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Howdy all. I don't post here very often but I thought I'd put up what I am doing at my 20 acre property. A lot of this beginning part is history which you might find boring; feel free to skip it.
My wife and I are both libertarians. I've been a prepper for years which is why I moved to Montana in '06. I store food, load my own ammo and cast my own bullets. I do some gardening and have a few animals. Over the years my wife became a prepper as well. It was inevitable; she's a smart woman.
To make a long story short, a couple years ago I got laid off and even though I got a crappy job to stay off unemployment, we lost our house and went through bankruptcy. My wife had a good job as a nurse, but we simply bought too much house and couldn't afford it. We stayed in our camper at my wife's parents back yard while we figured out what to do. During that time I did a lot of reading and research. We started learning about Monsanto and big agriculture and the ever more oppressive government in terms of the food we eat.
I realized that storing up food is good, but its a band-aid for the real problem, which is that I need to supply my own food. And I felt like we could supply better food that didn't have GMOs, antibiotics, pesticides, herbicides, and hormones. I discovered permaculture and we decided to give it a go. But for the record, I'm no where near that today; I'm just getting started.
I had a 401k from my old job. I cashed it in (with enormous penalties) sold my truck and bought an older diesel 3/4 ton truck. I also bought a 40 year old backhoe and a 1954 farm tractor. With the rest of the money we paid cash for 20 remote, off-grid acres in the mountains of Montana. The land is heavily timbered, came with a 520' well (with no pump) but no surface water. Land with springs, creeks, or other water is way too expensive and I did not want a mortgage. So our land is not perfect, but it is ours and it is paid for. It is miles from the nears electrical or phone hook-up, which made it more affordable. There is occasionally a cell phone signal which is a plus.
There is an easement road that leads to a neighbors house about a mile away. They are a like-minded older couple. They garden but don't raise livestock. They are actually perfect neighbors, as they are libertarian, we get along well, and I don't see them very often!
My wife and I are both libertarians. I've been a prepper for years which is why I moved to Montana in '06. I store food, load my own ammo and cast my own bullets. I do some gardening and have a few animals. Over the years my wife became a prepper as well. It was inevitable; she's a smart woman.
To make a long story short, a couple years ago I got laid off and even though I got a crappy job to stay off unemployment, we lost our house and went through bankruptcy. My wife had a good job as a nurse, but we simply bought too much house and couldn't afford it. We stayed in our camper at my wife's parents back yard while we figured out what to do. During that time I did a lot of reading and research. We started learning about Monsanto and big agriculture and the ever more oppressive government in terms of the food we eat.
I realized that storing up food is good, but its a band-aid for the real problem, which is that I need to supply my own food. And I felt like we could supply better food that didn't have GMOs, antibiotics, pesticides, herbicides, and hormones. I discovered permaculture and we decided to give it a go. But for the record, I'm no where near that today; I'm just getting started.
I had a 401k from my old job. I cashed it in (with enormous penalties) sold my truck and bought an older diesel 3/4 ton truck. I also bought a 40 year old backhoe and a 1954 farm tractor. With the rest of the money we paid cash for 20 remote, off-grid acres in the mountains of Montana. The land is heavily timbered, came with a 520' well (with no pump) but no surface water. Land with springs, creeks, or other water is way too expensive and I did not want a mortgage. So our land is not perfect, but it is ours and it is paid for. It is miles from the nears electrical or phone hook-up, which made it more affordable. There is occasionally a cell phone signal which is a plus.
There is an easement road that leads to a neighbors house about a mile away. They are a like-minded older couple. They garden but don't raise livestock. They are actually perfect neighbors, as they are libertarian, we get along well, and I don't see them very often!
