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Koanbred
Member
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# Posted: 1 Jan 2013 17:18 - Edited by: Koanbred
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Hopefully I will soon retire. I don't have much to retire on, but such is life. We make do with what we have!
I would like never to have anymore energy or water bills!
My goal is to install solar panels, a windmill, and have them both connected to a battery which may be linked to an emergency diesel engine, just in case of an emergency.
I would also prefer to have a hand water pump in both my kitchen and bath. I somehow envision my bath house connected to my outhouse.
I also would like to have a small storage place below ground level for food storage.
Finally, I would like to have a small top level floor (an attic), which would have an emergency escape route, a bed, and sporting goods equipment.
So what do you guys think?
PS.
I'm a loner and I'm thinking Wyoming, Nebraska, or the Dakotas....
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Rob_O
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# Posted: 1 Jan 2013 19:33
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Quoting: Koanbred So what do you guys think?
Go for it
Did you have a plan on how you're going to accomplish this goal?
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TheWildMan
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# Posted: 2 Jan 2013 09:58
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I'm 30 and far from retired but thats basically what i did. if you don't have much in the way of money you will need to be fit (or your going to be when your done) and have skills (or will have to learn them).
i left my old town like a refugee (abandoned the house, asked the bank to forclose on it and take the car, 100% debt free afterwards but had willingly destroyed my credit to do so, got out fast, like overnight fast). bought 5 acres of land in the countryside with savings. moved all the stuff i could carry to it and covered stuff with tarps (only took what i needed, abandoned the rest with the house or gave away) bought a cheap old camper for a couple hundred and lived in it as i cleared the overgrown trees and weeds with a buck saw and ax. built an outhouse, learned about wind and solar as i slowly built a working system as i could afford parts. cut up everything over 2" diameter (overgrown woodlot) for firewood. dug a well by hand and set up rain barrels. built fences from logs, tilled garden space around stups with a hoe, shovel and spading fork. built a larger cabin as i could afford materials or had time to make or salvage them.
all this while working full time and racing against the clock for winter, with destroyed credit it was a do or die way of living (had no where else to go). after 2 years i got my place in working self sustaining order, using only ingenuity and muscle and the money i made working. solar and wind equipments aint cheap, a lot of things can be built with time and effort (no trouble for a retiree) but what you can't do will cost a lot.
at the end of this summer i was laid off (budget shortage at the office), havent made anything since then and havent needed more than a couple hundred since then. sittin most of the winter reading books by the wood stove and eatin out of the food i grew and preserved.
what do I think bout your goals? very doable, but you will either spend a lot of money or a lot of sweat and some money to do it over time. once the basics are established you won't have any bills to worry about, as an example i live on only $2000 a year (taxes and maintenence)
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TheCabinCalls
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# Posted: 2 Jan 2013 11:53
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There really is no such thing as no energy bill when you rely on Batteries or Fuel of any kind. There is only less bills. We can also build smart and energy effecient to make it even less.
We have control to not rely on Government or State or local utilities, but the real freeing goal is to not owe anyone. Period. If you owe even one debt you could risk all assets you have.
I realize we can't escape taxes and we'd prosper so much more without them, but we can do things to minimize these too.
Debt free first...smart build second. Good luck with the planning!
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flyrdr
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# Posted: 2 Jan 2013 12:33
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Amazing story Wildman. I'm 63 and far too old to ever consider doing as you did but wish I had figured things out when I was your age. They say "youth is wasted on the young" but the flip side of that is "age is wasted on the old". Finally have a clear picture of where I would like to be in life and the lifestyle I would like to be living but now all my life choices involve other people who don't exactly see things the same as me. I'm working on em' though
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Martian
Member
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# Posted: 2 Jan 2013 13:01
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TheCabinCalls is right about being debt free; it is very liberating!
As for taxes, the best way to avoid them is by not earning the money. When I built my place, not only did I pay cash for materials, but I also did all the work. Not only does that save the financing cost, but I didn't have to pay taxes on the money I would have had to earn to pay someone else to build it. Win/Win.
There are many more "wins" to being as self-sufficient as possible, too. One is that it keeps you in shape without having to pay for a gym membership. I'm 62, and while I can't keep up with my 40 year old self, I can still put in a good day's work, and I fit into the same size jeans I wore when I was 20.
Work slow and work smart. you can do more than you think.
Tom
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rayyy
Member
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# Posted: 2 Jan 2013 13:43
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You guy's are all insperation's for me.I couldn't go 100% like you wildman but I have achieved a comfortable half medium.The best of both world's,so to say.I am now dedth free and living within my means with a surpluss of money for the first time in my life.
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Owen Kellogg
Member
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# Posted: 6 Jan 2013 14:10
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Wildman - very inspirational. I know the whole housing/foreclosure thing is controversial these days, but what you did takes a lot of guts.
I'm in a similar situation right now. "Underwater" on my house. I did everything right for the last 10 years: no second mortgage, no car payments, paid off all debts (except for the 1st mortgage). Went to sell my house to move into an apartment while I worked on my cabin. Real estate agent tells us, "Sorry, but you owe more on your house than what it would sell for..." Who's fault is that? NOT mine.
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Rossman
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# Posted: 6 Jan 2013 15:29
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TheWildMan - Thanks for sharing, loved reading that! One thing in life is for sure - nothings really ever easy!
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MJW
Member
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# Posted: 6 Jan 2013 16:28
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I would love to hear more about your story, WildMan.
I went through a divorce a few years ago that cost me everything I had worked for all of my life. I had to start over with ZERO and while it was not a pleasant experience I did learn alot from it.
Today I am with the love of my life and we have a 5 year old boy. We have lived debt free and will continue to, saving as we work to build our small free and clear home and become more self sufficient. We have traveled the country for the past year in our RV and just found the perfect place to build our house. Breaking ground in a couple of weeks.
Many factors lead us to where we find ourselves today. I am sure that is true for all of us here.
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Koanbred
Member
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# Posted: 6 Jan 2013 17:26
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I too, love your story, Wildman.
I do most seriously intend to follow suit!
Thank you for sharing...
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rayyy
Member
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2013 18:24
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Lol,I know I was taking a huge risk in doing this.Once you've started,there's no turning back.So I spent all the money I had investing it in this land,my barn and cabin.I would lay awake at night,worrieing and wondering if it's the right thing I'm doing.I was determined to live here and to get my horses here asap.It was rough going.I first had to cut a path through the woods and eventually get it opened up enough for the tractor and truck.The week I took off from work to build the barn,it poured and poured and poureeddd.8 streight days.Mud up to my ancles,mud all over the ladders,mud all over my tools,mud all over me,soaking wet,boots full of water,,,Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh,I still shutter thinking about that week.Of corse this year we had a bone dry summer that would have been a perfect building season(now that Im all done!)
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