CouchTomato - Member - The Prepared

Reply to: Hello from illinois Posted September 26, 2023

Reply to: Off-grid cabin/land purchase Posted August 7, 2022

That would seriously be amazing, there is definitely a hole there that could be filled. TBH this group was my first thought when I was starting to realize just how out of my depth I was regarding the entire project, happy to know I wasn’t wrong!

Reply to: Off-grid cabin/land purchase Posted August 5, 2022

This is exactly the kind of checklist & advice I was looking for, thank you!

Reply to: Off-grid cabin/land purchase Posted August 5, 2022

That would be my dream scenario – unfortunately among our family and friends, we’re blazing the trail over here – ha! Good idea about the local planning department, thanks! I hope your job is less soul-destroying now! Been there!

Reply to: Off-grid cabin/land purchase Posted August 2, 2022

Adding to notes: practice my “eh.” 😉

Reply to: Off-grid cabin/land purchase Posted August 2, 2022

Hi Forager – thanks for the response! This would be for a vacation home only, so no need to plan for a garden or livestock. I have a medical condition that necessitates being close to a major hospital permanently (although not for emergency care, fortunately.) I thought our growing season in Chicago had been crazy but it sounds like yours takes the cake! So sorry about your lost plants, and noted about the depth for the water lines. My spring crops here never had a chance as we went from too cold to too hot – went straight from sprouting to bolting, never did get any lettuce or spinach. The summer plants are pretty far behind for me as well – usually I’ve had at least a week or two of ripe tomatoes by now, but nada this year. Makes me very aware of just how hard it would be to grow food for survival, and grateful for the community that means I don’t have to right now. I totally agree, the UP IS gorgeous. Do you know if ownership info for mineral rights is something that is publicly available, like through the county? Adding that to my list of things to check, thank you. Knowing just how much snow the UP gets and how many roads are seasonal, we probably weren’t going to try visiting in the winter. I figured out the snowplow thing while recreationally cruising Realtor.com and noticing almost every cabin has a shed “for your tractor or snowplow!” Most likely we would winterize the house and shut it down for the season. Living in Chicagoland my whole life, I know that just because I CAN drive in snow doesn’t always mean I SHOULD. I’ll leave winterland UP to the professionals like you! 🙂 Random UP question: what’s with the saunas?

Reply to: Prepping victories: When has prepping paid off for you? Posted August 2, 2022

Same. I cannot tell you how many times we have had this conversation: Him: “Oh we can’t do X, because we’re out of Y.” Me: “No we’re not.” So worth it.

Reply to: Off-grid cabin/land purchase Posted August 1, 2022

I wish there was a professional who was basically a home inspector, but for vacant land – because that’s exactly what I need! I’m sure I’ll make a few mistakes, just hoping to avoid the situation of buying what I *think* is the most perfect land and then finding out down the road I have to truck my water in, or something similar. Definitely noted on oversizing the solar setup. I boondock with my camper on a regular basis so I have a good frame of reference for what our power needs would be, but I feel like with solar more is always better! Had NOT considered surface water quality, adding that to my ever-growing list of things to learn about. All of this is excellent advice, thank you so much!

Reply to: Off-grid cabin/land purchase Posted August 1, 2022

All good advice, thanks! Totally agree on avoiding an HOA – deal with one of those in my daily life, don’t want to have to deal with it in my getaway-from-people house too! Chatting with local contractors is an excellent idea, I will have to do that.

Reply to: Off-grid cabin/land purchase Posted August 1, 2022

Thanks Redneck! I don’t comment much, but am always learning something from your posts!

Off-grid cabin/land purchase

Advice 33

14

Posted July 30, 2022

Reply to: How to prepare with pets Posted March 10, 2022

Yes, I’m in this same boat: I want her to be comfortable walking on a leash, but not so comfortable that she’s cool with sauntering outside without me!

Reply to: Basswood Tree (American Linden) – great tree for survival Posted November 4, 2020

I had one of these in my front yard for years and never knew its leaves were edible! Can confirm they get loaded up with bees though. For whatever reason, and to my mild annoyance, random people always chose to park directly in front of my house and nowhere else on the street, under the basswood. If they left the car too long, it would get covered in sap and then BEES, and I admit I snickered a little every time.

Reply to: Preparation for flying? Posted August 4, 2020

Fist-bump from yet another hygienic traveler! I’ve been a seat-cleaner for years as well, with my little travel pack of Lysol wipes. On several occasions I’ve had a flight attendant give me side-eye and then mutter, “Good idea.”