All these Alaska shows on tv

[Kenneth in Texas]

How do most these people make any kind of living? I can see how the ones that work on the railroad make a living but how does one just check out of society and move off the grid and still have any coin in their pocket to live? I wonder if most these people are not on some government disability?

 

[300UGUY]

I've thought the same thing.

 

[Tomtint]

I have sat back an thought about how much I spend in order to work. ..trucks,insurance,labor,material,phones,fuel,office costs,..on and on and on. What I have said many times to a few friends, is if you own your home and have reliable paid for transportation...how hard and how much would you really need to work or earn to survive.

 

[escavader]

I think the oil companys pay all the residents in alaska dont they?

 

[MinnesotaEric]

I need to move to a place where they pay me for breathing, because I can fog a mirror with the best of them!

 

[George2615]

I often wonder about the shows "Buying Alaska" or "Buying the Bayou". I wonder what these people do for a living too. The buyers are shown 3 properties and decide on which one to buy. Most properties on the show have no plumbing, septic, or electric. Some are a house (or shack) built on a floating barge yet the prices are in the 6 digits (100K-300K). They couldn't pay me to buy one of these run down shacks. Other shows go the high end houses and do have everything and prices are in the $500K-800K or higher ranges.

 

[Clint S]

I have sat back an thought about how much I spend in order to work. ..trucks,insurance,labor,material,phones,fuel,office costs,..on and on and on. What I have said many times to a few friends, is if you own your home and have reliable paid for transportation...how hard and how much would you really need to work or earn to survive.

Property taxes, at this moment in time, is probably my largest expense and you never pay them off. If it were not for them I could probably survive in a meager manner growing and raising most of my food, cutting firewood and working a bit here and there. That is not counting needing health insurance

 

[Kenneth in Texas]

I have sat back an thought about how much I spend in order to work. ..trucks,insurance,labor,material,phones,fuel,office costs,..on and on and on. What I have said many times to a few friends, is if you own your home and have reliable paid for transportation...how hard and how much would you really need to work or earn to survive.

well i have a house paid off, several vehicles that are free and clear and i STILL need more than I like to even live a reasonably normal life. I live on the grid and in the lower 48 and its still hard to make it, least for me it is.

 

[SPIKER]

I think the oil companys pay all the residents in alaska dont they?

I think you are correct on that, the royalties from the north slope of AK means each resident gets $XXXX dollars a year based on how much oil is pumped and the going price for that oil.

M

 

[EarPlug]

The Alaska Oil Trust payment for each resident in 2013 was $900 and 2014 was $1884. Hardly enough to live on.

Alaska residents to get $1,884 payout from oil royalty fund | Reuters