Personal Stories

"wood stove. And I know before you all get excited, a wood stove in a camper. I know. I hear you. But if it's done safely, well, it can be a lifesaver. And in the middle of this winter when it got b…"

"I got it sitting on patio stone and then I put cement board behind everything as a heat shield and it's really worked out real well. And uh I'm quite happy with it. And uh uh I'll tell you, it make…"

"need a good stove, a safe chimney, dry wood, tools, and yes, time, a safe install, a way to move wood inside the house, and somewhere to keep it and store it. People romanticize wood heat until the…"

"on up and through. Get the double-walled pipe to go through the roof, rain cap and all that. And uh make sure I got heat shielding up there, heat shielding down by the where the stove is going to g…"

"camper as an additional heat source backup for when I'm here. And and uh because I I've always enjoyed a wood stove. I mean, I've enjoyed cooking on them. I enjoy I enjoy the type of heat that you …"

"keeping my costs as low as possible. Some people say, "Well, why don't you use the propane furnace?" Well, propane cost me more than I can afford. So, I got a diesel heater. It's cheaper to run the…"

"Well, my diesel heater only uses a gallon of fuel every 24 hours at best. And uh as long as I ain't running it on high, but you don't need to in such a tiny space like the that I live in. So I can …"

"backup heaters run. a diesel heater on a small battery bank. That's a weekend of steady heat without touching the grid, just like I explained earlier. And that's how you use solar as the power"

"energy. But what solar and battery systems are good at is making your backup heaters run. a diesel heater on a small battery bank. That's a weekend of steady heat without touching the grid, just li…"

"or less. So, cycling it between the diesel heater and running a small little 1500 watt little electric heater. Between the two, I do pretty good. Uh, and it does work. Like I said, the hardest prob…"

"Cook some more at home. Fix something instead of replacing it. Cancel"

"If something doesn't matter, well, it goes and life starts to feel a little bit lighter because it's less to clean, less to fix, less to inventory, and a lot less to worry about. And it's more time…"

"matters versus what doesn't. Um, again, for me, uh, less is more. Uh, coming down to to the fact that I didn't need all of that. I didn't need to be organizing it, cleaning it, inventorying it. Uh,…"

"did, fewer possessions of course, simpler routines and lower expenses."

"miscellaneous stuff like, you know, silverware and fans and things like that, you know. Eventually, you just run out of the market to be able to get rid of it. So, in that case, donate it."

"it. I don't need to sell it. I'd rather help somebody else with it. Some of it is good stuff. And my goal is to uplift somebody if I can. So, that's"

"rather try to help somebody else. Maybe they can use it and donate it to thrift stores, whatever. And uh, of course, the"

"Build a community. Isolation kills faster than illness. Find or form small local circles, neighbors, church groups, senior meetups. Strength comes in numbers."

"a reason for being. I mean, start rebuilding your community in small circles. Say hello to one person a week. Hey, believe it or not, it works. You know, start with the smallest possible step."

"$200 a month or whatever for a storage unit, I decided the box truck was a good way to keep what I still had left over instead of paying a monthly fee."

"it. Then, I want to take the truck and convert it into something I can use, like maybe a tiny home on wheels. So that way I can do a little traveling and go out and go to the local parks and you kn…"

"Preferably before you list your home. Start the downsizing process. Because we all have accumulated so much stuff over the"

"make sure that you write down what your wishes are. Make sure that you are firm on your legal standing when it comes to this, that your wishes are upheld. And don't let the state inside your life b…"

"of attorney so someone you trust makes medical decisions. And a living will so your wishes become clear."

"Where is your will? Power of attorney, medical directive, living will, burial or cremation wishes. funeral"