Waste

When considering waste, do you want the expense and mess of putting in a septic tank or can you live with a composting toilet? As with your electricity needs, it is best to think about your ultimate goal and start there. The composting toilet is the cheapest option. Once you purchase the toilet, you have no expenses at all. Or you can dig an outhouse for free and still compost your human waste.
You can also purchase an incinerator toilet for around $2,000, which will dispose of your waste quite efficiently. The septic system is the most expensive, costing between $4,000 and $10,000, plus the need for running water, electricity, and ongoing maintenance and repair.
Your Home

Once you have your land, you need to build a home on it. If you manage to find land with a house already on it, that’s great! It gives you something to work with. If you need to build a home, you can consider whether to build a home from the materials on your land, to buy a prefabricated home, whether you want a small cabin or a larger house. What type of home you build will be a personal decision, but here are some things to consider.
Keep It Simple

When starting out, you do not need to build your dream home. If you are planning to live off the land, then you need to focus on your food and water needs first. Having said that, you do need a roof over your head, but it doesn’t need to be the home you ultimately will live in, at least not right away. Live in a trailer or other temporary shelter or modest home on your property until you get your food and water needs taken care of. Once you have that under control, then you can turn to building the home you have always wanted. Here are some resources from Amazon to help get you started:

• Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre
• The Woodland Homestead
• The Lost Ways
• Creating the Low-Budget Homestead
• How to Build the Perfect Off-Grid Home

Food Storage

Since you are planning to live off the land, you will need to prepare for food storage. This means you will need a root cellar of some type. You can build your root cellar anywhere on your property, but it is wise to consider building it as a “basement” to your house. This way, you will have easy access to the root cellar year-round and you will be able to build it with the rest of your house, saving you time and labor later on.
You can build the root cellar first, and if you have to, you can even live in it until you can build the rest of your home. You will also need to be prepared to defend your food stores against environmental factors, such as heat, light, temperature, humidity, and pests.