Highway to Self-Reliance – A Beginner Guide Non-fiction Writing Contest Submission by Steven Long
Due to the way the economy and world has become, we are seeing more and more people going down the path of achieving self-reliance (Reliance on one’s own efforts and abilities). If your main goal is to break free from the imprisonment of a system of work, produce, consume, work, produce, consume, basically being a slave to society, then you should benefit from this article.
These steps are from my own experience and research that need to be customized to suit your own situation. They are written based on my path to self-reliance on a Travel Trailer Homestead.
These are a few basic steps to become self-reliant:
The first step on the “Highway to Self-Reliance” is becoming financially stable and getting rid of the debt in your life. I have made major mistakes in the past by getting deep into debt and not understanding the way to get out.
From my experiences, this is the best way to financial freedom:
1) Assuming you have a job, write out your total monthly income, expenses and debt (this is your budget). Look at the expenses and lose the cable TV, Lawn Care, change full coverage insurance to liability, use only cell phones and get a cheaper plan, and so forth. Weed out the ones you can live without and give the rest a haircut.
2) On another piece of paper, write out your debt and include the amount owed, interest rates and due date.
3) From your budget sheet, subtract all of your expenses from your income (Don’t forget to add gasoline, food, entertainment, prepping supplies, etc.). This will be the amount of money you have left to pay your debt with. Write this down at the top of the debt sheet.
4) Now, pick the one with the highest interest rate and pay it off first by putting the most amount of money into it. Here is an example: Say you have two credit cards with $1,500 charged to them each and a personal loan worth $6,000 with a monthly payment due of $400 (that gives you $9,000 in debt) after paying your expenses off for the month you have $1,100 left to use. First, pay $500 to the card with the highest interest rate, $500 to the personal loan and $100 to the second card per month. Never pay the minimum payment due; they are just scamming you with those words.
5) It will take you three months to pay the first one and then you will only owe $1,200 on the second one. Pay it off in two months and start putting the full $1,100 onto the personal loan. After two months you will only owe $1,300 on the loan. Pay it all off at once. By doing it this way, you will be fully out of debt within eight months. You will be charged minimal interest fees paying them off quickly.
Once you write it all out on paper and can actually see a time line when you will be free from the horror, your mind can rest a little easier and before you know it, you will be in the middle of step two on the way to self-reliance.
The second step, which is really started before the first step and never stops is; Researching, Prepping and Living Frugal. Go to the library (thanks to Mr. Creekmore, you can find excellent recommendations at the top right hand corner of this site) and read every book you can find on Homesteading, Gardening, Survival, Hunting, Fishing, Construction, Handy Man, Living Frugal, etc. Let me warn you, you have to practice what you read. This gives you maximum knowledge and when the skill is needed, you won’t have to stay up at night shivering because your wood stove won’t burn right, or your toilet won’t flush properly, etc.
These are a few examples on how to live cheap:
– Bring lunch to work and cook cheap delicious meals at home.
– Monitor your electricity, water and gas bill and figure out ways to conserve.
– Quit bad habits. (smoking, drinking, buying coffee every morning, etc.)
– Cut your entertainment costs back.
– Do your own repairs at home and on your car.
– Quit buying useless things.
There are many different ways to live cheaper and the only way to succeed is by trial and error. Get creative!
The third step is to lose that money pit you live in and go cheaper and more comfortable. My goal is a Travel Trailer Homestead in Colorado. In most people’s situation, they would want to get out of their money pit first before being debt free, but that is not an option for me. I don’t have the money lying around that amounts to the cost of a travel trailer, land and supplies.
These are a few steps to get that travel trailer:
1) I normally don’t recommend this, but this is best for me in my situation. I am talking about getting another loan. Make sure all of your other debt is paid for first and you have a plan where you will be only paying as much for your travel trailer as your current home. This will be a small loan of $2,000 to $4,000 for your travel trailer only.
Find the right one and get a final price before signing the loan papers. *Your other option is to stay in that money pit of yours and spend that $1,100 a month left over in your paycheck after your expenses have been taken out and then purchase the travel trailer(this would be best). Unfortunately, this will not work for me.
2) Research and research travel trailers before jumping into one. Make sure you fully understand how their systems work and what to look for when purchasing one.
3) While researching and looking for that perfect home, you need to be downsizing your life. Sell or donate everything you absolutely do not need. You will have very limited space and the way you use and do a lot of things will change.
4) After you have seen every travel trailer in your city, you will probably be ready to buy and now you can inform your landlord you will be moving out.
5) At first, you will live in an RV park that will cost you around $250 a month, which electricity, water, gas and cable TV are included in the price. My rent for my house with roommate is $600 a month with $200 in bills, coming to a total of $800 a month. Living in my comfortable travel trailer in an RV park paying $500 a month on the $4,000 loan for the home and $250 a month on the pad coming to a total of $750 a month, I will save $50 a month for eight months and then once the loan is paid off, my savings will be $550 a month.
This will be a huge milestone in your life and will give you hope for your future steps. Living in an RV Park for a year does not sound ideal, but it will go by very fast while you are busy prepping and taking care of the fourth step.
These are a few things to consider when buying a travel trailer:
– What size will you be comfortable in?
– Make sure it is fully self-contained.
– Look for soft spots on the floor, roof and walls around windows and vents.
– Look for mold spots.
– Will your current vehicle be able to tow it?
– Make sure all of the appliances work.
– Make sure all of the lights work and the electric system is in good order.
– Are you satisfied with the layout?
– Holding tanks are free from leaks and contaminates and pumps work fine?
– Are the tires in good shape?
– Room for a wood stove?
Fourth step is acquiring all of the supplies and skills you will need for that simple little homestead. This includes the search and purchase of your dream land, not to cost more than $10,000 (preferably way less). Try and keep it as low as possible. It all depends on how much you are able or want to pay once you move on it with possibly little income.
I will only have a part-time job so I can only afford a few hundred a month. I have already found the property and will purchase as soon as I make it to the RV Park. If you have a similar goal in only living in the RV Park for a year then you should have plenty of time to find most of the supplies you need.
If your year is up and you are not fully prepared, do not make the mistake of quitting that job and moving to the homestead just yet. You will have a bigger chance of failure. Also, make sure you know how to use all of your equipment properly. You also really need to start thinking of how you will make money on your homestead.
Money is a necessity and I hate to admit it. But, living this way helps you do what you want for money and not what your boss wants you to do. You will hopefully be your own boss and can set your own money-making schedule. This is pure freedom!
This is the time you figure out how you will get electricity, water, wood and gas and the amount of each you will use per month. This is crucial because it determines the type of equipment you get. A great book to read is “Travel Trailer Homesteading Under $5,000” written by Brian D. Kelling.
Here are a few items you will need:
– All of the tools you can find.
– Food storage items.
– Solar Panels, Batteries, Inverter etc.
– Generator
– Water storage and catchment
– Various pumps
– Building Materials
– Wood stove
– Chainsaw
– Every book you can get your hands on.
Things to think about before buying land:
– What size and price range will fit you best.
– How will you get water (Hauled In, Well, Rain Catchment, Creek or River, Spring)
– How will you get Electricity (Solar, Generator, Wind, Hydroelectric)
– Are there any restrictions?
– How is the Accessibility?
– Is there any wood for heat and cooking?
– Is there a good home site?
– Is it a flood area?
– How much are the taxes?
– Public hunting and fishing land around?
These few examples only touch a tiny piece of what you really need to learn. There are many homesteading and self-sufficient books out there to help you gain the knowledge of what supplies and skills are needed to survive and actually thrive in this kind of environment. Same goes for buying land. The best way to know if that certain property is right for you is to actually touch, see, smell, hear and taste it for yourself.
The fifth step is my favorite. Tell your boss to shove his you know what you know where and pull that beautiful trailer out of that annoying RV Park and onto your sweet little piece of paradise. But, there is always a but, losing that monthly income is a little scary but the trade-off is well worth it if you are PREPARED.
Before taking the leap, you should have most, if not all of your supplies in order to succeed in this lifestyle and know how to use them properly and safely. A major necessity is at least one years worth of income and a couple of months worth of food and supplies. That year worth of income will help you pay the little amount of bills while you are getting set up and searching for other opportunities.
These are a few things you will need to do before, or as soon as you move onto the property:
– Know the placement of your travel trailer.
– Installing insulation / skirting around the trailer.
– Digging septic hole and installing holding tanks and lines.
– Setting up electric system.
– Digging hole for water storage and installing holding tanks, pumps and lines.
– Building some type of storage shed.
– Possibly building a roof over travel trailer for the snow load and water catchment.
– Setting up propane tanks with local business and running lines.
This can all seem like quite a lot of work but you will feel great respect for yourself once you get to sit back and enjoy it all, which gets me to the final step.
The sixth and final step is to sit back and reflect the accomplishments you have made in the past two years. Here is the icing on the cake; your land is paid for (or almost), your house is paid for, you have minimal monthly bills and you have learned many valuable lessons and skills. Sit out in the yard and watch that light bulb send a warming glow through the window while being powered for free set up by your own hands. You are now self-reliant!!
This is a great foundation for you to start your own plan from. There are major details left out but that is what research and practice is for. Make sure you write all of your goals out on paper in order to put the whole picture of your plan into perspective. Mark off each one as accomplished and you will begin to see how fast it all goes by. Get motivated, quit hesitating and do it!! Your self-reliance awaits you!!
{ 8 comments }
Good article. I think more info should be presented regarding the trailer one wishes to buy. Afterall this will be your home for a long time.
Look for a unit with aluminum frame construction and smooth sidewalls with fibreglass. These units will not allow the wind to breath through the wall like the aluminum corrugated type do.
The insulation in the walls will be of the foam type which is alot better than the vat insulation used in the older trailers. If your trailer is wood construction with the pink insulation, when you have a leak its a big concern and if you don’t catch it quick, lots of damage. Not so with alum contruction and foam board insulation.
Dual pane windows are a nice option, especially in the winter, no condensation and the summer time easier to keep cool, tinted even better.
In this economy a good deal can be had for a unit of higher quality. I prefer fifth wheels myself as they are better constructed and offer the better options. For my money i would start there. If your borrowing, maybe you can borrow more and put your plans over two years instead of one and end up with better equipment for a long term plan?
Slideouts, the more you have the more room you get, simple as that, makes a big difference when your cooped up in the cold weather or rainy days.
Lastly, one point that continually gets missed, is that your trailer is now your home. If your unit is setup like a home, overall you will fair much better.
I have been living this this way for 15 years now. Up here in Ontario Canada all year long. I spend half the year in a campground as a seasonal camper and then 6 months at my workshop. Because I have lived this way, I am debt free.
Yes I do work still, currently this year has been rough due to the economy but because i do live like this I have been able to weather it.
Really, I had to live in a trailer park when I was in the Army, on the “economy”. For some, that can put up with neighbors of extreme lower socio-economic upbringings and druggies and alchies, might be an option, check out the park very well before moving in. I would suggest you go for your own land right now, forget parks! Unimproved land is at it’s lowest price than it will ever be, IMO, in many areas.
No well? Make do for awhile, haul oit min until you can afford your well.
No septic? Same thing, if it’s a travel trailer, you should have a holding tank and find a nearby dump station. Gray water can go outside and be reused.
Many properties can be seller financed, such lots or parcels are usually hard to sell and this is a seller concession. Don’t take the terms offered by a seller, offer your own terms, take it or leave it. Many sellers just run a scam of taking the down payment, having a balloon payment and take the property back, then doing it all over again, they should have thier homes burned down, IMO! To avoid these scams, talk to your bank about financing, usually at 50% of the value. Park fees can pay for your own property….good luck
The size of the trailer does matter. If you have a better half they need space too. If snowed in it helps to have a little room. But dont go to big because it does cost more, take more to heat and cool and maintain. In colder climates get one that is built for winter (double floor) means that you walk on the floor inside and the pipes and stuff run through under you and there is another floor to protect them from below. I had an 18 ft travel trailer in Fairbanks. I was on a small priviate piece of property that I rented for 75.00 a month. After the first winter I built a roof over it and lived like a king after that. The owner didnt mind because I could pull the trailer out and the roof system stayed. I lived in that trailer at -70 and strong winds. Just dont run out of propane.
For more comfort in the early stages of a trailer homestead, consider a “thermal envelope” instead of a simple roof. It won’t cost much more and may in fact allow using a smaller cheaper trailer. The Thermal Envelope is basically a solar heated “miner’s shed” built around your trailer that provides significantly more living space as well as a good degree of warmth during cold seasons. Details can be seen here:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Green-Homes/1984-01-01/A-Thermal-Envelope-Trailer.aspx
As for self reliance in general, there is little that feels better that the first month you realize that you no longer have to pay a water bill, or a heating bill, and NOTHING feels better than the first month you realize you no longer have a rent or mortgage payment!
You can do it!!
Boy, if someone didn’t know how to go about getting things in order financially, this article pretty much says it all. You have a really sound plan, all the way around. Speaking of travel trailers, this takes me back a few years ago when my dad bought a travel trailer and built a room off the side of it which created a bigger living room. It was comfy, warm and cozy and the added space was perfect for a wood stove, table, and a few other essentials. Had it not been for him, I would never have known how to take out a window and use a pair of metal cutters to trim with and install a door or other things.
Good points! I suggest looking into some personal finance sites and making a budget. Saying just pay this amount is one thing, being able to do it and not go broke at the end of the month might be another. I hate budgets, it’s a financial restraint on my freedom, lol, but not doing so can be dangerous. Credit cards should be paid down as mentioned on a regular basis, a set amount budgeted, paying off the highest rate first, but more importantly, if you must use a card that has a balance, be sure your regular payment is made as well as you additional expenses added to it in that month. Gotta keep track. The bad thing about having a balance, many cards won’t allow you to have that free float or use of money over the monly period. When you have a balance and charge something, interest accrues on your new charge that day. Making additioanl payments as soon as you can for these charges can cut your rate too.
My advice is to get cards paid off. Then use them only for something like gas and pay them off in full each month. In a crises, this line of credit can be a great asset. I have used only one card for over 15 years. I have a spare that is only used in December, (Christmas) to prevent charges assessed for the card and paid off in full.
I have taught finance and economics at the college level, so I could go on, forever, but you get the idea…..
Good points on the travel trailer, in the blog and above!
It reminds me that years ago, in Mechanix Illustrated I believe, there were plans for an RV house. A simple room built as a livingroom and basically a garage that you pulled your RV into, lined up the doors, inflated a seal around the door and had all you needed. Kitchen and bath in the RV (or optional bath too) along with bedrooms and a main living area to prevent cabin fever. Then when you take off, close the doors, lock up and take off. If I had a motorhome, I’d probably do that.
Good post and great advice.
Wish I had read it years ago….
Take care all –
Rourke
Good post and great advice.
Wish I had read it years ago….
Take care all –
Rourke
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