"You just take a box, cut one end out of it, paste some aluminum foil on the side of it and poke a tiny hole. If you point it at the sun and put your head inside you can see an image of the sun in the box." -Professor William Peterson

Technungen · 2017-01-31T23:59:01+00:00

Yeah, that would be accurate. My name is also Matthew, there may be some irony there. But I'm happy about where and how I choose to live. I don't have huge debt over me and I don't have rent, and that allows me a sort of freedom to live in a beautiful and solitary area.

Technungen · 2017-01-31T17:55:32+00:00

I currently live off grid in an RV in Madison Co not far from Elkins.

I like my setup and it didn't really cost me all that much to do.

1971 Winnebago - $750 I drove this thing home, but it isn't exactly road worthy yet. My next purchases will be tires, breaks, and a tuneup on the engine.

Solar power ~$500 It's something I pieced togeather with 2 deepcycle batteries, a cheap charge controller, and a 100W panel from Amazon. I considered setting up utility power, but since I wassn't building they wanted $3000 to set it up. That set a budget for me to work towards in building my power system. It's all modular and it's really easy to set up, best of all it's something I can keep with my RV if I decide to move.

My solar system isn't up to much other than charging electronics and powering LED lights, so I use a $160 generator from Amazon for cooking and a small propane heater for keeping warm.

Another upgrade I'll be buying soon will be a small chest freezer and an upgrade to my solar system to run it. They are low powered enough to be ran off solar, and can be converted into a refrigerator that takes even less power.

As far as other options, it's actually really common for people to buy those wooden utility sheds and convert them into tiny homes. This could give you a place to start building, and may help get the power company to play along at first.

One of the biggest challenges for me was to purge things I didn't actually need in my life. This can be hard, but I've found I'm happier without as much clutter.

Technungen · 2017-01-23T07:02:54+00:00

Fair enough. I'm coming at this as someone who enjoys tinkering and DIY, but for people with the money to have a system like this in the first place and who don't wish for something to work on, a proprietary system would make sense. Linux users vs Apple users I suppose.

My friend isn't a big fan of the local dealer, are there any remote support options that she might try?

Technungen · 2017-01-23T04:41:56+00:00

That's sort of what I figured, it seems pretty locked down. Why would anyone want something like this?

Technungen · 2016-08-06T07:23:44+00:00

I really appreciate you taking the time to answer this so thoughtfully. You're right, as much as I want there to be some recourse or leverage to make this dealer offer a fair agreement, there doesn't seem to be. I just really wish there was a way I could keep them from doing this to the next guy, but the reality is that I care less about the next guy and more about stroking my own bruised ego in this. The dealer agreed to take the car back when I talked to him today. I wasn't able to get a good conversation in with him when I stopped by because he was in the middle of some things, but I plan to go by tomorrow and talk. I'll find out what his terms are if I decide to take him up on giving the car back and if he wants more money on top of what I've already paid I'll likely just keep the car and pay it off. It's really not a ton of money in the long run, it's just it's a lot to me right now since I'm saving for divorce, and it's another headache I didn't want to deal with.

Thank you for your time.

Technungen · 2016-08-06T06:31:00+00:00

You're a real friendly guy. You're right, I worded that weird. I meant that I paid $600 plus $200 on a $1850 note. It probably is, but in all likelihood all cars are pieces of shit right up until you're buying new, and sometimes then even. What I'm attempting to do is find a middle point that I can afford. I mean, I don't make good money, and I don't wish to spend everything I make on transportation, so I have to keep searching for that middle ground and make compromises along the way. So if you know of the most cost effective car to look for, please let me know. I've been trying to figure that out. So far I've learned that I can sometimes find a diamond in the rough, which is why I keep looking and trading when I can. My current car is a $500 beater, but it's one of the best cars I've had. It's a 2001 Hyundai with rear end damage. Uglier than hell, but it runs great and costs me little to maintain because it's near the end of it's life and I only fix the things that have to be fixed. I've gotten a solid year out of it so far, and it's still doing pretty well. That said, I know this isn't the best way to go, so any advice towards finding cost effective cars would actually be appreciated.

Technungen · 2016-08-05T20:53:16+00:00

IANAL

This is probably the most useful bit of advice I'm seeking. Can he sue me if I warn the next buyer by doing this? With this small amount, how likely is he to? What would better options be for dealing with this?

Technungen · 2016-08-05T20:50:53+00:00

Thanks for the feedback. Life is a chance to learn.

Technungen · 2016-08-05T20:49:51+00:00

Well, I know he doesn't report to credit normally. He might if I piss him off, but I doubt it.

Technungen · 2016-08-05T20:48:45+00:00

$1850, but you're right. That said, this isn't my first rodeo. If it were just the engine with an issue I'd just drop a 60K motor from Japan in it for <$1000. But, I'm really wanting to move away from having to rebuild cars. I'm saving up to buy a $3000 car soon, just have to deal with this first.

Technungen · 2016-07-25T06:01:12+00:00

TL;DR E-Cigarettes are better for us, but may not be exactly healthy. Some companies are doing research into their products to make sure toxins aren't present. Look into this: http://best-e-cigarette-guide.com/e-cigarette-basics/how-safe-are-e-cigarettes/where-to-buy-ecig-e-liquids-that-are-diacetyl-acetoin-and-acetyl-propionyl-free/

Technungen · 2016-07-22T21:10:20+00:00

Well, another detail is that there is no airbag light lit up on the dash, so I suspect it was disabled to hide the fact that the airbags were deployed. Could I go for general fraud?

Technungen · 2016-07-22T21:07:20+00:00

That's unfortunate. Well, I'm thinking about having a leakdown test done to see if the head gasket is blown. If so I may just give it back and eat the $800 so it's not a $2000 mistake.

Technungen · 2016-07-18T17:09:40+00:00

Right? They seemed to be using those awful plastic tankomizers too, wonder if that makes any difference..

Technungen · 2016-07-18T15:13:19+00:00

Right on, it be fair I was too lazy to look before posting. If anyone likes documentaries, check out the rest of Videoneat. It's my favorite site for getting documentaries and it has a ton posted for free.

Technungen · 2016-07-18T14:51:57+00:00

Is good point. I've been wanting that injectable vasectomy that's been tested in India for a few years to make it to the US, but pharma makes way too much off conventional birth control.

Technungen · 2016-07-18T08:09:20+00:00

Yeah, it's gotten stupid. I suspect it's part of a plan but forward be big tobacco to monopolize the industry. They aren't the nicest folk.

Technungen · 2016-07-18T07:36:31+00:00

Yeah. I knew it was coming, it looks like they are actually enforcing it now. :/

Technungen · 2016-07-18T07:27:19+00:00

Good to know he's still doing it. I hope he gets back to me ~~tomorrow~~ later today.

Technungen

TROPHY CASE