Early Retirement Extreme Forums

Hi everyone! Much appreciate all your sharing on the forum. It's very inspiring to learn about each of your journeys apart from the mainstream - not easy to go against the current hehe. Glad to be here and will try my hand at a journal.

My husband and I are late 30s and stopped formal employment 1.5 years ago. Prior we had high-earning jobs, reduced our expenses, and built a small real estate portfolio. Now we live between the multifamily properties we steward (own and manage) in Philadelphia area and Puerto Rico- do reach out if nearby : )

We've been developing small permaculture projects (temperate and tropical), learning to repair things, studying Buddhist dharma secularly, concerned about limits to growth, and constantly turning over some of those bigger life questions haha. I struggle a lot with my desire to feel productive which prevents the enjoyment of slowing down - hoping my username can remind me of some beauty in just being. Thanks and looking forward to connecting!

Hello and welcome!

I'm interested to know of ways you try to/succeed at squaring limits to growth and living between Puerto Rico and Philadelphia.

This is an honest question from someone married to a wonderful person with deep roots a few countries away. I see keeping a warm link to my wife's native country, culture and language as an essential part of our relationship. That entails some travel back and forth and slightly complicates our ecological footprint and ERE style of living.

One thing we try to do is limit our travel back and forth to once or twice a year. When going by plane, we book our tickets well in advance.

Welcome! Looking forward to hearing more about these permaculture projects!

Thank you!
@Bytore of course, hope to fold that into the journals! Around Philly built some typical veg beds and now working to find more perrenials like sorrel, Jerusalem artichoke, fig, Egyptian walking onion, pawpaw, etc- most of which my partner got free by asking around Facebook hehe.

loutfard wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 11, 2025 1:43 pm

ways you try to/succeed at squaring limits to growth and living between Puerto Rico and Philadelphia

@loutfard, great question, its a moving target and constantly in discussion! Also, lovely to hear about your prioritizing the strong relatinoship with your partner and that culture : ) We got the PR place when I wanted to escape the cold and status quo, before we learned much about our environmental predicament. Agree on minimizing trips and maximizing value. This past year was the first time I did just one roud trip flight (to PR 6mo, then return); my husband took a few more. We've found/capacitated tenants and connections to help manage the place while out. Guilt can creep in, and recently was reading Thich Nhat Hanh (founder of 'engaged Buddhism') who reminded me to find my Middle Way, eg between the extremes of austerity and indulgence, which ultimately should feel joyful : )