Thank you all for your sage advice! It's a lot to think about, especially the hard work part. I have fibromyalgia and some days it's hard to impossible to get out of bed. I guess I'll dreamed about it for awhile.

In the 1980s and 1990s I lived in the bush, in a house I built on a property where I made the road, laid pipes for water phone and power, grew fruit veges and so on, it was a great way to raise kids. That was on hundreds of acres, I now live on 700 square metres, but have 10kw solar system, as well as other smaller solar systems for ground water gardens, aquaculture and so forth. We barter a lot and we eat very well. 2 adults living on $100 a week each running 2 vehicles at the moment ,though that may change, we don't have to drive much. We have pretty much everything, air con, pool, spa, computers, we entertain a lot but it is all carefully planned. Even the lawn mower is charged by solar and am looking into electric cars. We eat a lot of seafood living at the beach, we are subtropical, so lots of great fruit. We bake a lot, have chooks, so up before dawn every morning, it is not a lazy persons lifestyle. I have created a role for myself in the town as the sustainability officer and teach others how to at least cut their living costs. Only too happy to swap thoughts, there are so many things I can still learn.

I lived for a while off grid with no electricity or plumbing. Everything was a lot of work. Hours and hours spent gathering wood, cutting it, storing it, drying it out. Hand washing all my clothes gave me forearms like Popeye. Pretty much went to bed when it was dark and got up when it was light. Not too much fun in the winter when there's less than 12 hours of daylight.
When we started having kids we moved back to civilisation and central heating, washing machines

I dabble in that but wouldnt call what I do homesteading

I'm reasonably happy

Being retired, living alone, owning everything I possess with no debts (other than normal living expenses) and living in a very rural are, I feel am already doing that as closely as possible, but still think of closing my house and traveling as a gypsy nomad in my small travel/camping trailer.

I'm building a tiny house. I should be off grid (at the house, only) by the summer. Just keep it simple and ease your way into it. The thing I've had to do is realize there's more than one way to do something and figuring out that different way has been the main problem. Like refrigeration. How will I get along with out it. Simple. Just don't buy stuff that needs to be refrigerated! Amend your diet! The idea is simple but actually doing it is the hard part. But it's totally doable! Be resourceful and look at what others are doing. Maybe join a permaculture group or homesteading today dot com type of forum.

To me, it starts with 3 checks coming monthly to my bank. I got "stuff" in 3 states. I had become a well taken care of "homeless". With a moving center of operation and with a major disdain for owning property to avoid becoming a slave. The fact that I am considered adorable by those that love me. Makes it possible. You need to start early to make your simpler life work late. It can happen to you too. But when I feel like it I bring my stuff to one place, claim the city and set up my apartment with my hollywood wall and everything until not interested in that city anymore. Did I mentioned I was Retired with no interest of working unless a Woman is good enough to force me? I am pretty self sufficient, independent and capable of calling a hotel my home without nostalgia for the house I left and without drama other than this place.