Hermit Entertainment

I think some people spend too much money satisfying the daily inter boredom. You got satellite T.V. With 500+ channels, Netflix with thousands of movies at your fingertips, cheap liquor and beer at the local pub, new movies playing every night at the Theater, live concerts playing across the nation with fairly cheap tickets, 10ft long display case of video games at the nearby Wal-Mart, and plenty of other entertainment to choose from. You pay all your bills for the month, and you take whatever is left and waste it on mind numbing "fun". Does no one understand how to save money? Go ahead shopping Mall whores waste your time working so you can buy overpriced junk you don't need. Waste your money on what society classifies as "entertainment", while the hermit sits at home and really enjoys himself. My main source of enjoyment comes from the internet, a few cheap novels I pick up at thrift stores, and my cheap $19.99 AM/FM battery operated radio. Don't get me wrong, I smoke and sometimes I enjoy eating out but I don't make a habit of it. A pack of name brand cigarettes cost me around 5 bucks, and they last me all week since I don't smoke on the weekend. As far as dining out is concerned, I work at a fast food restaurant and I get a free burger and soft drink on my 30 minute lunch break each and every day I work. I can't complain, since that adds up to around $120 a month and it keeps me from being forced to pack my own lunch. As far as me going out and having dinner alone at a Steak House or Applebee's, I do it once a month and usually right before payday. It really depends on how I feel, but most of my spare time is spend thinking, reading, blogging, or listening to music. I relax after work with a tall glass of freshly brewed sweet ice tea with John Denver or ELO playing on my little one speaker radio via an Auxiliary cable input that plugs into my phone or laptop. Go ahead America and make your life complicated, the Hermit doesn't want any part of your cruel game.

Live simple, and be happy. Travel Trailer Hermit..... signing off…

Travel Trailer Living: Expenses

Over the last few hours I have been trying really hard to gather up enough information to give a good guess at how much my travel trailer living is going to cost. My current expense here at my mom’s is around $280-350 a month, and the majority of that is fuel. My travel trailer expenses should look something like this:

1. Gas - $235

2. Propane - $35

3. Electric - $10

4. food/water - $90

5. Personal care, misc. - $20

6. Auto & motorcycle insurance - $140

7. Entertainment - $20

8. Cell/internet - $50

--------Total-----------$600 

 

The price of fuel, food/water, and propane will vary the greatest. During the summer months the cost of fuel will be less due to me riding my 35-45mpg motorcycle to work. I plan on saving $35 a month even during the warm months to pay for heating purposes. Whatever is left over on my propane budget, I will carry it over to next month or next year. After I get familiar with the land and my new way of life, I might venture into gardening and raising micro-livestock. If things get nasty, I can always cut my entertainment and cell phone budget. Don’t worry though, if something like that ever happened, I would still keep you guys posted via free Wi-Fi at restaurants.

Let me discuss my income for a moment. I bring home (Net) anywhere from $500-$650 each paycheck, and I get paid twice a month. Let’s say my average paycheck is around $575, this would make my monthly income $1,150 and my yearly net would be around $13,800. If my monthly expenses only add up to $600, I end up saving $550 each month. This comes out to $6,600 each year, or $33,000 in a five year time frame. Doesn’t sound too bad, does it?

Stay safe, live free, and be happy… Travel Trailer hermit… signing off…..   

My Money Management System

            Hello, today I decided to share my insight on saving money. I based all my techniques on one popular question, “how much money is enough?”, and my money management plan works on one simple principle. Due to inflation, it is not a good idea to have large amounts of cash hoarded away. My money plan covers emergencies, which include the risk of job loss, and equipment failure. I consider my automobile, travel trailer, refrigerator, etc. as equipment. I consider job loss to be a major concern during this recession. The yuppie financial adviser Dave Ramsey recommends a savings of around $1,000 for personal emergency. I consider this amount to be adequate, however if your situation can’t seem to allow you to save a whole grand, I would consider $500 bare minimum. This “rainy day fund” should be available in cash format in a moment’s notice. It should consist of different face values, and I prefer seven Benjamin’s, ten Jackson’s, five Hamilton’s, five Lincoln’s, and twenty-five Washington’s ($1000 in total). I recommend finding a safe hiding place (NOT A BANK) for your emergency “loot”. If you think it is safe (personally I don’t) to tell one trusted person about your hiding spot, go for it.   

            The next step is to consider your place of employment. Personally, I work fast food and I feel my job will always be there (at least until the robot food service workers rise up). For those of you that work factory jobs, I don’t understand how you sleep at night. The risk of being shipped overseas has never been more of a reality. I currently live on around $300 a month, however when I move into my trailer, the cost will rise to about $500-$600. You should have a minimum of six months saved and I refer to this savings as “Job Security fund”. I don’t trust banks when it comes to keeping important money safe, so finding a hiding place for your “Job Security fund” is vital. Let us imagine your factory was shipped to a shit village in Indonesia, meanwhile your own city is having grid electricity problems. You didn’t listen to your buddy Homestead Hermit, and you put your survival money in the bank. If the A.T.M. at the local Pilot Travel Center doesn’t work, what can you do? Not a damn thing!

            The “bread and beans” of my survival money plan relies on $5,000. Your plan may require more or less cash, and in the end it is all about what you feel comfortable with. With my personal plan, $1,000 is for emergency use and $4,000 covers my expenses for around eight months. It really is that simple. With U.S. currency no longer based on gold or precious metal reserves, the risk of deflation is obvious. Imagine waking up, turning on CNN or Fox News, only to find out the bottom has dropped out of U.S. currency. The suicide rate would jump a mere %75, and businesses would shut their doors instantly. Riots would begin, and even rural areas wouldn't be safe. Don’t depend on money alone, a good stockpile of food and water will outlast any stockpile of green paper. I will save my food/water stockpile info for another post. Stay safe, and keep your eyes open….

P.S. - WOW!!! The travel.trailer.hermit blog just hit 1,065 views. I want to thank all you guys for the loyal support. I almost forget to remind you guys that The Hermit won't be posting tomorrow (Saturday 1/5/13) or the day after (Sunday 1/6/12). As always, I reserve my wonderful weekend for sleeping in late, reading, etc... However, i will be back online Monday with a wonderful post about God knows what. See you then!

Until next time, Homestead Hermit--- signing off….    

You Respect me, I Respect you

On several occasions people have miss understood me, and assumed that I was a racist. I am not a racist; I am just anti-social in a good way. I am not a very social person, but I was blessed with a great family, and friends. Most of them don't understand the way I want to live, so I don't mention it to them. Frankly it’s none of their business, but if they ask, I always give an honest answer. Most of the time, I just want to be left alone. A good example is a cat. If a cat doesn't want to play with you, you can't make it. I don't hate any specific group of people more or less than another. Sometimes I judge people, and I know I shouldn't. However, judge and be judged. People judge me every day, and I expect them too. It might be sinful, but flesh is sin, and people will be people. Life really is a simple thing, but people make it complex.

The majority of my posts I comment badly on "yuppies". I don't like young urban professionals because they look down on the poor working class. However, most people look at "yuppies" in a positive way, because they have flashy cars and nice suits. I feel that people who live for money are selfish and greedy. I look down on the majority of blacks because I feel they sit with their hand out wanting what the white man owes them. I don't owe them anything, and they don't owe me anything. Period. No one owes me anything, nor do I deserve anything. No one deserves what they have, and the only promise to us is that if we believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins that we will have eternal life. However, for those of you that don't believe in the works of Christianity, you can seek out other religions for the meaning of life. I don't support a political party, because I feel both parties have pros and cons and that my vote doesn't matter. My single vote isn't going to decide who wins or loses. Until it takes away my way of life, I really don't give a damn about who is in office. In a way, I hate and like everyone to the same degree. And I hope people who know me, both dislike me and like me. People are people, and we all have flaws, however some of us are afraid to speak up about them.

I am not a very smart or knowledgeable person, however I've spent enough time being anti-social to realize what kind of person I truly am and what really makes me happy. You must understand yourself before you can understand someone else. I quote Dr. Martin Luther King, “why can’t we all get along.” If someone respects my views, I will respect theirs. What is crazy to one person might be brilliant to another. One key to happiness is respecting others, and them respecting you.

Sincerely, The Homestead Hermit…….   

Hygiene & Staying Clean

Today's article is about hygiene and staying clean under rough conditions (such as living full time in an RV). I have always enjoyed a long relaxing shower after a day of stressful work, and on any given afternoon I would wash my worries away by spending 20-30 minutes taking a luxurious hot shower. After considering a frugal and minimalist lifestyle, I decided to rid myself of water wasting habits by avoiding showers all together. I refer to my new shower alternative as "Whore Bathing". I created a "whore bathing" kit which includes a washcloth, bar of soap, homemade squirt bottle, bath pan, and a towel for drying off. This started out as a simple experiment to test travel trailer conditions were running water will not be available. My "whore bathing" techniques work wonderfully inside a normal bathroom, however changes will be made in order for them to work inside a cozy 80sq/ft. travel trailer. The only difficult part is dealing with unmanageable long hair, however I have been keeping mine at a buzz cut length ever since I started using my shower alternative. I start out by wetting myself down lightly with a wet wash cloth. Then, I lather up some soap (my personal favorites are Dove and Ivory bar soaps, but liquid soap or body wash might be easier to rinse off) and lightly lather up sweaty areas such as arm pits, groin, etc. It never hurts to give these areas a moderate scrubbing before lathering up other areas of the body. I recommend starting from the head/face area then working your way down. After you feel like your body is all soaped up and lathered, rinse out your wash cloth and begin washing away the soap suds. Make sure to remove all soap residues or it might cause skin irritation and dryness. Last but not least, use the towel to dry off before putting on a clean set of clothes. I recommend using a sport's deodorant for future stink prevention, however a half dozen squirts of musky spray cologne usually does the trick for me. My tried and true combination is Old Spice roll-on deodorant mixed with Wal-Mart's knock off Bleu De Chanel spray cologne. Throw in a splash of cheap after shave and you can smell good for 24+ hours, with a total investment of $15.00 you can keep the fragrance going for 4-9 weeks. You can't beat that kind of deal. No running water needed.

 Sincerely, Travel trailer hermit.... Signing off........-----

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Another not so wonderful holiday that involves large consumption of liquor and bad music. I have nothing against drinking and frankly I wish they would lower the drinking age in this country to eighteen. However, accident prone alcoholics still manage to drive home after getting shit faced on New Year’s. Drink at home for cry out loud! Sadly, I work tonight and I know the drive home will involve several police road blocks. Seems like another way for the government to make some cash on the side, as if toll bridges and yearly vehicle registration fees are not enough. Most people I know are jumping with joy around the first of the year because they get money back on their taxes. This is just another reason to be a bottom feeder, and take advantage of low income jobs. Don’t forget to give yourself an impossible task for this upcoming year, such as losing weight or making time for family.

Go ahead well-groomed yuppie filth; drink yourself another pint of Scotch while you take another drag from your ultra-light cigarette. Try and drink your debt and materialistic habits away, but in the end you will find it will do you no good. So help me God if I see any thug ugly couples kissing when the ball falls, I might just blow my fucking top!

What will the Hermit do once he arrives home from work? I wonder if he will be drinking? Don’t worry loyal blog readers, the Hermit plans on spending his spare time kicked back with a cold can of Pepsi while listening to some tranquil music. As far as drinking is concerned, I don’t celebrating ridiculous holidays such as New Year’s. I would rather save the drinks for a special time in my life, such as when I become %99 self-sufficient, or when I finally move into my travel trailer. Until then, the hermit will remain sober. For those of you that do celebrate this Gregorian calendar holiday with alcoholic beverages, please do me a favor. Stay safe out there…

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2013……….. Travel Trailer Hermit…. – signing off…..

 

Simple Living: Hermit style

Everything in your daily life has alternatives, but some are better than others. When I move into my travel trailer this April/May 2013 I plan on exploring different options. I won't have indoor plumbing, central air and heat, etc. I will remain on the grid via a 250ft homemade extension cord made with 10/2 Romex. I will ease myself into this lifestyle while adapting to an off grid situation over time. My mom and step-dad gave me a small plot of land for my travel trailer experiment and I plan on utilizing every aspect of it. A cheap 120v box fan will keep me cool during the summer, and I will rely on a Mr. Buddy propane heater during the winter months. Indoor lighting will be achieved with factory installed AC lamps similar to the ones in a normal home. I have installed cheap battery powered "push on, push off" LED puck lights for an off-grid alternative. My main source of entertainment is a battery operated AM/FM radio; however my stockpile of paperback novels will be very handy. My bathroom will consist of a 3 gallon portable chemical toilet, a Gatorade bottle, and a small plastic container for bathing. With a bar of soap, half gallon of water, and a wash cloth I can stay very clean. A shower is not a need, it's a wasteful luxury. A small AC refrigerator, hot plate, and single compartment sink will make up my kitchen. I plan on visiting the grocery store once a week for fresh meat, veggies, and fruit. The travel trailer has a single person bed, plenty of storage, several feet of counter space, and a ‘booth-style’ sitting area that converts into another bed. It might not be a studio apartment in New York, but for the travel trailer hermit, its paradise.