The solution to my problem is so simple; I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before.
All the high-wage jobs are in the city – that’s a fact. As a result, the cost of living is sky high also. Because the corporate workers are not willing to settle for less, they accept their situation (high living expenses and excessive commuting).
I’m sure that many would love to live and work outside of the city, but the only jobs available are minimum wage. Again, wages are matched to a geographical location.
Therefore, they opt for the suburbs - halfway between the cheap real estate, low wage rural area, and the expensive real estate, high wage urban area. This is a sweet spot for people because here they are still within a reasonable commute to their jobs in the city.
There are a few that have tried to have the best of both worlds with a place in the country and a job in the city, but not everyone is up to a 3 hour commute. One way or the other, they must pay the price.
I’ve given serious thought to this and have concluded that the only way to truly be free of the shackles of the rat-race is to have an income that is location independent - In other words, an income that does not require that you be somewhere in particular.
Let me give you an example:
In my previous career, I was required to show up for work every morning in the heart of the downtown core at 8:30. If I didn’t show up, I didn’t get paid. So the downside was that, even though it was considered a good job, it could only be performed at that location. My job was location dependant.
The only alternative in the past would have been to lower my living standards, move to the country, and get an $8/hr job.
Lowering my standard of living in the past was unthinkable - but what about now? Could I actually get a job at a local hardware store or stock shelves at the town grocery store? Yes, I think I could, however, these jobs are like gold in the rural areas of Ontario. Most of the locals have got these sewn up for life - They where born and raised there and have no interest in moving anywhere else.
The only way to move to “Small-town Ontario” and keep a roof over my head would be to have a source of income that did not depend on a specific location at all. One that did not require that I be in the city and one that would allow me to live in the inexpensive areas of the province without relying on one of the scarce, local jobs.
So that’s it: I need a source of income that is location independent.