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Page added on June 8, 2013
Has Peak Oil Newbie “Bought the Farm”?
Dr. K.,
I only leaned about peak oil about a year ago. I’ve discussed it with my husband and family and at least my daughter and her husband have bought a small farm and are starting to re-calibrate. My husband and I hope against hope to sell our home so we can be near them to help. Is it too late for my husband and i to make changes to compensate, or do you think there’s a chance that we can get there yet, as we’re a little late comers to the news?
Thanks Dr. K.
Late to the “Party”
Hi LthP,
I hope you and your family have moved to a farm because that is where and how you choose to live, not because you believe that this is the only survivable way to live…because I don’t think it necessarily is.
After living in a rural area for more than a decade, I can tell you that we’ve burned more fossil fuel here than when we lived in a more urban environment. And despite active attempts to rely on neighbors, we are very much dependent upon modern civilization.
At this point, I believe what Nicole Foss (of the Automatic Earth) says, which is that a financial impact will be felt before all others. Make sure you have a way of remaining financial viable, regardless of where you are, and that you are all out of debt. I would hate to see all of you lose your savings and investment in your land.
As far as selling your house, the market is dramatically different in different areas, so I can’t comment on that.
I think the best advice I can give you is to think twice, and move slowly. Most people need at least two years before the panic passes and they can make saner decisions for themselves and their loved one. Panic is not a good state to be in to make major decisions.
Let me know how it goes.
5 Comments on "Has Peak Oil Newbie “Bought the Farm”?"
Arthur on Sat, 8th Jun 2013 12:55 pm
I am not so sure that the near future (10-20 years) is going to be that bad, that drastic changes of lifestyle, like becoming farmer, is strictly necessary in order to survive. There is are lot of things you can do, even if you live in ‘suburbia’: change to the most fuel efficient car you can lay your hands on; one car per family max., have solar panels on the roof of your house, invest in thermo-insulation of the livingroom, start a community garden, preferably in coordination with your municipality, get out of debt, arrange with your employer to regularly work from home via the cloud/skype if you are an office worker, practice car sharing for commuting, think twice about sending your kids to college, use a bike, electrobike or other two-wheeler, whenever possible.
rollin on Sat, 8th Jun 2013 2:22 pm
The ways that collapse and/or transition can happen are so varied that I doubt if one can really predict what and how things will happen, or what one should really do.
Probably best just to work from a set of core values about how you want to treat yourselves and the world around you. A strong relationship with nature can be not only a source of great reward but a way to cope with the insanity of those around you.
If collapse is mostly economic than very little basic change in how civilization operates will occur. The next round will be the continuous banging up against physical limits, which may or may not bring a little sense to the situation.
Juan Pueblo on Sat, 8th Jun 2013 3:01 pm
I don’t think anyone can predict what will happen or when it will happen. Staying fit, living below your means, and storing emergency supplies is always advisable. It’s about becoming more resilient every day.
PrestonSturges on Sat, 8th Jun 2013 3:21 pm
I’ve also seen It suggested that farm land prices may dip, so this could be a bad time to buy rural land.
I think the odds of having financial problems as a result of going Galt are a lot higher than the odds of being eaten by teotwaki zombies.
But at least if they want to store stuff in that region they have a place. The stories of people leaving shipping containers in the woods and having them pillaged immediately seem pretty common.
PrestonSturges on Sat, 8th Jun 2013 3:24 pm
Probably the best investment is sweat equity in that small farm – go plant an orchard for them and build raised beds. If the world ends, you’ve already pulled your weight with them.