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I started prepping before the process was called bad names. I had experience in visiting two grandmothers in Arkansas when I was a kid. Today, they would be called preppers. They lived so far away from any town, if they didn't grow food and can food, they would have had practically nothing to eat. There was no power so I saw and experienced how they lived. I doubt there is any place like that now in the US. Staying alive depended on them. There was no government assistance - you either lived or died due to what you did.

They had a garden, cows for milk, chickens, hogs, and cattle. They had many jars of canned veggies and fruit. There was a well in the middle of a back porch. They had a wood cookstove, and a wood stove in the parlor. The bedrooms had no heat. Naturally, there was no air conditioning. They used oil lamps.

Somehow we went from self survival to wusses who can't live on our own. My parents still had a garden, raised two hogs a year, had chickens and fruit trees.

I was the generation that broke that chain. When I was out on my own, cars were to get one to the grocery where the food was. It was all different then.

I guess I'm so old that most people don't remember that time and living like that is now called prepping and crazy. we went from a generation of self canned food, as much as one could store, to canned grocery store food and we shouldn't have a lot of the grocery cans.

See what happened? Rural living without power caused necessary storing and this freaking generation today has no idea that happened.

You know what? I don't care what this crying, wimpy generation says. Just call me galt.

Your story reminds me a bit of when I was a small kid. My Mother grew up on a large farm, over 1000 acres in the Florida Panhandle. They were technically prosperous but for the most part didn’t act that way. They grew enough cash crops so they had a savings and could purchase a few things from the small town only around 6 miles away.

Oh, there were 12 kids and the older girls worked with their Mother taking care of the babies cooking etc. The boys and the younger girls worked in the fields and worked hard.

My Father’s family was very prominent but had far less money than Mother’s. Granddaddy was a preacher, school teacher, school principal and often served in the Florida legislature. He made enough money for the family to get by but that was about all.

When Daddy was in WWII, he sent his entire paycheck to Mother instead of just the allotment the government sent her. He had no use for money as he was in combat and sold his cigarette ration for more money than he needed.

When he got home they bought a 40 acre farm with the $3000 Mother had saved during the war. That was a lot of money at the time. We were a family of 7 and we survived but that was about all. I do remember one really pleasant thing: The smokehouse! I would go inside to get something for Mother and that place smelled so good. There was coils of sausage hanging in the smoke, hams, and other meats and they were all good. Although we were staying alive that was about it. Daddy got a job at Tyndall AFB and we left the farm forever.

One thing Mother and Daddy learned and the children to a lessor extent was hard work. There was never too much work for Mother of Daddy. They had been hardened in their youth and were not going to be found wanting.

My guess is now a person who starts with a small nest egg and 40 acres could live permanently but that is all they would be doing. The Same people with a thousand acres even if it was partly woods would do just fine as long as they would work hard.