homesteading to the extreme???

Well said.


Dennisjp, we have looked at their land before. I love the land of Canada. But their is alot going on there that makes me look long and hard about moveing there. For instance, it would realy pi** me off if I HAD to regester my land and animals. It is rather expencive to become a citizen, aspecialy for a large family. WE are looking to do the same thing you speek of but in the US or maybe an island in some far off place. I want it to work out but I dont see how. Land state side can be found but as you have shown, it would be a big plot and affordable if some went in on it togeather.

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"If we ever forget that we're one nation under GOD, then we will be a nation gone under." - R Reagan

History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid. ~ D D Eisenhower

Great Idea I was wanting to do something similar with someone east of fayetteville AR in S.E maddison county problem is you cant go live in Canada now they dont want us unless we are retired with big bucks or have 200k saved up. Or you are a deserter from the army seeking asylym.Please tell me I am wrong someone.

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marching to the beat of a different drummer

Yea, I was telling the better half today it wouldn't work. The growing seasons is way to short for the veggies. Just another dum thought

Dennisjp,

It would work if you really wanted it. Yes, they do have a shorter growing season, just like Maine, Alaska, etc, but how do you think they are doing it now. You have to do your research, just cause you can find the land cheap enough, the cost of living is different. Are you willing to give up your U.S. citizenship?? And depending on the providence you are looking at could be different. The providence of Quebec is trying to retain their french language and do not care for the english. They are also trying to gain their independence from Canada. Canada is a beautiful country and can work, but you need to keep in mind that there is a different culture and gov't than what we are accustomed to. There is alot more involved than just buying land and moving there. I have family that lives in Quebec, some still farm for a living and I still don't understand it all. I find that the cost of living is higher than us in Western Mass. Yes, you do have gov't medical but sometimes you have to wait forever to get treatment. Some even come to the US for medical procedures and pay for it themselves. Everything seems to be high in taxes, who do you think pays for the benefits. It depends on who you talk to as to if its doable or not. Just my 2cents.

how would ya'll access this board if you were off the grid?

satellite internet like we have.

On my laptop, connected to my batteries, that are connected to my solar panels (which is generating more power than we are using on two computers today in the sunshine!).


katlupe

I live in a 12x30 uninsulated hunting cabin with my 2 teen girls (17 and 14). No amount of wood in the stove warmed that small space this winter and I'm inm GA!. Now I'm worried about the summer. No insulation means blistering heat. Too many bugs to sit outside. I'm still saving for the insulation that we need. I can't imagine living the way we do with infants and toddlers. We were heating all water on the wood stove until recently. I bought an electric 2 burner (getting too hot to heat the stove during the day). Cooking is a challenge. Heck, everything is a challenge and we have a temp. electric pole (20 amps). We wash clothes with a manual wringer washer and water from the creek. It takes 2 people to haul the water and boy are my armes getting strong. I can't imagine doing diapers in it. What about rainy days. No drying outside if it raining. Just this week I scratched my leg on a limb climbing up from the creek. It wasn't a bad wound and I cleaned and dressed it immediately. Now my leg is swollen, the wound is hot to the touch and very painful. Looks like I've gotten a pretty bad infestion going on. I surely don't want to dash your dreams, but in my opinion, especially with children, it's better to have and not need than need and not have. Get electricity and a phone. Keep it unplugged. Use the electricity sparingly. Remember, children didn't live long back in the good old days. You lost a lot of them to illness and injury. And women didn't last too long either. Men went through 2-3 wives.

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Sometimes the last minute is the best one.

jnap31, would you tell us how you marketed your vegetables that first year? You were VERY successfull in your selling!

<<Your right,I am afraid I will have trouble with my wife she lived with out electric till she was 15 but now she wants it all and I am afarid she would be happiest living the wage slave debt ridden city life of all her brothers that have immigrated here.I am at a loss as I expalined to her from the beginning what kind of life I wanted to create for our family and now she is like a lead weight at times.I sometimes feel betrayed. I have tried to make life as easy as I can for her and always will but she will not accept that are grid dependednt lives our very tempoarary and that their is a big chance they could change dramatically in a year if I sel my place and buy raw land to build on.>>

Maybe she is just scared about raising her babies in very rustic conditions. Can you compromise with her? What about going solar so she can have electricity or at least have the hope of electricity in the future. If we ever moved off grid I don't plan on living without electricity forever and always, just building to take advantage of passive solar and then getting a solar system.

The library very rarely.

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marching to the beat of a different drummer

You have to pay for the phone even if it is unplugged also the electric has a basic charge everymonth even if you dont use it. My great grandpa lived to 87. I think the reason so many kids died young is they did not know about antibiotics back then.

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marching to the beat of a different drummer

It helped a lot that I was able to join the fayetteville farmers market, a bad day for most of the people who are established selling there is $300 in sales their top few sellers make 50k a year. I think two of those people sell just flowers and two sell produce, One guy said for years before he bought a bigger property he only had an acre and sold 6k a year of tomatoes! So really I did not do that great but it was my first years garden in AR and I spent a lot of time in the tropics growing up so I had to re-learn gardening in a temperate area. I am confident that I will be able to make atleast 5k my second year doing it full time when I get back from my guard deployment and more the 3rd year by the 4th year when all my berries I plant produce I will be doing really well, I will be satisfied with 10k a year after the 10% the market takes and taxes. I have 4 kids (one is adopted) But of course we will be raising most all our own food probably 90% so we will not need much $. I am use to being poor having grown up that way LOL! But hey I am not limiting us if my kids get older and are helping we may make more than that I am not doing it for the $ really I just want to do something that will allow me to work at home with my family and homeschool my kids, Right now i am away in the army for a year and so spending the rest of my kids childhood with them is my goal also gardening is just in my blood My great Grandpa in KY had the most wonderful diverse farm. Sadly I did not get to live that way growing up but my kids will get too. Also I want to provide people with an alternative to GMO and chemically fertilized foods. People around Fayetteville appreciate it, they have one of the best farmers markets in the country I have read. Oh i sold a few at the winslow farmers market as well though it only has 4 sellers it is closer I did not sell as much there I will probably just concentrate on the Fayetteville market when I get home, It stinks having to give them 10% of sales but they provide bags and plastic/cardboard containers also all the advertising.

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marching to the beat of a different drummer

Your probably right, They will not be babies when I get home in 8 months.Yes I will definitely compromise I will do what ever I can to make her more comfortable.

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marching to the beat of a different drummer

If anyone out there has a small creek, it is a lot easier and cheaper to make the electricty with water than solar.

Could you describe your set up?

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marching to the beat of a different drummer