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Helen and Scott Nearing are still the sine qua non of homesteading. "Living the Good Life" and "Continuing the Good Life"
It is my understanding that they were exclusively supported by a trust-fund and book publishing income.
I read once where during their entire 'homesteading' adventure their homestead income totaled nearly 5% of their cost-of-living. 95% of their cost-of-living was provided by a trust-fund and copyrights from their writings.
Are you suggesting that those numbers were far off?
It is my understanding that they were exclusively supported by a trust-fund and book publishing income.
I read once where during their entire 'homesteading' adventure their homestead income totaled nearly 5% of their cost-of-living. 95% of their cost-of-living was provided by a trust-fund and copyrights from their writings.
Are you suggesting that those numbers were far off?
We own some rural land and we are tryign to set ourselves up to produce all of our own food.
However I am among the first to admit that I have a pension income and my DW works; I would never wish to imply that we are doing 'it' without outside support.
We own some rural land and we are tryign to set ourselves up to produce all of our own food.
However I am among the first to admit that I have a pension income and my DW works; I would never wish to imply that we are doing 'it' without outside support.
And when you look at many farm families they have an income source other than just farming. One spouse often has a job off the farm or works from home.
And when you look at many farm families they have an income source other than just farming. One spouse often has a job off the farm or works from home.
I understand.
In the context of homesteading being a 'nearly self-sufficient' lifestyle; given today's standard-of-living it usually is not.
When we attempted this before in the 1980s, the folks we met who were very nearly self-sufficient were also in extreme poverty. Really if they had needed to make mortgage payments they would have failed.
Doing it once again now as a pensioner, the others that we have met are often heard referencing the 'Nearings', as having reached some level of nirvana or place in homesteading that everyone else is trying to duplicate.
I have not read the Nearing books, I read a bit about them and it stood out to me that they were not self-sufficient. Rather they were trust-fund recipients.
I think that many people may have been led astray from reading their books.
I had some friends that moved "off the grid" back in the late 60's. Then it was all about growing pot out where no one would look for it. And, the communal thing was pretty popular. I passed on the opportunity because I had the best girlfriend and I think the free love part (which went with the territory) was a pretty big motivating factor for some of the guys and I was a little too territorial given there was no upside.
Anyway, the pot didn't really make them any money because it wasn't that good and they had no distribution network. But they did start making a consumer item out of local materials which they sold first at stands and then in stores. Then, in the late 80's they got in Walmart. A few years ago a venture capital group purchased the company and flipped it to a Fortune 100 company. They all got a ton of money.
I had never heard of the Nearings, so I looked them up- seems that they had a neighbor who wrote a book called "Living Next Door to the Good Life", lol- kinda blew the whistle on them a bit, and claimed that they weren't as "earthy" as they would have everyone believe- however, I'm sure they made an awesome living off of their books, to go with that handy-dandy trust fund!
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