Mustachians in remote locations?

[skandrae]

I'm sorry if this has been posted about before, but I couldn't find anything.

I'm wondering if there are many Mustachians who are in remote areas? I'm in Faro, Yukon - the nearest city is an eight-hour round trip with an overnight stay in a hotel (except during the four months of summer where the trip can be done in a day). There are mustachian challenges up here that don't necessarily jive with mustachians in more urban settings.

I know Darrel (Darrell? I can't remember the spelling) is a bit further north than I am, up in Inuvik, but are there any others who live in places where the grocery truck comes once a week and you never know what produce is going to be on it? Where there's only one option for phone/internet?

I'd love to hear from you if you're out there!

[shadowmoss]

I'm in Honduras, which is a different set of challenges as well.  For once I live less than 10 miles from work on bikeable roads.  However, as a small female I don't feel safe doing a daily bike (drilled into us don't always use the same route at the same times, don't be vulnerable, etc.)  I think folks who are doing the tourist once trough are fine as there is a very high percentage of local bicyclists.  I am a contractor at the military base here.

[KGZotU]

I'm in rural Alaska, off the road system.

I don't know how it works in Canada, but the US Postal Service is mandated to set rates by zone rather than actual cost of delivery. The rest of the nation effectively subsidizes my shipping. And I'm sure that I get more out of Amazon Prime (US) than I pay into it.

I can get carbs from Amazon at $1-$2 per pound. I drink a weight gainer that comes to $1.09 per 600 calories. I can bring about 100lbs of food with me gratis when I fly in twice a year, and shipping is 25¢/lb from Anchorage or 50¢/lb from my "summer home".

I don't have much else to spend my money on up here, except Richard Pryor movies...

[grantmeaname]

Obligatory Brewster's Millions mention... well worth a watch if you don't mind a somewhat dated comedy. KGZotU's probably seen it already, but the rest of you should get on it, in case you ever have to blow $1M in a month.

[swick]

I'm definitely not as remote as you, we are still on pavement, even if that pavement stops right outside of town:)

But we struggle with groceries and only having one service provider for any service, I'm always happy to share ideas and brainstorm and such - I can't really complain, since I'm not as North though:)

[skandrae]

Haha, swick, I'm not really complaining (after all, I chose to move up here and wouldn't take back that choice), it's more the little frustrations of every PF blog I read making the same ol' "latte factor" posts, or recommending I shop at different grocery stores for better prices on produce/staples/etc. Even things like people ranting about how letting your vehicle run for 15 minutes to warm up is a horrible horrible thing - it's -41 here today, and you absolutely can't start your car and go without letting it warm up. (I wouldn't have done that when I lived in Ontario, for sure, but up here? It's necessary.)

Whew. I guess I just needed to vent a little. I shouldn't complain - the grocery truck came in and I was the first person in the store, our road is paved all the way into town, and my cats are curled up under the covers with me. And I'm going to have a latte on Friday ^_^

[swick]

I know the feeling....we don't even have a coffee shop in town, or a book store, we don't go out for dinner to the one or two places in town so those aren't really things we can cut and see easy progress.

One thing we have been doing quite a bit of is bartering and it is working out quite well. Sometimes it is a service or skill that we have - other times it is just because we are willing to do the work to process things like turning someone else's unwanted rhubarb into jam, giving back a couple of jars and making enough for ourselves for the winter.

Now I don't know how big a place you live in but people here are willing to pay through the nose for used things because they don't want to drive the two hours to the store to get it, especially the big things like furniture - you would not believe how much an old and used mattress will go for. We have a local buy and sell group on facebook and it is a great way to connect with people who have money to burn.

But you are right that some people "Down South" just don't get it. The big Controversy right now is the Site C dam. There are protests all the time with people from Vancouver who have never been up t the area outraged that a very nice valley will be flooded - yet these are the same people who have to have their office buildings lit up like beacons all night long and do nothing to conserve the power that they have.

Have any northern money saving/earning tips or experiences to share?

[skandrae]

Yay for bartering! I traded a friend two sets of quilted place-mats (and $90) for a barely used treadmill that was purchased for $500. Who cares that it's minus whatever outside - I'll be walking/running all winter!

I don't have any particular tips or advice - I only started to get a grip on my finances at all a year ago. I have a truck loan which has a smidgen less than 2.5 years left on it (which I don't like to admit because people jump all over that, telling me "You don't need a car, you can use public transport or rent one if you need it for a weekend," and...well, that isn't really an option for me^_^), I rent half a duplex right behind my office so I've cut down of my need to drive within town at all, and my net worth is teeny but growing.

My main non-work-related income comes from quilting. I've sold some things at the annual Christmas Tea and Fireweed Festival, and for some reason people really want place-mats. I've sold 5 sets already, and I just ordered a bunch of material to make more. It's a fireweed print (so totally Yukon), and I should be able to make back my initial cash outlay after I sell four sets ^_^ Here's hoping it gets here next week, as there's another craft show December 14.

I'm also looking into guarding for the local RCMP detachment. It's on-call work, but the detachment is just down the road from me, and it might provide some extra 'stache cushioning. I have a friend in another community who does it, and she says it's not all that bad. The only problem is staying up all night and then going to my real job.

My only real money-saving tip? Get on the list for the outfitters in the fall, and fill your freezer with delicious moose and/or caribou for free! I've been moving up in my knowledge of butchering (this year I actually cut things myself! Hooray, I'm becoming a Northern lass!), and helping a friend with her haul from the outfitters has added quite a bit to my freezer. I have to laugh when people tell me that reducing the amount of meat in my diet is better for my wallet - when broccoli cost $8/head but the moose cost nothing...I think I came out better financially by ignoring the broccoli :P

[swick]

I have a friend/co worker who guards...he reads lots of books and spends his time learning, says it is not so bad but it really all depends on who you have in the cell. It does seem to take it's toll after a while though.

ohh I wish I had someone to give me moose and caribou! I'd gladly take all I can get. I'm feeling particularly bad-ass because I crock potted a deer neck that a friend was just going to toss out. I tried to figure out a way to make soup stock with the bones...but I don't have a band saw and none of my kitchen knives were up to the task:)

So what is this outfitters list you speak of? I'm not familiar with the concept

[PJ]

I'm also looking into guarding for the local RCMP detachment. It's on-call work, but the detachment is just down the road from me, and it might provide some extra 'stache cushioning. I have a friend in another community who does it, and she says it's not all that bad. The only problem is staying up all night and then going to my real job.

 
When I lived in Iqaluit, I did this.  Cost of living is high in the North, so it's nice to get that extra cash coming in.  There was always a male guard on duty, and a female guard called in when they had a female in custody.  It was mostly on the weekend, so not too much of a problem about going to the real job during the day.  And since they have a list of people to call on, you were always free to turn down a shift.  The only problem I had with it was difficulty relating to my co-workers.  Most of the people in custody were there, bluntly, because of substance abuse problems.  People picked up drunk after the bar closed and held overnight to keep them safe, etc.  Although we had little direct contact with those detained, I had to sit in a little room all night with the male guard, listening to him spout racist, mocking, or degarding comments about people whose lives were clearly a mess.  They needed help, and there really wasn't any. 

The RCMP officers I dealt with were not like that, I should be clear.  Just the guards. 

[skandrae]

When I lived in Iqaluit, I did this.  Cost of living is high in the North, so it's nice to get that extra cash coming in.  There was always a male guard on duty, and a female guard called in when they had a female in custody.  It was mostly on the weekend, so not too much of a problem about going to the real job during the day.  And since they have a list of people to call on, you were always free to turn down a shift.  The only problem I had with it was difficulty relating to my co-workers.  Most of the people in custody were there, bluntly, because of substance abuse problems.  People picked up drunk after the bar closed and held overnight to keep them safe, etc.  Although we had little direct contact with those detained, I had to sit in a little room all night with the male guard, listening to him spout racist, mocking, or degarding comments about people whose lives were clearly a mess.  They needed help, and there really wasn't any. 

The RCMP officers I dealt with were not like that, I should be clear.  Just the guards.

Yeah, here it seems like it's usually a one-guard situation. There's not often a need for a guard in my town (although criminal activity has gone up a bit, so it might be the ideal time to sign up, woo!  ^_^), but there's the possibility of having to go to a nearby community if everyone on their list is unavailable. I was told I'd get paid an hour extra each way to cover my mileage, but I'm not sure I'd deal with with doing that hour-long drive during a really cold stretch like today.

I never thought I would miss my part-time retail job, but sometimes I really do ^_^

[swick]

Skandrae, have you thought of putting your quilting and place mats on etsy or artfire or another online site? Might be a good way to sell without having to go to fairs and such...but you might have an easier time then me not buying other peoples beautiful work too:)

[mindaugas]

Would you "northerners" expand on why you chose to live there, I'm just curious? Also, who provides internet and what are the speeds like? How many people live in these towns? What do you do for work?

Every time I go exploring on google maps I wonder what people do in these tiny towns, same thing for a lot of the small mountain towns here in CO.

[swick]

Well for us it came down to work. Hubby was part of the first graduating class of engineers who didn't have a guaranteed job right at school. He needed experience and we moved to find it. Our town is about 3700 people  - internet speeds are dismal but we arne't on dial-up. Really is only noticeable when you are trying to stream or download.

There arn't any jobs in my field here, but I have managed to cobble together a couple of part time jobs and contract work - not great money, but lots of flexibility. If you have a mill job the money is very good, your unskilled lab our starts at 20.00 bucks an hour to push a broom - in town the options are much lower paying - but I'll take a lower paying job I can walk to where I actually can use my creativity.

But then again, all things considered we arn't hugely far north, although there are many more Northern communities with way better infrastructure and services - it is more about the remoteness. I'd be really curious about those North of me:)

[mindaugas]

- it is more about the remoteness. I'd be really curious about those North of me:)

Exactly, I'm curious to see how people make a living up there. The remoteness is definitely an attraction, but wouldn't be fun if you have nothing to live off. The beauty, nature, wildlife, etc as well.

[KGZotU]

Would you "northerners" expand on why you chose to live there, I'm just curious? Also, who provides internet and what are the speeds like? How many people live in these towns? What do you do for work?

The best way I've explained it so far is that there's nothing better to do out here than talk, read, or think. You can waste your time here if you like, but if you're reading, talking, or thinking, you never get the sense that there's something else you should be doing with your life: not shopping, not running errands, not going out, not checking your e-mail.

I teach in a tribal village of about 400.

Internet at the school is pretty good. I just measured 12Mb down, but latency is high. At home we get 100-200kb down.

[skandrae]

Sorry I've been absent - we've been dealing with temperatures in the -40s, and the fuel station is not working. Hooray!!

So what is this outfitters list you speak of? I'm not familiar with the concept

Swick, in the Yukon, if you aren't a Yukon resident (who's been a resident for at least a year, I think ) if you want to go hunting, you have to be signed up with a Yukon outfitter - basically a guide. A lot of the people who come up here to hunt from down South are coming for trophy-hunting. They can't bring the meat back with them, and they can't let the meat go to waste. The outfitters usually put up sign-up lists in the towns they fly into/out of, and then when they come in with a load, they start calling people on the list to come to the float-plane dock and pick up whatever they have.

You have to butcher it yourself, but it's a great way to fill the freezer. Sometimes it's moose, sometimes it's caribou...Yum. Unfortunately, I missed out this year, but my friends have tons from last year when they shot their own, and this year when they got caribou and moose from the outfitter (my friend's husband rolled his quad and messed up his foot on their second trip out in the fall, and wasn't able to go hunting).

Would you "northerners" expand on why you chose to live there, I'm just curious? Also, who provides internet and what are the speeds like? How many people live in these towns? What do you do for work?

I came to Faro for the job - I was graduating from a business administration course in Ontario in 2009, right around when the recession was hitting hardest, and I was competing with my entire class for jobs within the same radius. I started looking a little further away, Googled 'Yukon jobs' on a whim, and found the posting for the job I have now. :) I'd never been further than Timmins, Ontario, and thought, "Why not? I moved to Japan for four years, why not move to the other side of the country?"

Faro is a town of about 400, and I work for the town as they Executive Assistant. Most of the people in town work for Yukon Government (the school, the health centre, etc), the town (the office, public works, recreation, etc), or for the Mine Reclamation project. Faro, as a town, was developed to house the mine workers back in the 70s, and at its height had a population of about 2,500. The mine was something of an ecological disaster (Google "Faro Mine"), and the remediation project is going to take years.

There is only one internet provider in the north* at the moment, and that's Northwestel. I have the highest internet package they offer in the Yukon, and it's about $90/month for 60GB. The speed is pretty decent, but the overage charges are $7.50/GB. I don't have satellite, so I can use a lot of bandwidth if I'm not careful :)


*I mean the Canadian north ^_^