VIDEO: Living the Real Simple Life- ABC News

January 29, 2011

Keeping it all in house!

In this is ABC Nightline story on " Living the Simple Life " the Dervaes family is

profiled. These new urban homesteaders, a family of four, live comfortably on

$30,000 a year. Growing their own food on 1/5th of an acre they have meat, dairy

and vegetables- all they need. They even sell to local restaurants and

neighbors.

They also make their own fuel for the car out of used vegetable oil from

restaurants. It costs $1/ gallon to make.

Yes, a lot of work to be sure. But so is working all day and sitting in traffic

another hour and a half. Most of us cannot fathom turning a suburban house on

1/5th of an acre into a full-blown self-sustaining farm- but we willingly give

up virtually all of our energy for an entire lifetime working and commuting to

get everything we need the conventional way.

This family is going to be fine no matter what happens with gas prices, food

prices, or the economy in any sense. They don't have jobs to worry about being

fired from. No one can ever take away their standard of living – or their

security. As the interviewer says: " You probably care more about the rainfall

than interest rates! "

Obviously we can't all " quit our jobs and grow vegetables " . But can we take just

a page from this book, and embrace the direction of self reliance?

On only $30,000 a year, they consider themselves rich and blessed -- and their

neighbors love them! -- Bibi Farber

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