Ean Young

Sorry I've been neglecting this thread a little bit, it's been a busy time for me!

Apologies for the ramble, but I'd love to hear thoughts from my fellow young folks who feel like homeownership is unattainable, but are yearning for community and secure housing. What am I missing? How can we come together and make this happen?

As far as homeownership goes, I'll admit I don't have a solid 100% foolproof step-by-step plan, but here is my general idea:

graduate school with no debt

save money, be frugal

find land where you can build

start with a tiny home first

build another home as needed

> maybe you need a bigger house for a growing family, maybe you want to incorporate new permaculture principles you've learned, etc etc

rent out the starter home (for example, as short-term vacation rental)

> if profit, then great
> if no profit, then tax write-off

Hey, I had made a post kinda on this same general idea a little while ago. "Gen Z Permies" I (early 20s) was interested in seeing whether there were other younger people into permaculture and the like. I got a handful of replies - not a lot, but a few. Maybe we should all start a group chat or something!

Ok, I'll bite...

Currently in my early 20s, kind of a nerd about these personal finance sorta things. Started work last year and contributed the max to my 401k and on track to do so this year too. Also contributed the max to my IRA for the last 2 years and will do so again this year too.

So I kinda figured I'd just play it safe, invest in the index funds, and allow compounding to handle the rest - especially since my time horizon is so far off in the future anyway. Lately I've had the idea that with certain cryptocurrencies, you could invest a relatively small amount (maybe a couple hundred dollars), forget about it for a few years, and then come back to see some pretty substantial growth. Now, which cryptocurrencies specifically - idk, and whether that trajectory could continue into the future - also unknown.

I guess the hangup for me is that the whole TerraUSD / LUNA thing left a bad taste in my mouth. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't ruinous for me or anything. But basically I got into it bc of someone whom I trusted and now realize the whole thing was so stupid. I could've parked my money in I-bonds with essentially 0 risk, and that would pretty much have achieved everything that Terra was promising.

Just wanted to say I think it’s nice that there are other people in their 20s interested in permaculture and living off the land (I’m in my 20s as well). Hope you find everything that you’re looking for, and I wish you the best!

Eric Hanson wrote:Is there a place or a climate zone that you find attractive? Do you have any idea where you would want to settle? What type of climate you would find most attractive?

In terms of places, I think Missouri (Ozarks) and Appalachia are attractive, based on what I've read so far. As for climate zones, the thing is that I've never lived in a climate zone outside of California, so I guess I don't really have anything to compare it against. I will say that California weather seems to be pretty generous in that it rarely gets too harsh (i.e. the summer highs and the winter lows are not too extreme), so I'd imagine it would take some getting used to in other regions that are not like that. I think I have more of an idea about what areas I want to avoid -- namely, the northernmost and southernmost portions of the country; I don't want the extreme lows or the extreme highs.

Eric Hanson wrote:Also, how do you see law integrating into your Permie dreams? Do you intend for law to be a continuing part of your life? If so, how close to a city do you think you need to be?

Regarding law, I see that as something that could help me financially, as I understand that building a permaculture homestead is definitely not cheap, especially starting out. The law is, of course, something that I also find interesting. I think my ultimate goal is to be able to work as a lawyer without being in/near the city, to help my neighbors in the countryside and other people who don't live in the city. I figure there's a shortage of rural lawyers out there, and it is what Atticus did, after all. However, I feel that it may not be feasible or even desirable to go directly into that, and I may need/want to be a lawyer in the city before ever being a lawyer in the country.

Eric Hanson wrote:I am curious, how geographically flexible are you?

I’m looking to escape California. I believe that this state’s cost of living, fiscal, political, and environmental situations are all trending in the wrong direction.

I only found this site recently but I’ve really been enjoying reading about all the stories, advice, and experiences people have.

As a young person, I was wondering what other young people are doing so I wanted to create this thread for the Gen Z-ers out there (that’s birth years 1997-2012, roughly).

I’ll go first! I’m 22, live in California. Graduated college recently and now working at my first job. I’m in the suburbs, so unfortunately there’s not too many opportunities for permaculture-type stuff around here, but I’m trying to get serious with gardening for the next season — compost, cover crop, planning everything out, as much as I can do. In the next 5 years, my goal is to attend and graduate from law school. In the next 10 years, my goal is to own land somewhere in the states and build an off grid permaculture homestead.

Thanks to everyone who commented here! I’ve read every response.

r ranson wrote:A thread I really enjoyed along these lines is this one.  https://permies.com/t/101996/Millennial-Permies#840895

I think I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m primarily interested in creating a thread similar to the “Millennial Permies” one mentioned above. I see no need to dedicate a separate full-on group, or exclude/police people based on age. Anyway, I can start a “Gen Z Permies”-type thread soon and I’m excited to meet more people!

George William wrote:25yo here! I like this idea. Maybe even a meet up or something down the line would be fun. Where are you from?

Hi George, I’m in California! It’s where I was born and raised, but I’m thinking that it’s not an ideal place for young people looking to start a life for themselves, so I’m interested in moving elsewhere in the US.

I'm new here so I hope this is allowed.

To make a long story short, my question is basically: is there a group oriented toward younger members of this site (say, 18-30)?

Now for the longer story... I'm 22, recently graduated college, started my first job, went to my first industry convention, aaannd every single person there was older than me and that kinda made it hard to fit in and talk to people. Don't get me wrong, I have deep respect for people older than me. I'm just saying that I'd be interested in a space for young people who are into permaculture/homesteading/etc -- not exclusive in any way, just focused toward younger demographic.