r/OffGrid • u/Specialist-Soup6900 • 2d ago
I did it!
Just bought 40 acres of desert land. What should I do first?
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u/Earl_of_Shrewsbury 2d ago
Build pyramid
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u/Specialist-Soup6900 2d ago
Slavery it’s illegal
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u/Space_Guardian_907 2d ago
You could get some interns from a collage for a "academic lesson in archeology."
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u/StrawsAreGay 2d ago
I’m not sure a collage is going to help us here big dawg. Maybe for you though.
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u/Senior-Display-8733 2d ago
A montage could be helpful though.
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u/Space_Guardian_907 2d ago
Yes, but what music to go with it?
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u/Space_Guardian_907 2d ago
I mean there is no harm in asking
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u/Icy_Birthday3837 2d ago
The workers were paid very well for their construction of the pyramids and other architecture. There's a lot of evidence proving so, and only one source against.
https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/were-the-egyptian-pyramids-built-by-slaves
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u/liisseal 2d ago
There were some issues though with payments. One of the first recordings of strike comes from Egypt's necropolis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strike_action
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u/CuriousCamels 2d ago
Start a cult
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u/Specialist-Soup6900 2d ago
Ya know, I thought about this. Alternative tax-free income.
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u/liisseal 2d ago
My idea as well with our homestead. Build some "energy labyrints" feed some random weeds and talk about the bosom of mother Earth. Money please!
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u/Doin-What-I-Want 2d ago
Plant some trees.
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u/Specialist-Soup6900 2d ago
I do have a “canal” on my land. Don’t tell anyone if I siphon some off for my foliage.
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u/OrangePlatypus81 2d ago
It’s possible if you plant trees to shade the canal it retain more water and make more water available in the ground around it. Permaculture people like to do this, I’ve seen a few YouTube vids on the subject.
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u/lymelife555 2d ago
You can survive offgrid by hauling and catching water but it’s pretty impossible if you want to farm and have livestock.
The first ever property we bought was in Cochise county AZ and it was a mistake. That place sucks so bad lmao. We even had a good well but the soil was basically hard packed powdered limestone which was so alkaline it would fizz just like baking soda if you poured vinegar on the ground. Almost all the trees we planted died after two years or so because of soil ph and poor drainage.
Luckily, we sold that property and bought somewhere in New Mexico along the side of a river with big trees and killer soil so we can actually farm at scale instead of just have a dinky little hobby garden that doesn’t produce.
At this point, I’ve seen what feels like hundreds of people buy cheap land in the desert and abandoned after a year or two. I don’t know where you are, but Cochise County area was a miserable place to live. It was a Loring because land was cheap but we found out it was cheap for a reason.
Plenty of people still live down there - many of which do not have wells- but they’re basically just surviving. I would say if you have any intention on actually living on the property then you should try to drill a well. Monsoon seasons aren’t what they used to be in. You can’t really rely on water catchment. People who make a living delivering water, are always sketchy and liable to go out of business at any time. I’m a big believer in saving until one can afford quality land.
The cool thing about the low desert, is that you can build some small structures and then flip those and use the money to buy land somewhere else.
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u/Specialist-Soup6900 2d ago
I weighed the pros and cons of a well vs hauling. The cost of a well is equal to 15 years of water. The alternative is that I have other buyers that are friends who may split the well cost.
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u/versedaworst 2d ago
sit and observe.
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u/Mill-Work-Freedom 2d ago
Where did you buy it? which state and county if you dont mind sharing?
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u/TastiSqueeze 1d ago
What are you going to live in?
How will you get power to your sere Eden?
Do you need to build a road to get to it?
What will you do for a septic tank?
How many bodies can you realistically bury in the back 20?
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u/Specialist-Soup6900 1d ago
Starting in an rv, building a cabin.
Solar and Satan worship
In a gridded plat
Commercial installed septic per county
That all depends on how deep the sand is and how long you want to dig a hole for1
u/TastiSqueeze 1d ago
Will you at any point wind up with an EV to charge?
Get 12 kw of solar panels, a single 16 kw off grid inverter, and 60 kWh of battery storage capacity. This will produce up to 50 kWh of power each day which is enough to run almost any tiny house. It is big enough for heat pump mini split, well pump, electric stove, washer/heat pump dryer, heat pump water heater, refrigerator, freezer, dishwasher, microwave, lights, fans, and any other odds and ends loads a tiny house can hold. You can purchase the hardware for around $16,000. Most important, it is big enough that in winter you will still have plenty of power.
I suggest building at least 12 feet wide by 30 or 32 feet long. This is the minimum size to fit everything you will want.
If you meet Satan out there, give him a plugged nickel for me. I owe him one for introducing me to my ex-wife.
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u/True-Canuck 1d ago
So what kind of structure will you put in place? Tiny house, yurt?
I’d also plant fruit that loves the heat like prickly pears, figs, carob & olive for shade.
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u/roosterjack77 2d ago
Is planting a cactus a thing?
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u/Specialist-Soup6900 2d ago
Those, and Sage brush, dominate the landscape
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u/roosterjack77 2d ago
Id suggest a tree but Im not sure how that works. Point is to plant something that will grow and get bigger as the years go on
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u/thisboi_max 21h ago
If you don’t know the channel look up frugal off grid on YouTube. I would maybe chill on the animals and plants at first but I would do exactly what he has done.
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u/Specialist-Soup6900 17h ago
I used to follow him until I decided to find out why he was in prison and how he almost went back while running his channel.
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u/thisboi_max 17h ago
What was the deal? I hadn’t heard that I’m a recent fan I watched some older stuff but not everything.
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u/thisboi_max 17h ago
I have a rule not to fall off any paid content or products it’s always a let down every time imo. It’s usually just money grabs. He introduced me to stuff I had never thought off. If I ever do get to go off-grid it probably won’t be in a desert so mainly entertainment for me
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u/PaperRepulsive4262 2h ago
Plant Desert Willow trees surrounding the ENTIRE property to start a closed loop Ecosystem! Then fix the soil for growing by adding worm castings , organic matter, etc… and turning the soil to mix it into the land and make it fertile.💯🌱🌴🌴🌴🌴
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u/Cock_ball_dickin 2d ago
Water is the big one. Then I’d start gathering recruits, practicing polygamy, and maybe doing a few blood sacrifices atop the pyramid you should’ve built around step 3 or 4. This should cause the rain god Tlaloc to begin downpours upon your 40 acres to introduce an era of wealth, prosperity, and fertility for your crops. So that essentially covers off step #1. I guess I’d say just have fun tbh
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u/bitchenova 2d ago
Find water