Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We are looking into moving to Oregon. Near Tillamook preferably, or within an hour or so. Seeking something under 100K probably a mobile home or fixer upper on some land. Or surrounded by BLM land, trees, un-developed property. We Cannot move until caring for a loved one ends , he's in hospice.
I would be taking 18 hr shifts working with a developmentally disabled adult. Husband would be working part time as usual, as a Painting Contractor but wants to spend much of his time being self sufficient. Offgrid preferably, growing food as we do, canning, fishing in ocean and rivers, hunting, and making much of what we need. Our son who lives with us works at home for Apple. I also sell part time on Ebay but just enough to have money to spend for items we need.
I retired 3 years ago, and spent the following summer building a small ranch house, with 2 male relatives, on 33 acres of land in northern Maine. Prior to that, my wife and I had lived all our lives in Rhode Island, but I had ties to Maine, so we decided to move here as soon as we could. We still have 2 grown daughters with their husbands and our 6 grandchildren, in Rhode Island. We visit frequently.
We now live here full time. My brother and my wife's brother now live full-time on this land also, in separate dwellings. So that makes 4 of us, all retired, on this land. We are in our second year with a large garden, and this year raised 325 head of poultry - chickens, turkeys, ducks, and geese. Next year we expect to double that number, plus add feeder pigs. The bulk of the operation would be relocated to Tennessee, where we have some rural vacation property. We also have fruit trees down there. Usually, one or two of us are down there pretty regularly.
Our Maine acreage has no electrical service, and it would be very expensive to bring power here. Instead, we use solar panels to provide the bulk of our power. I consider this to be off-grid, even though we do use propane and gasoline generators. We heat with wood, and bought a 2+ acre wetland lot very inexpensively, for a woodlot. We took 23 cords of firewood off it last winter.
There's a large lake nearby, and a few smaller ones. I spend most summer days out on the lake in a small fishing boat, and keep the freezer full. I'll tell ya, this is the life! The scenery is fantastic up here, and so much cooler in the summer (which I prefer). The fishing is just tops! It's so peaceful here, no crowds, no traffic, no crime. Winter and snow are the best time of year. I have a plow on one of the trucks and keep the drives and walkways clear. My grandkids love to come along when I'm plowing snow!
I sold my trucking business when I retired, but have started another business with the poultry. We sell processed birds to individuals (holidays) and to metro restaurants. As of yet, it's just a small extra income, but next year we hope to grow it even more.
I love Tillamook area. We rented a beach house at Rock Away.
I live in Boise and I have to say, for a medium sized city, it's pretty self-sufficient.
Lots of gardening, backyard chickens, hunting, livestock on the outskirts, and just general self-reliance. People, in general, are very nice here, too.
There are several other smaller cities adjacent to Boise as well. The farther out you go, the more the rural values kick in (obviously).
Moved to USA in 2002, no relatives except for a wife who was born and raised in TX and her Mom who retired with just the regular SS income. I am a software engineer, wife is a veterinarian who had a full debt load from vet school. We worked our arses off, moved to TX, bought a fixer upper foreclosure in a desirable area, made it self-sufficient and renovated it inside and out and trippled its value. Getting ready for our next move to a large acreage. I will still work from home and she will still do vaccine clinics and maybe do some mobile work in the rural area that is short on veterinarians. Even during the last 3 years of renovations etc. - we still kept full time jobs, grew our food etc. We do not intend to be poor, without good health insurance or one car trouble away from disaster (financially speaking). We want to keep the same standard of living.
Moved to USA in 2002, no relatives except for a wife who was born and raised in TX and her Mom who retired with just the regular SS income. I am a software engineer, wife is a veterinarian who had a full debt load from vet school. We worked our arses off, moved to TX, bought a fixer upper foreclosure in a desirable area, made it self-sufficient and renovated it inside and out and trippled its value. Getting ready for our next move to a large acreage. I will still work from home and she will still do vaccine clinics and maybe do some mobile work in the rural area that is short on veterinarians. Even during the last 3 years of renovations etc. - we still kept full time jobs, grew our food etc. We do not intend to be poor, without good health insurance or one car trouble away from disaster (financially speaking). We want to keep the same standard of living.
Just curious, what time span are you talking about for all this? I don't know where I went wrong but it is taking a decade to figure out just how to tie my shoes (hyperbolically speaking).
(Also I intend to respond to your post in the debt and freedom thread when I am less sleep deprived.)
I don't know where I went wrong but it is taking a decade to figure out just how to tie my shoes (hyperbolically speaking).
You didn't go wrong.
It has sometimes taken me a decade to do important things. It's just that you're doing a lot of the thinking up front - which is the way you want to do it. I've taken on projects where I spent 90% of the time just trying to decide which foot to put out first. Once I decide, though, it goes pretty quickly from there!
Just curious, what time span are you talking about for all this? I don't know where I went wrong but it is taking a decade to figure out just how to tie my shoes (hyperbolically speaking).
(Also I intend to respond to your post in the debt and freedom thread when I am less sleep deprived.)
We moved to USA in 2002 (wife and I met in college in Canada). My wife was in a serious car accident when she was a child and they had been paid about $15K as restitution - the US dollar was then equal to almost 2 canadian dollars and it was what paid for her tuition and college education (her Biology degree). I worked through my college years but not flipping burgers or delivering pizzas - I worked in my chosen field for advanced research groups, making real contributions, learning a ton of stuff and getting paid for it. My wife was in vet school between 2003 and 2007 - I was in grad school for a portion of that time. It has taken 8 years to get where we are in terms of paying off the debt, building everything etc. We did not luxuriate in the meantime - all our vehicles are fully paid for but they are nothing to brag about - 2006 GMC 4x4 diesel 3/4 ton truck and a '96 Ford t-bird - both in great mechanical and cosmetic shape but older as you can see. We own a home in South Florida that has a mortgage on it but it is rented out and paying for itself, my only expense is the home owner's insurance payment once a year. The renters are very nice and they get a large discount on the rent - in return they fix all the problems (within reason) that they run into with the home. I do intend to treat myself to a new car soon - I think I deserve it . We do not own a TV and have not for years. We rarely go out - when we do it is mostly for coffee or drinks but it is not often, if anything, we entertain at home more with a select group of friends. Working a full time job and renovating a home and growing your own food and tending to bees and installing water collection and installing solar and.... - is hard work and you don;t really have a life, not to mention that your competitiveness in your chosen field can and will suffer - while you are hammering nails, your competition is busy learning, thinking, reading, working etc. I will NOT repeat that experience again, no matter how profitable it was.
We are looking into moving to Oregon. Near Tillamook preferably, or within an hour or so. Seeking something under 100K probably a mobile home or fixer upper on some land. Or surrounded by BLM land, trees, un-developed property. We Cannot move until caring for a loved one ends , he's in hospice.
I would be taking 18 hr shifts working with a developmentally disabled adult. Husband would be working part time as usual, as a Painting Contractor but wants to spend much of his time being self sufficient. Offgrid preferably, growing food as we do, canning, fishing in ocean and rivers, hunting, and making much of what we need. Our son who lives with us works at home for Apple. I also sell part time on Ebay but just enough to have money to spend for items we need.
Let's hear your story
I live in Montana, and no, it isn't a place for most folks to be self sufficent. We have short growing seasons, water can be an issue, arctic cold for a lot of the year, heavy snow in some areas, it can be tough just keeping livestock alive through the winter let alone keep the calves etc. alive.
My family has lived here for nearly 140 years, so we're used to it, but it isn't something for the novice to try.
My father runs the ranch, my brother and sister have small spreads they work, I share duties with my father and do most of the heavy work on the main ranch on the weekends.
Currently I work in Business Law for a steady paycheck, and consult on the side, I'm silent partner in another corporation, write instructional books and blacksmith as a hobby/ for extra income.
My father and I built an off grid cabin on our summer pasture that is a fantastic place to live during the summer/fall time frame, but sits at 6500 feet in elevation so not a good place to be in the winter and it usually takes until Father's day for the snow to retreat enough for us to get in there.
Our summer pasture is a small property, only 160 acres, but heavily forested so my father runs a small sawmill cutting specialty dimension lumber and timbers.
It's also where we get our firewood, and we sell firewood as well.
We raise most of our own food, or harvest it from the wild both plant and animal through hunting/fishing. My father and I raise Scottish Highland cattle, my father raises and breaks Belgian work horses, and also breaks work teams for customers.
My niece raises hogs, my sister in law raises chickens, turkeys and sheep. While my cattle are decent milk producers, my brother's Jerseys produce a lot of high butter fat milk we use for butter and cheese. My mother and wife do most of the canning of our produce, and make jams, jellies and pickles of all kinds. They're also the ones that make the cheese and butters as well as homemade breads etc.
My brother and I do most of the salting and smoking of the meat's for preservation, and the sausages/jerkey.
While my degree is in Electrical Engineering, my wife is a Nurse. My father was a machinist for many years professionally, my brother is a heavy equipment operator, my BIL is a master plumber, and one nephew is going through college as a mechanical engineer, my niece is just about to graduate college as a paralegal. My other 2 nephews are pretty young still, but the older one who's in high school is a pretty good hand in the hayfields driving tractors and bucking bales.
Between us, we have the skills to do just about anything we need to, but I would never reccomend Montana to someone that wants to start being self sufficent. This area is not very user friendly unless you know what you're doing, and having a family unit of skills to draw on is a big advantage.
I am currently farming hay, you would not believe how many farmers and others want to buy hay from me. plus I have a few horses and this saves me mony on that end too.
I live in a pretty self sufficient part of Alaska. Lots of agricultural and substinence hunting going on with relatively small population. Subsistence fishing is a few hours drive away. Pretty much everyone has the backyard chickens, garden/greenhouse thing going on. There is also a decent size wild bison herd.
With that being said, living off the Alaska highway and seeing/hearing the constant stream of semi trucks loaded with supplies from the lower 48, not to mention the barges coming in from Anchorage, I think A lot of people would be screwed if that supply chain was ever cut off. Everyone wants to pretend they are self reliant up here, but the further I go off grid, sometimes makes me ponder how reliant we all really are on it.
I'm still glad I live in a pretty small town though. The other day I was in the megalopolis of Fairbanks when the power was out for a few days and A lot of people were running around like chickens wih their heads cut off. It's surprising the amount of people that live up here in the cities without a generator, or even a wood stove. Luckily for me it was business as usual. As long as the gas keeps coming in. I haven't figured out that one yet... It would be bad to say the least.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. We do not own a TV and have not for years. We rarely go out - when we do it is mostly for coffee or drinks but it is not often, if anything, we entertain at home more with a select group of friends. Working a full time job and renovating a home and growing your own food and tending to bees and installing water collection and installing solar and.... - is hard work and you don;t really have a life, not to mention that your competitiveness in your chosen field can and will suffer - while you are hammering nails, your competition is busy learning, thinking, reading, working etc. I will NOT repeat that experience again, no matter how profitable it was.
