Our commitment to living the survivalist lifestyle includes living so far off the beaten path as to make a daily commute to work impractical to say the least. And so, in monetary terms, we have been living on just a few hundred dollars a year. Someone, not understanding the essence of survivalism, suggested recently that we “get a job.” For their sake, as well as anyone else out there who thinks that living a survivalist life means transferring your suburban life to another location, here is my job description and “payment”:
1. Collect firewood – Much of this is done by dragging fallen and standing dead pinion, cedar and juniper trees, later to be cut into correct sizes for the wood cook stove and the wood heating stove.
That replaces our gas bill.
2. Keep the storage batteries full of water and check connections to the solar panels.
That replaces our electric bill.
3. Do the laundry by the “Armstrong” method. That is, wait until the rainwater barrels are full enough to wash and rinse the clothes by hand.
More replacement of the electric bill.
4. Tend the garden and greenhouse. This is a 9 month a year job, and includes collecting manure from the pastures, turning the soil, planting the seeds, watering, removing bugs by hand, pulling weeds, staking plants, pollinating as needed and harvesting.
This replaces our food bill.
5. Tend the animals. This includes feeding the chickens, feeding the goats, feeding the cats and dog, providing them all with water, collecting eggs, milking and butchering.
Also replaces our food bill.
6. Pumping water from the well to the storage tank – by hand.
This replaces our water bill.
7. We don’t have phone service available here, so one of my tasks is to not jump when the phone doesn’t ring.
This negates our phone bill.
8. Use herbal and natural remedies for staying healthy.
This replaces our medical bills.
9. Take time to enjoy the stunning scenery, the warmth of the sun, read a book, have conversations with loved ones, cook an exquisite dinner.
This replaces psychiatrist bills.
In my “spare time”, I write books, articles and podcasts, answer e-mailers’ questions about living the survivalist lifestyle – and all before dark.
I may be without money, but I’m not without value. And I certainly don’t need a “job”!
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Dan & Sheila are the authors of Surviving Survivalism – How to Avoid Survivalism Culture Shock, and hosts of the podcast, Still Surviving with Dan & Sheila. For questions about space in their Intentional Survivalist Community or other survivalist issues, they can be reached at surviving@lavabit.com.
For fun, let’s look at it from a global elite perspective and how they can send the police after you or fine you and make your life a living hell:
“1. Collect firewood”
= You’re cutting down trees and making global warming and climate change worse.
“2. Keep the storage batteries full of water and check connections to the solar panels.”
= We can still control the activation of the solar cells any time we want.
“3. Do the laundry by the “Armstrong” method. That is, wait until the rainwater barrels are full enough to wash and rinse the clothes by hand.”
= Rainwater does not belong to you. It belongs to everyone and we are the only ones who can regulate that.
“4. Tend the garden and greenhouse.”
= It’s illegal to grow gardens
“5. Tend the animals.”
= You’re only allowed small pets. No raw milk.
“6. Pumping water from the well to the storage tank – by hand.”
= That water doesn’t belong to you. If the well is on your land that you are still paying to the banks, then it belongs to the banks, too.
“7. We don’t have phone service available here, so one of my tasks is to not jump when the phone doesn’t ring.”
= We can still send somebody to spy on you and we even have drones to track you.
“8. Use herbal and natural remedies for staying healthy.”
= You can only use chemically made pharmaceutical medicine. Herbs have no effect on the body and since you will be fined if you grow a garden, you are probably going to grow marijuana plants too and either way, you will either be arrested or fined.
“9. Take time to enjoy the stunning scenery, the warmth of the sun, read a book, have conversations with loved ones, cook an exquisite dinner.”
= You must work and spend all your free time worshipping big brother and give thanks to Big Brother who has given you that dinner. They are your true family now.
“In my “spare time”, I write books, articles and podcasts, answer e-mailers’ questions about living the survivalist lifestyle – and all before dark.”
= You must watch TV, MSM, and the latest reality TV show, filled with commercials of all the products you must buy from us in the near future.
“I may be without money, but I’m not without value. And I certainly don’t need a “job”!”
= GET UP OFF YOUR LAZY ASS AND GET A JOB, DAMMIT!!!
That was fun. lol
NC, that was Great!!!!!! LMAO!
But, of course, that’s all predicated on our giving a sh*t about their power over us!!! LOL
But, seriously, their power extends only as far as you allow, and is based on fear. (See our article, Fear Itself.)
Peace,
Sheila & Dan
So on who’s land do you live?
On who’s land is your shelter?
On who’s land do you have your garden?
On who’s land is your well?
Who pays your property taxes?
Im in a similar position. I dont work a “job” I do raise gardens…I raise chickens and goats…..I primarily heat with wood. My wife and I use Herbals to the max…seldom do we use Big-Pharma products.
She uses the ashes from the fire to make LYE and renders animal fat to make “natural soaps and shampoo”. She sews and Crochette’s.
I do small repair projects here at my home and I Have begun to build small passive solar heaters to augment our/and others heating requirements. I also at times take on small “gun-smithing” projects.
We own our land and house…lock stock and barrel. Our taxes on the place are minimal because we live in a rural farm area.. Out taxes are paid by the profits made from our small jobs.
Yes these things can be done as the writter sugests. I know we are not totally “off the grid”…but we are dayum close and getting closer.
We are fortunate for sure,..but I also saw the “light” several years back and got out of debt and paid off our land/home and all credit cards and the like……It can be a hard life this way….very hard indeed!
But each nite when I lay down to sleep im not troubled with debt and no longer worry what would happen if we lost our “JOBS”
Its a total life changing adjustment!!! But its better to start now than wait for the “Crash” thats coming.!
oldvet out!
Oldvet, one of the coolest things about having written our book is that more and more people are contacting us and telling us they also are “living the life” already…and none of them regrets the change!
Peace,
Sheila & Dan
Hard but good, honest lifestyle isn1t it. You sound like me talk`in except I cannot have chicken because of the eagles and hawks, have a few cyotes and other carnivores that like things like chickens. Keep the faith oldvet. Keep smilin cause it`s better than frownin, eh oldvet.
Digger we got our share of Coyote and Hawks here too. I live in the upper western portion of South Carolina. Ya gotta keep watch over the chickens……its the Biddies that are the most vulnerable to the hawks. I keep the birds penned primarily,..but I let them out for a few hours each day to free-range. Now I’m always out back when they are running about and I keep a rifle handy. Yet still,accidents happen……just a cpl weeks ago a coyote snatched a rooster from my back yard in broad daylite!! with me standing not more than 25-30 yards away. Glad it wasn’t my egg laying hens he was after. And Foxes…wow…they break in and just slaughter a flock…they dont eat them.they just kill em all.
Also another hardship we deal with is the dear population…..they will devastate your gardens. Barrier fences and electric hot wire is only marginally effective….if Bambi wants you bean-field……Bambi will get it.
Doing this life style now for several years has shown us that the most return we can expect from our hard work is 40-50% of all we do…Its hard and its heart breaking to say the least to walk out early in the morning to see that your food crops had been mowed down the nite before by a herd of deer…….or swarms of cabbage bugs devouring your hard worked crop.
And there is always problems with the house and its systems breaking down or needing repairs from bad storms or just plain wore-out.
I have learned we can only do just so much on our own. Many times we just have to accept the fact to do without. Hard living at times?….huh….most everyday!
Am sure Sheila & Dan can attest to what I say.
The only thing I haven’t addressed or worked out is the soon coming roving band of hungry urbanite zombies that will come this way when the EBT cards they live off of no longer work..That will be a tuff-nut to crack there.
All in all……NO PLACE I’D RATHER BE…dont let the real tales of horror scare any one off……cause its still 150% more rewarding that the alternative.
Peace to all of ya
oldvet