Season 1: Episode 17: Homestead Privacy with Tim & Liz Young|Farming | Homesteading [PODCAST]

Summary: How can a modern homesteader expect to achieve personal privacy in the digital age? This week, Liz and I discuss the homestead we settled on and the steps we have taken to live a private, self-sufficient life.<br> <br> Welcome to Episode 17 of Self-Sufficient Life! This week Liz and I tell describe the homestead property we settled on, and share what concessions we had to make since there is no "perfect" property.<br> <br> Here's what we discuss about the property:<br> <br> - How much acreage we settled on<br> - Woods vs pasture/open land<br> - House size/configuration<br> - Well vs gravity water<br> - Streams/water features<br> - Southern exposure<br> - Fruit trees<br> - Garden space and outbuildings<br> - To heat or not to heat with wood<br> - Proximity to populated areas<br> - Homeschooling/homesteading culture<br> <br> We also discuss our overall objectives for homesteading. Those include:<br> <br> - Living as freely as possible<br> - maximize free time<br> - having a property that requires low maintenance<br> - time to develop skills we're interested in, such as foraging, medicinal herbs and bushcrafting<br> - maximize time together as a family<br> - able to travel if desired<br> - Be as independent and sustainable as possible<br> - grow our own vegetables and most of our fruit<br> - grow and butcher or hunt for our own meat<br> - produce dairy and eggs<br> - Teach our daughter about animal husbandry and...you know...the birds and the bees<br> - Provide pollination and collect honey and wax from bees<br> - Use our land's materials for building projects<br> - Grow, harvest and produce as much of our own medicine as possible<br> <br> Beyond that, we had an overarching goal that we began discussing in Episode 16. That is, to achieve and maintain a high level of personal privacy.<br> <br> That's a hard thing to do in this digital age. But when a listener called in and asked about privacy, we decided to share our approach on achieving privacy in this episode.<br> <br> Here's what we discussed:<br> <br> - Why privacy is important to us<br> - bad guy takes license plate number (road rage, etc.)<br> - That privacy is about keeping our private life private. It’s not about avoiding taxes or even asset protection, although it helps with the latter.<br> - The importance of separating your name from physical residence<br> - driver's license<br> - managing FedEx, etc., deliveries<br> - home ownership titling<br> - deposits for utilities, DirecTV, etc.<br> - Setting up PO boxes BEFORE moving. That way you can complete the USPS forms truthfully with your two forms of ID.<br> - Providing no forwarding address<br> - Setting-up bank account before moving or keeping existing bank account<br> - Using passport for ID instead of Driver’s License. DL very seldom actually required.<br> - Using cash over credit<br> - Dealing with family who wants to know why they can't tell people where you live<br> - What is a lie (intent to both deceive and cause harm)<br> <br> It was a spirited and interesting discussion, and I hope you enjoy it and find that it gives you a lot to think about as you prepare for your self-sufficient life. So grab some coffee and pull up a chair!<br> <br> Show notes at theselfsufficientlife.com<br>