My Homestead Plan! Please Review! | Page 2 | Construction and DIY projects | Forums

I just viewed your Google doc. The transportation category stood out to me.

A horse on 1 acre is pushing your luck. Particularly when you will be needing to utilize as much of the available land as possible. I mentioned "economy of scale". I don't think a horse meets that criteria. They need lots of food and lots of space, and you would only be using it for transport. You'd be limited where you could ride it in all likelihood. Hopefully someone that actually knows about horses can chime in.

Animal wise, maybe a donkey or mule would be better, but even they likely don't fit economy of scale.

Consider a 50cc scooter. No need for registration, just insurance. Its amazing how much you can carry back from a store in the footwell, in a backpack, and tied to the back. Add saddlebags and/or a small trailer. Just wear safety gear, a helmet at least. A riding jacket and gloves even better. Road rash is not something you want to experience. Buy a Japanese brand, NEVER buy a Chinese brand. The Chinese ones break constantly, you cant find parts, you can find repair shops. Scooters in the 50cc range get 80-120 mpg. The trade off is that they are slow. Count on 15-40mph with 25 being average. Still faster than a horse. Theft is a big deal with scooters. Since there is no registration requirement, thieves can steal and pawn them for quick cash. Don't just chain it, use a cable (harder to cut) with a great pick resistant lock, and secure it by the frame to a fixed object that they cant lift the cable over. Securing the frame is easier said than done since most scooters obscure the frame with body panels. A Yamaha Zuma scooter with exposed frame will be easier to secure and is Japanese.

If you don't need a truck, don't get one. Low fuel economy, high insurance, high parts and repair costs will kill your budget.

If you can find a cheap Geo Metro 5 speed hatchback coupe (not convertible, not 4 door) in good mechanical shape, it gets 30 to 60+ mpg. Join a Metro forum and start learning before going this route. If you make a bad buy, it'll be a money pit. Don't get sucked in by the enthusiasm of Metro lovers on the forum. It's just a machine to get you from point A to point B. They'd have you spending money you don't have to "rescue" a lost cause. That said, done right it can make terrific sense financially speaking.

Join the ecomodder forum. They will overwhelm you with information on what car to buy and what to do with that car to maximize your mpg's.

Or you could buy an alternative car like the $6800 Elio. Just go slower around curves since it only has 3 wheels. http://www.eliomotors.com/

Whatever you buy car wise, get a manual transmission. Cheaper to repair, less prone to break in the first place, and lets you drive in ways to conserve fuel that simply are not an option with an automatic transmission.