You've dreamed about it all your life - the thought of living in the woods. You've pictured yourself in a cabin in the middle of the woods, with a fresh, bubbling brook flowing nearby; the smell of the forest trees and wildflowers drifting through your open window; groundhogs and deer gathering to eat and play near your woodpile down by the wooden fence you've recently began building. You see yourself sitting on your front porch in the late afternoon, sipping lemonade and listening to various songbirds, trying to identify one bird song from another. After relaxing awhile, you gather some firewood for your woodstove and prepare a meal under the light of a kerosene lamp. For now, you're content with the simple pleasures of your self-sufficiency. Maybe in a few months you'll put in electricity, but for the moment, life is perfect as it is.

Here are some ideas of what to include in your plan:
1. Your current expenses. This should include all debts: car payments, insurance, credit card bills, etc. (More on this in the chapter three, “Getting out of Debt”). Consider how much you can afford per month on a place. Perhaps you can buy a plot of land outright? Take a look at your finances and see just what you can do.

2. Where you want to move. This can be a list of small towns in the approximate area where you want to go. Do you want to live near mountains, in the country, near a large piece of water? Be specific on what you want.

3. The sort of land you want to buy. Consider how many acres you want and can afford, whether you want a place with a cabin, house or mobile home on it, or a place where you can build from scratch.

4. Water Source. Consider whether or not you want a spring, stream, pond or lake on, or adjoining, the property. Be aware that the property cost and value go up when purchasing a piece of land with water. Consider the cost of putting in a well. Do your research to find out how deep a well you need in the particular area where you hope to build. Make sure to find out if the land you’re buying is part of a wetland or considered a flood plain.

5. Adjoining land and neighbors. How isolated do you want to be? Do you want neighbors nearby or would you rather be surrounded by national forests on several sides? Keep in mind that building codes may exist in certain areas. Never buy land without first finding out about restrictions.

6. Staying close to the city. In most cases, the further you get from the city, the cheaper the land, but if you need to make frequent trips to the city or a small town, you need to consider your drive time. For example, if you’re just buying land now to live on later, and are interested in going to your land just on weekends for awhile, it’s important to consider how far you’re willing to drive each weekend.

7. The future of the land you’re buying. Something to consider is whether development will soon move to the area where you’re purchasing land. If you’re buying for investment purposes, this is something to consider, but for the sake of this booklet, we’re only going to focus on land you actually want to buy and live on for yourself and your family. Be aware that construction, industries and general development may be moving in the same direction where you want to buy. This may influence your decision.

8. Nearest Schools, stores, hospitals, business, etc. These are all important to keep in mind when moving to the woods. Find out where the closest town is and what businesses and industries are nearby. Unless you plan to home school, you need to know where to send your kids to school, if you have children. Also, since you will be working for yourself in the woods, it’s important to know where your competition has set up shop or if you’ll have much competition at all!

9. What to get rid of and what to take with you. If you plan to keep your house in the city and buy a property in the country, try to determine what you’ll take with you and what you’ll leave behind. If you’re moving to the woods all together, create an inventory of things you need to take with you, or to purchase, and things you need to get rid of or sale.

10. Skills you need to learn. Although there are Jacks-of-all-trade out there, for the most part, many of us are not qualified to claim such a title. You may know how to build a tree house, but when it comes to building a log cabin, you make have some skills to learn. You may know how to work a microwave, but do you know the first thing about wood stoves? Make a list of skills you want to learn and knowledge you want to gain. Be aware of your limitations as well as your strengths.

Planning the move involves doing your research. If you’ve got Internet access, do your homework online. If you don’t, consider going to the library and doing your research there, or pick up magazines and books on moving to the country, learning new skills and becoming self-sufficient. Keep an eye out at the thrift shops, garage sales, and used bookstores for publications that might come in handy.

You’ll discover that when you examine your expenses, you’ll probably come to the conclusion that you need to start budgeting. Living on a budget isn’t fun, but it’s a necessity when saving for that wilderness property. Consider it your priority goal. Prepare an untouchable savings account dedicated to purchasing that property in the woods. When spending money from now on, consider purchasing items that will be of benefit to you in the woods. This might include tools, wood or plumbing supplies, and self-sufficiency items.

Begin storing necessities that will be handy, not only in the woods, but also if your power or heat goes out in the city. This would include batteries, flashlights, food, camp stoves, fuel, hand and feet warmers, and etc. You get the picture. Also, begin storing bottled water. When you drink pop in large plastic containers, save the containers and fill them with water. You can always use the water later for washing or watering flowers and plants. If you already live in the woods, you might consider the following idea. I once heard of a family that dug a hole 16 feet x 13 feet x 6 feet deep that held 5500 gallons of water. They lined the hole with cardboard and old carpets. Then, they layered it with plastic. They put one ounce of chlorine bleach for each 500 gallon of water and it supplied the water needs of a family of seven for four months. This included drinking, cooking, washing, bathing and laundry. It also took care of a few farm animals.

Another important thing to consider when planning your move is to buy items in bulk for the wilderness. This may include canned foods, grains, toilet paper, and a number of other items. Make a list and begin the process.

Keep in mind that organizations are always giving away free information and booklets. Begin assessing the skills you need to learn, the products you might be purchasing in the future, and any other information that might be helpful to you in the woods. If you don’t know how to sew, can, do electrical or plumbing work, do your research and gather free information. Study it and when you can, practice your new skills. Talk to people who know how to build, garden, and do other practical things. The avenues of free information are unlimited. Asking questions, listening, taking notes, keeping your eyes and ears open for information is vital. Sometimes free seminars are offered or affordable one or two-day classes on survival or self-sufficiency are taught. Take them. Learn all there is to learn on wilderness survival. Create a file, a desk drawer or computer folder with articles and notes on subjects related to your move to the country. No doubt that you’ll refer to them at a later time.

Planning for the move needs to be your own personal agenda of how you and your family can realistically take steps to get to where you want to go: the woods.