New England is wonderful. I am not a native, but have lived here for 10 years now, and cannot imagine choosing to live anywhere else. If you decide to join us here, I look forward to your report on cold showers in January.

Would a Subaru be a good choice of vehicle? Don’t know about towing, but the wagons with 4-wheel drive have a lot to recommend them.

From what I’ve seen, property and local taxes in the NE can be killer, so shop carefully!

Please you don’t “need” 4WD in new england, I grew up in Syracuse NY with brutal snow, but they are prepared for it with an army of plow trucks with salt etc. If I could get around with a dodge neon and my mom a geo metro you don’t need a Ford Colossus or whatever you are thinking of buying. The link is an example of the house you can buy there for $150,000. Good Luck! (oh and the NE has Wegmans the greatest store on the planet)

I’d recommend against a manual transmission (i.e. ‘stick shift’) for towing a boat of considerable weight. My experience suggests you’d do better with an automatic for that– particularly for haul out as a novice. I’ve done it with both, and I know this is an area where folks disagree. Handling a boat on a trailer, launching it, and hauling it out is not a fool proof exercise (if you don’t believe this just search YouTube for boat ramp accidents). Launching/hauling a sailboat can be challenging. Pulling 1-2 tons of weight out of the water on a slimy steep ramp… you might want to try that before you commit to the manual. I much prefer a manual when driving a car in challenging road conditions, but pulling a boat out is a different operation.

For cost of living, I think it’s hard to beat the midwest, and if you’re near the great lakes, I think you’d find plenty of sailing. I don’t know if Maine counts as New England or not, and I’ve never been there, but as one who loves the sea, it seems like it might be a neat place, with a reasonable cost of living.

I would recommend buying your tow vehicle after you have bought the boat. You want to make sure that you have a suitable tow vehicle as the hitch weight and weight of the boat can vary. Towing with a undersized/equipped vehicle can be quite dangerous (to you and others)and stressfull.

This might also be your chance to try your hand at living aboard. Don’t worry too much about the launch and haul out stuff– most likely you can do it yourself. I’ve done it hundreds, if not thousands of times, and I don’t have a degree in physics 🙂 I suggest an automatic tranny for this because I find it easier when hauling out. Also, currently you aren’t a regular driver (without a license if I recall?)…. so just make things easy.

Your question prompted me to do some looking into trucks and towing capacities. I have no idea what the reliability of this vehicle would be, but I hadn’t heard of this thing before– coming to the US soon, supposedly– the Mahindra Appalachian.
http://www.pickuptrucks.com/html/news/mahindra/dieselhybridandmore.html

35mpg, a 7.5 foot box, and greater payload and towing capacity is at least worth a look.

DXing can be fun, especially if you’re willing to spend the time learning Morse code.

I’m a little too lazy for that, but do enjoy mountain topping with VHF gear. You can go to a “rare” location during a contest and be quite popular with everyone trying to contact you.

Unfortunately (?) I don’t enjoy it enough to spend money on gear other than the stuff I already have.

Buying a house!? I see an end to Early Retirement Extreme and philosophical response to runaway consumerism. Don’t do it man! It’s a slippery slope and a house will quickly start the slide. You’ll get a house and even a small one will seem empty and drab. So then you’ll buy furnishings, decor, and a TV. Then you’ll get a cat or dog. Then another cat or dog. Then a new roof, new windows, new furnace, etc etc etc. Besides the cost, there is just so much more to maintain and clean. Houses are a capitalists wet dream. As a homeowner for 25 years that *just* paid off the mortgage I am looking forward to getting rid of the house and moving into a small studio.

I note that you’re already getting that consumer mindset. “Oh, I should get a 4×4 ’cause I might need it.” “Oh, I should get a vehicle with lots of power because I might need.”

From what I’ve seen, Southern California isn’t a pleasant place and I can understand why you’d like to move away. Moving to a place w/ cold winters and snow is a big change. After 30 years in the Chicago area, I had enough and can’t see going back to where 32F in January is a warm day. And winter driving! Whoo boy! I used to be confident and competent driving on snow and ice, but it definitely takes practice and now I’m very rusty. I don’t know about New England and gravel roads, but in Chicago, and Wisconsin, people do fine without four-wheel drive or chains. The little front wheel cars like Geo Metros do surprisingly well on snowy roads.

Jacob, I’m so excited that you’re thinking of making this move. It’s what DH and I have been hoping to do lately–particularly growing your own food. Cheap housing: that’s what we’re following. Can’t wait to hear your posts on that one.

Concojones–alright, alright, California is a cool place to live. I was in San Diego (one of the coolest places). The weather is beautiful, outdoor activities are abundant, people are friendly and forward-thinking (at least the ones I hung around). People speak of the San Diego vortex–once you go, you never leave etc. And there’s the ocean. I miss that. DH and I had very decent income and put quite a bit of money aside–but still couldn’t really accept the idea of taking out a jumbo-load to live there. Besides’s all fun and games until you loose your job. . . then you have high rent and no health care.

In any case, I think it’s a good thing to try to live in different states/countries. It’s definitely something I want to try out.

@tlblack: yes, that’s more like it!! 😉 Truth is, I visited CA once and fell in love with it (it’s so different from grey rainy Belgium). But it’s entirely possible that if I were in your situation (I probably *will* be, in a good decade or so) I’d just go on holidays to CA every once in a while and actually live somewhere more affordable.

Would this move affect your startup at all? Or is it mostly just distance correspondence anyways? Good luck on the tuna can acclimation.

I recommend Delaware as a retirement spot. I currently live in Western Washington State, and am about to move to Florida, but when I finally settle down I’m planning on Delaware. Washington is beautiful and temperate, but the cost of living is high, mostly due to taxes. The state budget deficit is climbing, so taxes will only get worse.

In addition to it’s favorable tax environment, Delaware has a strong Pennsylvania Dutch and Amish presence. The markets with locally produced food, household goods, and furniture are wonderful; just a great experience. You also practically can’t throw a rock without hitting a university campus, so there are a lot of used bookstores, unique restaurants, semi-pro theater groups and other student culture.

It does snow, but it isn’t as heavy as, say, a New Jersey or New York winter. We did just fine with a Subaru Forrester with AWD. I don’t know if that could haul a largish boat, though.

Jacob and DW–I don’t see this as some kind of massive departure from Jacob’s early retirement idea. Obviously you live in a couple and both have to decide things. If you can live in a small house in Maine on your own land for the price of a trailer in CA why not do it? It seems like a no-brainer to me.

Besides, then you can live my dream and go off grid, get a wood-burning stove, have composting toilets and grow your own food :). It’s not a change in philosophy but a change in location.

As for the 4-wheel drive, maybe you can be green like our ‘governator’ and run it on veggie oil. (You’re going to miss living in a state run by the terminator, admit it.)

Tracy: I love Spain! I’m also thinking about self-employment and being semi-retired–in France though. I’d love to hear more about how you handled your transition. My email is ‘tlblack2006@yahoo.com’ if you don’t mind sharing/exchanging ideas on your transition.

Concojones: Ah, Belgium–that explains the California dreamin’. But I love the rain, hence the move from SoCal.

I too was contemplating leaving California, only for Seattle (they have *slightly* lower cost of living), but I’ve decided against the move since I rent a room in a house anyway. I’ve recently come to a rather shocking conclusion that I’ll probably be renting a room this way for the rest of my life. With a 30-35K income range, I cannot justify paying more than $500 in monthly rent.. I physically can’t bring myself to do it 😛 It seems absurd to me (living CA, a studio apartment runs you about $1000-$1200, and that’s in the GHETTO, lol).

New England has beautiful seasons, and autumn there just can’t compete. Good luck on your move!

On an unrelated note, Jacob I was wondering if you could address the issue of inherited money and how it relates to the overall uneven playing field/nepotism/politics of a non-meritocratic society? For example, I know plenty of people (I work for some of them =)) who live in million dollar mansions and run companies because they were the son/daughter of the CEO or founder. Whereas you clearly have a lot less materially but a lot more in terms of intelligence, resourcefulness, and competence. How do you see this topic?

Also, if it’s not too personal, how does the possibility of an inheritance affect your personal FI plans? Does it factor at all? I myself am not relying on any because I don’t have parents, so I am not surprised that I have become financially aware/mature than virtually all of my peers, who still live at home with their parents and subconsciously expect to inherit their house and a substantial inheritance. For them, this replaces the need to save or be frugal. So while I work two jobs and never have money to “go out” they have the option to take a part-time job for “fun money” aka designer clothes and concerts. I’m not griping here by any means, these are just the facts for most youth these days. I am starting to realize that very few people in their twenties support themselves 100% without familial subsidies like me.
Thanks in advance, always very interested to read your take on things.

@enid: I’m a young guy like you (27). I’m not a fan of inheritances and financial support from parents. They do more bad than good IMO. That’s why I’m constantly telling my folks that I can do without their help. I prefer the satisfaction of knowing that I worked myself up the food chain all by myself. An inheritance would spoil the fun.
Also, moving out with my parents had was a great thing for my personality and independence. No amount of money can replace that.

@concojones: Nice to know I’m not the only one pulling my own weight! Lol. But in all fairness to the “trust fund kids” of the world, theirs is an easy situation to understand. If one is presented with comfortable albeit unearned privileges and circumstances, I imagine it must be extremely hard to take the initiative to cut yourself loose. I applaud you for voluntarily seeking your independence, for I know from personal experience that many people would take advantage of the parental lifeline.

I can see why some people consider it a private matter (e.g. “it’s none of your business if I choose to leave everything to my kids”) and that’s a perfectly valid response. But from an objective and socio-economic perspective, generations of inherited wealth that is “passed down” (thus taking advantage of the time value of money) creates an increasingly uneven playing field. This effect only increases exponentially as the monied class gets educated, passes the laws that protect their status, and get even richer and pass down even more.

For an individual, perfectly able-bodied and competent, surviving in this kind of society is absurd. One is essentially “competing” with other people’s ancestors and entire family tree, which inflates the price of education, rent, houses, etc. much more than govt. bailouts/handouts/welfare times god knows what. It’s the elephant in the socioeconomic room that no one wants to talk about, I think. It’s still more or less invisible as a topic of convo now, but imagine in two generations what this country will look like. 1% elites, the next 4% controlling the wealth, politics, and gates to proper schooling and employment, and the 90% unwashed masses who are overworked and consume as a substitute to live, who fuel “the system.”

Sounds a bit dystopic, eh 😛 If the future was a movie, it would be filed under “horror.”

re: Inheritance
I agree with you in principle, but you should be comforted in the Chinese saying, “?????” or “Wealth will not surpass three generations.” So in other words, those who do get an inheritance and are undriven will lose it anyways (in the process supporting other people who do work), and those who are productive anyways will just grow more wealth.

One could also say that the Chinese never met the Rothschilds 🙂