Off-Grid & Homesteading

"tiny homes. Some are banned, others are restricted by minimum square footage requirements designed for McMansions and not for survival here. Sheds converted to cabins. Well, no. Suddenly they requi…"

"doors they're passing laws that deliberately ban RV parking. You know, rezone mobile home parks. Prohibiting new affordable units. Requiring expensive building codes now. And pushing out every low-…"

"They try to live small inside city limits because that's where all the rules live. City zoning boards, inspectors, HOAs, parking enforcement, you get the idea. Because cities regulate everything."

"zoning boards. They fight small homes, duplexes, and tiny home parks harder"

"alternative systems, minimum square footage requirements, and on and on. And"

"minimum square footage laws, zoning restrictions, permit requirements,"

"Now, tiny homes here should have been the solution, guys. They're simple. They're efficient, affordable. But what do we see here? We're seeing minimum square footage laws, zoning restrictions,"

"Local governments rely heavily on property taxes. Bigger houses mean higher property values. Higher property values mean more tax revenue. Tiny homes"

"minimum house size rules, foundation requirements, occupancy rules, RV bans, you name it, we've seen it all. And people start to ask, why? Why is it so difficult to live small on your own land? Wel…"

"zoning laws that block affordable housing projects. They stall rent"

"zoning, code enforcement, insurance, and property taxes. Distributed shelter looks like tiny homes, converted sheds, RVs, campers, cabins, barns,"

"Zoning blocks incremental upgrades. Sweat equity is also being punished here. You are not allowed to fix housing"

"generate profit. This is why tiny homes are being banned and regulated into oblivion. Converted garages are illegal. RV living is being criminalized. And"

"aren't even legal to live in. RVs and campers can't be parked on your property in some states. Van life is being criminalized in cities. And sleeping in"

"your door has to be. There's no zoning classification telling you you can't park a camper on your own property or build a tiny shed"

"county wants. RV living on private land often illegal. Living in a shed again can be illegal. Tiny home. Well, look what they're doing to make that almost impossible nowadays. Compost toilet, gray …"

"nonconforming structures. You know, tell that to the people who got slapped with code violations because someone decided their RV counted as an illegal habitation."

"private land. And they're using zoning restrictions and and things like that and ordinances and, pardon the French, rules in order to limit this as an optional"

"have to check your local zoning laws and regulations. You know, not everybody allows, you know, campers and living in campers,"

"And then what? Well, cities pass anti-amping bans and vehicle habitation"

"requirements, occupancy rules, RV bans, you name it, we've seen it all. And people start to ask, why? Why is it so difficult to live small on your own land? Well, part of the answer is money. Local…"

"it doesn't give you unlimited rights. You still have to think about wells, ponds, rivers, and streams, filtration, access, storage, and legal usage. And if"

"fined for a compost pile, fined for rainwater collection. Now, this one really gets me since when in the world did rainwater become something we can be taxed for? I hear I guess that's something ou…"

"You can use the water for food, but not for sale. Or you can use the water for sale, but not for livestock. You see the picture here? And in some areas, you can drill a well, but you must remain co…"

"Prohibiting new affordable units. Requiring expensive building codes now. And pushing out every low-cost housing"

"follow local building codes, safety standards, and local regulations."

"exists? Across America, there are homes that could be lived in today with basic repairs. But here's the catch. Financing requires full code compliance upfront."

"require cash. Paperwork isn't intentionally complex. Legal risk is then shifted onto buyers. Repairs must meet modern codes almost instantly, and"

"deal with health department rules. That means site evaluations, soil testing, approved septic systems, whether it be composting, an outhouse,"

"land, you think, well, I'm free. I can live how I want. Then reality shows up. There's septic requirements, building codes, inspections,"

"So, learn the appeals window. This is critical. Every county has a strict appeal deadline, a narrow documentation requirement, and it's a process designed to discourage participation. So, if you mi…"

"their vehicles. They're angry. People aren't ashamed. they can afford a $2,000 apartment. They're exposing how broken"

"The average social security payment in the United States according to the Social Security Administration is about 19 thou $1,900 to $2,000 per month. But for many, $1,000 is the norm. The average r…"

"Average one-bedroom apartment in America is $1,630. That's the national average. You see the problem? By the time you pay the rent, you've got"

"Let's look at the math. The national average rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $1,300 to $1,700 a month. Average"

"that doesn't pay. You know, you need to wake up. You guys need to wake up and figure out what you're going to do different. You better figure out how you're going to do that. How can you guys be ou…"

"Lot rent, the silent killer. Three years ago, you could get a long-term space for $450 a month. Today, you're looking at $750 to well over $1,100 a month. I've seen some pushing $1,400 for a gravel…"

"while rent alone is near $1,500 a month."

"much more affordable way to live and you can bring your cost down to the point where you can make it work. There are some good parks out there that charge $500 a month. Well, $500 a month is a lot …"

"when you're starting to look at $2,000 a month for an apartment and average"

"talk about rent. You got folks paying $1,200, $1,400, $1,600 a month. And you look at the mortgages, same house now, anywhere from $800 to $1,000 a month. So"

"And we all know the average Social Security check is around $1,900 a month. But we look at a one-bedroom rental in the US, you're looking at over $1,500 a month,"

"The rent trap. Let's talk about rent, guys. The average two-bedroom apartment in America now $1,800 a month. That's up 32% since"

"But rent for a modest one-bedroom apartment, that's now $1,200 to $1,500 a month if you're lucky."

"If you've ever wondered why affordable housing still costs $1,200 to $1,800 a month,"

"rent per month. Or for example, 30K, 35,000, or $40,000"

"The median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in this country is 1,200 to 1,800. In urban areas, it's even higher."

"I saved a $100 bill every month for the last three years."

"uh my electric bill runs around $125 to $175 a month, depending on how much AC I"

"use PLPD, property damage and liability, cuz all my vehicles are paid for. So, my car insurance runs me around $125 a month, maybe a touch more. Uh, so that's"

"fiber optic internet here at the property and that runs me about $110 a month. And uh so that's one expense you"

"my pet food bill runs me aroundund about 150 about $150 a month, maybe a"

"my my usual grocery bill runs around $50 a week if I'm careful and uh keep it"

"All right. Here's another big expense for me. Gasoline. Yeah, gasoline's tough, especially when it's $39 a gallon here as of today. um wasn't too bad when it was 240 232 which was a month ago but w…"

"have life insurance, right? Uh my life insurance runs me around $51 a month."

"I live on $12,000 a year, folks."

"My bills total less than $1,000 a month, you know, and that's typical bills. Internet,"

"check for $1,100 a month so far. And uh"

"But in a small life like mine, maybe 800, maybe a thousand, maybe a little more every month,"

"so you're not tied to the grid paying $200 a month or whatever. You know, some"

"up my little electric bill every month."

"I want to thank you guys for 90,000 plus subscribers. I would have never thought in my lifetime I'd ever see something like this. and the and the beauty of the community that has been built here by…"

"75,000 people in this channel. And so the other thing"

"letting us hit 25,000 subscribers. I think that's amazing in such a short time. That's great. So, apparently"

"Here we are, 100,000. Who would ever"

"everybody. Uh, we hit 18,000 subscribers"

"fact that uh we broke 100,000 subscribers yesterday."

"uh getting us to 70,000 subscribers."

"I have 57,000 subscribers,"

"We broke 50,000 subscribers,"

"the success of this channel has been amazing. Today we broke 15,000 subscribers."

"hitting 20,000 subscribers. I think that was an amazing milestone and uh I look forward to continuing to see us grow and get bigger. So, it's just amazing. The community we have built has been so w…"

"neutral channel and I will continue to stay that way. And uh and if I lose a few subscribers over"

"live in a small 23 foot camper, there's"

"heat for a little tiny little camper 23 ft long. But, uh, I find them very"

"know, I live in a 23 foot camper, so"

"live in a 23 foot camper and trying to"

"in. Um, you know, I've lived in this 23T camper now 3 years. Uh,"

"either. It's just raw land. So, but it was the only option I had. It's the only option I seen. Um, so I got a hold of it. I got five acres."

"Five acres. No, it's not a lot."

"twice that size for my animals. So, they've got plenty of room to run, plenty of room to play. Yet, at the end of the day, they'll still alert me to anything coming on the property. They'll"

"I did manage to find five acres of unrestricted land."

"Five acres."

"Five acres of untapped potential."

"and here there's three acres. So,"

"age"

"know. But uh so you know the vehicles I drive are I got one that's 30 years old"

"and the other one is 20 years old. So"

"you know. I drive a 20 year old truck"

"and a 30 year old car, you know. Um, at"

"I'm 60 years old. I draw a small"

"uh you know my father had cancer um and of course I was his caretaker uh for about 10 years and u"

"My father was a bodyman for 53 years."

"My dad lived to be 92 years old."

"My father, of course, he was 91 years old at that time, had terminal lung"

"caregiver for over 20 years from both my parents, my wife before she passed, my sister, and my brother-in-law."

"father, I think I only seen him cry one time in the 92 years that he lived."

"67year-old on social security move along when the nearest rent is $1,400 a month"

"exactly because the residents are low income. After all, fixed incomes equal a predictable cash flow. Many are seniors."

"Look at the difference. Normal life. 3,000 a month, 4,000 a month, more mortgage, cars, subscriptions, utilities, trash, water, utilities,"

"sheet. Rent for the affordable unit, $1,350 a month."

"tell you a story. A senior woman, 72 years old, living on social security check of $1,900 a month. She sees that sign. She walks into the leasing office. She asks about an affordable unit. The mana…"

"me, my camper only cost 4,000 dollars,"

"buy an old $4,000 20 some odd year old camper with soft floors and occasionally"

"home. I bought this old camper, paid $4,000 for it, you know,"

"bought an old $4,000 camper and said,"

"whether to buy uh a new camper. Um"

"I'm just a caretaker here on this property."

"that's been four years, you know. So, I'm going to have to get off my butt and deal with what's in the box truck and"

"accumulated over the last 25 years?""

"it took almost now 4 or 5 months to really go through the majority of"

"keep looking at it day after day. And for me, it was almost four years and it was just too long. and it was time to get up, do something about it, and turn this old girl into something we can reall…"