If you've ever thought about pursuing a self-sufficient lifestyle on your own rural homestead or survival retreat but feared you didn't have the money or skills to do it, you simply must read this book. It is a gold mine of practical steps and instructions to take you from dreaming about an off-grid, independent lifestyle to living one! There are hundreds of things to think about before planning and starting your new life, and this book will save you valuable time and money by steering you down productive paths and making you carefully consider others. Just some of the areas it covers include: - 4 rules for defining your goals for your homestead or retreat - creative ways to find inexpensive rural property to buy - the essential tools, vehicles, and skills you will need to succeed - 10 rules for a self-sufficient garden - designing the off-grid home so it's warm in winter and cool in summer - questions you must ask before investing in farm animals, livestock, or even pets A person who's reliant on others for the necessities of life will always be subject to the people, companies, and agencies who feed, house, and protect him.
With determination, creativity, and the knowledge in this book, you can break this cycle of dependence and become a successful low-budget homesteader! Steven D. Gregersen learned such skills as crop and animal husbandry while working on the farms of various relatives; hunting and fishing from his father; camping and outdoor skills from the Boy Scouts; discipline, marksmanship, and first aid from the U.S. Marine Corps; and auto mechanics from vocational school. In addition, he taught himself gardening, trapping, construction, solar power, food preservation, heating with wood, and a host of other skills essential to an off-grid, self-sufficient lifestyle. He and his wife established their 20-acre homestead in northwestern Montana in 2004.