Episode-32- Making the Move from City to Country Living
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Today’s podcast covers the advantages and different aspects of making a move from urban or suburb life out into the country or even the wilderness. Join is as we discuss the advantages, methods and resources to get the move made.
Oh and of course I have some thought about Paris Hilton’s Energy Policy video – just where have we heard that “outstanding plan” before, could the vaulted Hilton Plan actually be McCain’s plan? Tune in today to hear about…
- The importance of research and being ready when the opportunity presents itself (because it will)
- How to find the right land for self sufficiency
- How to use real estate search tools together to get better results
- How we found our perfect place
- The advantages and disadvantages of off grid living
- Choosing between a mobile home or a site built home
- Using direct 12 VDC solar for lighting and other needs while relying on the grid for Climate Control, etc.
- The need to do some real visiting to an area before you buy
- Avoiding traps with tax increases and PMI costs
- The perfect distance for maintaining two properties while you prepare to make the move
- Go now or go later, which one is right for you
- The value of a really good real estate agent
- Finding land that borders government or public lands
- Considering both sides of the “restrictions sword”
- Getting full costs of property and development before you buy
- Hiring a neighbor to watch your place if you buy a “second home”
- The real advantages of a long term moving plan
Remember to join in and comment with your thoughts, questions and ideas. Also make sure to enter our listener appreciation contest and help us spread the word about The Survival Podcast and grow to our first 1000 listeners.
Resources for this Podcast
Finding and Buying Land
On the Paris Hilton Energy Policy – Just for Fun!
- McCain’s Official Position on Energy
- The Paris Hilton Energy Policy Video – You may want to fast forward up to her part but this was the best one I could find.
Not to dispute what you said on Paris’s energy being McCains. I cant find where he supports Off Shore Drilling with strict controls. In fact after seeing the video I remembered it was actually Obama who flip flopped and said ok to offshore drilling but under strict controls. I think her energy policy was an combination of both McCain and Obama.
Just IMHO
@Chris,
McCain is indeed for offshore drilling and his record is actually one that would support “strict environmental controls”, unlike myself McCain is a “true believer” in man made global warming.
From the John McCain website, “The current federal moratorium on drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf stands in the way of energy exploration and production. John McCain believes it is time for the federal government to lift these restrictions and to put our own reserves to use.”
To make “strict controls” the sticking point is pointless. The environmental controls on oil companies TODAY are very strict indeed. They were not always but today they are.
Again I am not shilling for McCain, while I respect his service in Vietnam immensely I have decided to vote against the two party system this year and back Bob Barr. It is just clear that at least on paper McCain has always been for
Protecting the environment
Alternative energy
Domestic oil production
He is now on record as being for offshore drilling as well. Go to his site, pull up the page on energy and look at the symbols on the top of that page, they are
1. An Atom – “nuclear”
2. A windmill – “wind”
3. A plant – “biofuels”
4. The sun – “solar”
5. A battery – “hybrid cars”
I did make one error in that the “Paris Plan” did not mention nuclear, yet, it did not rule it out either. Honestly if you look at it with a total non partisan and open view point, the “Paris Plan” is the “McCain Plan” or at least VERY VERY close.
Note – I am not saying it is a great plan! I for one think that biofuels are a disaster! Ethanol is taking food off of tables and expanding the dead zone in the gulf and oh yea burning more energy then it produces. For more on my thoughts about Biofuel you can listen to this episode,
http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/the-lies-of-ethanol-and-biofuel
Jack,
A very informative and thought provoking podcast; it in conjunction with talking with my wife, has made her and I rethink our idea of moving to the country. What we’ve likely decided is to have to a smaller city in a better location within Canada (better quality of life without needing to buy unneeded things (like a car, though we’d rent one when needed)) as well as milder climate, etc. We realized that moving into the country for us would be too expensive and too much of a “culture shock”. As we live in a 4+ million person city (Toronto), even if we had a car, it would take us easily 1h to get outside the city’s boundary. Where we are thinking of moving to on Vancouver Is, it would take us less than 20 minutes. Also, we’re looking at houses with between 1/4 to 1/2 acre of land, along with the ability to move partially off-grid (or significantly reduce our need on is for things like heating, electricity, etc.).
Thanks for the podcast and for making us re-evaluate our priorities, et al., it was needed for us to realize what the important things for us are.
Jack, You mentioned aanother blog or podcast. Something like “I SURVIVED”, but I am unsure of it. Can you post a link to it? Was it in this podcast that you mentioned it, or another one (raising animals podcast maybe?)
Forgot to mention that you might want to invest in an alarm system for your property. Just a break in alarm (noise) and a motion detector. Have the alarm automatically dial your cellphone or text your cellphone, or dial your nieghbor. Maybe have it play a dog bark. All self contained and running on batteries. Was thinking that paying an alarm company is too much of a cost; but a one time fee to buy an automated system might be nice.
@Offroad,
The show you are asking about what this one,
http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/small-livestock-and-wild-protien-sources
I did forget to link to that other podcast I mentioned in it so thanks for pointing that out I will go add it there right away.
Anyway it is the “You Can Survive Podcast” and it is located at
http://youcansurvivepodcast.blogspot.com/
If you comment there mention to the host, (Matt Hundley) that we sent you his way. I am doing what I can to build up relationships with other podcasters in this niche.
It seems many kind of forget the point, unless you have an alternative source of electricity alarms and motion sensors mean nothing. A dog is a better investment.
Great post Jack, this hits me on a personal level since I’ve been planning the move to the homestead for quite awhile. Fortunately I have the ability to work remotely which offers huge and obvious advantages. The main problem I’m experiencing is that my areas real estate prices have yet to bottom out and are currently EXTREMELY overpriced. It is harder said than done for many however but not impossible. You have many great points in this podcast.
P.S. Trusting anything that Mccain says as an accurate representation of what he believes is a complete joke. He’s a liar, and he didn’t get to where he is on his own (neither did obama for that matter) and any discussion of his believes is a waste of time. He won’t do what he says good or bad.
Oh yeah Chris sry I forgot one thing,
landandfarm.com is a great one too.
Don’t want to comment on US domestic policies, you all manage enough of that for me. Looking from “Europe in” it is not clear what the foreign policies differences are. Also a strong viable US domestic scene is in the worlds interest. I think everyone worries about the diversion of food acreage to bio fuels, especially ethonal. EU focus is more on bio diesel regarding bio fuels. I am a nuclear fan myself. The UK buys a lot of our electricity from France, I rest my case!
Regarding a country retreat. If you have a phone line you can get an alarm that will call you (or the police or friends/neighbours). If you have DSL you can remote monitor (Motorola did a system called homesight which I use).
I like the idea of 5 acre minimum, if only we all had the space for such a policy, heaven!!
a direct 12 V DC system is ideal. Inverters are not efficient, so as much use you can make of the DC you generate and minimies the ac requirement the better. You need to think about storage. Use the best DEEP STORAGE batteries you can afford.
But… before you do anything work out your power budget. What items do you use now? Do yo need all of them (Jack mentioned his aircon for instance)? Can you “power” some of the essentials form other sources? Kerosene refrigerators, oil lighting. What must be electrical? Go for low power consumption versions, LED or flouresant lighting, know the power consumption of washing machines, vacuum cleaners, TV’s, DVD, microwaves (you can get DC versions), choose an efficient newer version! Use a laptop not a desktop.
What generation will you use? Wind, solar, micro hydro? A standby generator?
This is a huge subject and I am happy to assist if anyone has any questions.