budget was:
Food: 200 a month, or 50 a week. This included cat litter and cat food, as well as soaps, trashbags, ect.
Cigarettes: 100 a month
Gas: 100 a month
Car insurance/cell phone: 200 a month. This I paid to my mom every six months, because after receiving treatment for schizophrenia it was simpler to just be added to her plan when I started working again. Every six months, I’d pay her 1200 that I saved. Before starting this I didn’t have a cell phone or drive a car.
When I paid my mom for carinsurance and cell phone, I usually noted how much I had saved. This is in February and august.
This august when I paid my mom, I realized I hadn’t saved anything significantly since the beginning of the year….Lifestyle creep got me, haha. That is the main impetus for this journal, tracking and reducing my spending so I can get back to saving 1000 a month.
I get paid 800 dollars every two weeks. My goal is to transfer 500 of that to my hysa each payday. This two weeks I just tracked my spending, and it was pretty bad. These are the numbers:
Week One:
Taking my disabled brother and dad out to eat: 73.81
Groceries: 49.65
Eating out by myself: 39.13
Cigarettes: 45.97
Gas: 42.99
Total: 251.55
This is an abnormal week for a few reasons. Once a month I drive to the other side of the state and visit family and friends, and while there I cook a meal for my family and take a couple members of my family who don’t get to leave the house often out to eat. I also quit drinking alcohol a month ago, after being a daily drinker, and I’ve been allowing myself as many cigarettes as I want as long as I don’t drink. Cigarettes are terrible, but an addiction is an addiction for now.
Week two:
Gym: 50.00
Kindle Unlimited: 12.71
Cigarettes: 8.6
Groceries 15.89
Abnormal Expenses:
Car Repair: 375.24
Buying coworker who drove a lot to drop me off/pick me up from Auto mechanic dinner: 51.19
Total: 513.63
Total for two weeks: 765.28, or essentially my whole paycheck. 426 dollars was car repair related, but even without that I spent too much–339. That’s over half of my budget for the month, and I still need to put back 200 to pay car insurance and cell phone.
The week I see my family is usually the most expensive of the month for me.
Things I’m looking at changing: I might end the gym membership. I may have found a way to access a gym for free. Cigarettes are obviously very bad. I’m not currently looking at quitting but at switching to vaping, which would run about 20.00 a month instead of over 100. If I can transition, I may try to slowly wean off the vape. Eating out when I’m by myself…haha. That tends to be eating on the cross-state drive from where I live to where my family lives, most often. A bad habit, of many.
Ideally I would spend 100 dollars over the next two weeks…but I’m just tracking for now. I actually will probably spend a lot on gas, as I have an interview for a better paying job on the side of the state my family lives in a week and some change..
Food: 200 a month, or 50 a week. This included cat litter and cat food, as well as soaps, trashbags, ect.
Cigarettes: 100 a month
Gas: 100 a month
Car insurance/cell phone: 200 a month. This I paid to my mom every six months, because after receiving treatment for schizophrenia it was simpler to just be added to her plan when I started working again. Every six months, I’d pay her 1200 that I saved. Before starting this I didn’t have a cell phone or drive a car.
When I paid my mom for carinsurance and cell phone, I usually noted how much I had saved. This is in February and august.
This august when I paid my mom, I realized I hadn’t saved anything significantly since the beginning of the year….Lifestyle creep got me, haha. That is the main impetus for this journal, tracking and reducing my spending so I can get back to saving 1000 a month.
I get paid 800 dollars every two weeks. My goal is to transfer 500 of that to my hysa each payday. This two weeks I just tracked my spending, and it was pretty bad. These are the numbers:
Week One:
Taking my disabled brother and dad out to eat: 73.81
Groceries: 49.65
Eating out by myself: 39.13
Cigarettes: 45.97
Gas: 42.99
Total: 251.55
This is an abnormal week for a few reasons. Once a month I drive to the other side of the state and visit family and friends, and while there I cook a meal for my family and take a couple members of my family who don’t get to leave the house often out to eat. I also quit drinking alcohol a month ago, after being a daily drinker, and I’ve been allowing myself as many cigarettes as I want as long as I don’t drink. Cigarettes are terrible, but an addiction is an addiction for now.
Week two:
Gym: 50.00
Kindle Unlimited: 12.71
Cigarettes: 8.6
Groceries 15.89
Abnormal Expenses:
Car Repair: 375.24
Buying coworker who drove a lot to drop me off/pick me up from Auto mechanic dinner: 51.19
Total: 513.63
Total for two weeks: 765.28, or essentially my whole paycheck. 426 dollars was car repair related, but even without that I spent too much–339. That’s over half of my budget for the month, and I still need to put back 200 to pay car insurance and cell phone.
The week I see my family is usually the most expensive of the month for me.
Things I’m looking at changing: I might end the gym membership. I may have found a way to access a gym for free. Cigarettes are obviously very bad. I’m not currently looking at quitting but at switching to vaping, which would run about 20.00 a month instead of over 100. If I can transition, I may try to slowly wean off the vape. Eating out when I’m by myself…haha. That tends to be eating on the cross-state drive from where I live to where my family lives, most often. A bad habit, of many.
Ideally I would spend 100 dollars over the next two weeks…but I’m just tracking for now. I actually will probably spend a lot on gas, as I have an interview for a better paying job on the side of the state my family lives in a week and some change..
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Laura Ingalls
- Posts: 785
- Joined: Mon Jun 25, 2012 3:13 am
Re: House Quest
Pretty sure Habitat for Humanity is geared towards people with incomes above poverty. They also want people that have non trashed credit.
https://www.habitat.org/housing-help/ap ... eownership
https://www.habitat.org/housing-help/ap ... eownership
Re: House Quest
When I quit smoking, the only thing that ever worked was cold turkey. Ditto, coffee, even though that hasn't stuck yet (I did stop drinking alcohol but that was not an addiction). While I know that people have achieved results with "weaning themselves off," for me personally it's never been anything but my addicted brain trying to have its cake and eat it too. When I was quitting smoking, it took me a couple of tries of, "well I've not had a cigarette in two weeks, I'm fine now, maybe I can have one just this once?" -- and then promptly found myself going back to my pack a day habit within a month. The same plays out with coffee, and with sugar. "moderation" when it comes to an addiction that's already active has never been anything but an excuse for me.
Re: House Quest
@Laura Ingalls Thank you for the further information, but I'm still not sure I would qualify. Livable houses in the location I want to buy in run from 30k to 60k, (ok, If you want a particularly nice house or location it is more like 200k-400k, but I don't need nice. I can make nice if I want.) in decent neighborhoods and the mortgage on those is usually below 30% of my income (one of h4h's criteria looks like it is mortgages exceeding 30%?) 30% of my income is 480 a month, which is more than most of the available mortgages. (I think? I just did some real quick calculations.)
@ertyu:
You are probably right about going the cold turkey route. A few years ago I quit for 6 months and it was cold turkey. Alcohol is (probably?) an addiction for me and I quit it cold turkey, and previously when I've done that, drinking one night was enough to start drinking every night again. I'm just not ready to deal with quitting smoking cold turkey at the moment. I will be hopefully soon. I've also noticed that when I just vape I have success after about a week at weaning without trying---Small things like waking up and not vaping for an hour, instead of smoking immediately on wake up. That gives me some hope for weaning....But just switching entirely to vaping would significantly decrease how much I spend. (Not the health risks though.)
I've also quit coffee intermittently...And I don't eat sweet things, so I don't really eat sugar. That wasn't an effort for me. I just don't like the taste of sweet for the most part. (I do drink diet soda though, so I'm not sure what that means. I literally can't handle ice cream or candy or cake and I don't even really like fruit.) Bodies are weird. I have heard that after you quit drinking for a while a sweet tooth can come back, so that may change.
@ertyu:
You are probably right about going the cold turkey route. A few years ago I quit for 6 months and it was cold turkey. Alcohol is (probably?) an addiction for me and I quit it cold turkey, and previously when I've done that, drinking one night was enough to start drinking every night again. I'm just not ready to deal with quitting smoking cold turkey at the moment. I will be hopefully soon. I've also noticed that when I just vape I have success after about a week at weaning without trying---Small things like waking up and not vaping for an hour, instead of smoking immediately on wake up. That gives me some hope for weaning....But just switching entirely to vaping would significantly decrease how much I spend. (Not the health risks though.)
I've also quit coffee intermittently...And I don't eat sweet things, so I don't really eat sugar. That wasn't an effort for me. I just don't like the taste of sweet for the most part. (I do drink diet soda though, so I'm not sure what that means. I literally can't handle ice cream or candy or cake and I don't even really like fruit.) Bodies are weird. I have heard that after you quit drinking for a while a sweet tooth can come back, so that may change.
Re: House Quest
On the House Quest Front:
I've been watching the housing market in the area I want to buy for a while--I have an email alert for houses as they come on the market, and I check Facebook marketplace fairly often. Outside of houses, I also watch for land over 5 acres that's in my price range, because I also wouldn't mind having a homestead. My Brother also keeps an eye out for houses and land in my price range, usually by word of mouth. He had a friend recently tell him an uncle had 5 acres for sale for 7k---Which is very my type of price. He checked it out and it was a no-go---The land didn't come with timber rights and had very aggressive gun toting argumentative neighbors, but it did lead to him finding another piece of land, one that I like.
Possible Homestead property:
The good:
8 Acres
Timber and Mineral Rights come with it
There is a house site with electricity, water, and a septic tank.
It is possibly able to be timbered (Have not confirmed this with a logger yet, or gotten estimates, just a guess from walking the property.)
It is walking distance to a Walmart, restaraunts, hardware store and Health care center. (1.5 miles.)
It has plenty of Deer (Free meat.)
It is 8 miles from a state Park with fishing, swimming, and trails.
It is less than one mile from a bus line that goes to the major city my family lives in. Bus runs three times a day. The bus runs right in front of the neighborhood 4 of my family members live in and by my favorite coffee shop where board game meetups happen.
It is on a South facing slope.
The bad:
Part of the 8 acres is junk--A cliff. Not much you can do with a cliff.
There is a very old mobile home on the house site that might need to be dismantled and removed. Probably will.
The road that switchbacks the property would need graded before I could drive my low car up it. Then later gravelled.
I'd have to borrow about 5k to get it right now. My sister has offered to lend it to me and I qualified for a personal loan from an online vendor
If I wait till I get a house I can rent it out until I need it (when I leave this job) and make money, this will just be taking money for a while.
The plan would be to get it, pay off my sister, then purchase a camper for 2-3k to live in on the property before building a tiny house.
Anyway...That's the current status of house quest.
It would be nice to have a place, even a place where I could just camp, secured. Once I have a camper on it, I'd be significantly less stressed out.
It is also 30 minutes driving from where my sister, brother, mother, and father live. (The live within a mile of each other.)
The total price for the property is 20k.
I've been watching the housing market in the area I want to buy for a while--I have an email alert for houses as they come on the market, and I check Facebook marketplace fairly often. Outside of houses, I also watch for land over 5 acres that's in my price range, because I also wouldn't mind having a homestead. My Brother also keeps an eye out for houses and land in my price range, usually by word of mouth. He had a friend recently tell him an uncle had 5 acres for sale for 7k---Which is very my type of price. He checked it out and it was a no-go---The land didn't come with timber rights and had very aggressive gun toting argumentative neighbors, but it did lead to him finding another piece of land, one that I like.
Possible Homestead property:
The good:
8 Acres
Timber and Mineral Rights come with it
There is a house site with electricity, water, and a septic tank.
It is possibly able to be timbered (Have not confirmed this with a logger yet, or gotten estimates, just a guess from walking the property.)
It is walking distance to a Walmart, restaraunts, hardware store and Health care center. (1.5 miles.)
It has plenty of Deer (Free meat.)
It is 8 miles from a state Park with fishing, swimming, and trails.
It is less than one mile from a bus line that goes to the major city my family lives in. Bus runs three times a day. The bus runs right in front of the neighborhood 4 of my family members live in and by my favorite coffee shop where board game meetups happen.
It is on a South facing slope.
The bad:
Part of the 8 acres is junk--A cliff. Not much you can do with a cliff.
There is a very old mobile home on the house site that might need to be dismantled and removed. Probably will.
The road that switchbacks the property would need graded before I could drive my low car up it. Then later gravelled.
I'd have to borrow about 5k to get it right now. My sister has offered to lend it to me and I qualified for a personal loan from an online vendor
If I wait till I get a house I can rent it out until I need it (when I leave this job) and make money, this will just be taking money for a while.
The plan would be to get it, pay off my sister, then purchase a camper for 2-3k to live in on the property before building a tiny house.
Anyway...That's the current status of house quest.
It would be nice to have a place, even a place where I could just camp, secured. Once I have a camper on it, I'd be significantly less stressed out.
It is also 30 minutes driving from where my sister, brother, mother, and father live. (The live within a mile of each other.)
The total price for the property is 20k.
Re: House Quest
Groceries at walking distance, family a bus ride away, medical care and entertainment same thing, plenty of land, 20k.
Do you need a car at all? Is your job so far away? Could you cycle, take a bus, walk, any combination of the above?
A cliff can be great fun. Think climbing, gravity electricity storage and more. Lots of exciting things!
Do you need a car at all? Is your job so far away? Could you cycle, take a bus, walk, any combination of the above?
A cliff can be great fun. Think climbing, gravity electricity storage and more. Lots of exciting things!
Re: House Quest
I'd go for it. Proximity to amenities, state park, and your support system (which has been an important safety net in the past) are enough of a plus. Unless there is some snag where you can only live there if you build a house of certain size or higher, etc. Will you be able to live there in a cabin or another small dwelling? Idk if that is important to you, but it would be important to me. Another thing: where do you plan to die? Is this a property where you can live into old age? Idk about you, but it was my criterion when i was choosing a property that i wanted to be able to live there when elderly. If you plan to sell before then or inherit from parents etc, this point is moot.
Re: House Quest
@loutfard
Thanks for bringing up not driving and not owning a car. I like being reminded to think of that. This property would be entirely for peace of mind in case I lose my mind---My job is currently on the other side of the state I live in. (It is sort of great for the non-driving situation as I live on site at my work and step out my door and use a utility cart that is provided and powered by my employer, so day to day I do not have to drive. Unfortunately, groceries are a 20 minute drive on 55 mph roads ([not in my opinion bike-able ] and currently to visit my family I have a several hour drive. ) I might never live on this property, or I might live there if I save enough to retire. If my mental state deteriorates to the point I couldn't work and went on disability, I would live here and get rid of my car and it's associated bills. I am interviewing for jobs on that side of the state, but the majority of the industry I work in and the particular job I have is on this side of the state.
I do like this property because, if I don't need to work, it has everything I need.
@ertyu
It is considered rural land and there is very little regulation on it that I have discovered so far. I think I could live here into old age--once the road is graded it is about as accessible as most local areas. If I significantly change my circumstances I would probably prefer a house in the city where I could walk to groceries, my familiy's house and community events, but that isn't necessary. I won't be inheriting anything.
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In other news, I was reading through the journals and was reminded how very intelligent people around here are. Haha, I feel so dumb. Not that I can't comprehend the topics or discussion, but that it has been since I was a teenager and in university that I thought about anything as much as people do here. It is very inspiring, but also haha, I just feel like a rube who doesn't think about anything. It is good to be reminded of thinking and processing things in writing.
Thanks for bringing up not driving and not owning a car. I like being reminded to think of that. This property would be entirely for peace of mind in case I lose my mind---My job is currently on the other side of the state I live in. (It is sort of great for the non-driving situation as I live on site at my work and step out my door and use a utility cart that is provided and powered by my employer, so day to day I do not have to drive. Unfortunately, groceries are a 20 minute drive on 55 mph roads ([not in my opinion bike-able ] and currently to visit my family I have a several hour drive. ) I might never live on this property, or I might live there if I save enough to retire. If my mental state deteriorates to the point I couldn't work and went on disability, I would live here and get rid of my car and it's associated bills. I am interviewing for jobs on that side of the state, but the majority of the industry I work in and the particular job I have is on this side of the state.
I do like this property because, if I don't need to work, it has everything I need.
@ertyu
It is considered rural land and there is very little regulation on it that I have discovered so far. I think I could live here into old age--once the road is graded it is about as accessible as most local areas. If I significantly change my circumstances I would probably prefer a house in the city where I could walk to groceries, my familiy's house and community events, but that isn't necessary. I won't be inheriting anything.
------------------
In other news, I was reading through the journals and was reminded how very intelligent people around here are. Haha, I feel so dumb. Not that I can't comprehend the topics or discussion, but that it has been since I was a teenager and in university that I thought about anything as much as people do here. It is very inspiring, but also haha, I just feel like a rube who doesn't think about anything. It is good to be reminded of thinking and processing things in writing.
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Laura Ingalls
- Posts: 785
- Joined: Mon Jun 25, 2012 3:13 am
Re: House Quest
I don’t know. My FIL likes to go to real estate auctions and is always telling DH and me about some small but perfectly functional house in some random small town near him that sold in the 20k-40k range. The backstory is he can wrap is brain around our wandering ways. Nope just because it’s a “good deal” doesn’t mean I want it.
I get you situation with regards to your mental health and that it isn’t necessarily stable but I don’t think I would buy something ahead of time with the idea to that you may or may not live in it later. I think looking is good and I like your analysis of the strengths and limitations of various places.
I get you situation with regards to your mental health and that it isn’t necessarily stable but I don’t think I would buy something ahead of time with the idea to that you may or may not live in it later. I think looking is good and I like your analysis of the strengths and limitations of various places.
Re: House Quest
About 25 years ago, my spouse and I considered buying an inexpensive house in the Black Hills. We figured we’d go there on weekends, ski and hike, maybe live there at some point. When we thought about the taxes, cost of upkeep, and not wanting to be landlords; we passed. Financially, it could have been a good investment. But we now live too far away to go on the weekends and there’s no way I’d want that to be my divorcée pad. I think it was a good decision.
But we also had the same thought about a condo in Montana. Some of the same objections but I think I’d be there now if we had.
I am glad we considered them and am comfortable that we made the best decisions we could at the time.
But we also had the same thought about a condo in Montana. Some of the same objections but I think I’d be there now if we had.
I am glad we considered them and am comfortable that we made the best decisions we could at the time.
Re: House Quest
@laura ingalls Your Wandering ways definitely sound trump to an affordable place to buy to me...haha.
I'm going to write about why I'm so fixated on a place to exist legally...I have two immediate family members who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia and it is based in having watched their lives after diagnosis. It is not the smartest financial decision, but it is rooted in lived experiences of people I love.
@Frita Life does have a way of working out usually, I feel. Thank you for your perspective.
I'm going to write about why I'm so fixated on a place to exist legally...I have two immediate family members who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia and it is based in having watched their lives after diagnosis. It is not the smartest financial decision, but it is rooted in lived experiences of people I love.
@Frita Life does have a way of working out usually, I feel. Thank you for your perspective.
Re: House Quest
The opportunities to buy land you have in the US are just incredible.
Is the amount small for you, and are yearly expenses negligible?
Is the amount small for you, and are yearly expenses negligible?
Re: House Quest
@jean They are. On the other hand, if you asked most of the United states if they would willingly live in the state I live in, they would never, it is considered a bad place to live. The population decreases every year. In some ways it is bad, but I like it just fine. It is probably worse if you are any kind of noticeable minority. Most people around here make around 20k a year, so it is a reasonable price. Yearly taxes are around 200 dollars. Utilities are probably the same as most places in the US.
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In other news, I need to post a 2 week money update but I've been busy with a job interview and family visiting from California. We are trying to convince them to move back here, as they will probably never be able to retire in the hcol area they live, but they are afraid of the politics in the area and having to build new friend networks.
----
What I came here to post (haha):
I've been talking politics with both republican and democrat friends and I really, really, really miss being able to come here and read the political debates. I did that for years--I am inherently lazy and this was a great place to come to find intelligent discussions that were well researched about politics....Haha. So much more convenient than doing research or thinking myself, when I could come find all that already done on major issues, the holes poked in arguments, the rebuttals. It is surprisingly hard to find that on the internet (intelligent, calm, well researched discussion.)
I understand the moderation problems, but it was such a resource. XD Apologies to the community here for the mining and co-opting of your opinions I did over the years as an unknown lurker, I always wonder if people who post in public on forums really think about how many completely anonymous people read what they say, sometimes for years. Basically minor celebrities to unknown masses who follow what they write.
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The other thing I've been thinking about is...You know how if everyone pursued fire it might (?) not be achievable? I've had so many conversations about Fire with my close friend group. Most are pursuing it, though no one is fired--Some are Coast fire and retiring at 45, but not fired yet. If so many people I know are pursuing it, is it becoming mainstream? To be fair, these are just people I'm close to (8 people?). I do not think any of my coworkers are so inclined and there are more of them---but I also don't ask them. They could also be.
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In other news, I need to post a 2 week money update but I've been busy with a job interview and family visiting from California. We are trying to convince them to move back here, as they will probably never be able to retire in the hcol area they live, but they are afraid of the politics in the area and having to build new friend networks.
----
What I came here to post (haha):
I've been talking politics with both republican and democrat friends and I really, really, really miss being able to come here and read the political debates. I did that for years--I am inherently lazy and this was a great place to come to find intelligent discussions that were well researched about politics....Haha. So much more convenient than doing research or thinking myself, when I could come find all that already done on major issues, the holes poked in arguments, the rebuttals. It is surprisingly hard to find that on the internet (intelligent, calm, well researched discussion.)
I understand the moderation problems, but it was such a resource. XD Apologies to the community here for the mining and co-opting of your opinions I did over the years as an unknown lurker, I always wonder if people who post in public on forums really think about how many completely anonymous people read what they say, sometimes for years. Basically minor celebrities to unknown masses who follow what they write.
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The other thing I've been thinking about is...You know how if everyone pursued fire it might (?) not be achievable? I've had so many conversations about Fire with my close friend group. Most are pursuing it, though no one is fired--Some are Coast fire and retiring at 45, but not fired yet. If so many people I know are pursuing it, is it becoming mainstream? To be fair, these are just people I'm close to (8 people?). I do not think any of my coworkers are so inclined and there are more of them---but I also don't ask them. They could also be.
Re: House Quest
I was recently part of a discussion elsehwere about how in areas like you describe, seniors really lose independence when they lose the ability to drive. There is no way to get to a library, groceries, medical appointments. There is no public transportation. Due to low wages, younger family typically must all work, so if you need their help, you are actively a burden. So you rot in place, and the only source of entertainment, ideas, or community available to you becomes hate-based brainrot of the likes of qanon. Costs might be low, but I understand your relatives' hesitation. For a senior losing their mobility and mental capacity with age, it is not a good life.
Re: House Quest
Ah, man. I wrote a reply and it failed to post. I agree and disagree. I'll come try again later.
Re: House Quest
I'd be interested, especially in the disagree part as it's likely to contain blind spots of mine.