BE READY....No, not what you think....

There are many out there who dream of land....Dream of the life it can offer, the freedom to grow what you eat, keep money in your pocket and not be sent to China or Mexico for veggies that you grow yourself. To know that the eggs you eat were an even trade with the Chickens who enjoy your bugs and seeds in your yard - without being filled with hormones or antibiotics......to you, I say - BE READY....

Home prices are taking land prices with them....be ready....have a down payment ready when you find your plot. Sheriff Sales, Tax Sales, Bank Sales, Foreclosure Sales.... Make plans to rent your present home to cover the mortgage (if there is one) or to pay the land costs... More and more people will be renters instead of owners - this is an opportunity for you owners!

"But where do we live?" There are other things being repossessed....Mobile Homes - Travel Trailers....

There is also another option....We used a Styrofoam building blog in the construction of our house. They lock together like Legos - put some rebar in and fill with concrete. Thats it. Cut out a few spaces for windows and doors (line with boards so the concrete doesnt ooze out), put ready made trusses on the top and finish as you like.

** I did not list the name of the product we used....there are different manufactures as well as a GREAT forum that discusses the different products. There are also differences in locales where items may be more readily available and therefore cheaper....Do Your Research :) FORUM (Just a note, the Forum is a "Green" forum - we did not build because its "Green" - we built this way because it was WAAAY Cheaper up front as well as on the back end - Global Warming be damned...)

This gives you CONCRETE walls (for those of you that think about defending against zombies, this is a real boon!).... Concrete is a fabulous building product - its fire proof - its bug proof - its bullet proof (within reason) - it has an AWESOME Thermal Mass which means that it holds its temperature for a looooong time - it takes it a while to heat up and a while to cool down. Concrete walls means that your electricity bill is tiny - your heating bill is tiny - your initial outlay for the HVAC system is 1/2 what it would be in a "Conventional" Build because you need your unit to kick on and off regularly which wouldnt happen in a "to size" unit because your house doesnt heat up or cool down quickly like a stick built house.

The Styrofoam forms have runners in them so there is no framing against them - you just nail your drywall directly to the form.

Depending on where you live (Tornado Alley or Hurricane prone) concrete can lower insurance costs as well.

There are other options for the "Do It Yourselfer".....Straw Bale Houses.... These are houses that are laid out in straw bales and then covered in plaster. I am not well versed in this process, but depending on where you live, this is a great option (think dryer climate).

All this to say - THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX....dont tell yourself you need so many acres, a certain type of house or whatever in order to sustain yourself.

Also - take your time - Most mistakes happen when in a rush - whether its monetarily or structurally or just aesthetically. You wouldnt believe what you can find by taking your time to source.... Our metal roof that we are putting on got a bid of $20,000 from our local guy, but drive out of town and its $.60 a square foot which makes it $2400 after all screws, batting and stuff plus delivery.... A few phone calls can save you a TON...

Do it yourself - taking the time to read, watch, learn and then telling yourself that you CAN do it goes so far in making it happen. You will learn valuable skills that will save you money in the future - knowing HOW your house is put together gives you a head start in fixing it when the time comes (and it will come....)

Look around and see how resourceful you have already been in your prepping. This is the EXACT same thing....YOU CAN DO THIS....

Pray, Praise, Prepare