Yes, but realistically most Americans do not live in a place where that is possible.

Fair enough! It’s rare in the US, and obviously that is not everywhere!

Although that makes me want to never ever ever cohabitate in Canada/BC because wow that’s fast (in legal terms, I mean).

Pretty sure it’s historic. Same was that x-mas is used for Christmas. I think it’s related to the Greek alphabet or something? Idk I’m feeling disinclined to actually Google it but I definitely even grew up calling it x-mas.

It should be noted that common law marriage is EXTREMELY rare. If you call them your boyfriend/girlfriend instead of your spouse, you’re (at least in states I’ve looked into) not ever going to be common law married. If you never hold some kind of ceremony, you aren’t common law married. It’s actually way more complicated than just living together.

Edit: filing taxes as if you’re married is also often not enough to make you common law married either, but obviously ianal and you need one if you want to know if you are common law married or not.

This is the actual answer, along with decades of right wing propaganda pumped into our ecosystem after Citizens United.

We have been cooked for a while now. Some people see it, but it’s not the majority, not by a long shot.

An interrobang‽ In the wild‽ Thank you for that!

Everyone is caught up on Cancer and Wolf and I’m over here like… Burst and Rupture!!!

I suppose that is true of everything in the world though. Cars jump to mind pretty quickly.

I’m curious how SMRs will end up affecting overall cost of nuclear as well. Once we get into a unit that can be mass produced rather than tailor making each site, I could see the line going down at least a bit and would also allow us to keep pushing those boundaries.

I’m in this boat too. Most of my online friends I only really get to talk to via discord. Not sure what I’m gonna do, because they won’t end up budging.

Wait - that’s a monthly cost? Are you in the US? $35/month is definitely not possible in any US state unless you’re supplementing with another food source. Even if all you eat is a box of pasta and can of sauce a day I’d be shocked if you could stay at $35 and definitely that’s nutritionally questionable.

I started learning violin almost 3 years ago. I take lessons. I still suck a lot but I keep going because I do enjoy learning, even if it’s often frustrating. I have absolutely no musical background and was actively encouraged not to pursue an instrument when I was young because of the expense, so I guess it’s also a way to reclaim my childhood.

Several people mentioned chickens but I think bees are also a good choice, especially if you are growing food. Honey is already an expensive item, and I feel like you could barter with it pretty easily since everyone else will have chickens. Sweet treats during a depression are hard to come by.

Community is definitely the correct answer. Realistically, the end of the world won’t be the end of the world forever. Get to know your neighbors and diversify what you can provide based on what they can provide. If they’ve got chickens, focus on something else you can provide, like veggies or woodworking. Rugged individualism isn’t all it’s cut out to be.

This is also good advice for non-end of the world stuff. Maybe a tornado leaves you without power for a week. Interconnected communities recover faster.

Wish I could upvote this five times.

OP, you have an emergency management agency of some kind for your area. They will have all kinds of info on how to prepare for any disaster (and they even know what kinds of disasters are most likely to affect your area).

If you’re in the US, try Google county name and emergency management agency or state name emergency management agency. Follow their socials! Check out their webpages! And please please sign up for whatever alerting/notification system they use to update residents on ongoing/evolving events.

I’ll also add about the radiation thing - the vast majority of the radiation from a nuclear explosion will be gone in just a few days. Even if you’re close enough to be affected, staying indoors (turn off air conditioning/heating though) and on the lowest floor possible of the building you’re in will protect you from most of the actual radiation. Again, the big issue is breathing it so sealing windows if you’re able could also help.

Media definitely overestimates the area of effect and timeline of destruction. Make sure you get a crank radio (they usually also double as flashlights and can charge your phone) and info will flow about response, even if it flows slowly and clunky at first. The good news is this applies to other disasters that are far far more likely to affect you, like severe winter weather, hurricanes, or wildfires.

I just live the little mohawk

Woah, hey now. I doubt she’s got the depth or the warmth to be called that!

That’s enough Internet for me today, thanks!

I also worry home prices will jump to eat up any monthly cost differences, too. Like okay your 50 year mortgage is $100 less a month but we increased the price of the house by $50000 so unless you’re already a homeowner (and plan on renting next) then you’ll be further priced out of the market.