Help Me Out

[LargoWinch]

Re: Help Me Out

However, should the condition become so dire that even the power grid is impeded then certainly we wouldn't be able to count on going down to the local gas station and filling up 5 gallon cans either, so if you're depending on that generator to keep yourself from freezing to death when vital infrastructure goes down then I hope you have 3+ months worth of fuel on hand.

Quite true. In fact, that is why I am dropping the idea.

Surely my insurance co. and/or neibourhgs would not care if I were to keep 100 gallons of premium gas on the balcony of my townhouse?

[Spartacus]

Re: Help Me Out

There's a LOT of places in the world where they have developed the habits and cultural tools to deal with extreme cold without central heat.

You do NOT need power & heat.

The biggest problems in the western world with losing power and heat in the dead of winter probably will not be people freezing to death, it will be all the indoor plumbing getting blown out when the house interiors go below zero.

Opening all the taps so the water has a place to expand mostly won't help - whatever the water level is, the water near the top will freeze, plugging the pipe - the ice that forms later, locked-in, will split the pipes.

Quite true. In fact, that is why I am dropping the idea.

Surely my insurance co. and/or neibourhgs would not care if I were to keep 100 gallons of premium gas on the balcony of my townhouse?

[sn1p3r]

Re: Help Me Out

I'm noticing more and more threads on iTulip going to SHTF discussions by the time page 2 hits...very interesting

[Spartacus]

Re: Help Me Out

Consider yourself lucky.

On many forums, every time there's a news event on-topic for the forum, chatter disappears for a while.

Within a day or 2 of no news, other stuff shows up.

In many cases, depending on the personalities on the board, this other stuff decays predictably and quickly. Trolling and Godwin's law[*] is common on those boards.
[*] (paraphrasing,) any long thread will eventually have people comparing each other to Adolf Hitler

I'm noticing more and more threads on iTulip going to SHTF discussions by the time page 2 hits...very interesting

[BadJuju]

Re: Help Me Out

Do you guys think it is pathetic for a 23-year-old to still be living with their mother? I wanted to move out a couple years ago, but my mom hit hard times. I decided to help support her financially by living there and paying some of the bills. I wanted to move out last year, but it was a little too difficult financially to do so. And I definitely wanted to move out this year, but now I am too concerned about the economic problems confronting the nation. Is it pathetic to still be living with my mom given the circumstances? =\ I really want a social life, but I just feel like I cannot have one. Once people know I am still living with my mom, I am afraid that I will end up as some kind of joke to people.

[Spartacus]

Re: Help Me Out

Hell no

Pathetic is throwing your money away to look good to others.

IMHO, feeling you have to move out to project an image, to prove something to others is EXACLY like buying a car you cannot afford.

Do you guys think it is pathetic for a 23-year-old to still be living with their mother? I wanted to move out a couple years ago, but my mom hit hard times. I decided to help support her financially by living there and paying some of the bills. I wanted to move out last year, but it was a little too difficult financially to do so. And I definitely wanted to move out this year, but now I am too concerned about the economic problems confronting the nation. Is it pathetic to still be living with my mom given the circumstances? =\ I really want a social life, but I just feel like I cannot have one. Once people know I am still living with my mom, I am afraid that I will end up as some kind of joke to people.

I bet if this happens, people are responding to your discomfort, not to the fact that you're living with your mom.

[BadJuju]

Re: Help Me Out

Thanks for the reassurance, Spartacus. I am generally a confident guy, but this one issue really weighs upon me. <3

[photoncounter]

Re: Help Me Out

Hell no

Pathetic is throwing your money away to look good to others.

IMHO, feeling you have to move out to project an image, to prove something to others is EXACLY like buying a car you cannot afford.

I bet if this happens, people are responding to your discomfort, not to the fact that you're living with your mom.

Totally agree. I think, it is quite normal in many (may be most) countries to live with your parents. I never understood why some one becomes a "loser" if he is living with his parents !

Do you think, those "people" (who you think are going to joke about you) are going to come and help you in your tough times ?

then why bother !

Having said that, I am not sure how you define social life

[Jay]

Re: Help Me Out

Quite true. In fact, that is why I am dropping the idea.

Surely my insurance co. and/or neibourhgs would not care if I were to keep 100 gallons of premium gas on the balcony of my townhouse?

You can buy a propane or natural gas generator and they run much better and longer than the gasoline versions. There are conversion kits out there for your existing gasoline generator also. Most gasoline generators eventually fail. You can hook a natural gas generator up to your house line if you have natural gas, that is a nice workable compromise. Large propane tanks are a decent option.

[LargoWinch]

Re: Help Me Out

When all your friends struggle to pay for their latest iPhone, cool car, tuition, mortgage, satellite tv, fancy clothes and effectively became serfs to debt: show them your gold.

[BadJuju]

Re: Help Me Out

Thanks, guys! Now I just have to shrug the feeling that everyone is mocking me behind my back IRL. :mad:

[plinko]

Re: Help Me Out

Thanks, guys! Now I just have to shrug the feeling that everyone is mocking me behind my back IRL. :mad:

There's one other option. It's not fun though. You could live in semester-long stays at various apartment subleases. It should be easy to find in university areas, the only problem is that you will need to move every 4-9 months. Craigslist, Facebook ads, and having a big network of friends willing to help is useful for this. (twitter might be useful as well)

OTOH, I would think living with the parents is going back in style quickly in this recession. I lived with my parents during the golden market-delusion years of 2006-2008, I looked like a wierdo to everyone.

My best advice is advice I wish I followed during those years.

Step 1. If you feel comfortable living with your parents, and your parents are accepting (or possibly encouraging) of the situation go for it. Make sure you and your parents know what to expect out of the situation, and make sure they will treat you as an adult, and not a child again (which can happen if the parents are experiencing any empty nest syndrome). Establishing some rules makes you feel more like an adult.

Step 2. State your beliefs to your peers. Try to be positive about your long-term outcome due to your decision (I am assuming that you are).

Step 3. Depending on your situation with your parents, I would try to keep some fair distance from them. It sounds weird, but I think it's important for personal growth as an adult to keep a fair distance from them.


This is just my 2 cents.

[Spartacus]

Re: Help Me Out

Make sure you and your parents know what to expect out of the situation, and make sure they will treat you as an adult, and not a child again (which can happen if the parents are experiencing any empty nest syndrome). Establishing some rules makes you feel more like an adult.

Rules are far too ephemeral, too easy to break - habits are extremely sticky things.

Much better is to PHYSICALLY arrange things properly. Get a separate entrance and exit if possible, and make sure they know you sometimes need to not talk to anyone for a week at a time.

If your normalcy is to keep a regular schedule, deliberately make it look irregular to them, so they don't fall into any habits. This is good for weaning them getting emotional every time you deviate from your pattern.

Regularly stay out all night (whether you have to or not - sleep at a friend's, for example). Don't be a dick about it, just establish some mental space and physical separation.

[*T*]

Re: Help Me Out

A bicycle with a good lock (20% of value of the bike). I bought one crappy one for the missus for £28 to knock around with. Works OK. She loves it.

Very cheap mobility. Keeps you fit.

Fitness is the best health insurance.

[LargoWinch]

Re: Help Me Out

A bicycle with a good lock (20% of value of the lock). I bought one crappy one for the missus for £28 to knock around with. Works OK. She loves it.

Very cheap mobility. Keeps you fit.

Fitness is the best health insurance.

Very true.

For all "bikers" out there, allow me to recommend this great company for bike locks.

For the techies, these are made partly of Boron, a very hard material used for tanks armors.