Rustic Cyberpunk

I'm taking an inventory of everything I would consider worthwhile to keep and take with me when I move. Most of these are second hand tools from eBay and the like, with a smattering of electronics here and there. I also have books for comfort and sentimental reasons since I never got used to e-readers. After those are the important documents.

I was pleasantly surprised that I now have every tool necessary to build a cabin. It also happens to be the bare minimum needed to start making furniture at home if I go that route as another source of income.

Only money, materials, and land are needed for the cabin project (that's all, eh?). I've been working on the materials front by batering whenever I can, which isn't easy since most folks keep to themselves around here. And winter puts a cap on how often you meet people outdoors.

I'm fairly certain this is all I'll actually need to keep besides the books and documents.

• Hammer
• Wrenches
• Spirit levels
• Portable table saw (AC)
• Circular saw (DC)
• Reciprocating saw (DC)
• Blades for recip and circ-saws
• Hammer drill (DC)
• Power drill (DC)
• Drill bits
• Batteries and chargers for tools
• Socket set
• Concrete mixing drill attachment
• 5-Gallon buckets (3)
• Crowbar
• Wire cutter/stripper
• Clothes
• Linens and towels
• Laser cutter components
• Laptop and desktop
• Servers (3)
• Backup drives/CDs
• Day bed

Surprisingly, the 5-gallon buckets are one of the most important in that list since one of them can serve as a DIY composting toilet in a pinch.

I don't own a vehicle anymore since it's an added expense. In this part of New York, most everyday destinations are short walks for me. I can take public transport for anything further. It's becoming obvious that I'll need a vehicle at some point if I'm carrying all these. You wouldn't want me in the driver's seat of a rental truck. I have plans to add a small MIG welder to that lot in the future when I'm ready to make my own wood stove.

The largest single item is the day bed and, although it can be taken apart, I'm not sure if it will fit in most family cars even with the seats down. The mattress definitely won't so that leaves SUVs and maybe crossovers. It doesn't help that most searchable cargo dimensions for consumer vehicles are all in cubic feet/meters instead of actual length, width, and height. All these should reasonably fit into a typical cargo van with plenty of room to spare for the books, but a van would be a burden to own after the move is complete.

I haven't been saving for the cabin and a vehicle and that's an oversight on my part. It seems pretty obvious now, but when you're so used to having easy access to transportation, having your own mode is a hard pivot. I don't think it will delay cabin building too much, but I may end up taking on another job in the short term.

Leasing isn't going to be a viable option for me when accounting for milage, road-time, and the possibility of dings over several years. After my experience with mortgages, I also don't think long-term payments of any sort for material posessions is a good option for me. I'd much rather collect the cash and make it an outright purchase.

A worst case scenario is having to sell the apartment if a second job isn't viable or if saving would take too long. The good news is that it seems everything I'll end up actually using already fits into a van. My most treasured things already fit into a backpack.