Leaving It All Behind

[jpblue1000]

its funny we look back at the good old days when things were different. The reality for us today in first world australia is we have it better than pretty much every human being who ever lived. We are free, wealthy and generally safe. on the whole only first world problems to deal with.
I like to think we did the next best thing to dropping off grid...we spread ourselves over many grids, we pursued the career while exploring the world, we have worked in many countries exorcising our freedoms to choose what we did where we went next and how we chose to do it. We chose to travel light and quick, we had sold of/donated or tossed all but a 2.5x2.5x2.5 meter container of memories and put it into storage for 7 years and saw the world.
Only problem I see with truly 'dropping out' is coming back in. the body and ability to pursue manual labor has its limits, not all of us have the training or experience to take the professional 'thinking' work on the road and one day we may need to 'retire' .
Dropping out properly means no savings or nest egg, your still tied to the ills of the world you want to avoid still controlled by those societal demands you are rejecting. Im guessing thats why its is so seldomly done and many of those that do it have it thrust upon them through circumstance.

check out the Christopher McCandles story!



JP

[zilo]

Originally Posted by jpblue1000

i
Dropping out properly means no savings or nest egg, your still tied to the ills of the world you want to avoid still controlled by those societal demands you are rejecting. Im guessing thats why its is so seldomly done and many of those that do it have it thrust upon hem through circumstance.

JP

Sorry mate, disagree with you.

Dropping out can only be successfully achieved with plenty of money not by disposal of wealth.

With enough money in the bank you can have money making money to keep people off your back while you maintain your dropout existance.

The nature of capitalism is money making money without producing a damn thing except more money....so play by the game's rules.

Govts won't leave you alone, councils want rates, you need food, you need to have money to buy comfort items, medicines, booze....lol

Being able to stick it to the system is best done by beating the system from whithin....can't be done any other way.
But play by the rules and you can win.

[Havoc]

The system is designed to do exactly the opposite keep you in your place and not have you succeed or get ahead keep the haves up top and the have nots down the bottom

[jpblue1000]

Originally Posted by zilo

Sorry mate, disagree with you.

Dropping out can only be successfully achieved with plenty of money not by disposal of wealth.

With enough money in the bank you can have money making money to keep people off your back while you maintain your dropout existance.

The nature of capitalism is money making money without producing a damn thing except more money....so play by the game's rules.

Govts won't leave you alone, councils want rates, you need food, you need to have money to buy comfort items, medicines, booze....lol

Being able to stick it to the system is best done by beating the system from whithin....can't be done any other way.
But play by the rules and you can win.

Isnt that retirement rather than dropping out?

JP

[Ford_The_Win]

Originally Posted by Havoc

The system is designed to do exactly the opposite keep you in your place and not have you succeed or get ahead keep the haves up top and the have nots down the bottom

I disagree, I grew up destitute - very much a 'have not'. Now, I am a doctor. I work three and a half days per week and live very comfortably. The point I am trying to make is, anyone prepared to put the hard yards in can beat the 'system'.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Ford_The_Win

I disagree, I grew up destitute - very much a 'have not'. Now, I am a doctor. I work three and a half days per week and live very comfortably. The point I am trying to make is, anyone prepared to put the hard yards in can beat the 'system'.

I'm waiting for the guy to come along who says he makes $2000 clear a week working from home doing some BS on the internet for 2 days a week to upstage you

Then a picture of Michael Jackson with pop-corn.

Then a picture of the Rock saying he can smell Michael Jackson's pop-corn.

Then someone post a picture of just here to steal picture comments.

Wait, this isn't bookface

[Ford_The_Win]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

I'm waiting for the guy to come along who says he makes $2000 clear a week working from home doing some BS on the internet for 2 days a week to upstage you

Then a picture of Michael Jackson with pop-corn.

Then a picture of the Rock saying he can smell Michael Jackson's pop-corn.

Then someone post a picture of just here to steal picture comments.

Wait, this isn't bookface

All I did was follow this 'one weird trick'!!

[supershifty]

I used to do the same thing as Havoc.

Long weekends I used to point my Kwaka north with a swag and ride as far as I could on different routes. Yeah, I was stuck to the mainstream of holding down a job, but loved the feeling of the shortlived freedom. Slept on the side of the road beside my bike, never showered or shaved, had a feed at roadhouses when I stopped for fuel.

Not living the dream, but crikey I enjoyed it.

Cheers!

Edit: It's pretty hard hiding a number 2 whilst hiding behind a motorcycle - lots of beeps!

[buggerlugs]

Originally Posted by jpblue1000

Isnt that retirement rather than dropping out?

JP

Well how would you fund your "Drop out" ?

[Trump]

Originally Posted by Ford_The_Win

I disagree, I grew up destitute - very much a 'have not'. Now, I am a doctor. I work three and a half days per week and live very comfortably. The point I am trying to make is, anyone prepared to put the hard yards in can beat the 'system'.

Sadly, examples like yours are the exception rather than the rule FTW. For every success story where hard work has resulted in one reaping the rewards of said effort, there are roughly fifty more where the opposite has happened.

This 1:50 ratio is why many seek to leave the rat race.

[zilo]

Originally Posted by jpblue1000

Isnt that retirement rather than dropping out?

JP

Call it what you like.

Forcible retirement ain't dropping out successfully.

Planned retirement at 40 is a beautiful thing.

[revcore]

From all the research I've been doing I reckon the one key factor would be simplicity...Simplify your life as much as possible even if it means giving up on some of the stuff you think you can't live without.
I've sold, given away or dumped alot of my belongings so far and still more to get rid of.

[jpblue1000]

Originally Posted by zilo

Call it what you like.

Forcible retirement ain't dropping out successfully.

Planned retirement at 40 is a beautiful thing.

Originally Posted by buggerlugs

Well how would you fund your "Drop out" ?

My take on the discussion is the OP discussed 'dropping out' of society. By my definition this is rejecting the structures, constructs and constraints of the norms of society and all elements of what that entails (job, savings, tax, social interaction, supermarkets, careers, shares, etc)
keeping one foot in the 'real' world is not dropping out...its a holiday or retirement adventure, but to some its just what they want and can handle.
Dropping out by degrees I guess. perhaps there is dropping out, stepping out and looking out of society.

JP

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

When we left Sydney and sold up we went eBay mad, sold everything we no longer wanted put cash in bank, sold house got in the car and left.

Already had a job lined up, closest shop is 100km away, plenty of good people out in the bush, genuine helpful people, plenty of work on the land as well.If your willing to work there is no dramas making $800-1500 per week for unskilled workers.

Living expenses are minimal, most jobs come with free accommodation or a house to live in. People need to have a look around, no need to drop off the grid completely.

Not bad earning $800-1200 per week with a free house to live in and debt free.

[MercurySilver]

what do you mean drop out of society?
get a few acres in the country?
or drop off the grid?

because they are two very different things
the first one means grizzly adams style
the second one is easy done

the first one means you literally live off the land
the second one means you move out of the burbs and get a small hobby farm or something of that nature chuck some chickens on it and grow and raise some food
thats easy done
but youre still part of the 'system'

[revcore]

To drop out of society all together requires being completely self sufficient.

[MercurySilver]

cool
no grid elec
no running water from elec
no food shopping
no buying clothes
and prob no visiting a dr unless you can get one that will trade his/her services for produce
no car, unless you can run it on cooking oil

youll need to make everything you need or trade for it
would be great
but would be hard to do

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by MercurySilver

no grid elec
no running water from elec
no food shopping
no buying clothes
and prob no visiting a dr unless you can get one that will trade his/her services

This sounds a bit like your place during the recent Bushfires

[buggerlugs]

This is a good thread and thought provoking. Been thinking about living on my bush block and what costs would be involved. Rates obviously, still need fuel for generator to back up Solar, living in an American Barn, would I worry about insurance ?? Veggie garden, Bush bog, Tank water. Hmmm Beer money..................

[Itsme]

Leaving It All Behind......Well I do this temporarily most times when I hook up the caravan & go grey nomad, bloody great to get away from all the hassles of the big smoke!

Cheers.

[Franco Cozzo]

A few of us here on AFF have our own veggie gardens and fruit trees, anyone else here have them too?

Should have a veggie garden thread.

[nuthin' fancy]

Originally Posted by Stefan

At 5 % interest a year you'd have just under $20/week to spend...

Where can I get 5%pa?

I think that if you can find a small community that welcomes you, that is the best option. Put the two most suited people into an environment where there isn't much external input, only a very strong relationshp will survive.

[MercurySilver]

dunno if i could go completely grizzly adams tho
i mean thats pretty full on

semi off grid and away from society would be good

and damo is the tomato growing king of aff

has got a few around here to get into the veggie growing spirit

[CoupeKing]

What about the people that are already 'off the grid'....what's their escape?. Do they shut-up shop and go back to the stone age, or do they just move to Tasmania?

[MercurySilver]

off grid doesnt mean you are grizzly adamsing it

off grid means producing power water and food yourself
doent mean you are thumbing society

[CoupeKing]

Ok. I was picturing the little kid in Mad Max 2

[poppa smurf]

love to but the simple economics are beyond us, we can't get under $100 per day average, no matter how much we try.

I couldn't go completely feral after all the luxuries we've put together over the years.

[MercurySilver]

Originally Posted by CoupeKing

Ok. I was picturing the little kid in Mad Max 2

lol
i think thats called feral nomading it

[ebxr8240]

Money in the bank is not keeping up with inflation even on term deposit ..
Better off with shares owning the bank ..
Here's my mode of living off grid ...

[zilo]

Originally Posted by ebxr8240

Money in the bank is not keeping up with inflation even on term deposit ..
Better off with shares owning the bank ..
Here's my mode of living off grid ...

Enough money in the bank where it doesn't matter what the interest rate is...that's the answer.