Photo credit: Freedom Ranch Homestead
For years, Brooke and Chuck Anderson had a big dream: overthrow their comfortable Raleigh, North Carolina, Life and become homesteaders.
Originally, they wanted to repel their hopes as a family property until retirement. Then the tragedy struck.
“My father died of Covid,” said Chuck Initiate of Business. “It was like:” What are we waiting for? “Life is short. So they got worse and moved into rural virginia to make their longtime dream a reality.
In 2020They bought 285 acres in the Blue Ridge mountains. The property was completely empty. They built everything from their log hut house to their chicken coop, from zero.
Although this implies a lot of forced work, this lifestyle is accomplishing them, allowing Andersons to be more self -sufficient and durable. “I always go to the store to get things,” said Brooke, “but we are in a position where we don’t have to do all of this if necessary.”
At the time of their initial interview in 2023, they had 35 chickens, cattle, garden and fruit trees. However, everything did not work. As they were more focused on building a shelter, weeds have exceeded their gardens. Wild animals are also a constant threat to chickens.
Needless to say, family property is a huge change in lifestyle with tons of difficulties. This involves going partially or completely out of the grid. You provide your own food, water, shelter, energy, clothes, etc. solar panels And other renewable energy sources (which, according to Chuck and Brooke, was a future goal).
Although you need a lot of money at the start, property ownership can help you save in the long term. Once you become completely autonomous, you will eliminate the need to spend on resources, which leads to reduced consumption and a slower pace of life.
Do you know what benefits from it? The planet. Consume less leads to less waste. For example, by repairing your old clothes instead of launching them, you keep a clothing less Discharge clothing.
However, not everyone can afford to buy land, and even less 285 acres. Family property is a really dramatic lifestyle change that most people will not make. However, if that stings your interest, there are ways to incorporate family property into your own life.
Cultivating your own food is one. If you have a backyard, you can convert a part (or all) to a vegetable garden. In this way, you save money on food and become more self -sufficient in the process.
In the end, it is the idea at the heart of family property. Whether it’s learning to sew and repair your own clothes, develop your own vegetables or use renewable energy sourcesYou do what you can at an individual level to make life more sustainable.
Despite the difficulty, these property families said they had never regretted their choice. Take it from Chuck: “This place is part of our DNA. We just want to be here, and it’s so peaceful.”
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