how in the heck are we supposed to live these days

[Backyard Buddies]

Quote:
Sorry. Since we were discussing OPEC, refineries, and such, I missed that.

I agree. It's going to have to be a multi-faceted approach that'll work.

 

[Rosalind]

To answer the original question:

I bought my current house, and live in the state where I live because of these exact reasons. I used to live in the Midwest where jobs in general, and especially in my field, were few and far between. Where there was bugger-all for public transit. Where all the farms, every last one, was monocropping something and not growing anything for humans to eat. Where almost every lake and river was so polluted you couldn't fish in it, except catch-and-release. Where nearly every house was stud-wall construction, rarely had fireplaces, never mind woodstoves, so if the power went out you froze to death.

Current house is a very old Colonial era farmhouse located in the heart of biotech country, so I can easily find another job if this one doesn't pan out--we've got several local companies looking to poach our employees right now. I work in pharmaceuticals, in a company with an extremely diverse portfolio and worldwide distribution, so if the FDA doesn't want to approve something or Americans can't afford our drugs (we have several over-the-counter drugs, it's unlikely that people can't afford aspirin or heartburn medication for $5/bottle), we can always sell overseas to Europe and Asia. The company is making a concerted effort to cut utilities costs, as they have already installed motion detectors on every lightbulb--when rooms aren't in use, or if you're just being rather still, the rooms are dark. Heating and A/C is put on Conservation Mode evenings and weekends, and they have a sort of flex-time arrangement to send people home early in the summer; this way, they don't have to run the A/C as much and people get to spend more time at home.

They also subsidize our public transit passes by about 50%, so I'm only filling up my 32mpg Subaru hatchback once a month, just enough to get to the nearest commuter train and run to the feed store. DH just bought a used motorcycle--we're picking it up tomorrow. His commute is about to get a lot cheaper.

Heat: We have a woodstove. DH turned the heat off as of May 1st. We are currently heating the house by the "if you're cold put a sweater on" method. Yes, this makes for some chilly 40-degree New England nights, as we've had a cold wet May. We kept the down comforter and an extra blanket on the bed, we both wear pajamas to bed. We have a little bitty space heater thingy in the bathroom, so it's not like you're stepping out of a hot shower into an icy cold room. Speaking of which, the hot water heater is set on its lowest setting. Truly you get used to it: On a recent business trip, the normal "lukewarm" setting of the hotel shower felt like my skin was boiling off. Energy use is also under control, lightbulbs are compact fluorescents. I am trying to get DH to switch to more LEDs, without much success so far because you can't buy regular-socket LEDs at Lowe's.

Food: Is somewhat restricted. We were throwing a lot of food away, we realized. Now we mostly buy frozen or canned things, stuff that keeps, and we're waiting for the garden to come in for fresh things. I make a lot of homemade quiche: 1/2 bag any kind defrosted veggies, 4 big eggs or 5 smaller ones beaten with a bit of milk, three slices cheese, in a pie crust, baked at 375 for 35 minutes. Add herbs and salt to taste. Dinner or lunch consists of one generous slice of quiche, a piece of fruit, a cup of yogurt and maybe a salad if I can scrounge some greens out of the garden. We also drink juice sort of medicinally, one small glass daily, rather than as a regular drink. Mostly we drink iced tea, or beer.

We've been eating lots of pancakes too. Rice cooker, that was the best thing ever. Rice or quinoa in bulk from the store, one bouillon cube, half a bag of veggies and soy sauce, put in the rice cooker with water filled to the line, and push the button. Cheap dinner in 43 minutes.

I go fishing. Occasionally catch sunfish, bass. A friend who hunts recreationally trades us eggs for venison.

We did just order Chinese. Portion control there, one Chinese takeout == two meals. Lots of portion control in this household, if you want icecream you get a small 1/2 cup serving with a couple pieces of fresh fruit for garnish, a shot of Schnapps poured over. That makes a really big difference. Yes, we are both thin and have fabulous cholesterol, thanks.

Not buying much for clothes. Am actually thinking about sewing some clothes, perhaps a whole quilt as well, out of our monster stack of Old Clothes. Entertainment, well, I did mention that I fish. And the chickens are always entertaining. This weekend, we're having a cookout and going to see a movie--a huge extravagance for us.

 

[God]

Quote:
Why would u say something like this?

 

[happyhen]

Rosalind,

Occasionally DH and I will pick a fight with each other, it's a change from watching the chickens and helps to keep us warm at night!

 

[Velociraptor]

I myself would like to thank the president, senate, and congress for making food available to me at the cheapest price anywhere (that I would venture to), why is there always an abundance on the selves at the grocery? and would also like to shake their hands for having heating fuel to keep me and my family warm in the winter, gasoline may be a sore subject for most but it is always here for whenever I need it, electricity seems to be always handy too. I once traveled globally for a living and would love to send everybody to Zimbabwe or any city in South America for that matter. When last in Zimbabwe (1997) I was told by the local embassy to always hunker down in the back seat and have a black national drive you around so as not to get shot or raped - yes the president himself was a "special type of guy" and would kidnap boys and young men for his pleasure.

And you should see some of the "cars" they rent you in these countries - I call them suppositories, but for some odd reason even though all are tiny 50 mpg deathtraps their gas price is much higher than ours. I was in southern Argentina near the Chilean boarder in December for 21 days, I flew from Buenos Aries to a little town to the south, the 737 I was on had standing room only, the entire plane was packed to the hilt including the aisles.

Now try this on for size - at the place where I was installing a $200,000 computerized cheese block system had no toilets, just porcelain holes and hand grips. My hotel only gave 5 squares of toilet tissue a day, the same paper cup was used for 3 weeks they never changed it, Imodium AD was a daily necessity or you died of dehydration after a few days of ... you didn't wait for the symptoms or it was too late, take one in the morning and one at night without fail.

My stories are seemingly endless, just ask and I will tell you like it is and not the whitewashed travel brochure malarkey. Off the main drag of San Juan chicken coops were a mansion, bars were on windows 10 stories up and the worst part was Dominicans were flocking there because it was so much better than their island.

I kinda like it here, and completely understand why our borders are over ran - I too would do anything to get into this country.

 

[k0xxx]

As Rosalind said... "To answer the original question:"

We moved to this area, northern Arkansas, mainly due to the low cost of living and the mild weather. We picked our small home on 15 acres for several reasons:

1, We could afford ro purchase it outright and have no mortgage.

2, It is in an unincorporated area of the county (no HOA's or problems with zoning boards), yet it is centrally located within seven miles or less from three small towns. Each town having shopping and other services.

3, The property has a nice wood lot, small stream, pasture, garden area, and an orchard.

With the help and support of BYC's members we are almost finished our coop and we will be our getting chickens soon. I am in the process of starting to raise catfish. We have a greenhouse that will go up this summer. We heat our home with a wood stove, although we can use the propane central unit in an emergency. Our 40 gallon propane water heater will be replaced by an "instant on" type soon.

We have scrounged an electric golf cart, type vehicle that has a flat bed. It needs some work to the charging system and new batteries, but I am hoping to eventually have it connected to a solar charger and it can be used for grocery trips or runs to the local farm and ranch store.

My wife and I are learning canning and soap making. We are considering getting dairy goats at some point, also. Where we used to fill up our car once a week, we have learned to combine trips and now fill up once a month. Once the electric cart is running, we're hoping to fill up even less.

Most people can do a lot to cut back and get by fine. The hardest thing to do is to learn to separate what you want, from what you actually need. Once you start to do that, you may find that you don't miss the "wanted" things near as much as you thought you might.

We still have a lot of learning and adjusting to do, but we're hoping to get as far as we can while it is still our choice, and before necessity forces it on us. We sincerely appreciate the help and encouragement that we have received from BYC'ers in getting as far as we are.

Mark

 

[texasreb]

mom'sfolly :

We also have to make change to communities that won't allow clothes lines, solar panels, gray water recycling etc because they don't like they way they look.

We need people who care enough to make the changes happen.

I would never agree to live under the rules a neighborhood association. On the surface, neighborhood ass'ns seem like a good way to keep the 'hood nice and tidy and to keep out the "riff-raff." In actuality I think they are limiting the rights of everyone who lives there. If you live in one, you do so voluntarily.​

 

[FutureChickenMan]

Quote:
No he didn't.. this guy did.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6yRn4IAsrU

And anybody can build a browns gas generator to supplement their fuel use potentially improving gas mileage by 10+%

 

[FutureChickenMan]

Quote:
Sometimes my comic genius doesn't translate well to the typewritten medium.

I was making a joke about which gods gave us the oil resources - Allah in the middle east and Wodan in the North Atlantic. We'll have to invoke South American deities like Quetzalcoatl if Venezuela gets with the program, and Eskimo and Inuit gods if we drill in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge.

Keep in mind that natural gas prices have gone up 50% over the last year. Increased demand on the grid will require increased production, which at times can already be a problem. Anybody remember the rolling black outs on the coasts last summer? Another thing not many folks know, is that eletricity is sold (traded) on markets just like stocks. Utilities "forecast" how much energy they need then sell/buy any fluctuations that occur.

I like the idea of plug in hybrids, most get 100mpg.. but we have to remember that more demand on the grid means we have to be willing to look at wind farms, more dams as well as nuclear plants. Pick your poison.

 

[Their Other Mother]

This is kind of unrelated but this thread got me to thinking... You know what I miss? Radio Drama. Mystery Theater used to come on at 10:00 pm when I was a pre teen. I was supposed to be in bed asleep but I would always sneek my little transister radio under the covers to listen to it.

We usually bring some classic books with us when we go camping and my husband reads out loud to us. At first we can only listen for about 5 minutes before we are bored and want to go do something but after a day or two we sit for hours listening to him read. Modern media - including this laptop - has really dulled our imagination.