I give up. I can no longer lie about this.

I give up. I can no longer lie about this.

This job. The commute. The cortisol pumping through my veins.

This life I've been living for the last 7 years has been a hot mess. I'm done lying about it.

But I've got a plan.

Land a remote role. Buy at least 10 acres outside Charlotte. Build a self-sufficient family compound from the ground up.

I'm documenting every step — so you see exactly what this takes, learn what I learn, and hold me accountable when I want to quit.

Why

I am from a small town in South Carolina. After years of white knuckling it through corporate life, I am convinced my brain was never built for this pace.

I have multiple chronic illnesses that flare every time work stress hits a peak. I hate unnecessary bureaucracy with every fiber of my being. My family has been hanging on to the corporate teat long enough. And I want to eat real food — unprocessed, unadulterated, grown from the ground.

While planning my financial future I thought of all the ways I could maximize my income. At first, tried to be realistic. I suppressed the compound dream and shifted to duplexes — house hack, build rental income, be smart about it. But the thought of property managers, unexpected expenses, and legal headaches on top of a loan stressed me out more than the problem I was trying to solve.

I hurt my relationship with my mother during that search. The pressure got to me.

My aunt pulled me aside and told me to lighten up.

She was right.

So I stopped being realistic and went for the dream anyway.

Step One: Pay off all consumer debt

Kill the debt monster. He always comes to eat your quality of life.

At the time of writing this, I owe $12,038 in consumer debt. That's getting handled expeditiously. I cannot allow the cycle of consuming consumer debt to prevent me from achieving my goal of building a family compound.

However, my $47K worth of student loans will continue to receive the minimum payment in the meantime. It has a low interest rate and my credit remains unaffected by them.

I am going to use the avalanche method since my emergency savings account is strong.

Step Two: Build up my savings account

Build the down payment for land without touching the emergency fund.

It is key to build my house savings separately from my emergency savings account. I currently have approximately $10.5K. That is more than enough to cover my expenses so I will focus on using the freed up cash I waste on consumer debt to quickly build a decent down payment for a large plot of land.

Step Three: Find the land

Scout it. Research it.

The land I buy for the compound must satisfy the following:

1. Ensure the land can be subdivided
2. Supports a natural source of water
3. Allows modular builds (or anything I want for that matter. F*ck the HOA).
4. And has agricultural zoning.
5. Be at least 10 acres with a decent amount of road frontage.

Step Four: Secure the land

We're buying them acres.

Of course, I will need a pre-approval, a surveyor and an accepted offer. I am working with my lovely aunt whom is a REALTOR®.

Step Five: Find the right builder

Construction costs in 2026 are not a joke and shitty construction should be a crime.

I am going to begin my due diligence now to determine who is the best builder for my project. I worry that the cost of construction has skyrocketed over the years. However I know the most amazing things are on the other side of "doing it scared".

Step Six: Put my stank on it

The right builder can make my ideas come to life.

I am imagining a deep soaker tub with a beverage fridge within arm's reach, a custom carved chair with the divot that fits my ass, and make sure there are no annoying light switches in the most asinine corners of the house. That level of customization is the goal.

On second thought... Maybe a fridge near the tub isn't quite safe.

Step Seven: Build the garden

Annual rotation. Pollinators. Food sovereignty.

As the years go by, I have become really paranoid about what I get from the store and veggies go bad a lot quicker than they used to. As someone living with a chronic illness, I figured eating the highest quality of ingredients will help.

I also imagine finding someone that raises chickens or cattle, or even participating in a coop someday. My grandmother, mother and aunt are on board with with this and have already began to grow their own food.

The key is to not be a hobby gardener, but to really ensure I can produce the right foods and preserve them year round.

Step Eight: Subdivide

Build more structures. Bring the family in.

Over time I will begin to go through the necessary legal measures to subdivide the land and build additional structures. Those structures can either be rented out when vacant or house additional family members that are ready for a simpler way of life.

Step 3 point 5: Buy some cool ass four wheelers

Obviously.

I got to get from one end to the other right? I think this will make it really convenient.

If you have the same vision, subscribe so we can do it together.