I have had some resistance to the living-in-my-car idea, as expected. The opposition came from more than one direction, and I couldn't fully justify the meager savings over the inconvenience (and that inevitable dank smell that would penetrate all the fabric in the vehicle).
So this weekend we tossed around the idea of a recreational vehicle. At this time, however, it wouldn't necessarily be the best move to drop $3-$5K on a crappy 10-or-more-year-old travel trailer and then find a park to put it in. Plus the work needed on our pickup just to make it up to Atlanta could double that figure. Chuck the truck isn't so well these days. We thought we might could use it in the future as we like to travel, but outside of a park where I'd live in it, we don't have the storage space for it. And would we really use it? I'm only guessing that most of the people selling on Craigslist thought the same thing and now they're just trying to put it off on someone else.
So yet another thought experiment has dawned on me. It's another extreme, but a more justifiable and permanent idea nonetheless. We (my lovely wife and I) have decided we wouldn't mind living in North Georgia, as long as we can have what we want. And what we want starts with land. We need space to put all of our shit. My projects, our house, my shop, farm animals, and nothing. I think the nothing part is important. We need a buffer of nothing to surround our place and give us some peace.
On with my mental exercise: I want to think about what I would need to start with, on a bare piece of land, to begin to live on it. I'm talking about modern times, folks - I'm not roughing it in a tent. What needs to go in first, before I build a small cabin? What are the minimums for living?
I have thought a little bit about it and the first two things are whammies on the budget. After the land purchase, the first two items on the agenda are water and sewage - a well and a septic tank. I don't have exact figures on what those things cost, but they must be in the several thousand dollar range, each. And now that I think about it, it will take electricity to run the well pump. So I might have to look for land with an existing well.
Anyway, with those minimums in place, I could begin to build a small house and finish it to live in temporarily until we could get the main house built. My dad did this very thing. To combat theft, I would first build a shed to keep my tools and equipment in, and begin construction on the cabin.
Perhaps I will write more on this later as it seems like a good idea right now.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Thoughts of Extreme Frugality
I can't stop thinking about this.
When I moved to Atlanta and got an apartment to stay in during the week, I didn't think I'd have any more to pay for outside of that. I ended up needing another car and bought a new one so I wouldn't have to worry about driving the 500-mile weekend trips. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
Also, I had failed to realize what a strain paying back student loans would put on the finances. It has made me consider more than once whether the education was worth it. Since I can't return the Bachelor's degree to the store, complaining won't do much. I tell myself to live with it.
Considering ways to save money these days has become a new hobby. I tend to think in extremes at times, and this is no exception. I have almost found a way to save the largest amount of money in the shortest amount of time, while still saving my credit rating. No, it's not some debt relief plan that includes hacking the credit agencies, and I'm not going to rob a bank. I'm not going to default on any of my commitments, yet I'm going to save about to $700 per month.
Two words: voluntary homelessness.
The thought had crossed my mind some weeks ago, but I couldn't figure it all out. I'm close now.
Currently, I stay in this apartment during the week and drive 238 miles home on the weekends. If I could survive each work week just sleeping in my car, I wouldn't have to pay rent, water, sewer, electricity, or gas bills. Let's consider what I have available as alternatives:
Bathing
My work has a gym available for employees. It's $10 per month, and there are showers (and perhaps lockers; I haven't been there yet). That would be the place to change clothes, shower, and even - get this - work out.
Eating
There is a refrigerator at work which can hold necessities like jelly, cold cuts, cheese, fruit, and bottled water if needed. I can keep the rest in the trunk of the car. A large meal's leftovers from a good restaurant could be kept in there too. I can keep dishes in a desk drawer and wash them in the sink at the break area.
Sleeping
The parking deck at work is prime real estate. The bottom floor has no natural light and must therefore stay cooler in the summer months. I have a good sleeping bag for the colder times. It is a 24-hour operations center and my car being there during the day wouldn't raise suspicion as long as it's not in the same space at night. Of course it wouldn't - I'd park in my regular spot during work hours. Tinting the windows would also help, as could one of those windshield sun-shades.
Safety
Work is pretty safe. It has 24-hour security and is in an affluent part of town. The Glock 19 also has a voice.
Laundry
I own a house with a washer and dryer. It's just not in the Atlanta area. Weekends are for laundry and bed-sleep.
Internet
Some of you might imagine that I would just use the Internet at work, but you are mistaken. I suppose I could just war-drive, but that is a bit inconvenient (and I guess living in one's car is too, but...). Considering the mobile nature of living in a car, Verizon or Clear wireless has a solution. For around $50 a month, I can get one of those hotspots with enough bandwidth to publish posts and conduct research. That takes away from my overall savings, but it's the one thing I cannot do without. It's funny - I am willing to go without shelter, climate control, and running water, but Internet access is an absolute must. What year is this?
Potty
Pretty obvious. Work or Wal-Mart.
Phone
Exactly what I do right now - use my mobile phone.
Electricity
Living in the car without appliances could be said to be "going green." I have auto adapters for the phone and the computer. Right now I can't think of anything else I'll need to use. No shaver, no hair dryer, nothing.
Part of my motivation is the possibility that at least one of my student loans could be paid off in a matter of a few months at this rate. I only wonder how long I could stand it.
So now that I've covered most everything, I turn to my overwhelmingly huge reader base I like to affectionately refer to as the fewer than five: What have I missed? What will I not like that I don't already know about? Would this make a good story on NPR?
When I moved to Atlanta and got an apartment to stay in during the week, I didn't think I'd have any more to pay for outside of that. I ended up needing another car and bought a new one so I wouldn't have to worry about driving the 500-mile weekend trips. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
Also, I had failed to realize what a strain paying back student loans would put on the finances. It has made me consider more than once whether the education was worth it. Since I can't return the Bachelor's degree to the store, complaining won't do much. I tell myself to live with it.
Considering ways to save money these days has become a new hobby. I tend to think in extremes at times, and this is no exception. I have almost found a way to save the largest amount of money in the shortest amount of time, while still saving my credit rating. No, it's not some debt relief plan that includes hacking the credit agencies, and I'm not going to rob a bank. I'm not going to default on any of my commitments, yet I'm going to save about to $700 per month.
Two words: voluntary homelessness.
The thought had crossed my mind some weeks ago, but I couldn't figure it all out. I'm close now.
Currently, I stay in this apartment during the week and drive 238 miles home on the weekends. If I could survive each work week just sleeping in my car, I wouldn't have to pay rent, water, sewer, electricity, or gas bills. Let's consider what I have available as alternatives:
Bathing
My work has a gym available for employees. It's $10 per month, and there are showers (and perhaps lockers; I haven't been there yet). That would be the place to change clothes, shower, and even - get this - work out.
Eating
There is a refrigerator at work which can hold necessities like jelly, cold cuts, cheese, fruit, and bottled water if needed. I can keep the rest in the trunk of the car. A large meal's leftovers from a good restaurant could be kept in there too. I can keep dishes in a desk drawer and wash them in the sink at the break area.
Sleeping
The parking deck at work is prime real estate. The bottom floor has no natural light and must therefore stay cooler in the summer months. I have a good sleeping bag for the colder times. It is a 24-hour operations center and my car being there during the day wouldn't raise suspicion as long as it's not in the same space at night. Of course it wouldn't - I'd park in my regular spot during work hours. Tinting the windows would also help, as could one of those windshield sun-shades.
Safety
Work is pretty safe. It has 24-hour security and is in an affluent part of town. The Glock 19 also has a voice.
Laundry
I own a house with a washer and dryer. It's just not in the Atlanta area. Weekends are for laundry and bed-sleep.
Internet
Some of you might imagine that I would just use the Internet at work, but you are mistaken. I suppose I could just war-drive, but that is a bit inconvenient (and I guess living in one's car is too, but...). Considering the mobile nature of living in a car, Verizon or Clear wireless has a solution. For around $50 a month, I can get one of those hotspots with enough bandwidth to publish posts and conduct research. That takes away from my overall savings, but it's the one thing I cannot do without. It's funny - I am willing to go without shelter, climate control, and running water, but Internet access is an absolute must. What year is this?
Potty
Pretty obvious. Work or Wal-Mart.
Phone
Exactly what I do right now - use my mobile phone.
Electricity
Living in the car without appliances could be said to be "going green." I have auto adapters for the phone and the computer. Right now I can't think of anything else I'll need to use. No shaver, no hair dryer, nothing.
Part of my motivation is the possibility that at least one of my student loans could be paid off in a matter of a few months at this rate. I only wonder how long I could stand it.
So now that I've covered most everything, I turn to my overwhelmingly huge reader base I like to affectionately refer to as the fewer than five: What have I missed? What will I not like that I don't already know about? Would this make a good story on NPR?
Monday, May 09, 2011
Blogging from the Kimdle
I honestly didn't think it would work, but the browser in the Kindle is more equipped than i had thought. This is a real pain, but I can actually compose and publish a post from the web interface of Kindle's experimental browser.
Saturday, May 07, 2011
On Whatever, or One Post Per Day (No Commitment)
I really miss being able to concentrate. If the reader might notice, most of the posts in the last four years are very short. A thought comes to mind to quit using computers during my time off so that I may gather my thoughts more efficiently and perhaps provide the reader with more entertaining fodder.
But giving up the use of computers at any time is very difficult for me. I could easily give up my phone as it does nothing but sit on my hip. No one calls, and I could talk to my wife through the computer with better results at times than the telephone. My life permanently on the other side of a computer screen is nearly unimaginable.
Being an amateur software designer/developer and a professional systems administrator, it is very hard to put thoughts of "what if..." out of my mind. I read about systems and rebuild things almost every day. It takes that to be better at what I do with every iteration at work. I rarely think of much else, and wouldn't have anything to write of if I didn't do what I do.
I find myself lately writing about not writing. It's a good exercise to sit down and just write, as many writing classes always begin. No matter if you think you don't have anything to write - just write: "I don't have anything to write." Then elaborate. It starts just like that.
Sometime I may begin to try posting at least once every day here on the blog and see what comes of it. Every day for, say, a week, and if it's working out I'll keep it for a month. We should see how that goes. I'll tag them with OPPD, for One Post Per Day. If I can post at least something genuine once per day for a week I will claim to have accomplished something.
Okay, the rules.
I'm a design and planning freak. I like to know how it could be done, and the likelihood of outcomes with each scenario. I picture things in my head a lot before I do something. So if I'm going to make the attempt at posting every day, I need to furnish at least the semblance1 of a plan. Here are some thoughts: I will likely make posts from my laptop in Atlanta, and they may be about the day, news events, or (the most likely case) simply start with "There's nothing to write about today...." I will make reminder items on my calendar that will tell me to write. There is no topic I can't write about - an instructional post on system administration is perfectly acceptable, as is a post about the royal wedding (probably the least likely to come to my attention).
I could make notes about something with my phone. Pictures from the day's events could draw more words out of me for the posts. I like taking pictures. I need to ride my bike or run more, so getting out to grab pictures and thoughts is probably a good way to seed blog posts.
I see that this hasn't actually been a bulleted set of rules, and that's good. My life must be flexible, and I want it known that I haven't committed to this yet. There is no start date specified. I remember committing to reading every non-reference book in my library in 2005. That got nowhere. I read one book, and I can't remember much at all about The Time Machine because I read it so fast. It really didn't count as reading.
But I do want to write more and write better. I want to try the one-post-per-day event. I suppose the first post tagged with "OPPD" will signify my commitment. We'll see how long my interest lasts.
Notes:
1. I just realized that I have never before typed the word 'semblance' but have only used it in speech. I happened to get the spelling and the use of the word correct.
But giving up the use of computers at any time is very difficult for me. I could easily give up my phone as it does nothing but sit on my hip. No one calls, and I could talk to my wife through the computer with better results at times than the telephone. My life permanently on the other side of a computer screen is nearly unimaginable.
Being an amateur software designer/developer and a professional systems administrator, it is very hard to put thoughts of "what if..." out of my mind. I read about systems and rebuild things almost every day. It takes that to be better at what I do with every iteration at work. I rarely think of much else, and wouldn't have anything to write of if I didn't do what I do.
I find myself lately writing about not writing. It's a good exercise to sit down and just write, as many writing classes always begin. No matter if you think you don't have anything to write - just write: "I don't have anything to write." Then elaborate. It starts just like that.
Sometime I may begin to try posting at least once every day here on the blog and see what comes of it. Every day for, say, a week, and if it's working out I'll keep it for a month. We should see how that goes. I'll tag them with OPPD, for One Post Per Day. If I can post at least something genuine once per day for a week I will claim to have accomplished something.
Okay, the rules.
I'm a design and planning freak. I like to know how it could be done, and the likelihood of outcomes with each scenario. I picture things in my head a lot before I do something. So if I'm going to make the attempt at posting every day, I need to furnish at least the semblance1 of a plan. Here are some thoughts: I will likely make posts from my laptop in Atlanta, and they may be about the day, news events, or (the most likely case) simply start with "There's nothing to write about today...." I will make reminder items on my calendar that will tell me to write. There is no topic I can't write about - an instructional post on system administration is perfectly acceptable, as is a post about the royal wedding (probably the least likely to come to my attention).
I could make notes about something with my phone. Pictures from the day's events could draw more words out of me for the posts. I like taking pictures. I need to ride my bike or run more, so getting out to grab pictures and thoughts is probably a good way to seed blog posts.
I see that this hasn't actually been a bulleted set of rules, and that's good. My life must be flexible, and I want it known that I haven't committed to this yet. There is no start date specified. I remember committing to reading every non-reference book in my library in 2005. That got nowhere. I read one book, and I can't remember much at all about The Time Machine because I read it so fast. It really didn't count as reading.
But I do want to write more and write better. I want to try the one-post-per-day event. I suppose the first post tagged with "OPPD" will signify my commitment. We'll see how long my interest lasts.
Notes:
1. I just realized that I have never before typed the word 'semblance' but have only used it in speech. I happened to get the spelling and the use of the word correct.
Tuesday, April 05, 2011
New Tires
I finally got new tires on the motorcycle. The shop I went to was comprised of some of the nicest people I have ever encountered at motorcycle places. One of the guys asked where I lived and told me a good route to take home - 130 miles worth. So here's my route to the shop (14 mi):
And my route home today (124 mi):
I'm going to see if I can't do something similar tomorrow!
And my route home today (124 mi):
I'm going to see if I can't do something similar tomorrow!
Friday, April 01, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
What I Could Do
I've written quite often about how I don't like where I live and that I should get out and go to a big city where people are more diverse and there are more opportunities. I have an apartment in Atlanta now and while I really hate admitting this, I was wrong.
There is an overwhelming number of assholes here. I hadn't thought about that. I'm an asshole, but usually only in my head. Too many of the people here are assholes out loud. I am a social person and I can't help that. But I prefer to be a recluse when everyone around me can't stop yapping about themselves. The competition here is so fierce that nothing gets done and people get hung out to dry instead of properly informed and trained.
Today I'm reading my Eclipse IDE: Pocket Guide
in preparation for beginning Android application development. My plan is to have such a grasp on that platform that I could work for anyone, from anywhere - including my house in the country. I am also working through Hello, Android and then off to two other books on the platform. The last time I started working on Android I began coding on the first day of study and got locked into an all-night hacking session trying to work out my project while researching the SDK. Not anymore. I'm giving myself the fundamental education so I don't have to do so much hacking and have so many problems at once. If you're interested in this progress, keep a watch out at blog.twoleg.com. I expect to release a simple app for free just to get the hang of it. It probably won't be anything groundbreaking - probably an enhanced flashlight application or something. Not a whole lot of design considerations in that realm. I will try to post progress at least weekly.
Toodles!
There is an overwhelming number of assholes here. I hadn't thought about that. I'm an asshole, but usually only in my head. Too many of the people here are assholes out loud. I am a social person and I can't help that. But I prefer to be a recluse when everyone around me can't stop yapping about themselves. The competition here is so fierce that nothing gets done and people get hung out to dry instead of properly informed and trained.
Today I'm reading my Eclipse IDE: Pocket Guide
in preparation for beginning Android application development. My plan is to have such a grasp on that platform that I could work for anyone, from anywhere - including my house in the country. I am also working through Hello, Android and then off to two other books on the platform. The last time I started working on Android I began coding on the first day of study and got locked into an all-night hacking session trying to work out my project while researching the SDK. Not anymore. I'm giving myself the fundamental education so I don't have to do so much hacking and have so many problems at once. If you're interested in this progress, keep a watch out at blog.twoleg.com. I expect to release a simple app for free just to get the hang of it. It probably won't be anything groundbreaking - probably an enhanced flashlight application or something. Not a whole lot of design considerations in that realm. I will try to post progress at least weekly.Toodles!
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