Hello Everyone

[TamiKellar]

Thanks for allowing me to be here, so exited to find this forum! My husband and I are currently looking to buy land to live on very cheaply. We are 55 & 62, married for over 33 yrs. We've raised 10 chickens in the past plus a small vegetable garden. Our goal is to be almost fully self sufficient in any catastrophe which includes vegetable gardening, fruit trees, rabbits & chickens. Spending a ton of time learning on YouTube. . We've purchased two E-Bikes, one E-Car (2020 Chevy Volt) and we have a small DIY Solar system- Basically a battery and 4-5 large older panels. Our goal is to go off-grid. Looking at the North San Juan area or around Hwy 20 in Nevada County or Camptonville in Yuba County but the highway 49 side which is pretty much Nevada county area.

I work one 48 hr shift per week in Truckee and he works part of the year as a Painting Contractor. Our social security is going to be very low, we also have a very small retirement account so need to downsize out of this house and become more self sufficient.

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

Welcome to the forum @TamiKellar ! We're equally excited to have you!

Especially when aging I would definitely recommend getting raised-beds for long-term plans. It'll save your backs a lot.
That sounds absolutely lovely! Sounds like you both are chasing the dream. Do you have a couple of places scoped out? I'd definitely look into the respective locations climates and what kind of soil the ground has. Whilst anything can be amended (especially if you go for raised beds anyway), having a great base to work from can help out a ton.

Sounds like you both are very hard workers. I'm sure that with your determination you can make it work. Are you aiming to downsize in house size yet bigger yard space?
A lot of self-sufficiency subjects mean a larger initial cost, but cheaper long-term. I'm not sure what the laws are around those places, but I'd recommend setting up water tanks and solar power. Perhaps even set up a firestove and/or electric stove so you are basically covered in most basic needs.

 

[KIGardening]

Welcome to the forum Tami.

One tip, I want to give you to think about when you have obtained your block of land is to invest in an orchard if it it comes without it. Fruit and nut trees take a few years to grow and produce. Depending on your budget you might want to give that priority over raised garden beds given your current age that still allows you to bend over or sit on your knees and plant directly into the ground.

Another tip is to set up an composting system as soon as practical as that will start saving you on the compost and fertilise bill. Since you indicate your budget is low you want to invest as much into money saving setups as soon as practical.

People on this forum can give you plenty of ideas if you need them, the only thing you need to do is ask