My Walden

In 1845, Henry David Thoreau left the security of civilized life to embark on a journey of self-discovery and self-sufficiency. He came to Walden Pond. For two years he lived a life that few lived even in his day. It was a simple life. A life free from the typical cares of civilized life. No Mortgage, no bills, no taxes(mostly). He only had to care for himself and his basic needs. He spent much of his time observing nature and experiencing his role within it. This experiment lasted two years. He wrote about his experience and titled it Walden. It has become an iconic story even to this day.

There is something intriguing about Thoreau's experience. Today, modern life seems to have overwhelmed many of us. Taxes become ever more taxing. The cost of living seems to outpace our ability to earn. In recent years, the depression has crippled an outstanding number of families. Unemployment is over 10%, and all told, the people out of work is double that figure. No one seems capable of buying a home. A $200,000 mortgage may as well be a $200 million mortgage. The American dream grows distant for more and more American's every day.

My situation is no different. A casualty of the economy, I lost my job nearly a year ago and am living with a friend...for now. I am relying on income from part time work, along with a small business I started. Additionally, unemployment benefits pick up the slack when I earn less. Basically I live on a  little more than minimum wage.I need a place of my own to live, but without a steady income, I decided that purchasing a home, and ultimately surviving, was going to have to be done without credit cards and without a loan.

About 6 months ago I started looking around for something that I felt I could afford in time. I wanted to get an idea of what I might want and how much it would cost. One blessing of this horrid economy is that property values are basically rock bottom so I would be able to get the maximum value for the least amount of cash. I primarily looks for properties that were under $20,000.  I discovered that I could find lots of undeveloped land in other states for under 20k. In fact, I could get several acres of land for that price. Finally, just two months ago, I found my gem on an internet listing. A beautiful lot on 6 acres with a view. It was located in another state about a days drive away. The asking price was only $5,900. I had been saving some money for this kind of opportunity and it just so happened that I was able to put the money together right away to purchase this lot. So I planned a trip to see the lot in person.
When I got there, I was sold. This was My Walden.