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Cyborg,

I've been doing research along similar lines.

backwoodshome.com is an excellent resource. I plan on purchasing their archive dvd. Plus, the owner of the site appears to be pretty darn conservative.

Motherearthnews isn't bad either - interesting archives on the site.

I found a site today called www.smallfarm.com. Its a subscription printed magazine, but check out what's in the 'Opportunities' button.

IMHO, if practical in your area, I would try to find a property with a natural gas well. There are downsides, but you usually get free gas. That can heat your home for free and potentially run a generator, which might be less expensive than running wires a long distance.

I don't think solar electric production is as cost effective yet as I would like, but solar heating - either via heating water or heating air - can be done relatively inexpensively, and some aspects can be done by a handy D-I-Y'er.

One more thing you might want to consider...I can't see myself living in a rural area without a fs truck. The new chevy silverado hybrid has a built-in power supply. Its only around 20amps, if I recall, but that's enough to keep the furnace running in an emergency, or to let you use power tools on the 'back 40' or 'back 20' or 'backyard' as long as you can get the truck there. Might be worth the extra expense in the long run. Of course, there are other ways to do that, but if you're not mechanical, that comes in a nice package that you can get serviced at the gm dealer.

I subscribed to Backwoods Home Magazine for years and years...it's GREAT! (One of my favorite features was when Dave sought advice from an oldtimer, which usually was pretty conservative political values in the guise of advice about weather or neighbors or gubmint regulations, etc.). I'm glad to know they have an archives DVD.

Self-reliant living, waaaaaaay out in the country somewhere, has been a dream of ours for a long, long time. Right now we're socking away knowledge and savings while moving wherever Uncle Sam sends us. Wish we could have had an enormous farm while the kids were young. That would have been a great life. Still, traveling around the world, seeing places where history was made, making friends from coast to coast (with whom they still keep in touch), and being around our great military heroes every day make for a great childhood, as well. I guess the *grandkids* will have to come spend summers with us "on the farm." ;o)

This is a fascinating topic, I think. If anybody starts a self-reliant ping list, please add me to it!