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Old 12-23-2012, 05:03 PM
 
Location: A Nation Possessed
25,462 posts, read 18,594,559 times
Reputation: 22351

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Minervah View Post
I see your point. Yes for me it would be the corporate machine because I did that and it never bothered me. I enjoyed working for the corporations form which I was employed. I guess I never felt tied but that by putting in my time at the corporation, I could then be free to do whatever I wanted when I wasn't there. I guess I don't get the concept of tied to them. Maybe you feel that way about your job and if you do I am sorry for you because that's not a good way to feel about a place to which you have to go every day. I hope you can fix that. I am not being sarcastic or anything I really mean it.

Maybe this should be moved to the philosophy forum.
Half the time this forum turns to a philosophy forum!
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Old 12-23-2012, 05:20 PM
 
Location: Lakewood OH
21,695 posts, read 28,369,203 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisC View Post
Half the time this forum turns to a philosophy forum!
Interesting. This is my first time here (on this forum) but I don't want to take away anything from the OP so giving it back to her. But thanks for the discussion.
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Old 12-23-2012, 05:36 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles area
14,017 posts, read 20,864,445 times
Reputation: 32530
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisC View Post
What are you talking about, parasite???

Didn't you catch the part that said she has a sewing business?

Just because she doesn't live in a McMansion and drive a Lexus... and is chained to them... doesn't make her a parasite. If she would have said that she is going to sit on the streetcorner with a cup in her hand, your comment would have been called for. Not making a bunch of money and wasting on the garbage our society wastes it on it is NOT parasitism.
Although the post to which you responded was a total absurdity (not to mention self-contradictory), I do believe you mis-read it. I don't think he was calling the OP a parasite - I had the impression he was referring to parasitic government. I can't say for sure my interpretation is correct, but re-read with it in mind and see what you think.
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Old 12-23-2012, 06:14 PM
 
1,881 posts, read 3,344,635 times
Reputation: 3912
Quote:
Originally Posted by karmadi View Post
I'm 32/female and I've always wanted to live off the grid. I have a small sewing business which I plan to take on the road with me. I plan to save for a conversion van but for now I've just got my little Dodge Caravan which I plan on making some minor adjustments to. Has anyone here done this? I'd like to meet people from all over the world, and hopefully plan some stops where I can stop to volunteer some time in exchange for a meal, warm bed & shower. I can't explain why I want to do this, I guess I'm just a free spirit at heart and finally want to follow my dreams.

Thanks!

Kara
bless your heart! i am 39 now, but at exactly your age i ventured cross country in my van from GA to california. i live there now, and have lived in my van for months at a time, tho i don't anymore.

first, don't let anyone you can't do it. you can. just follow your intuition. we all have intuition and it REALLY helped me. got a feeling you shouldn't park somewhere for the night? listen. already in bed but something is telling you to get behind the wheel? do it. never ignore your intuition.

for me one of the most difficult situations was trying to figure out how to get power into the van. if you are going to be sewing, i assume you have a powered machine? you will need to get a deep cycle battery, have it hooked up to your car battery so it can charge it while you are driving, and that will take care of that.

its good to start developing meals that you don't have to cook. i STILL eat apple slices with peanut butter every morning, because i came up with that when i lived in my van and was traveling.

it would be good to build a bed with storage underneath, so you can make the most of your space. sleep on the top, storage at the bottom. my present rig, i did this, and i also added bookshelves along one wall so that i could be in bed and pick a book off the shelf! 4 years later and those shelves are still holding all my books.

i also made a sink out of a mixing bowl and part of a floor lamp. i took the bowl-shaped shade from the lamp, taped it to the bottom of the mixing bowl which i had hammered holes into, ran a hose from the tapered part of the lamp and out the floor. i then built a little platform with a hole that was slightly smaller than the mixing bowl itself, dropped it in there, attached a curtain, and voila, a sink. buy one of those water carriers with a spout on it, and you have yourself a nice little clean up.

baby wipes are good.

if you plan on being on the road for a while, either get to love braids or cut your hair. i had VERY short hair when i was traveling and it helped enormously in keeping clean.

make black-out curtains (heavy shades) for your windows, and attach them in any myriad of ways. you could also buy one of those big sheets of styrofoam you can get at home depot, and cut them to fit some of your windows. you do NOT want anyone seeing inside your rig.

make a curtain to separate the back of the rig from the front. same reason as above. also buy a window shade to put on the front window.

keep your tire iron right by your seat. if someone messes with you, you can reach for it in one motion.

lots of candles are good, be careful with them of course, but a couple at night can help keep you warm and make things cozy.

one of the best things i ever bought was for a dollar at a military store. its a long soft bristle brush, meant for washing things out, but i use it for sweeping out the van, doing dishes, i even scrubbed a pool out at a hot springs with it. mostly i use it for sweeping out small spaces but its such a help.

when it comes to storing your clothes, a trick i learned is ROLL them up, don't fold em. it helps keep out the wrinkles.

make sure you know how to change your own tires. test yourself. lift that thing up and do it ten times til you feel comfortable. you might have AAA but you could be out somewhere where you have to depend on yourself, so make sure you know how to do this. keep things like fix-a-flat or some sort of tire repair kit, an extra few containers of motor oil, antifreeze, and water for your rig, brake fluid, and good old duct tape. and it sounds weird, but keeping a can of black pepper in your vehicle is a good redneck way of addressing small pin holes in your radiator. i had one that sprang up in an old car of mine and my redneck friend told me to throw the whole container in the radiator, and that thing did NOT leak again for the entire life of the car, which was a few years.

get a manual for your car as well. knowledge is power!

as far as cooking and food, a little one burner propane stove is your friend. i found a method of cooking in the van inside of it. sit the stove on the front passenger seat with a board underneath it (a small board can function as a table top and is good to have), crack your windows a couple inches, and you can occupy yourself in the back with the curtain closed while your stove cooks something up. the cross current will keep dangerous fumes and steam going out the windows, and you can cook in ALL weather like this. i did it in the snow!

you can cook a whole pot of rice by bringing the water to a boil with the rice in there, closing the lid tight and wrapping it in a blanket or sweater and letting it sit overnight. you save fuel, and you can eat that rice for breakfast lunch and dinner. you can do the same with noodles, but do the rotini type or else it will get too cooked.

i really liked having nuts with me, and i don't mean my friends. they really fill you up.

if you like coffee, which i do, get a french press and with your propane stove and a pot of water you can have some nice coffee.

as far as refrigeration, don't get too hung up on it. a cooler will do fine. if you like butter get a butter bell. it keeps butter under any temp in this vaccuum thingy. look em up on amazon. i bought one for like 7 dollars.

ethnic markets, especially latino markets, are your friend. as are dollar stores. you can always find cheaper produce and spices in these places.

a headlamp is good so you don't need a flashlight. a tiny shovel helps if you will be camping.

and if you are ever out in los angeles, pm me! i live at an artist's collective ( a big victorian near chinatown) and we have plenty of room. you could come a stay a few days with us.

good luck on your journey!!!!!!!!!!!
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Old 12-23-2012, 06:22 PM
 
1,881 posts, read 3,344,635 times
Reputation: 3912
damn people, also, can you stop it with the scare stuff? i have lived in my van and been homeless and traveled all cross the country, and i never had any problems. i also listened to my intuition. which the OP should do. in fact go TODAY and buy gavin de becker's "the gift of fear". it changed my life. if you DON'T depend on your intuition and listen to people who sit on their couch every night and never do anything, you won't either. just because you are woman, doesn't mean you have to be afraid. you just HAVE TO BE SMARTER. do NOT let anyone tell you you can't do something because its too dangerous, or because you are a woman.
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Old 12-23-2012, 06:23 PM
 
2,878 posts, read 4,620,743 times
Reputation: 3113
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisC View Post
Nobody said being "free" was easy. Nobody said that it was less work than a 9 to 5 job. If it were, more people would be doing it. I suspect the motivation certainly isn't laziness. She didn't ask where the local welfare office was. Anyone who wants to be free (as in having some one else foot the bill for your lunch) AND lazy can do so easily in our current political/social climate.
I get so sick of these blanket statements. Please document with facts this lazy/freeloader crap or forever shut up. There was a serious reform of the welfare laws some time ago (under Clinton?) and it is NOT easy to obtain welfare anymore. I think you are just perpetuating something that you think you know in general but I think you are very lacking on the details.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisC View Post
The idea of being "free" in the sense being discussed here is more along the lines of being free from the machine (modern way of life, aka, corporatism) or collective, not the idea of a "free lunch." Because we all know there is no such thing--someone always pays for that lunch, whether in time or money. For instance, would you rather spend 2 or 3 hours foraging for wild plants for lunch, or work in the corporate machine for a few minutes to fund lunch (but also be tied to that corporation)? Well... it depends on who you are and what your goals/philosophies are. I know I would choose the former. As you said, to each her/his own. Different strokes for different folks.
You can also work for pleasure AND be debt free at the same time. In which case you are in the "machine" by choice. Not everyone wants to forage for wild edibles nor do they know how. A sizable portion of the population is perfectly happy going to the theater, traveling, para-gliding, horseback riding or whatever the heck their hobby is AND still being debt free while working for someone. For many people there are many benefits of working for someone else. If you had children (which I am assuming you don't judging by your posts), I don't think you would be so dismissive of all the folks in the machine - the first moment your child got sick and you had no health insurance and you had to watch your child suffer without any help - you would understand. Or you would be the freeloader who would go to the ER, spend someone else's insurance/tax money and then go bankrupt on top of that, all over one illness. In your "everyone for themselves" world that would be perfectly normal.

Chris, I like some of your posts but I seriously think you are an armchair theoretician. Nothing wrong with that, makes for a great debate.

OD
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Old 12-23-2012, 08:33 PM
 
65 posts, read 156,106 times
Reputation: 82
Quote:
Originally Posted by ognend View Post
I get so sick of these blanket statements. Please document with facts this lazy/freeloader crap or forever shut up. There was a serious reform of the welfare laws some time ago (under Clinton?) and it is NOT easy to obtain welfare anymore. I think you are just perpetuating something that you think you know in general but I think you are very lacking on the details.



You can also work for pleasure AND be debt free at the same time. In which case you are in the "machine" by choice. Not everyone wants to forage for wild edibles nor do they know how. A sizable portion of the population is perfectly happy going to the theater, traveling, para-gliding, horseback riding or whatever the heck their hobby is AND still being debt free while working for someone. For many people there are many benefits of working for someone else. If you had children (which I am assuming you don't judging by your posts), I don't think you would be so dismissive of all the folks in the machine - the first moment your child got sick and you had no health insurance and you had to watch your child suffer without any help - you would understand. Or you would be the freeloader who would go to the ER, spend someone else's insurance/tax money and then go bankrupt on top of that, all over one illness. In your "everyone for themselves" world that would be perfectly normal.

Chris, I like some of your posts but I seriously think you are an armchair theoretician. Nothing wrong with that, makes for a great debate.

OD

I think there is something wrong with it, someone asks for advice from like minded people and she has to put up with people derailing her thread that want to debate the viability of decision she has already.
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Old 12-23-2012, 08:51 PM
 
Location: Lakewood OH
21,695 posts, read 28,369,203 times
Reputation: 35862
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yojimbo 11 View Post
I think there is something wrong with it, someone asks for advice from like minded people and she has to put up with people derailing her thread that want to debate the viability of decision she has already.
She didn't specify she wanted advice from like minded people only. She asked for advice. Period. I took that to mean she was asking pro and con. If she only wanted pro she should have stated that. If you are not specific on these forums you are going to have to expect a variety of answers.

I have asked for advice on many subjects since being on CD. I purposely never limit myself to either one side or the other because I want to hear both sides in case there may be something I didn't think of. In contemplating a really serious issue such as this, I think that's the thing to do.

People who are telling the OP to listen to only one side of the issue are doing her no favors. She should hear all possibilities and then make up her own mind.
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Old 12-23-2012, 09:55 PM
 
Location: A Nation Possessed
25,462 posts, read 18,594,559 times
Reputation: 22351
Quote:
Originally Posted by Escort Rider View Post
Although the post to which you responded was a total absurdity (not to mention self-contradictory), I do believe you mis-read it. I don't think he was calling the OP a parasite - I had the impression he was referring to parasitic government. I can't say for sure my interpretation is correct, but re-read with it in mind and see what you think.
Wow... boy. You are right. Exact opposite of what I was reading when I responded to that post. Apologies are in order. That was a GLARING error on my part. I've misinterpreted things before, but man, I must have been on something when I misread that one.
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Old 12-23-2012, 10:12 PM
 
65 posts, read 156,106 times
Reputation: 82
Quote:
Originally Posted by Minervah View Post
She didn't specify she wanted advice from like minded people only. She asked for advice. Period. I took that to mean she was asking pro and con. If she only wanted pro she should have stated that. If you are not specific on these forums you are going to have to expect a variety of answers.

I have asked for advice on many subjects since being on CD. I purposely never limit myself to either one side or the other because I want to hear both sides in case there may be something I didn't think of. In contemplating a really serious issue such as this, I think that's the thing to do.

People who are telling the OP to listen to only one side of the issue are doing her no favors. She should hear all possibilities and then make up her own mind.
It sounded made up to me, every time someone asks about off-grid and alternative lifestyle techniques they get derailed by 9-5'ers that want have a philosophical debate about it, mostly hostile and dismissive of such lifestyles.

That said here is some practical advice.

Get a gun and now how to use it, make sure it is a rifle you can easily and legally cross state lines with.

A KOA or thousand trails membership will give you free, nice safe places to park anywhere in the country, most will have showers and services.

Look up Tinyhouse and Airstream forums, there are many traveling social clubs that may suit your lifestyle and they will have more info about making a constant traveler status work.

Most Walmarts allow/encourage lodging for 72 hours in a pinch, Rest stops on the west coast are usually 24-48 hours but no particularly safe.

Oregon I know has this other states may also, but having a "Constant traveler" license will get you out hassles in small towns and not having a traditional address.

Have a "Gainful" employment based story that requires travel for dealing with police and people that want to treat you like a Hobo/scofflaw.
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