From the time I was eight years old, I can remember my dad telling me and mom and grandma stories around the dinner table about growing up on the farm. Getting up early to milk the cows and plow fields may not seem exciting to most kids and certainly, dad was glad he didn't have to do that anymore, but to me, there was a certain allure. I always dreamed about having a big, self-sustaining farm. Then I grew up. I got a job, got married and had kids. I got divorced and got 3 jobs to keep raising the kids. Finally, I burned out. I figured there was no time like the present. So I packed up the kids and moved out to the country. I have tended to make major life changes without a lot of forethought or planning. This has its drawbacks, to be sure, but jumping in with both feet also has its advantages. One is that you don't wait a lifetime to do what you want to do, stuck in a job and a place that is terribly unsatisfying but for the paycheck. I'm not going to encourage anyone to compulsively quit their job, pack up the car and pitch a tent in the desert, but I will share my story, along with hindsight suggestions for improvement. This book is about how I came to the decision to move to the country, the plans I made and the steps I took to do it, and some things I didn't do that I should have. I have tried to put together a guide for deciding whether moving to the country is for you, or if maybe what you need is just a minor lifestyle change. If you decide homesteading is for you, the book serves as kind of a checklist for what to consider and how to proceed to move out of the rat race, into a slower, more satisfying life. Chapters include evaluating Your Job, Your Financials, Your Lifestyle, and practical information on how to choose a location, Packing Up and Moving Out, and Making an Action Plan. Extensive resources at the back of the book include websites, books, and YouTube channels to investigate for more tips, professional help, and ideas. Get Out of the City and Thrive is in 3 parts. Book 1 - How I Did it and How You Can, Too! - Deciding if you really want to get out of the city and making a plan to do so.Book 2 - Milking the Wild Goat - How to Find Land and Set up Your Homestead, including raising critters. Book 3 - Paying for the Dream - How to Thrive on Your Homestead gives you ideas for how to pay for it all.
Robyn Dolan escaped the city for the first time in 1986, as a young mother, with her second child on the way. The family moved to Big Bear Lake, CA and lived and sold Real Estate there among the tall pines, deep lake and hordes of skiers for 12 years. After her divorce, Ms. Dolan decided to move even farther out and eventually settled in Ash Fork, Arizona, "50 miles from everywhere", west of Flagstaff and north of Prescott. Here she raised goats, sheep, chickens, horses, dogs, cats, the occasional pig, and a milk cow, for another 14 years. She also gave birth to her 4th child in Arizona. Presently, the author is living full time in her 26-foot travel trailer, traveling between elderly grandpas and enjoying the sights in between. She calls her continuing attempts at homesteading and frugal living "roadsteading" and her son's homeschooling experience "roadschooling".
