Bye-Bye Batteries

Okay, so it is going to get cold this weekend and for the next week or so. When is say cold, I mean Time-To-Change-What-I-Am-Doing cold. 

Again, nothing I haven’t seen before, as it will dip below -20C and stay there for the next week or so. 

At least that is what the weather forecasts say, but the one thing I know about all forecasts, weather included, is that the further they go out into the future, the more of a crapshoot they are.

What I do know about weather that dips and stays below -20C is that at that point my batteries are useless, as in Wanda’s Main Batteries.

They sit at the front of Wanda, on the triangle part that sticks out front where Wanda connects to my truck by way of a trailer. 

Right behind my Propane Tanks, out in the cold is where they sit. Okay, the batteries are in a pair of plastic battery boxes to protect them from the elements, but they do nothing to protect them from the cold. 

At that temperature, (south of -20C) Wanda’s batteries can’t hold a charge in them to save their lives. So, at that point they are useless.

What I will do is run my generator on Friday Afternoon (or Saturday Morning, who knows) for one last time and then disconnect the batteries until this cold snap is over.

My stove works without using any electricity, and at that temperature (south of -20C) I prop my fridge and freezer open to let the cold into the fridge and freezer. 

As far as me staying warm, my secret is to find ways to keep my body heat in. Bundle up and layer up, and I will be fine. I have been here before, and I know what to do.

I can charge my laptop and other devices in different ways and in different places. I have my battery operated radio to listen to. 

Again, I know how to survive and get stuff done, no matter the weather, or if I don’t know how to do it now, I will figure it out. I have confidence in my ability to find solutions at least. 

As with all things, this too shall pass. 

As always, Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward.

I’m Still Trudging

So, here I am, the weather is not that bad (now), but next week it looks to get cold, as in change-what-I-have-to-do cold.

There are those who just don’t get why I am still living in my RV trailer, even in the dead of winter. Then there are those who delight when things get difficult for me.

All I can say is that I am still standing, still trudging forward, and still (ever so slowly) making my goals and dreams a reality. 

It will take time but with each day, each paycheque that I find a way to reclaim and hold on to most of it, that is a win in and of itself.

I stay out here because I promised myself that I would move out of my trailer and into my own home on my own land. 

The other reason I stay out here is because the longer I stay in my trailer, the faster I can make that happen. 

This also means finding a way to conserve as much as I can in order to save as much cash as I can.

Remember kids: A dollar saved is a dollar doubly-earned (once on your paycheque, and twice when you put it in the savings account).

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive and keep moving forward.

PS: Bundle up, Buttercup.

Cold Weather’s Coming

And I don’t care. Really, it will get cold next week, starting on the weekend, apparently. Nothing too drastic, and nothing I haven’t seen before. 

Again, I know what to do, I know what I can get away with at what temperature and what I can’t. All in all, this too shall pass.

I get through it by reminding myself of the above and looking at my Dreamboard and my future budgets. 

Looking at my savings and knowing where I am headed, helps me get through what I am currently going through.

So, it will get cold, I will bundle up and I will grumble. But I will get through it.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Not My Path

I don’t mean to insult anyone who has a home and a mortgage, really, I don’t. I am just saying that I don’t want one. 

I want to own something, I want to own a house and land, yet I don’t want to be tied to a large debt, if I can find a way not to. 

I am simply tired of everyone having their hands in my pocket. I am sticking out being an Urban Nomad for a few more years, so I can pay me. 

I should have done this, years ago. I would have been so much further ahead. 

Yet I was memorized with what was expected, what was ‘normal’. You rent a place, try to buy something and somehow try to build up some savings.

It never worked for me and I was always in survival mode, with never any cash left over at the end of the month. 

It wasn’t until this journey, this journey of being an Urban Nomad, that I started to unlearn the bad (and disastrous) fiscal habits and attitudes that I had and started to learn good ones.

I am not an expert, but I know what works for me, so I will keep doing what I am doing. Once I have my next egg saved up, I will buy something, some sort of land, somewhere. 

I will do that for me, and I will do so without a mortgage and in so doing, keeping my freedom intact. I like freedom, it is a nice thing. 

My path is the path that I must walk for it is mine and mine alone. Your path is yours, so walk it and walk it well. 

What works for me, may not work for you, that’s okay because what works for you, may not work for me. 

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive and keep moving forward!

Boss Just Doesn’t Get it

I get it, I understand where Boss is coming from, but Boss, does not understand why I continue to do what I do. 

Boss didn’t come out and say as much, nor did Boss explain their opposition to me continuing to live as an Urban Nomad.

It was yesterday afternoon and one co-worker was still on vacation and the other had taken the afternoon off. So there was just Boss and I to run the show.

As expected, in the slower moments of the afternoon, the talk of “renting a room for a couple of months” came up, as well as everyone’s favourite topic, “buy a condo.”

As I was listening to what Boss was saying it occurred to me, that when it comes right down to it Boss does not understand why I would continue to endure this lifestyle when I don’t have to.

I could go and buy a place, I know that. I could rent a room, I know that too. Yet, I don’t do that because I want to build up my savings and buy something cash. 

The detail I don’t tell Boss is that most likely where I buy will not be anywhere near the town I live in. 

The reason is simple: everything in or near this town is stupidly expensive. (Nowhere near the outrageously expensive markets of Vancouver or Toronto, mind you, but still way too much.)

For Boss the answer is simple: I have suffered enough, so go buy a place, live a comfy life and let that be that. 

For me, I want more than to live a comfy life yet still be mired in debt. I hate debt, I loathe it. I have credit cards and I will use debt, when I choose, but for small things.

My future is not to be tied to a job due to a mortgage, I like my freedom and plan to keep it intact. 

That is why I will continue to live in my trailer for a few years yet, for freedom. Each payday that I do, each dollar that I put into my savings is another step towards the total freedom that I seek.

I will chart my own course, I will make my way to that land, wherever it is, plant my flag, and start that town. Even if, on day one the only resident is me, and the only structure is my trailer up on blocks. It will be mine and I will be home . . . and free.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

A Community of Disparate Skills

So, a couple of friends of mine came to town yesterday in order to go to some conference that is in town. 

Naturally we got together and chatted about this and that. An interesting thing came up when they mentioned that they were interested in starting a community as well.

Theirs was an idea to go back to the land and do everything themselves. They wanted to gather a community of disparate skills, as they put it.

The idea was to be able to live and thrive even after . . . you know . . . modern society went bye-bye.

I said that my town idea was an extension of that, I liked, and still do, the idea of gathering together all peoples with an eye to find away to not only help each person become productive, but thrive and be happy doing so (without mind-altering drugs or brainwashing BS). You know . . . by actually helping them to be happy.

Diversity is our strength, diversity in skills, diversity in interests, diversity in perspectives, diversity in life experiences, diversity in who we are as people; all of it. 

Diversity in all things yet people coming together with one vision: to build a bright and bold future without waiting for this one to crash and burn before we do so. 

The town idea was never for me to go someplace and start a town that I own. As insane as it is, I do this to start a town/community in its own right, as in not owned by me, not ruled by me. 

(You know: democracy, responsible government, all that.)

This really is what my “Town Idea” is about. And I will finish with this statement today. 

If any of this sparks an interest in you, as in if it is something that interests you, then contact me and let’s start organizing (and yeah fundraising other than my own cash).

The Terran Federation Vision Statement

A city which is dedicated to the exploration and advancement of: Science, Technology, Knowledge and Understanding while at the same time fostering and encouraging: Art, Culture, Humanitarian Endeavours, and Commerce in a manner which: builds up, enhances, and restores each and every member of our community, both new and old, so as to help each and every individual to become: Whole, Happy, Productive and Successful.

(Here is a document that I wrote on this idea, take a read if the above statement intrigues you)

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Grand Savings Update

Okay, so it is that time again, when I update how my progress is going on my “Grand Savings Plan!” 

Okay, so let’s see how I did . . . 

   

For review, here is how things looked from last payday . . .

   

That is 17.2% (of my Savings Target).

And this is how things look like, after the dust settled on this payday’s budget . . . 

   

That’s right things jumped up to 18.2% of my savings target. 

That means I put away 1% of my total Savings Target this payday.

That number is a bit deceptive in that it only shows that I put 1% of my savings target, but the truth is that I was able to put away a little bit more.

All those little bits will add up to me “stealing a square”, meaning I get to cross off two squares rather than one. (Each square equals one percent of my target).

I have my goals and my targets and I keep them so that I celebrate each small step on this monumental journey towards my current Crossroads Goal of completing my Grand Savings Plan!

Again, each square, each percentage, each step towards any goal must be celebrated and recognized. It is these small celebrations that keeps you motivated to keep going. 

It is these small victories that teach you that you can and indeed are doing it, that you are actually working towards your large goal, your Crossroads Goal.

So, while this is one step forward, the key to remember is that I am achieving my goals, and I am moving forward. 

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!