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Post by Jay on Oct 14, 2019 9:13:10 GMT -8
Oh... My.... God.... An update on Mikejer's couch! Oh and Mikejer is here too But seriously, that's a great and admirable setup that you've got there. I've been reading a lot of environmental criticism for my PhD so these issues resonate with me more than ever, but I've always been appreciative of the fact that you've wanted to go all in on that stuff and practice sustainability. Sounds like a good life you have set up for yourself over there.
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Post by MikeJer on Oct 14, 2019 10:04:19 GMT -8
Yeah, I love the idea of minimizing the cost of living to the point where it’s super easy to live quite nicely on very little money. I see it as the ultimate financial security for my family.
I’ve always desired to live as efficiently and self sustainably as possible — imho, the true conservative way. Admittedly, the up front cost of all this stuff, along with the land itself, isn’t remotely cheap, but you don’t need to be rich either to pull it off these days. Not too long ago it was only for the rich. Looking forward to when the market continues to bring the costs down so more homes can build in this tech.
An an aside, although Montana is a mostly red state (yay!), it’s also very strong about respecting its natural resources. The very conservative area I live in recently voted to prevent the Yellowstone River from being dammed so it can keep being the longest free-flowing river in the lower 48 states and maintain its natural and historical splendor. Montana’s state and national parks are treasured by locals and very well maintained. So far I’m very happy living here!
(Admittedly, there was a part of me that wanted to live even more remote, out in Wyoming, but we didn’t want to be too far away from some semblance of civilization for the sake of our young kids. Now we’re only about a 25 minute drive in the country away from a very small city — small by coastal standards, big by Montana standards.)
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Post by Jeremy on Oct 15, 2019 19:25:49 GMT -8
Hi Mike! Glad to have you pop in. I'm glad you enjoyed the article, and are enjoying your new life. Montana looks gorgeous, and it probably smells a lot fresher than the coast too. And your description of net-zero energy sounds pretty great. Hope it continues to work out for you, and I hope you'll continue to drop by when you can - your insights are always appreciated. (Plus, I was getting tired of being the most conservative guy on the forum. )
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Post by MikeJer on Oct 22, 2019 7:04:11 GMT -8
Definitely a lot fresher, Jeremy!
And, yeah, I certainly don't miss being the most conservative person in the active community. Never fun to always have to take a defensive posture in conversations.
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