One thing that I never hear mentioned on here about homesteading is the cost. I think that's an important subject to discuss here, especially for new people who would like to start a homestead. One of the things that I've learned is; whatever you think building construction will cost, double or triple it. With the price of land now days, how are people able to afford to buy enough land to make a homestead. Just yesterday I was looking at a 400 acre parcel for summer grazing. They wanted $500,000 for it. A more fertile property suitable for homesteading would be much higher, and for less land.
I know how much I have invested in our homestead to get to where we are today, which is about 90% where I think we should be.
The fact is all the fertile deep soil, gentle climate land is and has been occupied for generations...
A few years ago we were looking for any little patch of land of a couple of acres or more and we figured we could spend $100K....Nothing available, or if it was it was not accessible in winter and or had recently been burned over by a forest fire..
Recently a three acre parcel came on the market in a area void of trees and needing a deep well for a mere $134,000.
So for what I see as the majority of people who want to (or should want to) getaway from the coming dangerous times in the highly populated areas and you don't have a paid for house to sell you need to find someplace that allows you to continue working and yet be close enough to safer country that you can develop contacts and arrangements with people who already have a safe place..
Rent a cheap place place in the smaller town that has jobs to fit your skills and save your money for assets and learning skills. Find a side job helping with bringing in hay or helping out at a truck farm or work with a landowner getting brush and dead trees cleaned from the fence lines.
Here in montana every spring we have gophers (not really gophers but that is the vernacular) that burrow and make holes that can break a cow or horses leg...Get to know someone that has land and wants to get rid of the pests. Great fun with 22's.
The more people you know and that they know you the better... Then if something like a spare cabin or a place to park a mobile or camper comes up you might be able to swing it...
We want to plant more garden but are old and need to sleep and we have side hustles going so we have some young energetic people that want experience and good food...If they do a bad job nothing lost but if several of them actually persevere then we know who they are and they can be useful if things go wrong with the world.
Thru some fortuitus happenings or blessings and hard work we have basically our own garden supply store for a couple of years and more seeds then we can plant.
We also have enough stored to feed some good workers for quite a while. Running freeze driers can store up a nice variety of food..
I was talking to a neighbor who has all the accoutrements (RV's, harlys, landscaped property) pus they grow a nifty garden.,,, I mentioned the young family renting from us and how they work three jobs and her response was to come to the food bank where the neighbor works and donates her vegies ... if they needed any food.....I just smiled and nodded......
In todays world where I am a million dollars would get you a set up for the moderately long haul but it wouldn't be too much land it it would maybe get you by. Real basic housing and vehicles. This is the reason i try to get people who don't have big bucks but see things going bad shortly to get to a safer area and find someone who has resources but needs trustworthy honest people to make things work..
