FReeper advice needed (Vanity) Time to go?

[WhirlwindAttack]

I've been here a while now, put a hundred into the kitty to keep the site up so I'm posting a vanity asking for some advice. My family are all liberals I don't dare ask them their opinion. So here goes.

My bride and I both see bad things coming. We are buying 5 acres in rural south central Tennessee on contract from a friend. No house, just partially wooded land. We've been saving our money and investing in heirloom seeds, long term food supply that we eat and rotate, and camping gear.

I weld and am a jack of all trades. My wife has only ever worked as a retail bookseller. We're healthy but a little overfed.

We are considering leaving our apartment in Indiana when our lease is up in May. It's in a college town of over 100K. and very liberal. The plan is to store what we don't need immediately ( we have storage available until July of next year.). Go down south, pitch a camp and dig a privy then go forth to find work. We will be planting a garden and trying to get a small cabin weathered in before winter. I want to build a home as we earn the cash money to buy materials and do this without a mortgage.

I would rather get out while I can and keep her safe than stay here and she feels the same way.

So here's the crux of the matter, I'm 48 former USAF and don't like to take rash jumps into the unknown. I have however been in the third world, started over with nothing twice and am with the love of my life. She is 30, brilliant, sews, weaves, throws pottery, and has the ability to build her own kiln.
She's a former LDS and fell right in line with my food storage quirks not to mention she's a dead shot with everything I've put in her hands.
She thinks that pioneering will be an adventure. I know it will be hard work. Her parents have told us they admire our courage and want to know when to expect grandchildren. ( Sorry gonna have to wait Mom )

FRiends I'm worried I'm missing something. I like the benefits of civilization like hot showers and flush toilets. But being out of the cities when they do go wonky holds more appeal.

I welcome your comments.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Red_Devil 232 and LucyT for the pings.

Not sure my life management skills are above reproach of course, but there's an older book... have to look it up:

Five Acres and Independence by Maurice Kains

[mysterio]

You are very seriously wrong.

About many things, most likely.

But how is going out to the boonies going to save you from the end of the world?

Go out to the boonies for the right reason. The right reason is early evening, late July, on your front porch, watching the breeze make the corn sway.

Once I get enough money to pull that off, you're welcome to come over and sit on the porch with me if you're ever in the area. I hope to pull that off in the next ten years or so.

[fieldmarshaldj]

I think you meant Hardin County. Shelby is Memphis.

[Alia]

I share your dream. Living as you are suggesting has been a dream of mine forever long. However, I'd suggest thinking once again about it. I found my land up near Placerville. It moved my soul. It's all I thought about. I built it all, in my mind.

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.

[Alia]

Exactly.

[backhoe]

Friends, it is a hell of a good question: what to do?

I certainly see the potential for any kind of disruption you can name, from stagflation, to riots, to martial law ( or something even worse via Zer0’s “civilian security force...”

Not to mention the financial chaos potentialities... when the pension funds run dry, and people who can no longer work to support themselves need money, to eat...

My wife & I live in a small city, and few years ago,a race riot petered out about 3 blocks from out door- the police ran away, even back then. It would surely be far worse, now.

We have her Mom’s old place in the country to fall back to, but the “country” has gotten citified in ways that aren’t so good, so while it would be better- six acres to grow food- it’s not isolated like it once was.

About all I can say is hope for the best, but have more than one plan for the worst.

“Interesting times...”

[airborne]

Sounds like you're heading in the right direction.

You may want to wait a while longer and keep stocking up on things.

If you think it would be safe leaving it on your 5 acres, I would suggest you consider getting an electric generator and large fuel tank, and begin prepping the site before you move there.

It's your decision, but in my opinion, the longer you wait, stock up and prepare for the move, the better you'll be.

And if you plan to start growing your own food supply, you'll need to prep the land well. Clearing, cutting, removing sod, rocks, etc., plowing, and all the other work related.

Also, you'll either need a well with a hand pump, or a fresh water stream.

[LucyT]

Thanks, backhoe and SunkenCiv. Backhoe, do you have a link to your survival thread?

Here’s this:

List compiled by a Sarajevo War survivor

100 Items to disappear first:

http://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=3617

[backhoe]

“Thanks, backhoe and SunkenCiv. Backhoe, do you have a link to your survival thread?”

Right here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1507830/posts
Hurricane Preparedness ( and general “bad times” links )
various FR links & stories | 10-23-05 | the heavy equipment guy

[B-Chan]

Good point. No one’s ever going to nuke Belize.

[LucyT]

Thanks, backhoe. There’s a lot of good information throughtout your Preparedness thread. Need to ping everyone:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1507830/posts

Hurricane Preparedness ( and general “bad times” links )
various FR links & stories | 10-23-05 | the heavy equipment guy

[Excellence]

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.

[Chickensoup]

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

[Chickensoup]

dont put in septic look at greywater and composting systems

[Chickensoup]

get ten acres or more to qualify as a farm

[FrdmLvr]

Don’t put off having kids.

[patriot08]

.

I am just a college girl, but the idea of the travel trailer other than a tent, getting a job before you go, and making friends with the local community seem like good ideas. I would not put off having a family.

I’d love to do what you’ll comtemplating, but I am surrounded by a family of libs- and I must try to get an education.
I wish you the best of luck.

Here are some good FReeper threads about survival and living cheaply:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1990507/posts?page=9901

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2181392/posts?q=1&;page=1301

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2181392/posts?q=1&;page=801

.

[WhirlwindAttack]

That’s one of the books in my collection.

[Iowan]

Many thanks for the update, LucyT

Ping.

[Billthedrill]

Some quick questions - do you know for a fact that there's water on the land? Do the neighbors have wells, and if so, how deep? How close is the nearest power? Even if you don't jump on the grid right away it's a good option to have.

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!