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Episode-646- The Big Bugout — 39 Comments

  1. Over six hundred episodes later, you are finally here! Congratulations!

  2. I’m bugged out in central and east Oregon, which is 2012 proof. 😉

    Even if the the S does not HTF, bugging out is a good way to escape sheeple in the cities. However, beware small town boss hog politics and RESIDENT nationalism, if coming from another state.

  3. Right behind you good buddy. I am 2 months away from the great escape from Philthadelphia!!!! Timing is everything.

  4. Jack, I’ve been listening since around December and so I’ve been hearing frequent mention by you about eventually moving to Hot Springs. I think I recall in other episodes that the original intended dates that you’ve voiced as far as when this move was supposed to happen were in fact dates much earlier than April, so it seems you’re late. But that’s life, right?

    You have been such an example of perseverence and commitment, just plugging away at this whole multi-year effort of

    –buying the Hot Springs property
    –re-shaping it to your liking
    –preparing to move there permanently
    –announcing the intended move dates
    –having those dates go by
    –not getting discouraged in spite of those missed dates
    –continuing to work at it faithfully

    You have been so generous to share these details with us. Your triumphal achievment has become ours by proxy. Every setback you experienced became our setback. Every victory you won became our victory. Thank you so much for giving us the gift of seeing all of this unfold and letting us expereince it with you. Thank you also for allowing us to see the reality of enduring missed dates, and being an example of the maturity and the grace to deal with those missed dates and just to keep your focus fixed upon the prize at the end of the race.

    You often cite the moral of the story of the ant and the grasshopper. But I think this one is an example of lesson to be learned from the tortoise and the hare: slow and steady wins the race. Perseverence is a virtue I think most of us could probably all stand a better dose of.

    Thanks for showing us what can be achieved in spite of life’s many setbacks and surprises. It all just makes the final victory all the more enjoyable.

  5. Amazing, amazing show today, Jack! It has been so inspiring to watch your journey. Congrats, buddy.

  6. RE: Bugging out “too early”

    The following quote has been attributed to the likes of both JP Morgan and Lord Rothschild.

    [b]Reporter:[/b] [i]”Sir, how did you make your fortune?”[/i]
    [b]Rich man:[/b] [i]”By selling too early.”[/i]

    Jack, don’t let anyone ever tell you that you jumped ship on the so-called normalness of grid-reliant suburbia “too early.” Anyone who does say that is probably going to wind up being “too late” in saving their own bacon.

  7. Congratulations! I hope you and Dorothy are very happy there.I know you’ve been yearning for this for a long time. 🙂

  8. Jack, I am trying SO hard not to be envious.

    My desire to get the “h” out of the ‘burbs exploded yesterday when I found out that a neighbor freaked out and called Plano Property Standards after I told her we were converting our front lawn into a garden.

    Which, BTW, the lady from PPS I talked to said was okay as long as it looked well-maintained. Duh.

    I want you to know that I am working on building an online income, and I want it to grow quickly so that we don’t have to wait an entire two more years…

  9. Congratulations Jack, we’ll miss you in Texas! I grew up about 20 minutes from Hot Springs, it’s a beautiful area. We used to cruise Central and hang out on top of the mountains overlooking Hot Springs. Trees and beautiful mountain scenery are two things that area definitely has over Texas.

  10. The scary thing is Emily is that those scary city people that believe that you do not have property rights have become the majority and the norm in many rural counties. In many ways Green and Christian country MO (in the Ozarks) are now no different than the peoples republic of California. A moral?…. We need to demand our rights where we live.

  11. Congrats on the move Jack. What are you going to do with all of your spare time? ;-}

  12. Thinking on this. I agree with first is to get out of debt, grow food, etc.

    Now if the dollar takes a nose dive, which I wouldn’t doubt, wouldn’t it make sense for those with the means, once their personal living situation is secure, to invest wisely in foreign markets,gold, silver, commodities so when if the crash comes (or even if it doesn’t) that US farmland is bought by Americans also, not just foreign investors. Giving them the means to establish/rebuild sustainable communities. No guarantee others won’t continue the way of big ag, rather see the land in hands of those who care.

  13. Great Work. I caught the podcast, and again I am impressed with the consistency, the candor, and the recurring point of not just taking your word for it , get up , get out and check it for oneself.

    oh yeah and a mention sbout assclowns, how about the one who claimed moving is an adventure, when everyone else knows what a PITA it is.

    Congratulations on getting it done / almost.

    Hope Max, the survivor dog likes the new place too.

  14. Congratulations Jack! You are an inspiration to all of us. Now the work really begins. Keep it up Jack. Take it easy…

  15. Joe in Missouri you are right about California look at the recent smoking ban in springfield all done and started by a out of state group.Lots of money $80000 to run ads and to get it up on a vote in favor of 53-47.

  16. We’re working towards to the same steps, though somewhere in CO, not AR. Seeing someone else pull it off is another kick in the a$$ to get moving faster than we planned if we can get away with it. Congrats! Good to see you finally made it.

  17. I just wanted to say that this is one of the best episodes I have ever listened too, and I started listening back in the “mobile studio” days. You always seem to inspire me somehow to keep trotting along with my “work” in prepping, but when you wrapped up today I literally felt goosebumps. Thanks for everything you are doing, and congratulations on the move. I wish you and your family the best.

  18. Congratulations to you and your family Jack! You are an inspiration to us all! I, for one, am on a better path because of you!

  19. Congratulations Jack! Very inspiring episode. Nice kick in the pants to follow your heart when everyone around you is saying “man, I can’t believe your gonna give up….. and ….. to go live in the sticks.” Some just don’t understand and others never will!

  20. Congratulations Jack. As someone who moved to the sticks 25 years ago I’ve put up with the grief from those who couldn’t or wouldn’t understand not living close to everything and driving 30+ miles to work every day. No matter that my commute was often less time than theirs, but I guess it’s a mindset that some will never understand. Looking out and seeing full propane tanks and stacks of cordwood gives me a sense of well being that my IRA statement no longer engenders. For those who still have the dream of moving and living a more self reliant lifestyle, the journey begins with a first step and will take time, planning, hard work and patience. I think your example in planning and executing this move, even with a few setbacks should be an inspiration to everyone, proving that the dream isn’t free, but is still real and available if you’re serious about it.

  21. Congratulations on your bug out 🙂

    And thanks for your podcast. I really enjoy it and am inspired by your success.

  22. my heart aches to get out.
    One day soon!
    Each step closer to self-sustainability and a simpler, happier existence.
    And I miss the stars!
    Where are the stars in my sky?

    Congrats to you!

  23. headed to slab city anyone live there. going next week. this is my bug out. lost all the things that has held me down.which im happy to say . the bank can have it all. i make wind gen, solar heaters. so have truck still looking for pop up. so it happy trails soon. if anyone has been there let me know. peace, keep the keep.

  24. So happy for you Jack, you are truly living the dream!

    My husband and I listened to your show a few nights ago, and as it ended, we just sat there, staring off into space. We’ve been fighting the good fight, paying off debt, building our place in the country, but still have the feeling that we’re not where we are supposed to be. Now with the announcement that Robert’s position will be replaced by cheaper labor in India, we are at a crossroads, and we are faced with new decisions on whether we will stay here and tough it out, or make another move. We would love to be in Hot Springs! And we’d love to be debt free. If the right job presented itself, we’d most likely start packing.

  25. One of your best shows Jack! I got to listen to this episode (for the 4th time 😉 with 2 co-workers, both left-leaning guys. I believe you you have 2 more fans of the show!

  26. Congratulations!

    I am not where I want to be when the SHTF but I am closer than I was 5 years ago.

    Under what conditions and where would you bugout now? I used all of my resources to move further from the city rather than for a weekend place, so having to bug out is much less likely but the options are worse if I do (my family is on the opposite coast).

  27. I am fairly new to your podcast, having stumbled across it in the Zune Marketplace when I was looking for interesting things to listen to. I’ve listened to several of your episodes and really felt moved to write when I listened to this one. This was the singularly most inspirational thing I have heard on this topic in a long time. A series of events have led my husband and I to vastly change our lifestyle… relooking at what is important and what we are sinking our time, money and effort into. Our house has been for sale for 7 months (market kinda tanked in our part of the world, but I think we’ve got it priced way more realistically now)and, when it sells, we will be able to pay off debt and still have enough to buy something in another part of the country for cash. Gonna go on a trip with the kiddoes this summer and find a place. Kids are excited. Our 7 year old (born and bred city boy!) has always wanted to be… a farmer! It is scary to leave our “roots” behind, but we know we can plant new ones (in more ways than one!) and have a much simpler and healthier (mentally, emotionally, and physically) lifestyle than we have been trapped in so far. THANK YOU. I’m gonna save this one for when I need a dose of inspiration.