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Now more than any other time in the past 50 years, I believe it makes more sense to live in a rural environment than it does to live in the city.

In the 1970’s, the cost of a house in Vancouver BC (where I grew up) was 2-3x the annual salary. Today, it is more than 20x.

For a long time, the city was full of opportunities. In a sense, it is still that way today, but high costs for housing and transportation make it a downwardly mobile situation for many people. I was one of those people.

In 2021, I made my final escape from this economic trap, but that didn’t come without its risks and downsides. With that said, though, after carefully analyzing the pros and cons, I have come to believe there is no better option for the average Canadian and American *right now* than to move onto a piece of affordable land, and to simply find a way to make it work.

No matter the downsides involved, I still think whatever problems you run into, the problems you will run into in a major city are much more challenging, and frankly, much more annoying to deal with. The cities still have their benefits, but these are either waning entirely, or simply becoming less and less accessible to the average person.

These are my Top Ten reasons for why I think 2025 is the year to start a homestead:

1. AFFORDABILITY (it is actually possible right now)
2. LIFESTYLE (greater range of day to day experiences)
3. MENTAL CLARITY (every day is a reset)
4. COMMUNITY (there is real community out here)
5. SILENCE (rural areas have actual quiet places still)
6. DIRECTLY REWARDING (your actions pay off)
7. HEALTH (it is legitimately good for you)
8. FINANCIAL RESILIENCE (not swayed by global markets)
9. LACK OF BUREAUCRACY (no permits needed for building)
10. RESOURCE SECURITY (less pressure to compete)

This isn’t just about money, it’s about being a person rather than a number. You won’t become rich living this way, but you’ll probably love longer, and because of the variety in your day to day life, you’ll actually remember your life. I feel like no one actually remembers their lives anymore. Every day mimics the last in an endless cycle of days spent at the office. It is a blur.

I understand it is very hard to get out of cycle, and it truly requires a lot of work a sacrifice to do so. But I really think it is worth it. It is 2025, this makes sense.

Thank you for reading, and for watching.

– Ben.

00:00:00 – 00:00:24 – Intro
00:00:25 – 00:01:16 – Affordability (1)
00:01:17 – 00:02:34 – Range Of Lifestyle (2)
00:02:35 – 00:03:40 – Mental Clarity (3)
00:03:41 – 00:05:09 – Community (4)
00:05:10 – 00:06:12 – Access To Silence (5)
00:06:13 – 00:07:12 – Directly Rewarding (6)
00:07:13 – 00:08:39 – Health (7)
00:08:40 – 00:09:19 – Financial Resilience (8)
00:09:20 – 00:10:04 – Freedom From Bureaucracy (9)
00:10:05 – 00:11:52 – A Question For The Audience (10)

#ruralliving #homestead #subsistence #acreage #bluecollar