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Becoming a prepper - moving to the country

 
Double O Zero
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11/23/2012 10:01 AM
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Becoming a prepper - moving to the country
All the various incarnations of doom aside, I've spent the last few years thinking about what I want to do with my life. I'm in my early thirties, and when I look around like many of the people here do, the one thing its impossible not to notice is how fragile our ways of living have become. I suspect this is as true for non-Americans as otherwise.

But when I thought about why this way, I've come to think that the world has always been dangerous, but that we find ourselves less and less capable of surviving outside an ever narrower set of boundaries. For instance, people know how to work most of the things in their house, their vehicle, or their work, but do they know how they work, how to build them, or even just how to repair them.

More than ever, it seems we do not, and while I won't speak for others, it bothers me immensely to be dependent upon so many things I don't understand. I've been studying hard and working to understand more, and while I think there's a lifetime's work ahead, I learned that being prepared for life isn't about running away from the things you fear, it's embracing the things you can know and taking personal responsibility for you and yourself.

I spent a lot of years in politics just to learn how futile that is. All sides are so flush in money that the corruption is impenetrable, and in both cases, the parties just serve to deepen our already dangerous dependency, not just on bribes and gifts called programs, but that government will be there with an answer, and to take care of us. Obama might be more blatant than Bush, but the writing is in the same font.

And when you look beyond the unavoidable possibilities of natural doom ranging from a flare event to earthquakes and hurricanes, you see several likely problems that are coming. Cameras, surveillance, RFID, and a technological superstate will emerge absent a disaster that places the citizen in every first world country completely within eye of the state. Your actions will be monitored and assessed, your finances will be scrutinized and curtailed more and more thoroughly, and you will be protected from the ability to think for yourself. The last pieces clicked into piece for me in this puzzle when I was thinking about how the UN is considering trying to adopt a tax on all financial transactions. A cashless society, everything taken, and in death, taken away.

So, I guess I realize the clock is ticking on opposing this. It wouldn't sadden me in the least to see it removed, but it won't happen because people everywhere would rather be given something than earn something, for both good and not so good reasons. And it seems to me there are two ways to do this. The first is to become so high tech that you can constantly stay one step ahead. Some may, and I respect those who can, though I have neither the ability nor desire to be that way.
The second is to move out.

It'll take me a year or more to do it, which is longer than I'd like, but I am moving out to the country to build a better life. I think it will be more secure if anything happens, but I'm not doing it for fear, I'm doing it so I can wake up each day and do things that matter to my survival. It will be harder, involve more work, learning each day, and I am convinced it will be totally worth it.

I plan on owning my own land so that it is harder for any bank to take it away. What I grow there will be useful both for me and my community, in a place I hope will have that because it isn't about running off to play soldier alone. And maybe I'll share it with someone too, but what I won't do is compromise who I am or what I believe is necessary.

GLP played a role in this decision, so I was thinking there are probably other people here who are thinking like I do also. I believe those who say we make our future by what we choose, and though bugging out may get mocked a lot, I think when it is done right and for the right reasons, maybe it's something more of us should consider.

My fear is a time will come, not so far from now in maybe a decade, where the system will make it such where it is nearly impossible to legally or financially become self-sufficient and make this choice. So better now while times aren't so bad. Just my $.02.
zestor

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11/23/2012 10:57 AM
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Re: Becoming a prepper - moving to the country
Becoming less dependent on the system is a good idea, but it's probably futile. You never really own anything, there are always taxes. So you are a part of the system whether you want to be or not.
Prepare to Self-Sustain.
Anonymous Coward
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11/23/2012 11:02 AM
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Re: Becoming a prepper - moving to the country
that's good but we very well could see martial law within 6 months. moving certain possessions by car may be very risky.
Fred
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11/23/2012 11:19 AM
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Re: Becoming a prepper - moving to the country
Don't forget the most likely doom of all. It is why I got out of the city and am looking to buy in the country. Economic doom, it can simply be personal.

1) You have a good job, a nice car, a nice house all mortgaged to the point that you can't even pay one month on the mortgage once unemployed.

2) You can buy well below your means, get the shit paid off and job loss may be a big pain in the ass, but you've got your land and your garden.

Other doom is possible, but economic is a certainty. I'm in mid 40s and have lived through multiple recessions. Watched a segment of my friends lose everything each time. Barely kept a roof over my head in two of them.

Beware of one thing though. Oil! I don't care what kind of anti EV/hybrid propaganda there is, unless you want to spend all of your time on your land, be prepared to deal with astronomical oil prices, or no gasoline availability at all.

Sadly the ideal is not yet available. Plugin diesel/bio-diesel hybrid. Although converting an old diesel car using an electric transmission and batteries is a possibility.

Your solar panels and plugin hybrid mean you can travel even when an event like Sandy cuts of fuel supplies.
0nlyM3&U

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11/23/2012 11:27 AM
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Good for you. But there is a lot more to sustainability than people think. If you want to move out and grow your own food then now is the time to start studying permaculture. All modern forms of agriculture are dependent on oil, not just for the gasoline but the fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides. Most of the top soil is dead, lifeless. If you start reading now then when you buy your property you'll know what to do immediately so you have a chance. The soil doesn't come back to life quickly. For permaculture the forum linked below is the glp of that area.

[link to www.permies.com]
Anonymous Coward
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Greece
11/23/2012 11:27 AM
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Re: Becoming a prepper - moving to the country
OK, if you do get out you might not survive if it all goes tango uniform and there is little doubt you will spend a lot more time than you think working (we do!) you will have a better quality of life in the meantime.

We did it 3 years ago after a long planning and preparation. Only regret is, we didn't gtfo YEARs ago. I wouldn't go back for a sackful of gold eagles. Well, maybe if it was a big sack.

Good luck
Mkguyver

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11/23/2012 11:30 AM
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Re: Becoming a prepper - moving to the country
Country living is tougher than you think, our closest starbucks is thirty miles away.
Double O Zero  (OP)

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11/23/2012 11:34 AM
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Thanks for the helpful advice everyone.

I'm planning on buying my property outright so I can keep bills to a minimum. And I have some rental income that will continue so I shouldn't need a job, though ideally, I'd like to sell some of what I make from the land.

I do wish I could get out sooner, but this is as quick as I can manage with my current means, and I also agree it is imperfect but better.

To those who have done this, especially as relates to working the land, I'd ask if there are any books or videos you have found especially helpful or useful. I've been listening to many podcasts on how to do things since I drive for a living, but I will definitely look at anything you've found helpful.
Vision Thing

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11/23/2012 11:43 AM

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I suggest reading the book

Secrets of the Soil

by Peter Tompkins

fascinating book about the life of the soil, gets into very esoteric stuff.

Also any gardening books by Ruth Stout, who advocated a very heavy layer of mulch and sheet composting, for a no-till garden that conserves water and cuts down work to the bare minimum.
Anonymous Coward
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11/23/2012 11:47 AM
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Re: Becoming a prepper - moving to the country
Country living is tougher than you think, our closest starbucks is thirty miles away.
 Quoting: Mkguyver


Dooooom!
Ours used to Be 60 miles away in civilization and sometimes I would crack and go anyway, not even for supplies, just for some random craving. An entire day just wasted..

If gas stopped being sold I would have turned into a rolled up decaffeinated ball in the corner.
sodbust

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11/23/2012 12:52 PM
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Re: Becoming a prepper - moving to the country
Moved from Kansas City back the early 70s.. Been in west Kansas ever since...

Organic matter added to any soils add carbon,, and tilth.. All important to over all plant health...and yours..

Things like power being out 10 days at a time,, roads blocked by blizzards for equal number of days ,,,we have to have a back up of all needed supplies,, and limit trips to town as much as possible.. ( due to costs/time/fuel..

You have to make your own education and find things to do to eat up time or time can drive you crazy in a remote area with limited contact with other people.

All musts to think ahead about..

Sodbust
Dream big,, its ones only chance
jacksprat

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11/23/2012 01:05 PM
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Re: Becoming a prepper - moving to the country
hf

i would hate to be in the cities when the shit chaos happens, you have yo put up with so much bullshit and drama

good for you to escape to the country
jacksprat
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11/23/2012 01:29 PM
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Re: Becoming a prepper - moving to the country
Country living is tougher than you think, our closest starbucks is thirty miles away.
 Quoting: Mkguyver


Yeah, it is quite tough, but far more rewarding.

Think of it this way, your job out in the wilderness is to survive. To keep the place that you have settled in sustainable. That is your 9-5 job. As opposed to working in a factory, warehouse, office etc.

Instead of working for others and not enjoying the fruits of your labor, other than to receive a paycheck and buy what you need from a store, you work for everything you need. You build everything you need with your own hands. Grow your own food. Hunt for your own meat.

Your reward for all your labor is the knowledge that you do not rely on the system to provide for you. The choice is pretty obvious. Fuck the system... live free.
Anonymous Coward
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11/23/2012 01:40 PM
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Re: Becoming a prepper - moving to the country
I suggest reading the book

Secrets of the Soil

by Peter Tompkins

fascinating book about the life of the soil, gets into very esoteric stuff.

Also any gardening books by Ruth Stout, who advocated a very heavy layer of mulch and sheet composting, for a no-till garden that conserves water and cuts down work to the bare minimum.
 Quoting: Vision Thing


Hard read, secrets is, but amazing book!
Spine monkey

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11/23/2012 01:50 PM
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Re: Becoming a prepper - moving to the country
hf

i would hate to be in the cities when the shit chaos happens, you have yo put up with so much bullshit and drama

good for you to escape to the country
 Quoting: jacksprat


I think it is going to be worse in the suburbs, exurbs, where the urban chaos will quickly overflow and overwhelm communities. I'd say any if you used the standard overpressure radius predictions for a nuclear attack on American cities you'd have a pretty good idea of the "no-go" zone.
Mkguyver

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11/23/2012 02:03 PM
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Yep, we've been out here 15 years, sometimes I feel like I'm on stand-by, for what has fully yet to be seen.



Country living is tougher than you think, our closest starbucks is thirty miles away.
 Quoting: Mkguyver


Yeah, it is quite tough, but far more rewarding.

Think of it this way, your job out in the wilderness is to survive. To keep the place that you have settled in sustainable. That is your 9-5 job. As opposed to working in a factory, warehouse, office etc.

Instead of working for others and not enjoying the fruits of your labor, other than to receive a paycheck and buy what you need from a store, you work for everything you need. You build everything you need with your own hands. Grow your own food. Hunt for your own meat.

Your reward for all your labor is the knowledge that you do not rely on the system to provide for you. The choice is pretty obvious. Fuck the system... live free.
 Quoting: Anonymous Coward 23766809
Anonymous Coward
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11/23/2012 02:07 PM
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Re: Becoming a prepper - moving to the country
Perhaps I can chime in.

A few steps that helped along the way, in order of execution.

1) make a commitment to yourself that once you start on this path there will be no turning back, the direction and means can change but the goal must not.

2) begin your research now, not conspiracy fare but in prepping, bushcraft, electrical, woodworking, radio, satellite communications, hunting, small arms, small engine repair, sanitation, first aid, law, food preservation, backyard livestock, gardening, navigation, vehicle systems and operation (land sea air), radiation effects / survey measurement / abatement.. That's the basics, once you delve into the given subjects the rest will come automatically as your needs arise. Try to resist the pressure to become a master in all of your study, you don't have time and it's not nessicary IMO, that's what the library is for.

Start a bookshelf, no political or fiction. Just hardcopy reference to the above subjects. The great thing is that there is not much value placed on this material so it will be cheap or free to acquire. Get a laser printer and laminator and start a binder of PDF material from the web. Volumes of info for the above subjects are available free with just a google search. Use bit torrent to get huge caches all at once to save time and increase diversity. The goal is not to master and read every page but to build your own hardcopy reference library, organized well enough to put your hands on the detailed info within a few moments of need. When you have any spare time, review your library.

3) Obtain means to make pottable water. Get several life straws and carry them in your car and one in your workbag, then a berkey or propur, and backup parts for the system. Learn how to clean and use it everyday for the benefit and smooth operation. Learn basic water catchment with tarps and containers. Later as you get land you have many more options but this is paramount to start right away and should be your first prep purchase.

4) Start with a food cache. This could be a few 50lb bags of rice, and a means to cook it. If your money resources are plentiful then buy a year or two of mountain house or MRE, it will be quicker but you can build a nice cache for $500 at any SAMs club or costco as well. Once you have your immediate stash built, start buying more of what you use on a daily basis and rotate it. Be mindful of regulations,and red flags, spys (the fed ex guy) do your research and act accordingly. Your preps should be less focused on gear and centered on food and water so this category will never be finished. There are volumes of info on this most important subject so make use of it and get started right away.

5) Begin small arms training (yes training) and start your security plan and acquire the tools to implement it. Gun shows are a must, don't be political there, just be a fly on the wall and don't buy an arsenal all at once. If your local laws leave you defenseless (NYC) then skip right to step 6.

6) Move to safe area. Now this sounds like a impossible task but just like operating a complex vehicle, when every step is broken down into a simple procedure, it's not nearly as hard as you think.

A) Location: No matter where you go, you still need to earn a living, so don't plan to give up your day job and move to the end of the earth. Using your job as a center point, use google earth to draw a circle around your job and go no farther then 100 miles. This is totally workable as a commute and you will get used to it in a few weeks. I know it sounds crazy to drive 200 miles per day, but think of the alternatives of living in any major population center. Use commute time to listen to audiobooks, podcasts and other research material. Look at the laws, zoning, resources, restrictions and liabilities in that circle and find candidate areas to begin looking.  Once you narrow it down, buy raw land, if you can access power (even if you must put in your own pole) then that should be given preference. Telecoms and water can be remedied but power is much harder to live without right away. Water can come from many sources, you can catch rain and store it, you can use atmospheric water generators, you can haul it (in large quantities), you can dig your own shallow well depending on your strata using DIY techniques. But almost all need some form of electrical power to be practical. (except rain catchment) for me, power was a must, and it made it possible for me to use this land right away. 

B) If you can't find power available in your best location, there are also options open beyond the gasoline generator. If you have more time than money, start building your own solar panels from raw cells. The price point is about half what commercial systems charge but it is endless, tedious work to tab cells, get glass, and encapsulate your panels against water intrusion. The upside is your end product will be much cheaper and you will have the tools and skill to expand and repair the array yourself... Priceless. Turbines can also be used in tandem but beware of regulations against it and the attention that an 75 foot tower with turbine attached will cause.

If you live in lush wooded area, wood fire heat is a must and also you should investigate using a wood gas generator for electrical power. Kits and ready to fire systems can be had for between $3000 to $20000 and you will have an endless fuel supply in any heavily forested location. Much better then solar or wind, but it is dangerous and you will need to do your homework before placing an order.

C) Purchasing options: raw land should be purchased with cash, not credit. No loans, no banks or real estate agents to suck your blood. Get fee simple land if possible. Don't try to buy 100 acre ranch just yet, just enough for a simple homestead.. A 100x100 lot in the right location will be enough. Depending on your location you might find such a lot at under $10K (such as within 100 miles of NYC) other places you can get on eBay and make private payments on a interest free owner financed location of 10-20 acres for the same price for $100/month. Remember to have a job within 100 miles before considering any location. If your serious about taking your survival into your own hands, 10k can be had in short order (borrow,steal,kil). And that should be your cap, in my area there are plenty of lots that will fit the bill for under 5k and some under 2k, you just have to get out and look.. Craigslist is your friend, just be safe.

D) Accommodations: Get a copy of the dirt cheap survival retreat, learn it and live it. Get on eBay and buy a good four season travel trailer that is sized just enough for you to get by in. If you keep it free of clutter, your demands will scale down over time and you will be totally comfortable in a 27 foot with a slide out. As the economy gets worse, your ability to get a better trailer will increase as people dump almost new models on eBay for pennies. Learn about skirting, tank heating and all of it's systems, water, LP, power. A modern travel trailer is a self contained living unit designed to give all the comforts of home without any grid at all. Your only goal with this method will be to constantly increase it's insurance time, external water, propane and power. Keep in mind that using a travel trailer your land will be totally useful from the moment your trailer is rolled in place, and then you can focus on increasing stores of consumables, propane, water, food etc. Also this has another advantage of being flexible in mobility, if the land your bought becomes a political / regulatory nightmare or uninhabitable... Hitch up and drive to site B. Only a blue water sailboat offers more flexibility.

7) Communications: Only after all the above has been accomplished should you begin this vital part of your preps. Once a major even is under way you will be starving, not for food but for information, I know this first hand and I have had to relay comms for my well prepped but totally in the dark neighbors. This is the easy part. Use cellular air cards and smartphones first, then satellite broadband like exced by viasat, hand portable satellite telephones such as Inmarsat or iridium (plenty of prepaid emergency options out there), then if that tanks, break out the SSB and cb radio. This gear is relatively easy to use, cheap to buy and totally priceless once your in the dark as to what's going on in the outside world. Don't overlook this, hunger for timely information is just as bad for morale as hunger for food. You don't need to become a radio gear head, a $200 shortwave receiver, a $100 cb and a prepaid account on some kind of satellite based service is all you need. The learning curve will be child's play when compared to the modern computer and Internet.

Other items to note, whenever possible use propane. It is the most versatile fuel I have found. It can be used to cook, take hot showers, heat your room, run a refrigerator, run an electrical generator, it's cheaper per gallon then gasoline, stores almost forever without additives as long as the tank is intact, was available when gasoline was not, can be safely stored in large quantity unlike gasoline, your travel trailer will be fully kitted out to take full advantage of it and it's quite safe with reasonable safety measures.

Do a little bit of preps every day, even if it's just gathering info for your library or taking a class at your local occupational school. And finally... Pick your company carefully, if your friends are resistant to the lifestyle, don't wast time or OPSEC to get them on board, you will make new friends. If your wife is resistant, educate her, but don't give in to the resistance, if you are a husband or father it's your duty to take personal responsibility for their survival, no matter if they like it or not. If she is reasonable or loving, she will come around as things get worse and your clearly survival minded choices begin paying back. If not, proceed anyway.. You are all they have, the system won't save you or your family and they will need your help in the near future. Be kind to your fellow man, when possible put back preps for your neighbors in need, no man is an island and we are going to need each other to get to the other side with our humanity and soul intact.

Don't fear the difficulty of beginning this journey, it's the price you must pay to have a chance to see a better world, and the more you prep, the better you feel, the less the news depresses your mind and the more optimistic you become.

Thanks for listening, and good luck!
Double O Zero  (OP)

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11/24/2012 10:45 AM
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Re: Becoming a prepper - moving to the country
There is lots of good information there, thank you!

The fortunate thing is when I do this, I should have at least three different streams of income to help pay for things, if I can manage to make something from the land.

I don't expect to be immediately self-sufficient off the land, but it is a goal that I am seeking to reach. Right now, I'm trying to do research so I now how to pick the right piece of land with the right attributes, and ideally, I'd like something with a small dwelling already available.

Anyway, a few things I've decided are important are: Not being too close to any major urban area, not being too close to a coast line (sufficiently high above sea level), not being close to any nuclear power plants, and in a thinly regulated area.

For the land itself, I'm still learning more about that and how I'm going to want to use it. But like everyone is suggesting, learning stuff ahead of time really can help, and I'm trying.
Anonymous Coward
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11/24/2012 10:50 AM
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There is lots of good information there, thank you!

The fortunate thing is when I do this, I should have at least three different streams of income to help pay for things, if I can manage to make something from the land.

I don't expect to be immediately self-sufficient off the land, but it is a goal that I am seeking to reach. Right now, I'm trying to do research so I now how to pick the right piece of land with the right attributes, and ideally, I'd like something with a small dwelling already available.

Anyway, a few things I've decided are important are: Not being too close to any major urban area, not being too close to a coast line (sufficiently high above sea level), not being close to any nuclear power plants, and in a thinly regulated area.

For the land itself, I'm still learning more about that and how I'm going to want to use it. But like everyone is suggesting, learning stuff ahead of time really can help, and I'm trying.
 Quoting: Double O Zero


If you're in the mountains make sure the ground water is potable. Some of it is full of sulphur past the point any reasonable person could stand.
Anonymous Coward
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11/24/2012 10:53 AM
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Before you move out to the country do some research. in economic, and social collapse the people in the country actually in the near past were first to get raided and killed in the argentina collapse etc. I think its funny that everyone's idea is always run for the hills, yet they don't do research into what actually happens.
Anonymous Coward
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11/24/2012 11:01 AM
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It sounds like he's moving not just for survival but for quality of life. He wants to feel like he's actively supporting himself, working the land, "living."

But as I've said time and again, you should hope that you die on the first swipe of any global catastrophe. Because the survivors will suffer a multitude of times more than those who die.

I am all for quality of life. Enjoy what you can and follow your dream. But trying to survive a global cataclysm is an exercise in masochism. I'm not into it one bit.
recollector

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11/24/2012 11:02 AM
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I did it last year, in August.
Anonymous Coward
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11/24/2012 11:05 AM
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Thanks for the helpful advice everyone.

I'm planning on buying my property outright so I can keep bills to a minimum. And I have some rental income that will continue so I shouldn't need a job, though ideally, I'd like to sell some of what I make from the land.

I do wish I could get out sooner, but this is as quick as I can manage with my current means, and I also agree it is imperfect but better.

To those who have done this, especially as relates to working the land, I'd ask if there are any books or videos you have found especially helpful or useful. I've been listening to many podcasts on how to do things since I drive for a living, but I will definitely look at anything you've found helpful.
 Quoting: Double O Zero


I read a book called "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" the true story of a family who moved to a backwoods farm in Virginia. [link to localfoods.about.com]

Good read, and you will pick up some knowledge.
Anonymous Coward
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11/24/2012 11:09 AM
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Thanks for the helpful advice everyone.

I'm planning on buying my property outright so I can keep bills to a minimum. And I have some rental income that will continue so I shouldn't need a job, though ideally, I'd like to sell some of what I make from the land.

I do wish I could get out sooner, but this is as quick as I can manage with my current means, and I also agree it is imperfect but better.

To those who have done this, especially as relates to working the land, I'd ask if there are any books or videos you have found especially helpful or useful. I've been listening to many podcasts on how to do things since I drive for a living, but I will definitely look at anything you've found helpful.
 Quoting: Double O Zero


When you get there talk to the locals especially the old geezers, if they like the cut of your jib they will give you lots of priceless information.
Anonymous Coward
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11/24/2012 11:39 AM
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Stockpile a bunch of freeze dried food.The way they are screwing around with the weather by chemtrails and HAARP it is next to impossible to rely on Grow Your Own anymore!
Anonymous Coward
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11/24/2012 12:39 PM
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Quote:"If your wife is resistant, educate her, but don't give in to the resistance, if you are a husband or father it's your duty to take personal responsibility for their survival, no matter if they like it or not. If she is reasonable or loving, she will come around as things get worse and your clearly survival minded choices begin paying back. If not, proceed anyway.. You are all they have, the system won't save you or your family and they will need your help in the near future. Be kind to your fellow man, when possible put back preps for your neighbors in need, no man is an island and we are going to need each other to get to the other side with our humanity and soul intact."

Suppose it is th husband that is resistant! I do all I can do but it is not nearly enough. We have a disabled child and it is our job to care for him as he can not care for himself. I taught myself gardening and can put up foods easily now. I do not know how to work with grains. How to grow them, harvest them, and then use them once ready.That to me is an important skill. Also medicine.

There are lots of sites but there is a woman from doomsday preppers that has the best by far. Her name is Kelene. I wish the freeze dried foods were cheaper! They are so expensive, borderline insane. For a family of 4 for one year it is damn near $10,000.00. That is to eat as normal as you eat today, not near starvation diets! Now if I had 10g's laying around that would be great, but I don't right now. I really wish I did, then I could get into more practical studies like emercency surgery. What do you do if someone in your group has a ruptured appendix? Or some other emergency that requires surgery? How about emergecy dentistry? A bad tooth can kill you!

These are the other things to think about besides food, water, and shelter. That is why it is good to get into a community not try to go it solo. Whether we like it or not,we really do need each other, we just don't need make-pretend power-tripping self-said gods running around claiming power.
Anonymous Coward
User ID: 1512435
United States
11/24/2012 01:11 PM
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Re: Becoming a prepper - moving to the country
Here are some links i like that may help.

Kellene Bishop- [link to preparednesspro.com]

Chef Tess- [link to cheftessbakeresse.blogspot.com]

Off the Grid Survival- [link to offgridsurvival.com]


Kellene's site has multiple survival ideas that are easy to implement. Just search what you are looking for.

Chef Tess is Food! And boy is she good! Meals in a jar, soups in a jar, bread in a bag, just to mention some. I really like her ideas but he food is expensive.

Off the Grid has lots of ideas.

I hope these sites help.
Anonymous Coward
User ID: 8285215
United States
11/24/2012 01:19 PM
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Re: Becoming a prepper - moving to the country
Not being too close to any major urban area, not being too close to a coast line (sufficiently high above sea level), not being close to any nuclear power plants, and in a thinly regulated area.

Well friend, in keeping with the list I wrote earlier, land like that can be found on eBay for dirt cheap, you can buy it for 7-10k for 10 acres or more.. Discount for cash or pay monthly intrest free at $100/month.

The locations that fit all of the above requirements that I have found are:

Montello NV, not in the direct downwind of any nuclear generating stations, totally lax regulations, small off grid community in place, over 100 miles from any major population zone, generous solar resources.

Cons: No jobs, water wells can be very deep, Low level nuclear waste repository 75 miles east behind mountain range.

Terlingua TX, it's the wild west literally. Large off grid community, lax regulations, far from any population center, not downwind from nuclear generating stations (san onofre closed, soon to be defueled) Texas.

Cons: No jobs, proximity to Mexican border (could be minus or plus depending on your needs) it's like dune, water is hauled in from community wells.

I'm sure you can find other locations, but no nukes and no population away from shore is going to be hell to find I think. The main problem will be income and isolation. If you can make a living using a satellite dish then you have a shot, if your by yourself then the odds are more in your favor, your wife/girlfriend WILL loose it in less than a year and you may find yourself alone in the desert. If you have a totally like minded spouse then it could help but if there are any doubts, reconsider.

Those places are like the moon, if SHTF then without satcom or radio you may never know about it, but living there will be like an outpost on mars, daily struggle.

Good luck!
Anonymous Coward
User ID: 1110734
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11/24/2012 04:26 PM
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Re: Becoming a prepper - moving to the country
All the various incarnations of doom aside, I've spent the last few years thinking about what I want to do with my life. I'm in my early thirties, and when I look around like many of the people here do, the one thing its impossible not to notice is how fragile our ways of living have become. I suspect this is as true for non-Americans as otherwise.

But when I thought about why this way, I've come to think that the world has always been dangerous, but that we find ourselves less and less capable of surviving outside an ever narrower set of boundaries. For instance, people know how to work most of the things in their house, their vehicle, or their work, but do they know how they work, how to build them, or even just how to repair them.

More than ever, it seems we do not, and while I won't speak for others, it bothers me immensely to be dependent upon so many things I don't understand. I've been studying hard and working to understand more, and while I think there's a lifetime's work ahead, I learned that being prepared for life isn't about running away from the things you fear, it's embracing the things you can know and taking personal responsibility for you and yourself.

I spent a lot of years in politics just to learn how futile that is. All sides are so flush in money that the corruption is impenetrable, and in both cases, the parties just serve to deepen our already dangerous dependency, not just on bribes and gifts called programs, but that government will be there with an answer, and to take care of us. Obama might be more blatant than Bush, but the writing is in the same font.

And when you look beyond the unavoidable possibilities of natural doom ranging from a flare event to earthquakes and hurricanes, you see several likely problems that are coming. Cameras, surveillance, RFID, and a technological superstate will emerge absent a disaster that places the citizen in every first world country completely within eye of the state. Your actions will be monitored and assessed, your finances will be scrutinized and curtailed more and more thoroughly, and you will be protected from the ability to think for yourself. The last pieces clicked into piece for me in this puzzle when I was thinking about how the UN is considering trying to adopt a tax on all financial transactions. A cashless society, everything taken, and in death, taken away.

So, I guess I realize the clock is ticking on opposing this. It wouldn't sadden me in the least to see it removed, but it won't happen because people everywhere would rather be given something than earn something, for both good and not so good reasons. And it seems to me there are two ways to do this. The first is to become so high tech that you can constantly stay one step ahead. Some may, and I respect those who can, though I have neither the ability nor desire to be that way.
The second is to move out.

It'll take me a year or more to do it, which is longer than I'd like, but I am moving out to the country to build a better life. I think it will be more secure if anything happens, but I'm not doing it for fear, I'm doing it so I can wake up each day and do things that matter to my survival. It will be harder, involve more work, learning each day, and I am convinced it will be totally worth it.

I plan on owning my own land so that it is harder for any bank to take it away. What I grow there will be useful both for me and my community, in a place I hope will have that because it isn't about running off to play soldier alone. And maybe I'll share it with someone too, but what I won't do is compromise who I am or what I believe is necessary.

GLP played a role in this decision, so I was thinking there are probably other people here who are thinking like I do also. I believe those who say we make our future by what we choose, and though bugging out may get mocked a lot, I think when it is done right and for the right reasons, maybe it's something more of us should consider.

My fear is a time will come, not so far from now in maybe a decade, where the system will make it such where it is nearly impossible to legally or financially become self-sufficient and make this choice. So better now while times aren't so bad. Just my $.02.
 Quoting: Double O Zero

YES! You are correct! You have awakened! Learn as many skills as possible to create the things you need. It will take a long time, and it will be only realistically possible when in a good community of people who think similarly (not exactly) like you.

We don't reject technology. Tech will help us, but only is truly useful if there exists trade and an ability to replicate it.

It's certainly possible to purchase items of tech, but long term, all things break.

I would encourage you to look up permies. They are a group of people of differing cultures, ideas, outlooks that each believe in sustainable agriculture.
[link to www.permies.com]
You will benefit from the ideas of others and their wisdom.

Become a good critical thinker. Discern when people are talking nonsense. Many people who speak of doom are not critically thinking but assuming things are correct based upon adopting the ideas of others and not doing any discernment.

For some tips on making your life easier see:
Thread: Last minute tips for parents when the SHTF

These are only ideas to start you off critically thinking about what YOU need to do to cope.

I'm glad you're no longer a slave to the system.
Anonymous Coward
User ID: 3193004
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11/25/2012 12:45 PM
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Re: Becoming a prepper - moving to the country
Quote:"If your wife is resistant, educate her, but don't give in to the resistance, if you are a husband or father it's your duty to take personal responsibility for their survival, no matter if they like it or not. If she is reasonable or loving, she will come around as things get worse and your clearly survival minded choices begin paying back. If not, proceed anyway.. You are all they have, the system won't save you or your family and they will need your help in the near future. Be kind to your fellow man, when possible put back preps for your neighbors in need, no man is an island and we are going to need each other to get to the other side with our humanity and soul intact."

Suppose it is th husband that is resistant! I do all I can do but it is not nearly enough. We have a disabled child and it is our job to care for him as he can not care for himself. I taught myself gardening and can put up foods easily now. I do not know how to work with grains. How to grow them, harvest them, and then use them once ready.That to me is an important skill. Also medicine.

There are lots of sites but there is a woman from doomsday preppers that has the best by far. Her name is Kelene. I wish the freeze dried foods were cheaper! They are so expensive, borderline insane. For a family of 4 for one year it is damn near $10,000.00. That is to eat as normal as you eat today, not near starvation diets! Now if I had 10g's laying around that would be great, but I don't right now. I really wish I did, then I could get into more practical studies like emercency surgery. What do you do if someone in your group has a ruptured appendix? Or some other emergency that requires surgery? How about emergecy dentistry? A bad tooth can kill you!

These are the other things to think about besides food, water, and shelter. That is why it is good to get into a community not try to go it solo. Whether we like it or not,we really do need each other, we just don't need make-pretend power-tripping self-said gods running around claiming power.
 Quoting: Anonymous Coward 1512435


I could not agree with you more. As the breadwinner for my family, it's much easier for me to make those choices. That's not to say I work against my wife, but when major prep steps are required I will try my best to inform and discuss, save that.. If the support is just not there so be it. I have found that at first there was some understandable problems with this but as time went on and my preps paid dividends (we did not suffer at all during a near direct hit from sandy), the resistance was less.

One instance was my wife comes from a culture and religion that is very much against small arms. As she is a critical member of the family she must be comfortable and proficient in their use. Our first trip to the range was quite uncomfortable for her, the loudness and intensity of the activity caused the shakes and she was almost unable to function. In the most calm and supporting manner, I made it clear why this was vital by saying " if your husband is injured, or if you are on your own because i can't get to you, how will you protect yourself or our children from an attacker who wants to rob the food from our bellies or worse wants to have their way with your body.. Just try this Hun, trust me I'm trying to empower you."

By the end of the day she was getting a fair grouping on the target.. Now she can shoot skeet and wants to blast a wild turkey this winter. It can be done, love, reason and a little brainwashing can go along way.

You don't need mountain house or 10k to do this, just be a clever shopper, I have never met a woman who did not possess this vital skill.. Use it to build up your food stores using what you know and what you can afford. Your gardening work is great.. It gives you a huge advantage, I wish I had time for it and still keep my income. From what you say here, your well on your way and better then most, when the MREs and rice are all used up, you better have plan B well underway (which you do :)

All I can say is that if it's important to you (and that you have taken command of the issue in your family, it is to be sure) then you may have to do whatever it takes to get more income, 2nd or third job.. Even a rock bottom one..Borrow-steal-kill. It does not take a year to put back the preps you need so the situation will not be forever by any means.

As for medical, I'm totally with you on that, the reference library must have provisions for that, supplies, even perscription ones are not as hard to get as you think.. Get on craigslist, buy the cheapest sailboat you can find that can still be registered.. In my area you can get one given away free.. And once you have a hull number for a sailboat, use it to buy a full featured prescription off shore medical kit.. They are about 1k and have everything you need to support 1-3 people with no further medical support... Drugs included. There are plenty of manuals on how to use this gear for almost any situation.. Granted your not a doctor, but the alternative of waching my loved ones die in front of me, I will forgo the MD training and act from a researched and informed position to save their life.. No question.

There are no limits to what can be done when your love is in danger.

Thanks for listening.
Anonymous Coward
User ID: 25765737
Netherlands
11/25/2012 01:08 PM
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Re: Becoming a prepper - moving to the country
OP I recomend to start whit Bushcraft/Surival, if you have a friend that you know from the start of your life, try to get him into bushcraft.

I do bushcraft now for 4 years, and it's the most rewarding and peacefull thing there is. My best friend that i know for about 18 years now, joined 2 years ago, He doesn't regret it one bit. I showed him most of the skills that i learned in those 4 years.

Look up Ray Mears video's and other lads.

Read bushcraft books, and make your own exams, great way to learn.

And if you dont want to take your bushcraft books outside, just scan the pages and print and seal them whit a sealer , then you can take them outside. Great way to let your friend see what bushcraft is, and you always have reference pages whit you.

And you learn faster.

"The great thing about bushcraft is that wherever you go, the skills go with you."

"Knowledge is the key to survival and the best thing about that is: it doesn't weigh anything."

Just my 2 cents.

Good luck

hf





GLP