Hello from Baltimore

Finally getting around to introducing myself!

I've been a JMG reader for about a year now, and made my way over to the GW forum just in the past few months. I live in Baltimore City with my husband and two young children, though I grew up on a farm about five hours north and west of here (and luckily still have semi-regular access to my parents' knowledge, venison, fresh eggs, and honey!). My husband and I both work full-time outside the home in office jobs, but spent time working in construction, retail, and farming in our teens and twenties.

I don't know where we'll end up long term, but for now we are retrofitting our 1953 brick rowhouse, building out our garden, paying off student loan debt, and acquiring new skills. We found a good niche in our city, where we have a moderately decent lot for gardening, the mortgage is affordable, kids can walk to school, and I can take public transportation to work.

ClareBroommaker's picture

Good to meet you! Sounds like you are in a good place in several ways. I look forward to hearing more from you.

Thanks, Clare! I think my biggest concerns moving forward are paying off debt (we made the chump mistake of thinking academia was the way to a stable future), maintaining a "collapsed" state (we live in the cheapest house in an affluent neighborhood, so we're constantly resisting the subtle peer pressure to spend money, specifically as it relates to our kids), and coming up with ideas to produce independent income. My husband and I are amateurs in lots of "hands on" work--DIYers par excellence--but I don't feel confident enough in any of our skills yet to depend on them for meeting our needs. We're both enmeshed in the salary world at the moment!

Hi lp,

Pay off your debt! I highly, highly recommend Amy Dacyczyn's book 'The Complete Tightwad Gazette' if you haven't seen it yet.
Your library will have a copy or can get it for you.
Get the 'Complete Tightwad Gazette' as it combines the three previous, separate books into one giant tome of thrift.

If you are a Sherlock Holmes fan, I will actually be in Baltimore from Friday, 7 June through Sunday 9 June at the BWI Sheraton for the Scintillation of Scions Sherlock Holmes conference. My husband and I will be doing all things Sherlock and, hopefully, selling some books to pay for the trip.

Good luck on your journey.

Teresa From Hershey

Thank you for the recommendation - I will definitely check out that book! Hope you had a good time in Baltimore.