I know a guy who has a yuuuge property in the mountains in NorCal, and he got it from helping out a widow for years (she gave it to him)
The land is in a trust and can never be sold. He wants to pass it on to another hippie one day.
I volunteered for him for a matter of weeks in exchange for food and housing. Power was all solar. Hot water and cooking was all propane. You compost your poop using sawdust and organic material. We burned firewood in wood stoves to stay warm. I only worked 5 hours a day, mostly digging trenches to install a gravity-fed spring water system. The idea is to find a high standard of living where all your needs are being met.
The animals all play off each other (the rooster protects the hens, the goat and geese are fucking assholes, the dog alerts you to any intruders, the cats kill rodents, and the cows provide dairy/beef, pigs are great pets but also eat anything and can be eaten)
Richard/Dick Proenneke is known for his proven ability to live off the land, as a builder and survivalist. Watch his movie “Into The Wilderness”
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLws0HH1FSGPBfckT7F5NQf_z6l69lREsL&si=NNY9b3eXYgRa2ONmHave you heard of Worldpackers? Or Workaway? Or WWOOF? You can get a bit of experience, try it on for size. (Also a great way to get laborers without paying them)
My biggest piece of advice, you need skills. Think critically, have first aid skills, foresee situations and stop them before they start. You could seriously die out there, Anon. It’s no joke. You have to be self-sufficient, and know how to fix your own car, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera