Convincing a Friend to Make Preparations

[jimmygu3]

I am not a doomer. My wife and I work in TV and advertising, which could be hit hard by a deep recession. Losing our jobs could make our current housing payment impossible, draining our savings. If I sold or walked away from my current house and bought some acreage I could be paid-up and debt free, living off the land until the storm passes. With internet access we could both continue to remotely do whatever freelance work we could drum up.

I have a friend who inherited some forest/farm land that currently sits idle. My thought is to come up with a scheme to either purchase or option some of his acreage, with the possiblilty of making it a fully off-the-grid sustainable farm. If things don't get that bad, it can just be a really cool place to take the kids on the weekends.

The advantage of this vs starting from scratch buying land from a stranger would be that I wouldn't necessarily have to pay up front, there is already a house on the property, and having a good friend next door would be nice in tough times. Maybe I would also get a 'buddy price' on the land. My friend's brother and my brother both do construction, so that would be huge.

My first thought would be to put solar panels on the house. Then if SHTF, we could live there while we built the next house. A cistern would probably also be in order, but I believe there's a lake on the property, too. I don't know how many acres he has and I don't have any idea how many acres I would need. I'm a city boy and 1 acre seems big to me. Anybody know how many acres I would need to support a family of four?

My first hurdle is convincing my friend that there is even a small chance of a global financial collapse or other incident that would make these preparations necessary. Anybody have a good source for the Cliff's Notes on this topic?

Thanks.

Jimmy

[sn1p3r]

Re: Convincing a Friend to Make Preparations

there are many sites on this...one i fancy is www.survivalblog.com but i would recommend you pick up some books in case you need to take them with you "Back To Basics" is a good start but i'm sure amazon.com can make some recommendations for you, good luck! i'm going thru a similar process now and have lots started but no land which i think is more difficult to find

you don't necessarily have to convince your friend of financial collapse a "retreat" is great for vacations or any number of natural disasters.

[raja]

Re: Convincing a Friend to Make Preparations

My first thought would be to put solar panels on the house. Then if SHTF, we could live there while we built the next house.

Are you thinking self-sufficiency?
Electricity is not the number one priority . . . .
I suggest an energy-efficient wood stove, remodel the house with argon gas/low E windows, put in additional roof and siding insulation with radiant barriers.
Then, you'll need adequate shelter and fencing for livestock. Next, you'll need adequate tools, and probably some canning equipment to preserve what you grown.
Get yourself a bunch of books on growing food and raising livestock.

A cistern would probably also be in order, but I believe there's a lake on the property, too. I don't know how many acres he has and I don't have any idea how many acres I would need. I'm a city boy and 1 acre seems big to me. Anybody know how many acres I would need to support a family of four?

Depending on what you do, about 3 acres cropland, 3 acres for hay, and 4 acres of hardwoods for firewood.
You'll probably need a tractor and a supply of fuel, or a horse and some old time implements.
A barn would be useful . . . .
Of course, there are lots of variables . . . so you need to get much more in-depth information.

[grapejelly]

Re: Convincing a Friend to Make Preparations

convincing someone of this is tough. I just prepare myself and set an example. I did urge a relative to buy gold, but they didn't.