Sarah and I came from Upstate New York, the only area either of us had ever lived. We were raised there, went to college there, and got jobs there. It kept us happy for a little while but we knew we wanted to experience more than the cramped suburban apartment in which we were living.
When we got engaged in the summer of 2015 our dream was to stop renting an apartment and find a home, ideally with enough land for Sarah to keep her horse and for me to have some chickens.
While not as ridiculous as NYC, upstate was still an expensive place to live, so we started looking to move. New Hampshire was appealing because it was liberty-friendly, had those 4 distinctly beautiful seasons, and was close enough to see our families without an airplane ticket. When we saw Freedom in the 50 States and discovered that NY was ranked last and NH was ranked first, we knew we were making the right move.
So, during one crazy week in June of 2016, we got married, moved to NH, and took new jobs.
By pure coincidence I met a Free Stater at my new job, and that spurred us to get involved in the movement. We quickly discovered just how welcoming FSP people are at the New Mover’s Party, and then made even more friends through PorcBuddies, the Salisbury Swap, Area 23, and various other events.
Within six months of moving we had found what we were looking for: a house with a barn and pastures on a gorgeous 20 acres of land. We made the plunge and had closed on our new home by Thanksgiving.
Since then we’ve grown our family to include another dog, a new horse, and a bunch of baby chickens. None of this would have been possible at our place in NY, but we’ve done that here in New Hampshire and all in less than a year.
While making the move felt daunting at the time, looking back it’s easy to see just how much better off we are. We’re enjoying lower taxes and a higher standard of living, with more freedom to live the life we want.
We’ve met amazing individuals, both in and outside of the FSP movement, and have really come to know New Hampshire as our new home. The future is bright here and we couldn’t be happier!
Justin and Sarah Valentini
Moved June 2016