Intro: What This Blog is about

Hello, my name is Homestead Hermit, and welcome to my WTSHTF/escaping the rat race/living happy blog. My true inspirations were James Dakin, and M.D. Creekmore with their great blogs. Both Mr. Creekmore and Mr. Dakin are great preppers, and I've learned a lot from their articles. My life goal is to prepare for civil unrest, peak oil, food shortage, etc. while living a worry free and happy life as cheap as possible.

                I am a very selfish person, so now I am going to tell you a little about myself and why I decided to go down this “Escape the rat race” path. I live in Eastern Kentucky, with my Mother, Step-dad, and two sisters. I visit my Daddy on the weekends. I just graduated High school (class 2012), and I work as a wage slave at a local Fast food restaurant. I enjoy my Job, and I have worked there for over 3 years. Fast food work is the best work around, in my opinion. I would explain why, however I’ll save it for another article.

                I have yet to leap into the travel trailer lifestyle full time, due to the weather being cold, and since we will be seeing snowfall in a few weeks. I have been successful in finding a suitable trailer; however it’s a bit on the small side. It is only a 12 footer, but I got it for an amazing price. It is in great condition, and it weighs less than 4,000 pounds. I own a 1999 ford F-150 v6, and it has no problem pulling my little trailer. I plan on moving into it full-time around April or May. I keep it at my dad's, and we’ve worked a little on it. Nothing major, mostly cosmetic stuff…  I live a lower middle class lifestyle at the moment. My mother works as a General Manger at a Restaurant, and my step dad works at a local factory. We live in a decent home (4 bedrooms, 2 baths), and both of them drive new automobiles. Seeing both of them work 12 hour shifts, and worry about bills might be what turned me toward frugal thinking. I can't say for sure, however I have always considered myself to be an outcast when compared to modern Society. Things I want in life gross out my peers. Most people my age (I turned 19 last month) don't even know what the term Self-sufficient even means. My friends (I find myself anti-social %75 of the day) only care about two things, and that’s sex and new cell phones. The ideal of Materialism really disgusts me, and the thought of myself being a yuppie with a trophy spouse and a job that pays six figures really doesn’t appeal to me.

                My sophomore year of high school I got my first real job working at a local fast food restaurant chain. I worked there all summer, and after about a week or so, I really started liking my job. Since I was 15 at the time, I was only allowed to work 6 hours per day during the summer. After the first month of summer had passed, my mommy and I had a mind changing conversation. "School will be starting back in a few months. Better make good grades this year, get yourself a free ride through college. You don't want to be flipping burgers for the next 20 years do you?" I answered with, "No, burger flipping ain’t my cup of tea." However, I thought about it for the next few weeks. I enjoyed my job, and what else could matter? During my senior year of high school I was allowed to leave school and take vocational classes at a nearby Career center. I went there for 9 months, and during those 9 months I studied Industrial electricity. Sadly, I didn’t learn a single thing, and I hated every minute of it. Several people had told me when I was a kid, "be an electrician, they make good money." Well, they might make a fat pay check, but their life is a living hell. The only reason I signed up for the training was because I find alternative energy to be the way to self-sufficiency. During those 9 months, alternative energy was never mentioned.

                That is enough about me, if you want to know more, I will add tid bits of info about myself in future articles. So, keep reading, or send me an email. I started this blog for three reasons:

1.) -  Show the world that anyone (even a young adult) can leave the rat race and be happy in a world where living "the life of Riley" is getting harder and harder every day.

2.) - To help those having a hard time escaping the rat race. I will let the world know every step I plan on taking toward a cheap and happy existence.         

3.) - Because I like to write, even though I am horrible at it. Please look over my run on sentences, miss spelled words, and etc.

If I am lucking, I will have time tomorrow to write another mess of words.

Stay safe, and free….

                Sincerely, MR. HOMESTEAD HERMIT……………..