E-Mail 'How To Prep For … Throwing In The Towel- Part 2, by DR in Tennessee' To A Friend

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1. Instead of selling it why not look for a young family that can help you maintain it. There are allot of people out there that cannot afford a homestead but are looking for a mentor. They could each work part time jobs get there housing for free from you and learn all your hard learned lessons while allowing you to continue on in your dream. If you don’t have family to leave the property too or they are not interested and the new hired family works out you could even set it up so you have a life lease or a rent to own type of things. Selling would be my last resort.

   We have a neighbor who is doing exactly this. They pay him $10 an hour for chores and maintenance. They gave him 10acres of property after he was there for 5 years and helped him build a small cabin.

   1. I believe the article mentions “live-in help”.

   2. This is exactly what I’m hoping to find. I have the money to invest but would like the opportunity to work for more than what I can afford. In my case, specifically rural Missouri or Arkansas Ozarks.

2. While we don’t discuss specifics (which we edit and change fairly often) with our children, our oldest and most dependable child (executor of our will) knows exactly where to find our very secure ‘Emergency Plan’ binder. It contains all of the up-to-date information/recommendations/wishes/locations etc. that we would want to convey if something should suddenly happened to us.

   1. Anonymous has it right. An “emergency plan” binder or operations/procedures manual for your retreat is exactly what you need, not only to pass on to your relatives, but to share with a potential buyer if that’s your only course of action. That catalog of information is a huge value, just like a spare well pump or a backup generator. As others have pointed out, this is one of the preps that we often neglect. Guidance on how to pull it all together and much more is available at basiclifetraining.
      Regarding “live-in” help, Ja5onl6’s comments are spot on, and there are additional approaches that can be very effective at finding a good match between an aging retreat owner/family and a younger family with a sincere desire for learning about homesteading and survival. If you are discreet about your screening and pre-qualification methods, you can find a good match while maintaining your OPSEC. Many retreat owners rely on help from a third-party non-Realtor to maintain their confidentiality and to cull the “tire-kickers” so they only talk with seriously qualified cash buyers. Lots of options if you can just overcome your inertia.

3. Thanks for the great ideas. This article finally pushed me to draft up a Will. Not having a will is a great way to donate your assets to the government. What a waste that would be!

4. Here’s another idea that may be feasible for those nearing the age where they may not be able to manage their retreat: There is a mechanism whereby you can sell your property subject to a Life Estate. For your protection, it requires a attorney who is well versed in both Estate Law and Real Estate Law. Basically, with a Life Estate, you can cash out the equity in the property but continue to live there until you either die, or your health requires you to relocate to a care facility. This is a way to transfer a portion of your wealth to your heirs while still living, or use the cash for your own health care without having to move out of your home until you are ready. This requires a particular kind of buyer – one who wants to invest in the property, but has no desire to live there immediately.

5. Successful Farming magazine has a feature called “Can their problem be solved?” This column often deals with succession planning for farmers, how to satisfy, and be fair to, farming and off-farm heirs, and the legal mechanisms to achieve this. A lot of these principles are applicable to anyone in the position addressed in this article.

6. I would set up a living trust. It passes to your heirs or church or whomever you stipulate in the trust. No government hands ever to touch the property or preps. We did just this.

   1. I like that idea. My kids don’t want it.
      The church could use the proceeds.

7. Being “prepared” ABSOLUTELY includes being prepared for the SHTF situation of becoming disabled or passing from this earth and this series hits on it’s importance very well. Not only is it important for those you leave your belongings and other worldly assets to but also will take a large weight off of your shoulders for the rest of your days! ORGANIZE your preps and home – get rid of clutter and true junk because no one is going to want to do that for you and will be bitter about having to if needed (not the legacy you want to leave behind). Plus, you and your family/team will know where things are for fast access when needed (the whole purpose of prepping). INVENTORY your belongings and preps – not only is this just wise so you know what you have on hand and save money by not over-purchasing and help eliminate “holes” in your preps but, if a natural disaster wipes out your stuff, you won’t lament for literally MONTHS about what you had in order to claim it for insurance purposes. Just pop up that spread sheet and call it good. GET A WILL AND ADVANCED DIRECTIVES – we all could pass or become disabled at any given time no matter our age. Our loved ones need to know our preferences in order to make any decision making easier for them and keep “outsiders” from making those decisions for us and our stuff. GET AND STAY OUT OF DEBT – we don’t want our loved ones to be forced into dealing with our debt (heck – WE don’t like dealing with our own debt, right?). Not being stressed about debt will allow for a far more happy life while we have it. Frugal spending is really a prep of it’s own. LIVE WITH JOY AND MEANING – prep for the worst but don’t forget to LIVE in the blessings of the current day. Sure, the worst could be around the next corner but why live “there” until it happens? Live in the present knowing that if/when “it” happens you can deal with it then. Being prepared is smart which is why we are all here and sharing/learning. I suggest branching out into some “meaningful living” blogs and organizations such as simple living (minimalist=organized), frugal living (save money/live debt free/have money to spend on true needs), zero waste living (leave no trace), faith (of course!) and even environmentally sound/tiny living (off grid). They all offer sound tips related to prepping for SHTF needs as well as making life TODAY less stressful for ourselves and loved ones.

8. As we get older it’s important to reevaluate your goals. When our 5 children were living with us we tried to be set up to take care of them if any disaster should happen. While raising them we taught them many life skills and a resourceful way of thinking. They are all grown now. We still have things on hand to help them in case of A crises. BUT they are now adults and it’s now up to them to decide how they will live their lives. With this in mind my husband and I decided to downsize a bit and set up a new homestead that we are better able to maintain. It seems to be working as he had a knee replacement this last year and we were able to get by just fine. Our main living quarters are on the ground level and we feel that we should be able to stay where we are for a long time. We may have to downsize some of our activities as we age but we set up our place in a way that to maintain it could be done with much less effort than our previous place. We don’t have to do all we do now in the future but hope to be able to for much longer. Our trust is in God and we feel being prepared is a wise way and a fulfilling way to live. But we both know we won’t live forever. So we endeavor to share and teach that which we have learned to anyone interested in hopes of passing along the skills and knowledge we’ve learned. None of us know just what the future holds but we’re to occupy until He comes and we have chosen this lifestyle . What our children choose is up to them.

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