Feeling trapped: Preparations to relocate not going well!

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Been preparing on/off since June '98 (food, supplies, clothes, money, etc.). For personal reasons our family just could not relocate before January '99. We live in a major southwestern city and need to relocate. Thought there would be nice options for relocation within a couple hours distance from us. There are, but the prices are outrageous! Relocation is a relative piece of cake if you have the cash. (Read a thread here about a woman in Phoenix who has her home paid for and also has a cabin up north somewhere. Seems she was complaining about the possibility of losing her Phoenix home to looters. Glad some on this forum encouraged her to be thankful she has the retreat for refuge.) I have some cash but certainly not enough (it seems) for a rural spot. Can't bear the thought of getting a mortgage, especially after reading various opinions in this Forum relating to banking, debts, depression, foreclosures, etc.

Get my drift? Anyone else out there facing the hard reality of what it takes to relocate? (At this late stage I have ruled out buying land and building my own retreat. If I had a full year, I would/could do this.) This is a very hard time for me and my family of four. Am feeling the stress and feeling trapped. Must gas up my tank and keep looking. I pray the gods will lead to that "right place" (that we can afford, BTW). Gotta get further away from this neighborhood 7-11 (in our city it is the Circle K)!

I'll post a success thread when we arrive at our safe haven.

-- PJ (Just@here.com), January 28, 1999

Answers

I can relate to this one. We're making our preparations and things are going well. However my wife is VERY emotionally attached to our present house and isn't dealing well with the thought of putting it on the market. It was her's before we met and I recognize that. She 'gets it' and understands what y2k means.

Anyone have any thoughts on how to 'encourge' her? We already have a place to land when we move so that's not the issue.

Thanks

-- j (sandpine@juno.com), January 28, 1999.


PJ -- I was probably like your wife. Quite providentially, our 30 year mortgage will be paid off in a few months. We have raised four children here and were planning to add a large addition beginning this spring. When I GI it still took some time before I could detach myself from this material possesion, but then I realized that's all it is. I told my husband I did not want the addition and he's very confused but relieved. Although we have done much remodeling on this house, which adds to the emotional effect, at 52 he was worried about his strength level for such a huge project. He has wanted to sell the house for years and is confused about what happened to me. I'm just not sure I can get him to move far enough out of town. I believe your wife will come around as the ramifications of Y2K become more evident to her. God bless. Mary

-- Mary (sweep@gateway.net), January 28, 1999.

For those of you relocating in warmer climates, count your blessings. I live in the cold upper midwest. At least you won't freeze to death. I had to sell some valuable family possessions a few years back to pay the bills.. At the time I was miserable about it. Today, I could not even tell you what I sold. Over the years I've been lightening my load of material things. It feels good not to be bogged down with all that junk. What we have is not really ours. We are only caretakers of it until we leave here.

-- YB (YourBuddy@I hear ya.com), January 28, 1999.

J, I relate to your wife. I am emotionaly attached to my house also, we've built it ourselves, with sweat and blood, I had to go through nightmarish living conditions for over 3 years, and I now have my dream house. Much of it was our design, reviewed and aproved by an architect.

We have our y2k retreat, so we don't need to sell it for relocating. What we've decided to do is stockpile both places, and leave our house to my husband's family to use during bad times, they are DGI's, totally bump-in-the-road, the-gov.-will-fix-it-all types. This works well for me; the house remains ours and the money won't be an issue when the economy collapses, and hubby feels better that there is an alternative for his family, whether they know it or not. (It's in the suburbs and not as safe as our retreat, but hey, better than nothing right?) If you can afford to prepare enough without selling your house, why not consider this arrangement? Assuming you have DGI family members.

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), January 28, 1999.


"You don't see no hearses with luggage racks" Don Henley

Find some cheap land with water and buy a cheap RV. Get an old one that isn't road worthy anymore. Just get it to the land and leave it there. Now you have a retreat. Cache some food,water and supplies in a nearby storage rental place. Can all be done for under $10K. If nothing major happens eat the food, sell the RV and land. You may have a loss of a couple of grand, but you prepared.

-- Bill (y2khippo@yahoo.com), January 28, 1999.



It is too late for many people to "move to the country". Don't worry about it, get on with what can be done and *make it* work.

Bill's advice is spot-on perfect. It should be reprinted over and over and over again, really. Almost anyone reading this NG has or can scrounge at least $10K (no, not everyone, I know, but most). Read what Bill said and DO JUST THAT.

If you've got $20 or $30K, get a nicer RV and don't forget the water source. $40K, likewise. Unless you can devote most of this year to a relocation, you're wiser taking Bill's advice even if you have $100K.

Get the land, the RV and then do the 101 other things that still need to be done to prepare to retreat successfully.

And, BTW, a *beat-up RV* is a great "hide in plain site (sic)" plan all by itself.

-- BigDog (BigDog@duffer.com), January 28, 1999.


Purchase a semi-tractor trailer and have it placed on your property for storage. They are sturdy and can also be converted into living quarters too. I see travel trailers everywhere here for sale. You can pick up a 30-foot one (older model) for around $5,000. If I needed a quick way to get out, this is the route I would take.

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), January 28, 1999.

I, being from the south all my life, am familiar with the area real estate. In most rural settings here (NC), and in GA, TN, and SC, there are parcels of land that range from $550 per acre to $2000.00 per acre. You just have to get the rural weekly newspapers and look. It takes time, and a bit of research, but the majority of locals in small areas will use the local papers instead of nearby city papers to sell their land. Don't lease or rent. Landlords can come onto their owned property and evict you, if they need or want their property. Some landlords will do just that if they need to escape the city and go to the land or farm they rent out. MANY rural manufactured home lots in this area will offer land/mobile home packages where you can get a singlewide, fully furnished, and some acerage (1-5 acres)with well & septic included and the payments range from about $150 to $200/ month and a certain low percentage down. Used trailers are a STEAL. We purchased a used doublewide with all appliances, 1600 sq ft, for $7000.00 that included the transport expenses. I haven't seen these offers advertised much, just on the banners in front of the actual lots themselves. If this could be an option, start taking rides to the country on the weekends, collect all local papers along the way, and keep your goal in mind!

-- Mr. Kennedy (y2kPCfixes@MotivatedSeller.com), January 28, 1999.

Thanks for the responses. It helps. BUT, this is the dilemma: IF we thought of a retreat as a 3-6 month refuge from the storm, YES, then we could easily buy some land (with water!), purchase an older RV or travel trailer and place it one the land. We have the cash to do this. It would be nice to have this place later as a vacation spot.

BUT when we read (husband and wife type team) about the coming economic meltdown, depression to follow, a 3-6 month retreat doesn't seem to us to be the way to go. Our relocation plan was to find a resonable nice rural town (500 +/-) and find a home with about 5 acres for a sustainable life (in community with others, we can't do it all!). If not in a town, then close by would suit our needs. But around here we can't locate a place like this for our budget ($50K +/-). Mortgage? Doesn't fit with our understanding of the economic scene that is coming.

Are we wrong to think LONG TERM for post-Y2K? Or do you see this as too extremist (viz, Milne and others)? Are you thinking long term, beyond 6-12 months?

Continued dialogue (opinions too) would be appreciated. Especially would we like to hear from folks "in the same boat," and others who have been there, done that. Thanks,

PJ

-- PJ (Just@here.com), January 28, 1999.


I'm sorry to sound like a broken record but even some of GIs (including myself) are DGI about certain aspects of preparation.

Once again, do what BILL, BARDOU and now, MR. KENNEDY, recommend. They are 100% right. This is *the* way for 90% of people still thinking about a retreat. Don't think, "I like RVs/trailers/doublewides" or "I hate them". If you do, you're deceiving yourself about what matters.

There are few threads in this NG that you can "go to the bank" on. This is one of them.

-- BigDog (BigDog@duffer.com), January 28, 1999.



Joel Skousen, author of Strategic Relocation , who presumably knows more on this subject than most of us, has repeatedly emphasized the need for a long-term approach, for multiple threats, most of which he sees as more significant, though later in time, than y2k.

-- Runway Cat (runway_cat@hotmail.com), January 28, 1999.

Yes, my plan is longterm. The doublewide is anchored in and underpinned. The greenhouse is going up with the money saved on buying a house we would have "liked" better. Also purchased woodstoves, wood-fired hot water heater, etc. Couldn't have done that with being very choosy. The move for security is not esthetic, but that can be improved on later, if possible.

-- Mr. Kennedy (y2kPCfixes@MotivatedSeller.com), January 28, 1999.

"Are we wrong to think LONG TERM for post-Y2K? Or do you see this as too extremist (viz, Milne and others)? Are you thinking long term, beyond 6-12 months?"

I'm at the point where "extremists" to me are the DGI's. So I might be biased ;-)

I went for the long-term, just outside a small town, with a few neighbors, far from big city, with clean ground source water near the house (no need for a well.) I'm not selling my main house, the y2K retreat is still considered "our vacation home" by my husband and kids, but in my mind it's where I'll live for a long time after SHTF. I plan to move there with the kids for the summer and look for a job in town. Hubby's not planning to follow (still stuburn DGI at this time). I want to "establish" myself there and make some contacts/friends, know my surroundings well, plan ahead scenarios etc.

If you decide longterm, decide today and get started today. Took me 3 months to find a house and buy it, but I was extremely lucky in finding it and getting it, and I didn't have to sell my house to move. And we had the money saved to buy it cash.

Otherwise, go Bigdog's route.

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), January 28, 1999.


Runway Cat, I thought this thread was short-term (end of 99, HELP!, preparations not going well), no? To me, longer-term deserves a separate thread, though the two can be related, as Mr. Kennedy points out. I think a lot of folks need a crisp, do-able, not too expensive ASAP solution, which is the great contribution of this thread.

-- BigDog (BigDog@duffer.com), January 28, 1999.

yep Dog, that's true. Just want to make sure Joel's name always comes up in the same breath with the word 'relocation'.

-- runway cat (runway_cat@hotmai.com), January 28, 1999.


BigDog-

I do think you misunderstood my 1st post (my fault, not yours), but I think I clarified our dilemma in our second post.

Kennedy responded and understood our situation. I like his approach very much. We agree, at this late stage we can't be real choosy other than issues of safety and availabliity of water.

Your solution for quick ASAP is great. We may be "forced" into this solution. But our first take is to relocate for the long term. That's why we opted to plan for a minimum of one year for all our suplies, food, etc. IOHO it would be a piece of cake to ride out a storm for a short period of 3-6 months. We are more concerned about post-Y2K events.

-- PK (Just@here.com), January 28, 1999.


apologies all around ...... ! Hey, a polite thread, what was in the water this morning?

-- BigDog (BigDog@duffer.com), January 28, 1999.

Get with it you all, the Lord helps those who help themselves. Time is running out. Start thinking and acting on principal. Don't come asking unless your acting.

-- ~~ (~~@~~.com), January 28, 1999.

We are in the same boat, it sounds like. We intend to relocate to a rural location early this year, also in the west, but don't have a lot of cash to spend. No house to sell to get the money. Have gone through a lot of thinking about options. Would love to buy a house with trimmings, etc. but that just isn't feasible. You have to be quite realistic about what you can afford. If you were lucky enough to have the cash, it would be an easy decision, but since you posted, i am assuming that is not your case. We have decided to do just what was posted above. We will compromise- a small parcel of < 5 acres, probably with no more than a well for improvements. We will put up a small cabin on the cheap, or buy cheap trailer. Not our dream home, but it is temporary. You just need something to get through the year. If it is the bump in the road scenario, go from there- es no problemo, senor. If it is not, you can use the next year or 2 after that to build something more permanent, but at least you will have some land to grow food. It seems that what is needed in this situation is to keep open to compromises, and flexible in your decisions.

-- Damian Solorzano (oggy1@webtv.net), January 29, 1999.

Damian- I do think we are indeed in the same boat. Those of us with little cash reserves will need to be a bit more creative than those with the means to relocate to "comfortable homesites." The shock for me was to find out what little I can buy for cash. Many of us are just beginning to emerge from the "mortgage" mentality. Our goal is to be debt free, and our final step in this program should take place by the end of February. In doing this we are in the process of living more modestly, more simply, and happier (no more of this "keeping up with the Jones'" and debit lifestyle).

In my original post above I said that I need to "fill up my gas tank and keep looking." I mean this figuratively and literally. The people who contribute to this Forum by and large help fill the tank of my mind and spirit. (Did you happen to read runway cat's thread "My One Goal?" Inspiring.) I am indebted in many different ways to the ideas, thoughts and challenges I read here. But I also mean that I have filled the gas tank of my '84 Jeep, and am out in the boonies continuing to look for our family safe haven location. When you have litle children involved the stakes are higher to find the right location.

-- PJ (Just@here.com), January 29, 1999.


PJ- i hear you. We too have been preparing since June of last year. At first, i thought, no problem, simple! Hah! it is amazing how little the dollar will buy, especially when there are not a lot of funds to do it with. You just keep plugging along. We at least have the area picked out where we can buy some reasonably priced land in a good rural area and not break our necks with a high dollar mortgage. we also don't want to go into a lot of debt to do it. We will have to be very creative with housing, but our climate is mild, and we will have the basics to survive with. You just do what you can and go from there. At least we don't have children to be afraid for. (though we do have a dog, so maybe it's just about the same:)). Good luck

-- Damian Solorzano (oggy1@webtv.net), January 30, 1999.

re: very early thread posting...

I hadn't checked here in a few days - I'm impressed by the nnmber and quality of responses. My wife and I were on our nightly walk and I brought up the subject of putting our house on the market, adding that I recognized her attachment to it. Her response was that SHE recognized that exactly that issue was a stumbling block but that she was over it and 'just how soon can we contact the realtor?' I was suprised (to say the least). Tommorrow the realtor comes.

I'm saving the thread to share with her.

-- j (sandpine@juno.com), January 30, 1999.


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