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Finally entering the Forums. From Northern California

Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 2:43 pm
by DarksideShine
Hey friends.
This has been a long time coming. I've been peripherally involved in ERE happenings for a couple of years now, thanks to one very active member who is one of my favorite humans ever. I may or may not know a handful of forumites here already. ;)

I'll start a journal very soon, but I don't know if today is that day.

I read the ERE book at a time when there was no place in my life to make that a priority... yet, I live many of the principles of the lifestyle already.

I live off grid in a shipping container that we built a whole decade ago now (wow!).
I'm a self-employed engineering consultant and my mission (some say "intrinsic stoke"!) is to design, develop, and communicate off-grid ready home designs to the masses of normie tradespeople, homeowners, and designers... To put fuel-free infrastructure (and other self-reliant lifestyle features of the home) within reach.

I came from a corporate design office and basically quit as soon as I met the qualifications of getting my engineering license. Before, after, and during corporate life, I was weaving in practice of 1) building things with my hands, and 2) doing that as self-employed, practice in operating as a business. a.k.a. people paying me to let them be my guinea pig as a builder :)

When I read the ERE book, I was extremely sick at the time. Chronic illness mystery stuff that just takes 100% of one's priority to figure out. It's the foundation of everything that enables us to live by the principles of autonomy. And it's really freaking expensive. And there's no way out but through.

Glad to say that after ~5-7 years of very grueling days of being half human and hurling myself into finding solutions, I finally picked that lock and figured myself out. That experience is one of the things I'll likely discuss on my journal with respect to knowing when it's time to hold em or fold em when it comes to spending. Not spending on things like health is a huge priviledge. Being self employed is a privilege. And it takes work. And I think perhaps that IS the work of ERE. Invest in yourself enough in the beginning as if you were a start-up business such that you can launch out of the traditional golden balls and chains (which are named in the book (rent, utilities, transport, health, etc.)) and become self-sustaining.

Looking forward to many more discussions on these strategic self investments and much much more. <3

Re: Finally entering the Forums. From Northern California

Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 7:06 pm
by TrailMix
Welcome! Since you have been ERE adjacent for a couple of years, was there anything in particular that made you join at this time?
Glad to say that after ~5-7 years of very grueling days of being half human and hurling myself into finding solutions, I finally picked that lock and figured myself out. That experience is one of the things I'll likely discuss on my journal with respect to knowing when it's time to hold em or fold em when it comes to spending.
I look forward to reading that journal entry!

Re: Finally entering the Forums. From Northern California

Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2025 10:25 pm
by 2Birds1Stone
Welcome :)

Re: Finally entering the Forums. From Northern California

Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2025 10:27 am
by Stasher
Welcome to the forums, there is a lot to learn here on the ERE lifestyle design and if you want to broaden your understanding of bigger historical, educational and philosophical topics this place is incredible.

Re: Finally entering the Forums. From Northern California

Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2025 12:33 pm
by AxelHeyst
YES! :D
DarksideShine wrote:
Sat Mar 01, 2025 2:43 pm
Invest in yourself enough in the beginning as if you were a start-up business such that you can launch out of the traditional golden balls and chains (which are named in the book (rent, utilities, transport, health, etc.)) and become self-sustaining.
Love the framing of strategic self investment. Veeery much glad to having your perspective/mind for complexity added to the ERE forum soup. Welcome, finally.

Re: Finally entering the Forums. From Northern California

Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2025 3:30 pm
by DarksideShine
@Trailmix, yes - I got so sick of the garbage politics lately on Instagram outweighing the dopamine hits and information I've been historically getting from the IG animal videos and construction technique videos ha! So I felt ready to (at least try) to make ERE forums be my online place instead. I have a very high regard for the nuance and intellectual thought untangling that I know happens here and it's been a long time coming. @stasher, precisely. I'm here for the historical, educational and philosophical.

I'm going to have to quickly learn how to do basic posts and quotes and attaching photos and such, bear with me in the meantime.

Lots to learn and gain here, thank you all for your welcoming messages!

Re: Finally entering the Forums. From Northern California

Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2025 3:43 pm
by DarksideShine
I'm also taking recommendations on how to best keep up with my own posts and my favorite threads and journals :)
It's like paddling into the ocean on a kayak.. so vast!

Re: Finally entering the Forums. From Northern California

Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2025 3:50 pm
by jacob
Read this: viewtopic.php?t=12588

Bookmark this to keep up/avoid missing anything: search.php?search_id=active_topics

To learn how to insert pics, quote text, etc: app.php/help/bbcode (note that you have to host the pictures elsewhere)

The built in search engine is primitive. To search the forum, use google e.g. "site:forum.earlyretirementextreme.com blabla"

To report spam or other problematic posts click on the "!" button and I'll take a look.

Re: Finally entering the Forums. From Northern California

Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2025 7:23 pm
by DarksideShine
Thanks Jacob!!

Re: Finally entering the Forums. From Northern California

Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2025 12:43 pm
by Scott 2
Welcome.

The board has notification options that can put everything of interest in a single queue, saving you from filtering through active topics. This is what I like:

Image

Making the notifications work when a new thread is created, requires accessing each forum of interest, scrolling to the bottom, and clicking the subscribe forum link.

Then subscribe to or bookmark relevant threads via the wrench icon, pictured below.

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Re: Finally entering the Forums. From Northern California

Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2025 1:43 pm
by DarksideShine
@Scott 2 YES! Exactly what I needed!!

Re: Finally entering the Forums. From Northern California

Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2025 2:50 pm
by birding
It's like paddling into the ocean on a kayak.. so vast!
@DarksideShine great way to put it! Relatable. Looking forward to your journal.

Re: Finally entering the Forums. From Northern California

Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2025 1:44 pm
by Jin+Guice
Yes! Welcome!

Re: Finally entering the Forums. From Northern California

Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2025 5:35 pm
by mountainFrugal
I am excited that you finally joined. I think you have so many relevant ERE adjacent experiences and takes that you will blend in here quickly.

Re: Finally entering the Forums. From Northern California

Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2025 2:29 am
by DarksideShine
Great to see you guys here 😄 More motivation. Need to catch up on your journals too.