My plan for an economic collapse scenario like this is to first get out from under the debt/wage/rent slavery conditions that are prevalent in society and then develop a self-funded product that generates income. So I have been living for next to nothing in the bay area (Marin) for several years now on land that is owned free and clear, in a modest home that I built with my own hands with free or surplus materials. I realize that this lifestyle may not be suitable or even possible for many people, but it can work out quite well once you adapt.

To do this, you first need to save some cash to buy land then have the ability to find and evaluate suitable properties. Property tax foreclosure sales are one possibility, another are properties that are abandoned in some way by the owners. I have acquired many properties dirt cheap with these processes in California and across the southwest, including farmland.

To develop the property having access to a truck, car and trailer, or other suitable vehicle for hauling is necessary. As you know there's a ton of free building materials available in the bay area. To gain an extra advantage I developed a browser extension that monitors free postings on Craigslist and generates instant notifications when something comes up. At this point I have collected so many free materials that I literally ran out of space to store it all. I have stacks of high quality 100 year old lumber, dozens of very nice windows and doors, redwood decking, gymnasium flooring, shipping pallets, and so forth. With these materials I build useful items like fences, habitable shelters, workshops and greenhouses.

Since the laws are generally against people building a home without the need for a ton of cash or bank lending, I create an alternative purpose for the property. For instance, the cover story I use for the properties is typically that they are being used by a non-profit for some social or envirionmental benefit. Since I believe that many building and occupancy codes are developed for the benefit of the banking/real estate industry, and unjustly deprive people of the right to live in the world without becoming a debt slave, I have no issues with stating that nobody lives on the property. I simply say that I rent a small room somewhere else, but I spend a good deal of time on the property.

I have been doing this for many years now and have invested a ton of time in research, skills development and uncovering creative solutions and work-arounds. Honestly, its a lot of physical effort and I am not getting any younger. I could practically teach a seminar on the subject.

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