GO WEST, CUBICLE WARRIOR 3
*note: got Harry Browne's book in the mail last Friday. Thank you dear minion!
*
My preference is living in
the West. I love the desert. Most people don’t. They are used to trees and abundant
water. If you are like them, stay were
you are. We are so divorced from nature,
living in our petro bubbles, that we might forget that in the very near future
we will be living alongside the Great Outdoors, not hidden from it. You might as well enjoy the spot you are
in. That said, just because north Idaho
or west Montana/Wyoming has a little water and some trees does not mean they
are the best places for you. While every
place has its own set of problems, right now those places suffer from sky high
land prices AND higher unemployment. To
me, those places have a sign erected on their border saying No Poor People
Please. Okay, sure, they said “please”,
but I still find their attitude suck-ass.
I mean, Wyoming has LESS land under Fed control than Nevada, yet MORE
zoning controls and much higher prices.
Have you been to eastern Wyoming?
The wind never stops. I want to
pay big bucks to live in an Artic wind tunnel?
Blow me, Wyoming. If your state
is destined to be a retirement haven, I want nothing to do with you. And the simple fact is that where you go to
needs to offer at least the chance of some jobs. Only rich people invited is a sure reason
Rawles Rangers would want to live in an area, and lack of jobs helps in that
regard. They are “professionals” or
telecommuters and so must put up with much less riff-raff. Rich humpers can blow me.
*
The rest of us are not
rich and we need a place to stay to weather the Apocalypse. If you are really poor, you can move West to
the smallest town with minimum wage jobs and make payments on nearby junk land
( E-Bay land sellers don’t require credit as they self-finance. Have surface water nearby-wells are droughts
waiting to happen, not a cure for them, given lack of power or replacement parts
). If you have a good paying gig ( or,
as good paying as it is ever going to get ), you might consider staying in the
East, if that is where the company can send you to another location or where
you can get a bug-out lot affordably.
Bug out land in the East is very realistic, it just needs to be used
differently to be viable. I’ll get to
that the next article.
*
Right now, you must be
thinking to yourself that you dare not leave your job because they are very few
and far between everywhere. And you are
right. So you need to make plans that
fit reality. It doesn’t matter if you
can’t make the perfect prepper plan.
What matters is you make the least worst decision and do it quick. You know, I know and Ross Perot knows that
time is very short. And if it isn’t you
need to act like it is, because it could very well be. So transfer to another nearby city with
affordable countryside or at least get out of the worst of the worst areas like
NYC or DC or whatever. Even if you can’t
get land at least get to an area that is more survivable. Already owning land ( to have a place to
survive unemployment AND the apocalypse ) in the East is more important than
the West ( in the West, you can squat on desert land and nobody cares whereas
in the East every lot will be desired and contested ), and it sure couldn’t
hurt your prospects in the future to do so, but it can be worked around if it
isn’t a viable option. More important
right now is to get to a less worse area, even if it is still too crowded. At least it will be less too crowded. Most of us working are forced to live in a
too crowded area, even out West. Next
article, the actual strategies of surviving the collapse while living in the
urban areas, east or west.
END
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*Contact Information* Links To Other Blogs * Land In Elko* Lord Bison* my bio & biblio* my web site is www.bisonprepper.com
*Link To All My Published Books
* By the by, all my writing is copyrighted. For the obtuse out there
Clinging to your current job while ignoring the future aspect of no jobs at all is short sighted. It is way past time to find methods of creating wealth (for lack of a better term) on your own with the resources you can have readily available.
ReplyDeleteMy primary money make now is the same method I have used for the past 40+ years but it relies on equipment and infrastructure that may have a limited future.
I live in the forest with unlimited wood and have been successfully using that resource as a secondary source of income.
I also have a couple other irons in the fire to buffer the demise of my primary income.
If you're a cubicle worker you'll be one of the first to lose your job, then what? Better to think ahead now while you have the luxury of doing so. The worst time to look for work is when you have none as the desperation in your eyes will drive others away.
I'm sure bosses can smell that desperation as good as any woman searching for a mate.
DeleteIt depends. If you can save up some cash with current job, then do that til you can actually have the $ for junk land, etc.
DeleteI too like the desert James, but would choose the woods over the desert if given a choice for the simple fact that you have better cover in which to hide that unpermitted cabin (as well as from an increasingly totalitarian government ) fuel in the form of firewood, and water (where there are trees, water is never far off). I wouldn't even consider a well on junk land. The cost would be 10 times the cost of the junk land assuming that you even had the option, and would reflect in your property taxes as well. A cistern is the only practical solution, but of course you must work within its limits. I chose the Elko desert due to cost, but I am concerned that I will be too visible, even as remote as my land is.
ReplyDeleteWith regards to junk land employment opportunities, it seems that it is seldom available close to any viable employment. This means you that you must have no, or very low bills, and probably pay your land off prior to relocation. I have concluded that I will have to resort to low paying online tasks. Even with a family though, this could work out. Cashcrate (I'm not affiliated in any way) allows children as young as 13 to perform tasks at their site. If everyone in the family pitches in, they can earn enough to meet their monetary needs. As a parent, expect your earnings to go toward more responsible purchases such as food (top ramen, popcorn, wheat, beans, rice etc, which is all that you're going to be able to afford ) thrift store clothing (which again is all that you're going to be able to afford) and other necessities, while the kiddies spend their earnings on mostly crap. Better this than wasting their time on fakebook, and other online IQ lowering ventures. Seriously consider homeschooling, which takes out transportation cost, as well as a few others, and then you don't have to worry about your kid coming home with the latest copy of "Heather has two mommies " or "Daddies roommate" as a homework assignment.
Isn't the latest workbook "Michelle Wants To Be Michael"?
DeleteI think this is going to be over the pesky 4-K word limit so again I’ll break it up.
DeletePart 1
Here in my part of the country "Toledo Ohio" you can easily drill a well by hand. The water table is not down far and the tools to drill a sand-point well are available at most home stores other then the sand-point head itself. Heck I have most of the stuff on-hand as it's stuff I use for my work.
While I plan to sink a well myself (outside of government involvement) I think I can survive well on rain water and ground water other then when it’s real cold. Here in Northern Ohio (a few miles from Lake Erie) water is all over the place.
When I move out 25 miles or so It's going to be easy to get water as my prospective location is very close to the lake. I'm thinking about installing a well a lot more lately as it's probably able to resist below freezing temps (given I build an insulated well-house, with a bit of passive solar heating applied to it.) and will give me all-year water where rain harvesting won't.
For home heat I’m going to build a rocket-mass-heater (and use a regular wood stove) as there is a lot of wood to heat with for free. I heat the house with natural gas and wood as a backup and also heat the garage / workshop with only wood. The garage has gas piped to it, but it's just too expensive to heat an un-insulated garage with gas. As far as getting wood to burn I have never had to buy it in all the time (20+years) I have had a wood stove. I see a lot of it laying by the road and ask if I can take it (always an enthusiastic "please take it") and also old furniture is always set out on trash day and I also get a lot of it through my handyman / home repair work. Any time we have a storm with any kind of strong wind the next week or so there is a lot of wood put out on trash day and the garbage trucks don’t pick it up, so I do.
As far as employment opportunities I think they could go away without much notice without any warning as far as most people view it as they are mind-numb zombies working a cubicle life completely unaware of what could be around the corner. Most of us here are aware that the train is about to go off the tracks any moment. And we are at least thinking about how to survive what is coming. But we need to take action and not just think about what is coming. Not taking action to develop a new income is just as bad as the Zombies.
I live a pay-as-you-go life so I have no and never will have debt. So I live a comfortable life on a much lower dollar income level then most people. And I’m pretty darn happy.
Chuck Findlay
“Isn't the latest workbook "Michelle Wants To Be Michael"?”
DeleteHadn't heard of that one James, but wouldn't surprise me in the least. They may as well just rename these publications to P_ _ _ y licking 101 and Butt f_ _ _king 101; editions 1 through ~ since that's basically the end goal here.
Apparently I'm so old that I can actually remember when this was still a semi-normal country, and anyone suggesting the normality of such a thing would have been laughed out of the room....... by most liberals at the time no less!
I made it up to poke fun at trans-gender BS going on.
DeleteA rocket stove/heater is still a good idea in a wood rich area. There will be a lot more competition for wood soon enough so you might as well cut down your requirements.
DeleteHigher land prices can sometimes be a good thing.
ReplyDeleteIn 1992 when hubby and I bought our land in North Idaho, it was relatively cheap. Idaho was is the midst of a recession. There were few jobs and the jobs that were available were seasonal, minimum wage and hard to find.
Hubby and I have always been on the lower end of the economic ladder. We both have college degrees but we prefer a simple lifestyle. Plus we are pretty frugal and just don't need a lot to have a great lifestyle -- we spend money but on big important stuff and don't waste opportunities.
However even though we are cash poor, we come from a middle class background and have middle class values.
(Now here's the part where I offend some of your minions even though I don't mean to do that. Sorry guys for generalizing.) When we first moved to our place, we were surrounded by quite a few poor people with lower class values.
For example:
2 neighbors who manufactured and sold meth
1 neighbor who was a crazy alcoholic who told the cops he had planted land mines on his place (not true and not very believable considering all the wild animals who walk around his place)
Several neighbors who would put the folks on the Hoarder Show to shame
1 crazy neighbor who threatened us with a gun who was hiding out. I believe there was a connection to the neo-Nazis.
1 neighbor who used his property to store his troubled teenage son who turned his cabin into a party house
A couple of neighbors who were light fingered
1 couple who were psychopaths, who if rumors can be believed, would take care of old people, abuse them and steal their stuff.
As land prices stated rising, all these people sold out (or lost their property) and moved on. Now we are surrounded by upper-lower class to solid middle class people.
These people keep their places clean, help maintain the private road, watch out for their neighbors, don't have daily "drama", basically are just good neighbors.
None of my neighbors are wealthy but they come from middle or working class backgrounds. They believe in the value of work and being neighborly. They can afford to purchase tools and food for preps. They know how to work and don't expect things to be given to them.
Rising land prices has made my area better to survive the coming hard times.
Idaho Homesteader
Know what you are saying. I was raised middle class but have mostly wallowed in low class economically. And I can't believe the stupid crap those in my class do, all because of no work ethic.
DeleteI hear what IH is saying, but the problem is that riff raff free areas also come with higher taxes. Not an option for me as unemployment rises. You also have to account for the fact that as the economy becomes worse, the local government is also going to further put the squeeze on you. For me, this means that in all likelihood I would not be able to remain in such an area.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is you are both right and there is no good answer.
DeleteI think the reason that Idaho has less "riff raff" than many states is because we have very little government spending on safety nets.
DeleteI lived in Lewiston, Idaho for five years and saw it first hand.
Lewiston is just across the river from Clarkston, Washington. Folks who were on food stamps or welfare could get a ton more in benefits by living in Washington.
Yeah, we have some slackers but most of the folks in Idaho are WORKING poor and self reliant types.
Idaho Homesteader
The answer is to attempt to maximize your income now, while pre-collapsing your lifestyle. Save the difference. If you are in NYC pulling in a half-million a year, there is a lot of savings to be had, which can be translated into YEARS of doing okay on little/no income living on junk land with low taxes. Regular people making 1/10th that can also be intentionally poor/frugal to save at least 40% of the take-home income. If your income is under 30K, you need to go at least partly off the books and appear destitute while saving in cash/material goods. "But, what about my retirement?" There is no SSI if you are under 50. There may be no private pensions after 2030 if it's USD-based (Swiss or German pensions will seem HUGE in domestic-spend-only USD). IRA/401K...hahahahahahahaaha! Bailed-in and scaled-down, for the good of your country!
Delete“2 neighbors who manufactured and sold meth”
DeleteI am curious to know James, if you have ever countered such problems in your years of living in Elko? This actually concerns me a little. I'm a live and let live kind of guy, and couldn't care less if someone wants to cook drugs on their property and blow their minds out, it's their life. But such people are often very paranoid, ironically due to the illegality of their habit, and as such, said to be quite dangerous. Yeah, I'll be armed, but the last thing that I ever want to happen is to be involved in a gun fight.
Had a dealer a few lots down, lots of traffic. The sheriff took his sweet ass time but eventually they disappeared. No issues since, but its a growing town.
DeleteSocial Security has been broke for some time. No, Virginia, it is NOT yours by right. All government taxes are just that. Taxes. They can call it anything they want. And the 1950's Supreme Court ruling said SS can be ended at will and the govt. owes you ZERO.
DeleteIn Idaho, you can sign up for something called "Timber Exemption" and "Homeowners Exemption". If you own at least 6 acres (1 acre is set aside for your home and you need at least 5 acres in timber), you can get a big reduction on your property taxes.
ReplyDeleteFor example, I own three parcels - 10, 20 and 22 acres. My 20 acre parcel is just timber land so for that parcel the yearly taxes with the Timber Exemption are only $90. Yeah, it's more than Elko land but it's 20 acres, has trees, lots of wildlife (potential food) and a large pond. My 22 acre parcel is only a couple dollars more per year.
If your home is your main residence and not a vacation home, the Homeowners Exemption knocks 1/2 off the assessed value up to around $100,000 (give or take because it's adjusted every year due to inflation or something).
So if you build a modest home, keep most of your outbuildings on skids so they are not considered permanent, your taxes can be very reasonable.
Though in addition to your regular taxes in my county, you'll also be assessed $100 a year to pay for your garbage. You haul your garbage to the transfer station yourself but you are allowed to dump a pick up load A DAY including fridges, stoves, construction waste, whatever for no additional charge.
Overall, I find the taxes in Bonner Country, Idaho very reasonable for the quality of life.
Idaho Homesteader
Here we have people moaning and carrying on about a dump run costing $5. Idiots. Yes, NV property tax is excessive, but until recently were about the only taxes the state got. And that didn't include trash. But $5 for a car/trick full of trash is still a great bargain. These are the same folks who mortgage more debt for more house to impress others and pay those high taxes on it.
Delete"Most of us working are forced to live in a too crowded area, even out West. "
ReplyDeleteThat is exactly why I looked for jobs on the edge of the Bakken oil boom. I KNEW the boom was going to go bust - not quite as quick as it did, but that was within my prediction parameters so I dint worry as the boom started to go bust. I also knew that on the edges of the boom the crowding would alleviate fastest. I am not certain which economic industry is going to be pumped up to go boom then bust again, but if one keeps their eyes open for a not to distant boom to get close to, especially one where people will remain transient and flexible about their residence (like the oil field workers mostly did) you can keep on working and be positioned to get some cheap real-estate as the first part of boom starts to go bust - hope fully while you are still employed.
And scavenging the left behinds from the Bakken has already gotten me several useful things for working the homestead.
I'm not sure there will be another bubble. The banks doubled down on the derivatives and are already feeling the pain. Looks worse than '08.
DeleteBut the banks keep looking for bubbles to inflate and will come up with unique and interesting concepts (currently we have internet bubble 2.0 going on with "social media"...) The entire economy is dependent upon 'bubbles' preferably multiple bubbles.
DeleteI expect to see the education financing bubble burst soon, So college towns or places with several private colleges will see a bust soon, I don't know if the banks have gotten the housing bubble to re-inflate any anywhere in the country. Marijuana is probably the one many of us will see inflating in the near future - talk about your "green" investments. It will go bust when people realize that they can grow their own weeds to smoke - so it might not last long at all...
But the point is any industry or place money trades hands could be setup by the banks to become a bubble.
If you are positioned, or can be positioned, to take advantage of any such bubble you should do so. Regional extraction bubbles (like Elko's gold mines, or the Bakkens oil fields, etc.) are some of the best to ride.
I hop[e we can keep riding bubbles, I just have my doubts with a combo of frack oil and global trade ending ( not to mention petro-$ decline ).
Delete