TylerOSU
Member
- Joined
- May 17, 2012
- Messages
- 10
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HAI2U!<br><div><br></div><div>I'm 29, recently divorced and in a big transition phase in my life. I'm a college grad from Oregon State with a highly marketable history degree(sarcasm lol) and have been working in the non-profit field in various group/care homes the last 4-5 years. Thought about going to grad school/5th year to get my teaching, but got sidetracked by various things. I've struggled with anxiety and low-self esteem for awhile as well, compounding factors no doubt.</div><div><br></div><div>My ex-wife had an accident years ago that left her with post-concussive syndrome, so tons of pain/headaches, nausea, minor memory/reading/focus issues, vertigo....been applying for disability for 4+years now, denied at every turn, though in the appeals section she is in now she might have a glimmer of hope before having to restart everything.</div><div><br></div><div>A few years back I came upon this site, and actually got REALLY excited about doing this with my wife. I even went so far as to ask my boss if it would be viable to park said van on the property of work.....was working there for 2 months....maybe a bit too soon to trust him....because 2 weeks later I was called in and fired, no reason given. Didn't even purchase the Westphalia we were looking at either, it was all conditional on if I could park it and be OKED by boss....you would think this young non-profit guy would be open....but no. I don't even think i got a reply, other than the pink slip.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>So since then I have got into minor credit card debt(approx $3k), paid that off, worked the aforementioned random jobs, and been on an ever increasing path towards frugalism.</div><div><br></div><div>Couple years ago I came across this site <a href="http://earlyretirementextreme.com/" target="_blank">http://earlyretirementextreme.com/</a>, where he was a big advocate of RV living. So in a whirlwind of Dexedrine(yah legal speed!) infused researching and planning, we bought an RV with some help from my father and moved out to an RV park about 45min from my work. I was paying $325(making $1500/month) in premium for Kaiser for her insurance, one of the biggest mistakes of my life....when all she really needed was to just get a few pills and eventually medical marijuana, ice packs etc. One reason the $300 rent was so attractive....wish I could move to Canada/UK....healthcare in AMEURIKA....</div><div><br></div><div>Sadly, we left after 6 months, for a few reasons. First, it was cold and damp all the time inside, we lived there from Late Nov-June, so being unprepared for winter living, with no skirt, minimal heating(didn't want to use gas, we used space heater) we kinda borked the experience-city kids not willing to adapt fully. Secondly, the commute was annoying as hell, especially graveyard....a lot of times i would be falling asleep on the way home, and I got paranoid about my car having issues, which I did have to pay $400 to get work done. Thirdly, my wife was isolated and cut off from a lot of things as she was sick/coudln't drive.....and this was also my fault because being an historic gamer/hermit type, I didn't branch out into the community....barely talked to my neighbors even. We didn't even go camping ONCE! LOl and this was 20min from Mt.Hood....shame shame shame....</div><div><br></div><div>So we moved back into town so I could be close to work. Fast forward a year(OCt 2011), and due to money issues and other ailments, we agreed to split and it has been a VERY rough last few months. Suicidal on and off, reclusive etc...but around Jan of this year I finally rebounded, and it all started with....YOGA....lol.</div><div><br></div><div>Yoga got me to reawaken my inner hippie I had lost touch with since college....my duality of being a big time nerd/gamer has always clashed with this frugal/hippie force..</div><div><br></div><div>Yoga then led to me exploring veganism, which led into sustainability(Mckibbon stuff), perma-culture, communes, alternative living, frugalism(Your Money or your Life) etc etc...just a big tie-die snowball of hippie-synergy. (Did you know you can get a Youtube Downloader/use Chrome extension and search for stuff like sustianabilty, full and you will get a TON of hits on 50+min presentations, docs etc all for free....also torrents ftw....)</div><div><br></div><div>I'm set to visit a few communes/co-ops soon, and I'm exploring the whole van angle as well, even perhaps a combo of couchsurfing/living in woods via my bike+backpack/panniers. Workamping seems interesting as well. It seems like I would honestly rather die or live like this than be a wage slave anymore, trapped like a rat.</div><div><br></div><div>Now my parents want me to go back to school of some kind and get masters level or something(read: Debt Degree)...., and sister(who used to be a huge hippie/forest defender/hitchhiker/van dweller etc) also suggests the same thing. She herself is crusing along to get her MSW from Oregon, which is commendable, and shes super proud of it, but she kinda fooked herself into this route because she had 2 kids....whereas my wife and I realized the folly of kids long ago, another trapping of our system IMO. So now shes in thousands in debt, so I hope she can get a job paying $30-35k+ because those student loan hounds will be all over her.</div><div><br></div><div>My sister is an interesting contrast to many things in my life...as I said she had a roaring 18-30 period traveling all over, protesting etc, while I was the less outgoing, mainstream "white sheep", going to college....plodding along....listening to others people's ideas and plans, never having much passion for any one career field, easily influenced and without a strong voice. Psych, counseling, teaching high school, game design/journalism, even firefighting....the early 2000s were a time of exploration but nothing quite materialized. </div><div><br></div><div>I knew about communes back to my sophomore year when I came across Twin Oaks I believe, and thought it sounded FANTASTIC, but I was so ingrained in school and didn't have enough self confidence(lived at home, helicoptered by mom,geek/virgin) I took the path of least resistance and escaped to my worlds of fantasy when I wasn't in school or fraternity.</div><div><br></div><div>Then I met my wife....</div><div><br></div><div>Speaking of the (ex)-wife, I think a lot of this alternative living is hugely dependent on guaranteed income, notably pensions, disability etc. You all see the theme of that around here. So perhaps if she does get on it in the next few months, I might consider bringing her along for some more adventures...just like Remo Williams....it continues.....</div><div><br></div><div>Sooooooooooo..........my current job is graveyard at group home for developmentally disabled....montonous, unfullfilling and sometimes highly irrational/stressfull from our clients behavior, but its extremely stable, pays ok for my frugal lifestyle($22k/year+benefits) and its safe and comfortable. Best of all, I have good chunk of free time at night outside of my chores/duties, so I can enrich my mind, plan etc. Just in the last few months I have read over 50 books on all manner of subjects I mentioned earlier, cutting out the fluff that is so ridiculous in our society. I used to watch a lot of dumb series on my phone for instance, like Dexter, but realized if I'm underemployed in unfulfilled monotony, I might as well get something out of it.</div><div><br></div><div>But I'm tired of this shadow life, tired of the research ad naseum, I want to DO, I NEED action. I turn 30 in September and I don't want the next decade to be one filled with the trappings of our mainstream culture, wasting my life away....</div><div><br></div><div>I managed to save up close to $6k, by plunking away $300-600 every month for the last couple years.(gave wifey $2k too, otherwise I would have more). I've started to strip down my life to bare essentials as well....kicking myself for buying a $900 PC last fall(for mainly ONE game no less...BF3...) and now looking into selling a bunch of stuff. I own my 96 pontiac grand prix outright, pay about $60 in food/month, voracious library user, internet at home(no TV), don't heat/use AC etc etc. Lean and frugal as much as I can. Never buy clothes. If I could I would pull a ike Meyers and wear black t-shift and jeans everday of my life lol....or a monk robe... Pretty much car free as well these days, making trips on my bike everywhere getting in shape/feeling alive....contrasted by my father buying a new $38k Ford Fusion.....such madness....</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Cheers. :}</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>
