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It is clear that being off the grid (power grid) is probably best if the grid goes down and/or the system utterly collapses. If either scenario occurs, our greatest threat will be.....people who failed to prepare. That would be over 95% of the population by my estimation.
There tend to be very few jobs around remote locations. Just looked at the local newspaper.....not a single job offering to be found.
Thought I had set myself up with three modest rentals and a small business that I've run for 24 years. Lost my biggest account last year when I didn't answer my cell phone...oh well.
To make a long story short.....the property taxes and various expenses make the rentals better as tax write offs than a provider of livable income.
I'll be 58 in a couple months. The idea of being a carpenter is no longer as attractive as it used to be...
Yes....one can live with a low income. Tens of millions do. Having some play money is energizing. Almost all interesting activity costs money.....it seems.
Perhaps you could drop-ship through a website you own Colorado? You could ship out one day a week, and have everything organized to run into town with your shipment that day.
Just trying to throw an idea your way. Good luck, I hope you find something, it's been tough for a few years now, and being in a rural area is just as you say, hard to find work.
I would have thought you were on the right track with a dealer/distributorship of some type. I was a salesperson throughout the 80's. It was not uncommon for American manufacturers to be looking for territory dealers/distributors of their products. One needed a facility to store goods and the ability to travel somewhat extensively.
This was my thinking when I purchased a forklift and added a 2200 sq. ft wing to my shop. The forklift is prone to getting stuck in the sand. The wing is half full of styrofoam insulation that I found a deal on. Pretty bulky stuff...
Many things have changed since the 80's.......
I am almost paralyzed with fear about being robbed by some low life neighbors that are frequently casing my property. They are dumb enough to talk to others about my schedule, belongings, and security. Exactly the type that steal... I have about all of the legal security that is imaginable...that was/is very expensive.
The credit card trends are not encouraging. Now a tenant/baby factory would appear to need a new septic system due to an apparent refusal to quit flushing copious amounts of baby wipes.
Hate to do it but I may soon check into food aid. Rebuilding the septic system in Florida promises to be expensive...
From investor to aid in a couple years? Multiple large robberies at several locations has taken a very large toll. I feel like criminality is more the rule than the exception....but that is another story.
I'm going to run into town and grab a hot shower. The funds to complete this place were stolen by a low life that our government was wise enough to give locksmith training to.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TerraDown
Perhaps you could drop-ship through a website you own Colorado? You could ship out one day a week, and have everything organized to run into town with your shipment that day.
Just trying to throw an idea your way. Good luck, I hope you find something, it's been tough for a few years now, and being in a rural area is just as you say, hard to find work.
Do what we are doing: raise meat for local markets and restaurants.
We started 2 years ago with some egg hens and a forty-broiler chicken tractor, plus a few turkeys for the family. Last year, we raised 325 birds, total. This year, I am in the process of brooding out some 600 birds, about 200 at a time. We are also adding 4 feeder pigs this year. Next year we'd like to start with a couple of bottle calves for beef. We lease an extra 20 acres of land, and could easily get more.
All our livestock are pasture-raised. My motto is, never buy what you can rent for less. I can lease better acreage than I can find for sale at anything approaching a reasonable amount (prime pasture land). I can also hire a man with a tractor for much less than purchasing a good used tractor. This also cuts my work time. I can spend more of my time doing what I love: caring for animals.
(Note: this only works if you like animals!)
Last edited by Nor'Eastah; 05-02-2016 at 09:40 AM..
If you're strapped for space, meat rabbits can be a profitable enterprise that doesn't take up a lot of room and no noise.
There are folks that go around to breeders and buy live animals so you don't have to process them, but I was amazed in my area how many people wanted Rabbit meat.
You don't need a lot of animals, they grow fast, produce fast, and are easy to process if you go that route.
Some chicken wire and 2x4s to build the pens, some scrap lumber for the hutches, some water bottles and feeders and you are ready to rock and roll.
You have a lot of years on me, but already at my young age being a carpenter is taking it's toll on the body, so I don't blame you there and feel your pain. However, upscale trim and custom work isn't so bad if you can find it.
Here are two similar conversations we've had in the rural and small town section that may give you some ideas about making money in rural areas. Sidecash ideas if I get a "getaway" property
I believe we've also had a discussion on this in the SS&P section here in the past year or so, but I can't find the thread...
Anyways, here's another idea. Since you live in colorado, where there are lots of second home owners in rural and remote areas, a property watch/ caretaking service company for upscale vacation homes may work out good, especially if you're near a resort area. I've been thinking of starting something similar in Alaska since a lot of people only come up for the summer and struggle to maintain and take care of their property in winter.
Or, since you've already secured your property with the latest technologies, maybe you could start a security system company that specializes in remote and rural property security. Then you could set up some of those sweet new motion game cameras that send pictures instantly to your phone and other similar security measures for your clients. Sounds so much fun I may have to try it.
Do you have any timber? Anything worthwhile for a logger to process? Anything you can cut into firewood?
Here in the west, the city living environmentalists that hate seeing land that was cut over for timber, and having to wait a few years till it grows back, have forced the timber industry to it's knees and then killed it. They won't let you even cut trees on your own land.
There is also a thread about side hustling in the retirement forum.
Think about all the things you enjoy doing and then look for ways to earn money from them.
Is it still illegal to be a gigolo?
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