Cheap Livin' II

By ed dugan

If you have a limited income a self-sufficient life in the county could be just what you and your family needs. The authors did it and give you a step-by-step guide to show how you can do it as well!

• Language: English
• Publisher: ed dugan
• Release date: Apr 2, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386989677

Book preview

DEDICATION

None of what’s described here would have been even remotely possible without the love and support of my wife Lynne. Once we got married, we became like one person sharing two bodies, and there’s nothing better than that!

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

About Country Living    7   

Country Life, Part 1    11

Country Life, Part 2    16

Country Life, Part 3    24

Decision Time  33

Two Directions to Consider    40

The Next Step  50

Building Your New Home  59

Water, Water Everywhere  75

Tools, Tools, Tools  84

How Much Money Will it Take?  90

Using Your Land to Produce Income  97

Two Great Resources:     116

Mary, Mary, How Does

Your Garden Grow?  124

Preserving Your Bounty  132

Final Check List   143

A Fun Project  148

In Conclusion    156

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ABOUT COUNTRY LIVING

T

he lifestyle described here has absolutely nothing to do with the back to the land movement, as lived by many hippies in the 60’s and 70’s. This is not about living in a commune or a handbook for survivalists.

The kind of life we’re describing involves a nice home, indoor plumbing, a full kitchen, TV, cell phones, computers and all the other amenities that the average person is accustomed to today. 

More than anything, it’s about simplifying your life and living on very little income. However, you don’t need to be poverty-stricken to adopt this kind of life. Maybe you just want to spend your income in other ways, or save it for your kids’ education or retirement.

For Lynne and me, it began the day we decided that 10 years of living on a boat was enough and it was time to experience a different kind of life. We didn’t have a lot of money so it had to be one that we could afford.

We set out like a couple of pilgrims in a VW camper and headed north and west from Miami. With a few stops along the way to look at land, we got to Arkansas, found some raw land and put a down payment on it. The owner financed the rest.

The land featured a small mountain as well as a running stream (in which we found some Indian arrow heads), and we fell in love with it at first sight. Later, we discovered an old Nash Rambler sunk in the stream, removed the bumper and had it mounted on a wall as a work of art. 

We had no idea what to expect but it was the sense of adventure that helped make it so exciting. The first thing we did was walk the land and imagine where we wanted to do certain things. We picked the top of the mountain for our house, and the bottom by the creek, for our barn.

Eventually we cleared the land, built our home, developed some pasture, and put in a garden. When we finished, our living expenses had dropped to less than $1,000 a month. We never did find a way to grow paper towels, so we still had to visit our local supermarket in town.

While we were still living in town, waiting to begin, we pitched a tent and spent our weekends on our new land, camping out and planning. Then we put up a small 8’X10’ portable metal building next to the creek and stayed in it. Later we used the building for storage.

We also planted a small garden next to it. After that, it took about two years for us get a well dug, septic tank installed next to our house site, and a small travel trailer brought up so we could move full-time on our land, and enjoy life in the country. Meanwhile we were making a living as well as making life-long friends.

The point we want to make is that setting up a home in the country can take a little time, and if you have limited funds, you must do it one step at a time.

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COUNTRY LIFE -  PART 1

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or people who have lived their entire lives in a metropolitan area, life in the country will require some attitude adjustments. When you think about a significant change in your lifestyle, you must make certain your spouse or partner is on the same page. Living in the country is much more of a partnership than living elsewhere. Before we delve too far into how to do it, let me list a few advantages for you to consider.

Privacy and tranquility. Cities and towns are often very crowded and it’s almost impossible to step outside without being seen or to see other people. In the country, people are used to a high degree of privacy and don’t have to see anyone if they don’t want to. Interaction is their choice, not something that is forced upon them.

You’re much closer to nature. Homes in the country are surrounded by nature, which has a soothing effect on both the mind and the body. In the country, you don’t have to leave your home to feel closer to nature because nature comes to you. It was common for us to look out our window in the morning and see deer families grazing.

Open spaces. City life doesn’t give you many options to enjoy open spaces but in the country, they’re all around you. You can step outside your home, do a 360 degree turn, and see nothing but trees and grass. And most of the time they are your trees and grass.

You can produce your own food. This book goes into a lot of detail about exactly how to do this, but it’s worth noting that providing self-sufficiency in the