Simplify and get rid of excess stuff. (maybe make a few bucks)
Head south and set up camp. (got tents and plenty of gear)
Get water and electric running. (now at edge of lot line.)
Find work. (I really don't think this will be a problem, we work hard and have skills)
Plant a garden
Build a small cabin. (with money we don't have yet before snow falls)
Build a house for ourselves, do metalwork, pottery and weaving for sale and trade with work on the side.
I think it can work but I might be missing something. I could use some advice. Thanks.
And then, I put myself into the mind of a bad person/group. To establish a center base, would I take over a home in suburbia? Or one on 25-acres with a windmill, arsenal to the gills, smoke-house, orchard, vege garden, solar energy, windmill, river/pond...
If you are doing this in order to be safe, you might be safer with neighbors nearby.
It's a terribly snafu to think about; but it is important to think about, IME.
Except for a ‘73 twenty foot Winnebago, I am homeless. I have no propane. I can’t imagine how miserable it would be to not have a solid roof over my head. Sometimes I light the 3000 btu Coleman and sit with it in the head just to warm up. I can’t imagine living without a head. A place to cook and sleep and care for oneself indoors is bare minimum. You could put up a tent for the daytime, but at night you want to be up off of the ground. Very small spaces are easier to heat.
subscribe to backwoods home magazine and
http://homesteadingtoday.com/index.php
and http://www.countrysidemag.com/
You will have a good but different life. Godspeed
Don’t put off having kids.
Get the land paid for ASAP. Remember, any improvements you make to the property are likely to change its assessment value and hence its tax rate. Don't discount this - I have a place on 3 acres that's paid off completely and it's still costing me over $200 a month in property tax.
I'd strongly recommend what some others have, an enclosed, weather-tight structure such as an RV or camper to start with while you build. What you're talking about doing is a lot of hard work for a lot of days, and a bath and a mattress are going to be worth their keep.
Things I wish I had done - a cheap, used excavator of some sort, maybe a Bobcat or a tractor with attachments. You will use it a lot, not just in building a house - a septic drain field, for example, is actually pretty easy to do if you're not trying to do it all by hand. (Fuel storage is mighty handy too). The best part about it is that it makes for great barter with the neighbors.
Get to know your neighbors. They will save your life.
Best of luck!
fascinating. ping for later reading. research bartering for services. can you hunt on your land?
Someone posted this yesterday. Just thought it was interesting.
http://ferfal.blogspot.com/2008/10/mistakes-survivalists-make.html
Be prepared for ticks too. Otherwise, I wish y’all the best.
Contracts for deed are almost always a bad idea. If you can’t get him to deed it to you and take back a mortgage, talk to a Tennessee lawyer about what rights you might have there, if any. You also might want to check out the title to the property in question.
Check with local health authorities there about what requirements are for a septic system. Also, what permits and improvements are going to be required for the electrical hookup.
If I thought things were going to collapse, I’d want a place with a running stream on it. Or at least a stock pond.
Make friends with the local cops. They are going to suspect you of growing pot or running a meth lab. Particularly if you are living like hippies.
Are you planning to irrigate your garden with city water? How much is that going to cost you?
you’re gonna need livestock. Goats and Chickens!
but first in foremost, Trust in God in your new adventure. Let us know in a few years how you two fair. Best wishes! God Bless!