North Idaho, Country Life, and the Vienna Woods

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A DIFFERENT WAY OF LIFE

The reason I'm able to cut my energy costs this way is thatfirst of allI use firewood (which I cut for free in a nearby national forest) for heat. (You can take home up to ten cords of firewood per year at no cost from most national forests. Ask your local Forest Ranger for a "Free Use" permit.) The folks up here have a saying that firewood warms you twice: Once when you cut it and once when you burn it. Personally, I enjoy the exercise.

Also, I'm about seven miles from the nearest town, and there just isn't much electricity where I live ... so I use kerosene (about $60 worth per year) for light rather than electric power.

"Well sure," you say, "kerosene may be a lot cheaper than electricity, but it doesn't give near as bright a light." You're right ... it doesn't. Romantic, eh?

"OK," some will argue. "But what about music and TV?" Well, have you ever heard Beethoven's Pastoral in the woods? A battery-operated cassette player does it, my friend. (I have about 500 tapes ranging from Sibelius to Smithas in Patti Smithto help while away the long winter nights.) And as for

TV: Not long ago, I finally broke down and bought a battery-operated television, which I use only on special occasions (as a TV ought to be used). It, too, does the job very nicely.

So. Even though I'm making less money now than I was several years ago when I lived in New Jersey, I am ableby living a slightly different lifestyleto save a considerable amount of money each year ... and I now use that money to finance my yearly forays to Europe. I see no reason why you shouldn't be able to do the same thing ... so long as you don't mind "giving up" the privilege of paying outrageous heating, lighting, and gasoline bills.

TIPS ON WINGING IT

After extensive investigation, I found prior to my last trip abroad that the least expensive way to jet to Europe is to go on a charter flight. (Icelandic the "hippie airline" used to be the most economical way to go, but their prices can now be beat by the charter outfits.) On my last trek, I flew to London on Wardair (a well-known charter line) out of Calgary, Alberta, which is 350 miles north of where I live. The fare round trip, on a Boeing 747 was $379.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Because fares are constantly undergoing revision, it's always best to do a little checking first before you commit yourself to any particular flight. According to a representative of one major international airline, it is now possible thanks in large part to Freddie Laker and the way he's set transatlantic airline fares on their ear to fly from New York to London round trip for $256 on a "space available" basis. What you do is [1] ask to buy a "Budget Fare" ticket, [2] tell the ticket agent what Sunday you'd like to begin your trip on, and [3] wait for the agent to confirm the availability of your seat on the appropriate flight. (The catch here is that you may not get to leave on the day you wanted. After you've been booked on a flight, however, your seat can't be taken away from you, and you can stay at your destination for as long as you like.) The point is: Shop around before you fly. You may turn up some unexpected bargains ... even with the scheduled air lines.]

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