Finding a Quiet Place to Live When You Have No Money and Can't Work

[Bill Bauer]

One neighbor has a dog that barks at everything at all times day or night,

Consider buying a product like
https://www.amazon.com/Super-Ultrasonic-Anti-Bark-Controller-Deterrents/dp/B06XTQGC6R
https://www.amazon.com/DOGTEK-Sonic-Control-Outdoor-Indoor/dp/B00ESMUWS6

 

[Alue]

Consider buying a product like
https://www.amazon.com/Super-Ultrasonic-Anti-Bark-Controller-Deterrents/dp/B06XTQGC6R
https://www.amazon.com/DOGTEK-Sonic-Control-Outdoor-Indoor/dp/B00ESMUWS6

I've seen those, but I've often wondered if those can be hazardous to human hearing. Plus the backyard the dog is in is catercorner to me, so we don't even share a common fence. Their yard is elevated relative to mine, I wonder if that helps the sound travel better.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Plus the backyard the dog is in is catercorner to me, so we don't even share a common fence.

You could try hiding it in a tree or a bush (that might not even be on your property) in such a way that it faces your neighbour's backyard. Ideally, the dog would soon stop barking, and the device won't be producing any sounds.

 

[DebInAustralia]

house sit?

 

[Foncky]

I've seen those, but I've often wondered if those can be hazardous to human hearing.

I think it can. One of those messed up my T last year.

 

[Julien87]

These devices really bother me and provoke discomfort to my ears too

 

[linearb]

Those devices are bad for humans and from what I've read dogs don't actually seem to mind them very much. They are unquestionably capable of damaging human hearing, so it seems a little sociopathic to me to be suggesting them on a tinnitus forum. If you don't believe that these devices can be damaging, I recommend buying a "Scram Patrol" ultrasonic gun off of the internet for $15 and shooting yourself with it. I have done this. It was not a pleasant experience.

I moved to as close to the middle of nowhere as I'd really want to live -- the nearest house is hundreds of feet away, and there are only 1-2 other houses closer than 1/3-1/2 mile. Mostly it's very quiet, but... birds are loud, people do need to mow which can be loud, we have to mow. So, the noise I'm exposed to on a daily basis is miniscule compared to what you get in the city, but that doesn't mean it never bothers me...

There's a quote somewhere about how anyone can go to the monestary, but the true monk brings the monestary with him back into the heart of the city. I think there's a nugget in there about tinnitus and our mindstates in general... we don't always have control over our external circumstances, so we have to become the best custodians and guardians of our own internal experience that we can. Working towards self-love and self-compassion has done more for me than escapism.

All that said, if you really want to set yourself up to just be someplace quiet, then in America you are going to have to come up with some kind of financial independence. If you're comfortable around people, contributing to group welfare, and sleeping in relatively rough conditions, there may be intentional communities that could be an option for you.

Alternately, learn how to build software using modern tooling through free classes online, get a couple small gigs building apps or websites for people to build your resume, and then find someone willing to hire you as a remote worker. I have been doing remote tech work for the past year and I hope that it may be some significant period of time before I have to go to an office again.....

 

[Sen]

Alternately, learn how to build software using modern tooling through free classes online, get a couple small gigs building apps or websites for people to build your resume, and then find someone willing to hire you as a remote worker. I have been doing remote tech work for the past year and I hope that it may be some significant period of time before I have to go to an office again.....

I would like to do this, but I have chronic hand and forearm pain that makes it excruciatingly painful to type for longer periods of time.

You'll notice I make one or two posts on here every few days. That's about 90% of the total typing I am able to do. The other 10% is spent typing in passwords for email/banking and such. Sometimes even with this small amount of keyboard use, I end up in pretty bad pain.

I do what I can to treat this, but it doesn't help much. If I force myself to type through the pain, I end up in so much pain that my hands lock up and it becomes difficult to even do simple things like brushing my teeth or lifting utensils to eat. During these periods I cannot use my computer at all.

 

[erik]

I used a Dohm white noise machine for a few years in my bedroom. Pretty much drowned out any outside noises and helped me to sleep. Maybe it will help you?

 

[Alue]

I think it can. One of those messed up my T last year.

Was it long term exposure or short term exposure? Could you hear it?

Those devices are bad for humans and from what I've read dogs don't actually seem to mind them very much. They are unquestionably capable of damaging human hearing

Do you have any sources for that? I don't doubt you, but I haven't found any papers on the damaging effects of ultra high frequency sounds.

I actually kind of think that's what caused my tinnitus. You have a large high pressure air tank and crack it open. The size of the orifice determines the frequency and the pressure behind it is related to the sound intensity. Anything above 10kHz doesn't get picked up on a decibel meter.

 

[3ri0w]

I would like to do this, but I have chronic hand and forearm pain that makes it excruciatingly painful to type for longer periods of time.

You'll notice I make one or two posts on here every few days. That's about 90% of the total typing I am able to do. The other 10% is spent typing in passwords for email/banking and such. Sometimes even with this small amount of keyboard use, I end up in pretty bad pain.

I do what I can to treat this, but it doesn't help much. If I force myself to type through the pain, I end up in so much pain that my hands lock up and it becomes difficult to even do simple things like brushing my teeth or lifting utensils to eat. During these periods I cannot use my computer at all.

What do you do normally during your days if one can ask? If you can't use your hands much?

 

[Sen]

What do you do normally during your days if one can ask? If you can't use your hands much?

I mostly just watch twitch streams and sleep. I read things on the internet. I do stretches and very light exercise when I can. I make food when I need to eat. I take good care of my oral hygiene and I shower a couple times a week.

I try to read books and watch movies, but headaches, head pressure, nausea, brain fog, depression, etc. all drain my attention span and make it hard to concentrate. I tend to feel emotionally numb, so even when I can concentrate, I don't feel much from the media I'm consuming. Twitch streams are pretty easy to focus on, and are more similar to background noise than something I actively pay attention to.

In the past I had hobbies related to gaming, writing, electronic hardware, and playing music. I don't do any of this anymore because of my hands/arms.

 

[linearb]

I would like to do this, but I have chronic hand and forearm pain that makes it excruciatingly painful to type for longer periods of time.

You'll notice I make one or two posts on here every few days. That's about 90% of the total typing I am able to do. The other 10% is spent typing in passwords for email/banking and such. Sometimes even with this small amount of keyboard use, I end up in pretty bad pain.

I do what I can to treat this, but it doesn't help much. If I force myself to type through the pain, I end up in so much pain that my hands lock up and it becomes difficult to even do simple things like brushing my teeth or lifting utensils to eat. During these periods I cannot use my computer at all.

I am sorry to hear that. I have chronic pain/carpal tunnel problems of the sort which are "ordinary" for software workers, but nothing that keeps me from typing constantly. So, that really sucks and I'm sorry to hear.

Have you been able to get any kind of medical scrutiny into your problems? It doesn't seem impossible that all of these things could have some kind of common root -- lyme disease, or autoimmune issues, etc. Those can definitely cause peripheral neuropathies, brain fog, and even tinnitus... my sister was nearly bedridden with lyme for most of a decade, but she is much better now. I know at its worst she had such severe pain in her arms and hands that she had to rely pretty heavily on painkillers to function at all.

 

[Sen]

Have you been able to get any kind of medical scrutiny into your problems? It doesn't seem impossible that all of these things could have some kind of common root -- lyme disease, or autoimmune issues, etc. Those can definitely cause peripheral neuropathies, brain fog, and even tinnitus... my sister was nearly bedridden with lyme for most of a decade, but she is much better now. I know at its worst she had such severe pain in her arms and hands that she had to rely pretty heavily on painkillers to function at all.

I've been tested for lyme disease and do not have it. I'm aware that some people believe a test isn't good enough, but have fun telling my doctors that. I'm not about to self-diagnose.

I've finally been referred to a physical medicine specialist (covered by national health care) for my hands after years of pursuing the issue. It will likely be several more months of waiting before I get to see them. Hopefully he or she will be able to help.

 

[Juan]

How can this be done?

Maybe you can try teaching your native language, English or other language online, and move to an inexpensive place in the countryside. There are countries where a house in an isolated area, a very small village, are inexpensive. Actually, there is another option: there are villages that need people, because they are losing population so fast. You could find the whole package in a place like that: work + inexpensive housing in a quiet environment.

 

[Marc22]

Alue:

When my landlord's noisy nervous dog got too annoying, I got the city government to send him a letter threathening a hefty fine. That stopped the barking.

And then his heartless daughter , one day, started pounding on their metal outdoor sundeck just below me while I was sunning on the upper deck to wreek revenge. Can you believe that!?

Marco

 

[Sen]

So far it seems that the only answer is to become homeless and die on the street.

 

[Alue]

Alue:

When my landlord's noisy nervous dog got too annoying, I got the city government to send him a letter threathening a hefty fine. That stopped the barking.

I don't have that ability. I've looked into it. My property falls under the county jurisdiction even though the city completely surrounds it. The city government can issue fines or even take the dog away, the county can only send animal control out there and suggest they keep the dog quiet. They told me the only remedy is to keep a bark log and take them to court, but I don't want to go through that hassle.

That being said, the barking has lessened.

 

[Marc22]

Sen:

Of course, we don`t want to see you homeless and on the street. But I for one do not know what to suggest.

Marco

 

[linearb]

@Sen it sounds to me like your chronic pain with your hands/arms is a much bigger employment obstacle than your tinnitus, so I would focus on trying to see if that problem can be corrected. If you could find a way (either through medical treatment, or some kind of assistive devices/keyboard for the disabled) that you could be comfortable using and typing on a computer for hours a day, that would dramatically increase the domain of potential work-from-home jobs available to you.