Howdy from the Lone Star State!

Hi y'all! My name is Wendy and I'm in Austin, TX. I just recently (as in, just this week) began researching homesteading/living "off grid"/intentional communities/permaculture, and lo and behold, it led me here! What led me here is how fed up I'm becoming with my existence being dictated by making ends meet in a society that  defines success by how much money you make, which determines how and where I live. I long for a simpler life, surrounding myself with like-minded folks with whom I can build trust and are as interested in me as I am in them. I'd welcome any feedback, suggestions,  discussions, and anecdotes as I explore the possibility of making a huge change in how I live. Thanks, and I look forward to where this might lead!

Hi Wendy,

Welcome to Permies!

One way you can make the shift is to come to Wheaton Labs for the Permaculture Boot Camp. In this way, you can gain any skills you might lack while familiarizing yourself with permaculture techniques while simultaneously meeting folks involved in permaculture.

You can find out more details here: [url=https://permies.com/t/bootcamp]Permaculture Boot Camp[/url

After you spend a month in the Boot Camp, you get an acre to try these techniques out on. And if you like the values here at Wheaton Labs, after four months, you can exit the Boot Camp to work on your acre full time.

I will have completed my four months at the Permaculture Boot Camp and will move up on to Wheaton Labs July 5th!  Oh yeah, and I already have nine (9) trees planted up there along with corn (doing great), squash (not so great), tomatoes (still way too small), and sunchoke (growing like it really wants to)!

It won't be easy, so think of it as a true Boot Camp to work the being that is you in to a newer healthier you with cool skills and new habits!  

What ever you method you try, please read the Permaculture Design Manual by Bill Mollison.....that alone will help you a great deal.

Welcome, Wendy!

Thank you Orin and Tereza! I understand that this kind of living can be physically demanding, and I'm not afraid of hard work and getting my hands dirty. I'm looking to better myself, become healthier, and remove as much civilized stress from my life as possible. I have a slipped disc in my back, but I am cognizant of my abilities and when I need to slow down. Perhaps the conditioning of physical work will help with strengthening my weaknesses. I'm also looking for spiritual decontamination and would think that learning to rely more on my abilities and the help of others where I need guidance would open that door for me.

I like the sound of "spiritual decontamination"- around here, getting our hands really dirty and playing with tools/equipment is how we try to achieve that.
Have you got any ways of starting right now where you're at? Any gardens, balconies, or even application of permie principles in your kitchen, in your house? Little steps are really satisfying!

Welcome, fellow Texan! I completely understand your feeling to become more independent of society and their definitions of "success." There's definitely a lot of pressure out there to comform to a certain standard; which, ultimately, doesn't even matter in the long-term scheme of things.
While I haven't completely removed myself from the rest of society, I have been doing a little at a time to become more self-reliant and create my own, personal space where I can foster a lifestyle which benefits my physical and emotional health.
My advice is to start with small projects and slowly work your way into building your ideal environment. For example, make and maintain a sourdough starter, and use the discard to bake your own breads. Grow some cucumbers and ferment some pickles. Sheet mulch a garden bed with the goal of growing half a year's worth of green beans for the family. As you achieve these smaller goals, you can build up from them until you have the whole system designed and implemented. Sure, things will go wrong and failures happen; but if you are learning what doesn't work, then it's definitely not a waste of time, and it's easier to go back and try again when you aren't doing too many projects at once.
Fortunately, here in CenTex, we are able to have spring and fall gardens (and can grow some things straight through the winter). This allows us to gain insight on what works best, when and where (and produce a bit more food to get us through the winter).
So glad you found this community and I wish you the best in your new journey!

Thank you, KC. I don't have a clue where to start. I have a small back yard, so perhaps start with a couple raised beds? I like the sound of cucumbers and pickling them.