First Load of Firewood ... SOLD!

[wkpoor]

My FIL doesn't walk at the mall in the summer. He push mows (21" mower) his 2 acre lot. That way he is being productive and exercising at the same time. I have never been to a gym but I think I would feel like I was waisting valuable time I could be doing something productive around the house.

 

[R Walter]

What I can't understand is out there in the wide open west why you appear to have more restrictive rules on just about everything.
Then there is the whole water thing out there. I've often said enough rain falls on any midwest state in a week to solve a years worth of drought in the west. Actually I think enough fell today to do the trick. Just look at a radar map any givin day and you will notice all the green/yellow and red is all east of the big river.
Oh sorry, thats why they call it a desert.....hehehe.

Seems like you often think about the West. You ought to come out here and understand it a little better. I'm not sure about the restrictive rules you refer to. Can you give some examples, instead of a generality?

I'm a fifth generation Westerner, born and bred. I've been east many times, but always can't wait to get back to these wide open vistas. Never ever spend time thinking about the East. I just don't have anything in common with most folks back there.

On a recent trip to Columbus, OH, I spent more time sitting in traffic, than I would in a month out here including trips in to Albuquerque. But the wonderful thing is about all of this great country, to each his own. Enjoy!

 

[wkpoor]

I live about 40mi south of Columbus and hate the city but unfortunately I have to drive there to work everyday. Luckly in this area a commute like mine is pretty easy. You don't have to go very far from Columbus to get away from it all unlike like Chicago where you can drive for an hour and never actually leave surbia. Like alot of us here in the east all we ever see about the west is wild fires, drought, earthquakes, mud slides, volcanic eruptions, and whatever else mother nature can throw at ya. All we got is the occasional twister and getting hit by one of them would be a less chance than winning the lottery. Although I will say my wife has a friend from California that had never seen a thunderstorm before moving to Ohio which I thought really really wierd.
The way I see it is places that have really fantastic year around weather where its always warm and dry get a pay back from mother nature in the form of a disaster and places like ours where the weather is generally crappy all the time are spared cause we get it little doses at a time all year round. Most of what I speak goes for the coast.
As for the restrictive part...well aside from paying to cut firewood there is the anything that burns gas stuff. I don't know why anyone in California is still allowed to own a car. Shouldn't they have outlawed them there by now? Driving west in the future will require you to check your car at the border like a winter coat and walk in or ride a bike or take some from of public transportation. Isn't there something about you can't mow grass with a gas lawnmowers in Los Angeles.
I have been to the PNW and thought it super beautiful. Oh I just remembered...its expensive to live there. Yeh its beautiful but who can afford to live there? Well there has to be a reason why most Americans live on one coast or another.

 

[Nonprophet]

Repeat After Me......

I have been to the PNW and thought it super beautiful. Oh I just remembered...its expensive to live there. Yeh its beautiful but who can afford to live there? Well there has to be a reason why most Americans live on one coast or another.

Repeat after me:

"It's VERY expensive to live in the PNW."
"It rains ALL THE TIME in the PNW."
"There are NO JOBS in the PNW.

Repeat as often as needed..........thank you!!

 

[flotek]

Around here people cut their own wood, buy their wood, burn pellets or burn their money filling the propane tank all winter. :

haha ...good line

 

[Highbeam]

Good post wkpoor. I live near the puget sound and yes, it is expensive to live here. The flipside is that our jobs pay pretty well, well enough to pay for the living part. If the cost of living in the west burns up the same percent of your wages as it does in the east. Then the extra percentage works out to be a higher dollar amount. The cost of a chainsaw is the same across the country so you get more saws when you live in the west. Our cars and gasoline cost the same too. Just the houses cost more and if you sell your home and leave the west you can never come back since your home's equity in the east won't buy you an equivalent home in the west.

"It's VERY expensive to live in the PNW."
"It rains ALL THE TIME in the PNW."
"There are NO JOBS in the PNW."

I was born here and have never been east of Idaho. We think of the east as rusty, snowy, blue collar, and just a big car factory. I also keep singing that "WKRP in Cincinnati!" song in my head.

I would love to explore and maybe move down south to NM, AZ, or Texas where they actually seem to have more rights along with warmer weather and low housing costs.

 

[wkpoor]

Good post wkpoor. I live near the puget sound and yes, it is expensive to live here. The flipside is that our jobs pay pretty well, well enough to pay for the living part. If the cost of living in the west burns up the same percent of your wages as it does in the east. Then the extra percentage works out to be a higher dollar amount. The cost of a chainsaw is the same across the country so you get more saws when you live in the west. Our cars and gasoline cost the same too. Just the houses cost more and if you sell your home and leave the west you can never come back since your home's equity in the east won't buy you an equivalent home in the west.

"It's VERY expensive to live in the PNW."
"It rains ALL THE TIME in the PNW."
"There are NO JOBS in the PNW."

I was born here and have never been east of Idaho. We think of the east as rusty, snowy, blue collar, and just a big car factory. I also keep singing that "WKRP in Cincinnati!" song in my head.

I would love to explore and maybe move down south to NM, AZ, or Texas where they actually seem to have more rights along with warmer weather and low housing costs.

You got the rusty part right. I can remember when just about any car would start to show rust in 3yrs. They are much better now on the bodies but the frames can get real crusty real fast. Driving 4-6mos on salt will corrode anything. BTW ohio has more anual rainfall than Seattle. You must drizzle alot and we pour alot. Last night alone I got 5" between 8PM and 1AM. That adds to the rain almost everyday this past week.

 

[Dalmatian90]

If the cost of living in the west burns up the same percent of your wages as it does in the east. Then the extra percentage works out to be a higher dollar amount.

Don't forget retirement benefits when talking about that.

Your pension is based on a bigger salary.
Your 401(k) contributions are based on a bigger salary.
Your Social Security benefits are based on a bigger salary.

While you paid more in housing living on the coast, a large part of that was due to the mortgage -- and you can now sell and cash in on your home's equity.

Doesn't make a difference if you stay living where you worked, but if you move to a lower cost part of the country when you retire you end up having a lot more money in retirement then a local person who had a similiar career, diligence in saving, etc does.

 

[R Walter]

Ian hour and never actually leave surbia. Like alot of us here in the east all we ever see about the west is wild fires, drought, earthquakes, mud slides, volcanic eruptions, and whatever else mother nature can throw at ya. All we got is the occasional twister and getting hit by one of them would be a less chance than winning the lottery.

You got a few floods back there as I recall...

As for the restrictive part...well aside from paying to cut firewood there is the anything that burns gas stuff. I don't know why anyone in California is still allowed to own a car. Shouldn't they have outlawed them there by now? Driving west in the future will require you to check your car at the border like a winter coat and walk in or ride a bike or take some from of public transportation. Isn't there something about you can't mow grass with a gas lawnmowers in Los Angeles.

Hardly fair to compare Californication with most of the West. Most of us who live in the real West don't consider California any more part of the West than Alaska or Hawaii. [I love Alaska, don't get me wrong. It's just not the West.] And, you got places like New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Wash, DC, Cleveland, Philly, Detroit... need I go on, that more than offset Cali.

i think someone else already covered quality of life out here vs back east.

BTW, I've never paid a dime for firewood. I cut all I can cut from my land and neighbor ranchers. Last 4 years I've averaged about 60 cords a year, just part-time dinking away at it.

 

[snofrog]

judging from the responses here I will never live out west for the same reasons I wont own a Corvette

 

[whitemountain]

judging from the responses here I will never live out west for the same reasons I wont own a Corvette

Snofrog you have to elaborate on that one!!

 

[snofrog]

Snofrog you have to elaborate on that one!!

whats the difference between a Corvette and a porcupine ?

 

[wkpoor]

In yrs past some people who have lived and worked on either coast have really cashed in on housing after moving to the interior. I personally know 2 individuals who moved from 2 bedroom bungulos to mcmansions in the Ohio in the early 80's one from Long Island and one from somewhere in California. I think it moderated somewhat since then but I'll bet my house on 15acres would be worth double on either coast, maybe 3xs. Like wise its probably worth half in Alaska hehehehe.

 

[whitemountain]

whats the difference between a Corvette and a porcupine ?

One I'd like to see in my garage, the other not so much!

 

[snofrog]

on the porcupine the pricks are all on the outside. Oh and sorry for the thread hijack .

my point is wherever you go there are going to be those that look down on and treat newcomers with some disdain . there seems to be quite a lot of that in this thread .thats all I`m saying

 

[whitemountain]

I agree with you that it can be hard being new in an area. I've moved more than my share of times. With that in mind, I don't think your perception of the west is justified.

Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, I cut another load of wood this morning. I'm about 2 years ahead with my own wood pile and have about 5 or 6 loads cut that need split and sold!