Thanks for writing in!

When I say “off the grid” I don’t mean that we’re living without power. I’m an eco-gal, but I’ve got to have Internet and hot showers…

Off-grid means we’d be completely self-sustainable. We’d produce our own energy (from wind) and not have to depend on “the grid” for any of our needs. We’d have composting toilets (so no sewer line) and our own well for water.

You can totally have a modern day life with heat, electricity, and hot showers and do it all yourself. I love that idea!

I keep reading a lot about micro homes these days, but the main problem with this solution to high housing costs is that many communities won’t let a person erect a tiny home on their land, the municipalities have imposed restrictions on how small a house can be.

The Tiny House Blog and the Tiny House Design blog are interesting to read through.

Yes, I saw that movie years ago and was really struck by it. I thought it an apt title for this post!

Diane, your life sounds lovely. It must have been wonderful to do all that traveling!

Both of our hearts are set on the Puget Sound area, although we’re definitely going to give Oregon a good look; I’ve heard nothing but good things about that area as well. And thanks for the tips on the artsy towns; that’s definitely right up our alley!

Alice, I do know what you mean. I’m about to turn 30, and am realizing quite suddenly that yes, the clock is ticking. I’ve always followed my heart and thus far, don’t have any regrets. But this is definitely the biggest leap we’ve ever made. We both want this, but it seems to come down to timing.

I think we’re going to sit down this weekend and, over lots of wine, come up with THE PLAN. With an actual timeline.

I’ll definitely keep you guys updated!

Thank you so much for chiming in with your thoughts. It means a lot to me!

I think what I have come to realise in the last few days is that time as a family, to us, is precious. If we can extend that time by living on a super-tight budget in a cheaper location, then we’re going to go for it – in the short-term at least. How we have come to this decision is simply due to feeling what is ‘in our hearts’. Life can be short and I always try to live what I really feel I want to do deep, deep down – I would hate to turn round in 20 years and say ‘I wonder what if.’

So – although I can give you know clear advice, because I know only too well the amount of discussion and factors involved in making a life decision – all I can say is dig down deep. Really deep – and think about ‘what would I do if I thought my number was going to be up tomorrow’ and do your best to do that

I loved my 3 years in Seattle; however, it is much more expensive than living in Michigan.

The winters are milder, but it rains about 60 to 70% of the time, so you have to drive up to the mountains to get away from the rain; then of course, you get snow.

When it is sunny, there’s no prettier place………

I’ve traveled all 48 states; spent 5 years living in an r.v. – toured the whole USA, and it was the best time of my life (and I was single; back then, I was 53; took just the bare essentials, and enjoyed getting off that ‘grid’. I remarried when I was 58, and my new husband wanted me to stay ‘fixed’.

I also lived 20 years in Orange County, California – lovely, but expensive and much too much traffic.

If you go outside of Seattle a bit; south to Tacoma, or up into the Everett, Washington area, you’ll find housing a bit less expensive.

The islands are beautiful; very expensive, but charming and it’s great taking a ferry over to visit them.

It’s less costly to live in Walla Walla; Enumclaw, and Yakima – lovely spots; not as close to the Puget Sound, but still lots of tall trees; great ferns and foliage, and terrific sea-food and fresh produce.

I don’t know what it costs to live in Crescent City, CA, but it’s small – on the ocean, and very north, so this might be something you could look into.

Also, parts of Oregon (I have a friend who lives much less expensively, and he lives in Jefferson City, Oregon).

I’ve spent a lot of time in Oregon; just beautiful, but hard to find low-cost real estate.

If you want an art community and a good group of writers, you can check out Salem, Oregon – it’s lovely.

Coos Bay is nice….Portland is over-rated, and very expensive.

It’s easy to Google the towns; then get real estate information.

Seattle has had a considerable down-turn; the Post Intelligencer just closed, and funding for the ports and on-going needs of the city, are short.

You can type in Seattle Times; the only newspaper of any size now, and get information from their real estate section.

Hope this gives you some suggestions that might help.

I should mention, we ultimately retired in Laughlin, Nevada – housing much less expensive, but certainly not as scenic as Seattle – still, we are surrounded by mountains, and it’s not far to the Grand Canyon (180 miles); 90 miles to Las Vegas if you want a ‘fun time’ (and prices are low right now), and lots of off-road secluded places between Nevada and the border town we live in (it borders Arizona and California).

If you want to see more about where we live, you can visit http://whyilivewhereido.blogspot.com I’ve put a number of photos there, and given some particulars of why we chose to retire in Laughlin.

Good luck with your dream. Diane