Ok we have read the many threads about our fantasy homestead lets compare Reality.

We live on 2.38 acres (paid for) in a 1996 14x80 mobile home. (3 bedroom 2 bath)[total electric] Our mortage runs $225 month, power bill Avg $115, PHONE (2 lines) with internet $70. We drive a 1990 Dodge Dakota 4x4 and a 1992 Ford Explorer. (Total car payments run $235 month)

We have a 16x36 building we built thats wired, insulated and partially plumbed. 8x40 metal storage building, 4x6 generator shack and a 8x8 tarp lawn mower shed.

We shop at ALDI's and locale farmers market. Food to feed 2 adults 1 child 3 dogs 2 cats usually runs $200-250 month.

We have a well 335 feet deep, water is clear and other than a higher content of iron is very good. (comes through blue marble)

Our property is surrounded on 3 sides by the National Park, On the other side is my stepdads place (25 acres). Up the road the next property is my cousins (4 acres) and then my uncle has 20 acres. Up above them is the new housing development. I'm sure glad we were grandfathered in. The houses in the new development start at $105,000.

Jobs in this area are somewhat diverse. Being a Textile town has hurt because of the "take it to mexico" attitudes. However there are some clerical, temporary staffing type jobs. Universal just opened a plant 12 miles from here, it has swing shifts and starting pay is 8.50 topping out at $15.49. Within a radius of 55 miles (circle) we have a Reliance Electric, Copeland, Mayflower, Freightliner and Mack truck plants. It is a time consuming effort to get on but after the 90 day trial period you can earn $10+ hour with a decent benefits package. Add another 20 miles and the Mercedes plant can be included.

Summer temps run 70-95 Winter is mild (springlike) So far we've had very few days below 40. We have some high wind storms but hurricanes rarely reach this area.

Land prices can run pretty high here. In developments as high as $16,500 per acre. Rural raw land usually $1800-3500 topping out around $5000 per acre.

Thats about it for my little piece of americana. Now tell me about yours.

-- Kenneth in N.C. (wizardsplace13@hotmail.com), February 15, 2001

Answers

OK. We have 12 acres of pasture, 1500 sq. ft. farmhouse, 380 ft. deep cold well, outdoor wood heat, all electric house with bill about 50-60 a month. Mortgage is 325.00. Phone and internet is 80.00. Satalitte is 40.00. 1983 Chevy pickup and 88 Ford Areostar, both paid for. Insurance (house and vehicles) is 100.00 a month. Food is 200.00 a month. Dogs buy their own food plus all the other animals food. Property tax 150.00 a year.

6 Border Collies, Goats, 1 Donkey, 1 Pony, chickens, 6 cats, 15 rabbits, 2 finches and 2 adults that act like kids.

One oak garage 40 x 40 (rabbits and storage), one big old hog barn (only 1/2 is worth saving), 20 x 20 Border Collie Barn with runs, Chicken House, 100 x 100 Organic Garden.

Property surrounded on 2 sides by Beagle Club, one side cattle, and one side neighbor (nice guy). 1/2 mile up hill to property. No county water.

Jobs in E-Town are factory, starting at 7 to 10.00 going up to 15.00 Ambrake, Coke, and other big ones. Construction jobs pay best in Louisville (1 hour north of us) Hospital in E-Town is large employer.

Property is from 1,000 to 3,000 bare land, with lots being 5 to 10,000 in subdivisions. Land Companys are buying huge farms and cutting them up and applying their own restrictions. Grayson and Breckinridge countys have no planning and zoning. Temps are 90's in summer and down to teens in winter. Long growing season, 8 to 9 months. Usually plenty of rainfall and plenty of sunshine. Bad storms tend to follow the Ohio river north of here and miss us.

-- Cindy in Ky (solidrockranch@hotmail.com), February 15, 2001.

We have 1.2 acre. 2 bedroom farmhouse, 30 x 100 ft bisf garden, well for watering (contaminated by cattle fecals so not suitable for house use), 5 plum tres, 4 apple trees, 15 x 30 sunporch for greenhouse, 30 x 30 garden building, 25 x 25 animal pen and shelter, used for dogs now, maybe rabbits later. Everything works well enough that wife is a stay at home mom now.Big move from an apartment 5 yrs ago and two full time with overtime jobs working in industry to one 40 hr job, no OT and a place that costs half what our rent did.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), February 15, 2001.

We have just over 2 acres in west central Georgia, 2000 sq ft home,1/4 acre garden, and small raised bed of strawberries (another one on the way}, apple, pear, and peach trees, grapes and blueberries.Also 4 children and 2 dogs. We are fortunate to have everything paid off so I can stay home and homeschool the kids. Husband drives 30-40 minutes each way to work to earn just enough to live on. Normally we have mild winters and hot summers but this winter has been weird so who knows what this year holds. I do know the drought is BAD and our well is not deep. In fact, I've been meaning to ask about drilled wells. Are people happy with them? I'm very content with where God has us, although I do wish we didn't have all the subdivisions sspringing up everywhere.

-- Deena Johnston (DeenaJohnston@aol.com), February 15, 2001.

You tell me if it's greener elsewhere? I have a 760 sq. ft. house on a 1/4 acre lot in suburbia with a tax bill of $1800 a year and climbing. Lots of noise, neighbors and traffic here too. Restrictions on just about everything these days. Lots of work and convenience around here but at a price, one which is too high by my account, which is why I'm looking hard elsewhere. Was pretty much country here long ago but city folks have taken over the area, imposed their ways and wishes and so it goes! Cindy's $150 tax bill sounds like heaven to me.

-- Bob Johnson (Backwoods_Bob@excite.com), February 15, 2001.

I live 20 miles north of Ft. Worth and land goes for around $12,000 an acre. Five miles in towards town land goes for $35,000 an acre. That's why the small farm famalies are being forced out. They have a choice of selling out and being rich or paying enormous taxes. My taxes went up over $600 this past year and $400 the year before.

The local school district is asking for a $182 million bond package which includes a $20 million football stadium. Can you believe that? For a football stadium for high school football. Then the district brains say that $182 million will only do for five years then they will need another bond package because of the way the area is growing.

New homes in a new subdivision across the highway from me sell for $180,000 to $300,000. The beautiful prairie where I live now and grew up is being developed more every day. I can stand on my porch anytime of day and hear bulldozers. That's precisely why I'm waiting for my little place to get real expensive then let some city boy buy it and then me and my cats will be heading down to South Texas.

It's nice around here. Summers are hot and dry but not normally as bad as last summer (90 days in a row with no rain) and winters are really nice with only a few days of snow or ice and the temperature might drop down around 20 for a few days then back up into the 50s.

I hate to see all the changes around here but I can't stop them. I've just got to make the best of it then get the heck out of here.

I've got one of those computer jobs making good money and at my age I've got to make as much as I can but I don't want to work in a city no longer than I have to. I'm saving my money for my "great escape". I figure I'll be heading south in two to five years.

-- Joe (jcole@apha.com), February 15, 2001.

I neglected to mention that we heat entirely with wood which we either grow ourselves or pick up along the side of the road. People around here, especially in the city my husband works in have their trees cut down, cut into pieces that fit in my wood heater and stack them on the side of the road. It amounts to free heat for us. Most of it is pine, but we've been burning it for 18 years in the same hater with no problems. Taxes have been going up for us too. Last year we got a notice that our house taxes were going up tremendously. When we went to complain, we discovered they had taken a picture and measurements of a home up the road which is much nicer than ours and put it in our name. Always! check things out!

-- Deena Johnston (DeenaJohnston@aol.com), February 15, 2001.

We have 3 acres(paid for) with a 14x80 mobile home.Mortgage on the mobile is 300 per month.Children are grown and gone.2 dogs,1 cat,14 goats and 25-30 bantam chickens.Insurance runs approx 150 per month with all utilities coming in at around 200.98 Nissan pickup and an 85 Dodge conversion van.Truck note is 200 per.Ann won't give up the van unless she can have another one.NOT.16x36 barn for the goats and their hay.Several outbuildings for storage etc.Large greenhouse. I have 2 years to go until retirement.Everything should be paid for by then. 2 very large gardens furnish most of our vegetables.The grass is definitely greener HERE.Land prices are around 3M per acre unimproved.

-- JT Sessions (gone2seed@hotmail.com), February 15, 2001.

Ok here it go's, We have 1 & 1/2 acres,(which is planted with veg.,herb gardens,fruit trees,potato barrels,etc.) 1600 sg ft ranch home with 2 & 1/2 car garage and basement 4 kids,1 has moved out and 1 is in college, 3 dogs,2 cats,1 hamster. we also have 100 acres of farm land up north in the thumb of michigan,with a 1000 sg ft pole barn on it,(it is next to my parent- in-laws 1000 acre farm) House payment is $1,005.63 a mth.,100 acres and pole barn,$375.00 a mth, 3 phone lines with a average monthly bill of $150.00,our electric bill runs about $95.00,our gas bill runs $48.00 to $70.00 a mth. we have a 1993 caravan, a 1995 dodge pickup total with insurance $587.00 a mth. My 1997 White 5145 tractor with ins. is $650.00,(I share in my father-in-laws farming business,besides our own work and interests) taxes on our property is $2,980 for house and 1 1/2 acres and $650.00 for 100 acres. Food bill runs about $100.00 a wk in winter and about $60.00 in summer and fall. Then there is cell phone,pager,credit cards,gas,dog food,etc.,etc. all of which total another $550.00 a mth. Our house is in one of the fasting growing counties in Michigan and at the same time it has become 1 of the richest counties in Michigan.We have homes being built 5 miles down the road that are selling for over a million dollars with 3/4 acre lots. Our problem! We have lived in this community for 21 yrs. and uprooting the kids from friends, and losing our community involvement would do more damage emotionally than physically/monetarily at this point in time. We have taught our kids that no matter your status always remain community minded because that is where the heart of America is. We belive it as a family and we live it. our little community although growing by leaps and bounds still has a down home flavor to it and we support all the small business's we have,the local independent Spartan grocery store is the only place we shop at for food here,and the same go's for the one owner drug store and hardware and etc. The last time I went to a K-mart was at Christmas time.We also support every small local up north when we are there. My wife and me do not like what is happening here and we have planned to eventually moved up north when our littlest gets out on her own in another 9 yrs. We consider ourselves modern life homesteaders,we probably will not settle down to a life of do-nothing because once you become inactive you lose alot of your life,my father-in-law wants me to take over more and I am not sure about that yet and so it go's.

-- Tom (tjk@cac.net), February 15, 2001.

Ok here it go's, We have 1 & 1/2 acres,(which is planted with veg.,herb gardens,fruit trees,potato barrels,etc.) 1600 sg ft ranch home with 2 & 1/2 car garage and basement 4 kids,1 has moved out and 1 is in college, 3 dogs,2 cats,1 hamster. we also have 100 acres of farm land up north in the thumb of michigan,with a 1000 sg ft pole barn on it,(it is next to my parent- in-laws 1000 acre farm) House payment is $1,005.63 a mth.,100 acres and pole barn,$375.00 a mth, 3 phone lines with a average monthly bill of $150.00,our electric bill runs about $95.00,our gas bill runs $48.00 to $70.00 a mth. we have a 1993 caravan, a 1995 dodge pickup total with insurance $587.00 a mth. My 1997 White 5145 tractor with ins. is $650.00,(I share in my father-in-laws farming business,besides our own work and interests) taxes on our property is $2,980 for house and 1 1/2 acres and $650.00 for 100 acres. Food bill runs about $100.00 a wk in winter and about $60.00 in summer and fall. Then there is cell phone,pager,credit cards,gas,dog food,etc.,etc. all of which total another $550.00 a mth. Our house is in one of the fasting growing counties in Michigan and at the same time it has become 1 of the richest counties in Michigan.We have homes being built 5 miles down the road that are selling for over a million dollars with 3/4 acre lots. Our problem! We have lived in this community for 21 yrs. and uprooting the kids from friends, and losing our community involvement would do more damage emotionally than physically/monetarily at this point in time. We have taught our kids that no matter your status always remain community minded because that is where the heart of America is. We belive it as a family and we live it. our little community although growing by leaps and bounds still has a down home flavor to it and we support all the small business's we have,the local independent Spartan grocery store is the only place we shop at for food here,and the same go's for the one owner drug store and hardware and etc. The last time I went to a K-mart was at Christmas time.I am also on the local library board and the building and grounds committee at church.We also support every small local up north when we are there. My wife and me do not like what is happening here and we have planned to eventually moved up north when our littlest gets out on her own in another 9 yrs. We consider ourselves modern life homesteaders,we probably will not settle down to a life of do-nothing because once you become inactive you lose alot of your life,my father-in-law wants me to take over more and I am not sure about that yet and so it go's.

-- Tom (tjk@cac.net), February 15, 2001.

Sorry for the double submit!!!

-- Tom (tjk@cac.net), February 15, 2001.

Census, schmensus. 8.473 acres paid for, last cheap place in the area, praise God!! 2 tanks (catchment ponds) well that needs to get about 3k of work to be truly functional, 700 square foot house, heat with wood, just bought window ac last ridiculously brutal summer, seems to do a fair job with proper fan placement, 24x36 pole barn, 12x12 chicken coop a guinea whack...poles set up and fenced in chicken wire covered with a camo tarp :), 4 dogs, 4 cats, 30 or so birds, 6 goats, 22x48 screened in garden to deter the plague of hoppers which have destroyed me too many years in a row, fruit trees...if the hoppers let em live, noisy highway I can't see, a large wood lot at the front of the property and $268 taxes because I homesteaded and am out of city limits, no homestead it would be $1,200 or more.

Property now going for an average of 2k per acre under several hundred acres, $795 per acre if you can buy around a thousand of them, just started in trying to get $200 building permits county wide for any kind of shed, taxes went up 20% in two years, they are expected to go up that much forever...took almost a million dollars to build a new locker room for the high school football team, they need more money to build new dugouts for the baseball team. Jobs pay anywhere from minimum to $10 per hour if you work in the oilfield, more for plumbers and mechanics.

Generally, it is pretty nice and most people are very polite. I like it here and won't leave unless they make me....or it gets too durn hot all the time.

-- virtuallyunsure (notarealaddy@fake.com), February 15, 2001.

Our area has the greenest grass anywhere: Western Washington. Also one of the highest costs of living. We have five acres with 1600 s.f. two story house; 24x36 barn for the goats; fully fenced pastures (2); kennels; chicken coop; greenhouse; small shop; woodshed; and garden shed. Mortgage: $1650/month. Within commuting distance of Everett where Boeing builds the 767, 747, 777, etc. Also close to the Home Port for the Carrier USS Lincoln. Lots of job opportunities. I commute 45 minutes one way. Wife works at home running the dog boarding business and Nubian goat breeding business. I help out with farm chores and do my beekeeping with my "spare" time. Our dream is to relocate to where the grass is a little less green and land values much lower so we can stop buying our banker a new mercedes every year.

-- Skip Walton (sundaycreek@gnrac.net), February 15, 2001.

Have 300 acres in S.C. Kentucky, mostly steep wooded, 20 open pasture. Built a log home by ourselves while living in a camper and then a garage. No mortgage. Heat with wood, electric runs about $25- 30. have a cistern for our water. Jobs in area plentiful, but not high paying. Big poultry processing plant within 18 miles employs many people. Temperate climate makes gardening easy. Land prices going up but still can be purchased for $500 to $750 an acre. Taxes seem high to me, but don't they always. Friendly community. Many very secluded parcels of land left. Love the privacy. Able to have a few chickens, small herd of Scottish Highland Cattle. Lots of hay in the area to buy. It's heaven to me.

-- Jean in Ky. (dandrea@duo-county.com), February 16, 2001.

We live on 22 acres with house that we paid $60,000 for 11 years ago. We are in our 30's and 40's. Both of us have our own businesses. With renovations house is worth $125 K. We own it with no mortgage after lots of personal sacrifice. Land goes for cheap to $20,000 an acre here depending on location. Taxes are about $600 a year. State auto taxes cost about $100 a year. Our cars are at least 9 years old and paid for. Car insurance (complete coverage) is about $1000 a year for both.

We get free natural gas from a well on our property and use that for heat, water heater and stove. Electric, water and trash cost about $70/month. Phone costs about $50 a month. $25 for internet service. We have free libraries and other resources. We don't have cable/satellite but that goes for about $40 a month here. We have a septic tank (2) and it costs about $125 when we have them pumped. Our neighbor does reasonably priced work on our lawn tractor (its a JD 210 that is 23 years old). Lots of discount stores (both variety and grocery) nearby to buy new/used items. We haven't done a lot of things in order to pay for our place, but are taking a great vacation this year.

Good paying jobs here are in the coal mines or for NASA or the FBI. High tech jobs are moving to the area. Some folks commute hours to Pittsburgh, PA, etc. for higher paying industry jobs. The education system including colleges and universities employ more folks.

We have 4 distinct seasons-zone 5. Nobody thinks twice if you homeschool, have animals, or otherwise behave differently than the folks on TV. We have dogs, cats and chickens.

-- Anne (HealthyTouch101@wildmail.com), February 16, 2001.

Was that, is the snow really whiter? Last summer we had 1 day over 90 and this winter snow has been on the ground since the start of December. Most started plants go into the ground around May 1st. We have a 120 day frost free season, but with our unheated 20x50 hoop house can keep lettuce, brocoli,carrots etc til Dec. The orchard consists of have a dozen apple, pear, cherry, apricot and new iffy peach trees.. We have 25( 2 acres of trees) south sloping sandy loam acres on a secondary hiway, so the flowers, raspberries etc. can be sold from the roadside. 2 barns (36x100 2 storey and 40x200 3 story) 1 old driveshed, 1 60hp Kubota, 1 12hp Kubota, 1 1949 Farmall Super A, 1989 Plymouth minivan, 1999 Toyota Corolla. We gutted our 100yr old stone house then rebuilt the inside with 2x6 and can heat fairly easily. When we rebuild our roof (still cedar shingles)a wood stove will be installed since people always advertise for free wood to give away. Our house is within 1/2 hr of a city of 350,000 (but with bicycle tails we can go to town) so prices are high $2500/acre with taxes of $1900 per year. We moved here 8 years ago and are now mortgage free. All our health care is paid by our taxes and with the marketing board system here I make living growing about 100,000 3.5 kg chickens per year,(no government subsidies granted) while my wife teaches in Hamilton (both mid 40s)and our 3 kids (4-11) are bused to school.

Unemployment rate is about 5%, with a whole range of wages. Toyota plant and 2 steel mills are 20 miles away. 2 Universies nearby as well as several thousand acres of conservation land (lots of trails and lakes). Everything is very regulated with permits required for everything. Gasoline is 70 cents/litre. A few people homeschool and organic produce is popular. Water is plentifull(3 wells from 30 to 125 ft deep) but is starting to become polluted. Air pollution from coal fired generators 80 miles away. Independant power systems not popular here yet as electricity is still 5 cents perKWhr. Phone plus internet $40/month. The kids spend winter swimming(local pool) and skiing. No cable or satellite out here.

-- Harald in Ontario (stahl@bestnet.org), February 16, 2001.

We live on 80 acres, paid for. (It was just land with overgrown cedar pastures and woods when we bought the place) We just completed an inground, very efficient 3000 sq. ft. ranch. Payment about 950. We have geothermal in floor radiant heat. Wonderful heat. Best thing we did. We have a 30 x 40 pole barn, a 10 x 20 garden shead, a 20 x 25 chicken house. Just the wife and me, but we get plenty of company from the city. We have a 1995 Double-wide (3 br 2 bath), that some friend rent as a weekend place and that covers the payments on that. (They havn't been up for a month, but the check still arrives). We put in a 3 1/2 acres lake that is stocked and has wonderful fishing for the grandkids. We take 5 to 10 deer off the place every year. Have six dogs, two cats, and 19 laying hens. We are raising 50 broilers and 12 turkeys this year. Also, there is a 100 x 35 garden, and several other 4 X 12 raised beds for herbs and milo (chicken feed). We live a part of the county that is close into the watershed for a major lake, but it is not a popular lake so we don't even know its there. Being close, means no large confinement farms can be built in the watershed. That is a problem elsewhere in the county. Not much work here though. My wife works part time in the closest city, I drive an hour to a mid size city for my job at a college. Hey, I used to drive an hour when I lived in St. Louis to work, now at least I am driving past horse farms, crop land, creeks, and woods. We love it, and thank God everyday the we found each other and found this place.

-- Rick Powell (rpowell@email.ccis.edu), February 16, 2001.

My grass is going to be greener because I just sowed some today. This is our eighth month here. 8 & 1/2 acres in Northeast Alabama, mortgage free, with a 167 year old restored log home, surrounded by trees (and one -free-spirited yeehaw neighbor). We heat with wood from our own trees, supplemented with propane heat. We were using electric heat until we got this Winter's bill of over $300..no way we will ever pay anything like that again! We use County water because it only runs $10/month, but we just put on a metal roof this fall and are planning a water catchment system, simply because we do not want to buy anything from the government, at any level unless we HAVE to. Our orchard will be planted this Spring; dwarf apples, & peaches, as well as grapes and two pecan trees. Chicken coop and woodshed are in the works in the next few weeks (busy, busy), and we are turning the inground pool into a pond..no goldfish, but a wildlife pond. Have a 40X20 workshop and a 12X12 outbuilding for "stuff"...this Summer will be the big barn project. Husband takes down old barns in exchange for the lumber, so we have all we need for "free". Wood cookstove will have it's chimney before the Fall, as soon as we take down the ugly thing somebody put up in the kitchen and called it a ceiling (stucco ugly stuff). Taxes on this bit of Heaven are $161/year, but because my husband is disabled, they are $38/year. we have a 1970 Chevy pick up and a 1993 paid-for Blazer..insurance with the highest liability included is $600/year for both. Homeowners here costs $781/year. I only shop for groceries once a month and it costs around $300 for the two of us and our four dogs and two cats..This bill will go way down when we have all of our garden things and our livestock by this Summer. Land here goes for around $2000/acre. Jobs are plentiful for unskilled workers, lousy for professionals unless one wants to drive over an hour to Birmingham, or nearly 2 hours to Atlanta. Internet and phone is a big expense at $65/month..we burn our trash and cart the other stuff to the dump once every three months or so for $5/load. Summers are quite hot and humid, but hey, it keeps the face wrinkles down..Winter has been great !!! For years we have lived in New Jersey & PA..brrrrr...here everybody goes absolutely nuts if snow FLURRIES are predicted..We love the land, we love our home, we love the people, we love the weather...it just doesn't get any better than this...God bless.

-- Lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), February 17, 2001.

Wow, I can't believe how reasonable the taxes are outside of New York State! For 113 acres, with a log cabin and large barn we pay $2966.00 total for property and school taxes per year.

Stacy Rohan in outrageous tax land aka Windsor, NY

-- Stacy Rohan (KincoraFarm@aol.com), February 17, 2001.

Stacy , you have to get taxed as a farm .We do not pay anything close to that on 140 a

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), February 17, 2001.

Hey Pattie,

Do you have to be a business to be classified as a farm? I've been thinking about making the farm a business since we bought it, but I'm afraid I wouldn't make a profit within the 5/7 year period and the IRS would declare it a hobby. I guess I'll have to look into this more closely.

We did pay a lot for this place. It's appraised for taxes at $150,000.00 (we paid $120,000.00) and a recent (November) market analysis indicated it's worth $200,000.00 because of the improvements we've made, mainly in the barn, the hayfield, and fencing. Do you think that making it a farm/agriculture tax rating will help a lot?

Stacy Rohan in cold, blustery Windsor, NY

-- Stacy Rohan (KincoraFarm@aol.com), February 18, 2001.

We also live in New York State, about 100 miles northwest of the George Washington Bridge. Our 2,500 sq.foot home with 600 sq. foot barn, 40 acres of wetland and woods, 10 acres of pasture cost $180,000. Our taxes are about $2,700 a year. We bought this home for well below the market value because it was a quick estate sale. The place is probably worth about $250,000. Property values are escalating up here because of several goings on, so we feel we made a good long term investment. I love the place and want to stay "forever." We have two neighbors but since our property is wide, they are far enough away. People here are pleasant and quiet. we are zoned for agriculture--in fact our whole town has a "right to farm." We have lax zoning laws and nobody seems to bother you here. Compared to where we used to live (Westchester County, NY and London, England)we have downsized our costs considerably. We've paid off most of our debts and are living off of less income after hubby lost his 15 year Wall Street job. I hope in the long run to start a small herb growing business. We grow our own veggies and many herbs, and I also wildcraft many common herbs. Right now I'm working almost full time as an independent contractor for our county, while my husband returns to school to become a CPA. I also supplement our income by giving herbal and aromatherapy workshops for the community. It's not much money but it's something extra. we are getting chickens this spring and are putting up a small hen house. We heat our home with oil (I keep the thermostat extremely low) and wood. Luckily, our home was well maintained by the previous owner and is well insulated. I am becoming pretty frugal. Canning is my big project for this year, as I want to cut food costs. Compared to most of you here, our mortgage and taxes are high, but they are 1/3 of what we used to pay when we lived in Westchester County, NY and abroad. We feel we are getting closer to our dreams of becoming more self-sufficient.

-- amy (acook@in4web.com), February 18, 2001.

Well we just bought this place at the beginning of winter so we haven't had much time to put our plans into action. What we have at the moment...16 acres with about 2 acres cleared, partial fencing, chicken and rabbit coops, small pond, above ground pool, mobile home that has been added onto so it is at least big enough to turn around in :o)....we paid cash. 93 chevy lumina, 70's model old dodge truck..both paid for. Expenses are phone/internet..$70, electric...$100, water(we have water hauled to our cistern)..$70, food (till we get our critters and gardens going)...$250. We heat and cook exclusively with wood year round. Taxes are about $80 a year (incredible huh?)....oh yes and I pay taxes on some land down in Tx..$40. Other than a few trips to the hardware store where I valiantly try to restrain myself that is about it...other than gas for the vehicles. I always laugh when I hear what poverty level is supposed to be....I live on less than half of that! Now for my favorite part....what will be here next year at about this time!

Moderate sized pole barn, complete perimeter fencing, new strawbale house with a wrap around porch, an orchard as big as I can get land cleared to plant in, the 2 cleared acres(up here cleared means the trees are fairly small...sasafras brush in my case) cleaned up and turned into my grain garden(corn, wheat, peas, melons, a rotation of alfalfa),rain catchment for my cistern(I'm looking forward to having soft water for a change). Of course I have bigger plans for the future but that is what I hope to accomplish in a years time. I'd say the grass is a very nice color of green up here in the ozark hills :o).

-- Amanda in Mo (aseley@townsqr.com), February 18, 2001.

Thanks everybodyI guess everyones grass is green.

I've enjoyed reading about your homesteads.

-- Kenneth in N.C. (wizardsplace13@hotmail.com), February 18, 2001.

I'm enjoying reading the responses to this thread, and I was wondering if any of you New Yorkers are in the Schoharie Valley, Washington County or near Cooperstown. DH and I are planning a move to one of those areas in early summer, and we'd love to get the inside scoop from someone. Thanks a lot.

Sharon in MA

-- Sharon Astyk (astyk@brandeis.edu), February 19, 2001.

Sharon, I know Cooperstown well as I used to live in Oneonta in the early 80's and I worked in Cooperstown for about a year. Ostego County is quite beautiful. Where extactly are you thinking of moving?

-- amy (acook@in4web.com), February 19, 2001.

Hey Sharon,

I'm in Broome County now--Binghamton area, but we used to live in Herkimer County near Ilion. Cooperstown is a gorgeous area. Where do you think you'll move?

Stacy Rohan in Windsor NY--we're having a heat wave it's 40 degrees!

-- Stacy Rohan (KincoraFarm@aol.com), February 20, 2001.

Well, where we move to in NY depends on where DH gets a job - he's an astronomer, and up for jobs in Cobleskill, Saratoga Springs (we wouldn't live there, but Washington County looks nice and is nearby), Herkimer, Utica, Oneonta, and Syracuse. So we're waiting on him - we should know within the month. Unfortunately, we still need one income, but teaching has a nice amount of flexibility and summers free for farming. We're also dragging his elderly grandparents with us so that we can care for them. They are much more skeptical of this whole project than we are, and don't understand why we don't want to live with them in a nice NJ suburb (ugh!). So we're looking for a town that will have some resources for them (maybe a senior center, possibly a synagogue nearby, or at least some kind of local social life), while being sufficiently isolated and rural for us ;-). The whole thing is kind of difficult, but then, what isn't?

Do any of you who know the area have suggestions for specific towns in those general areas? Thanks so much,

Sharon

-- Sharon in MA (astyk@brandeis.edu), February 20, 2001.

Hi Sharon,

Herkimer has at least one synagogue and a senior center. We lived in Ilion which is one town down-Herkimer, Mohawk, and Ilion all run together. All are within 20 minutes of Utica which offers many conveniences of a medium size city. Richfield Springs is a nice community too. It has Canadarago (spelling) Lake and some beautiful country--it's between Cooperstown and Mohawk.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me.

Stacy Rohan in Windsor, NY

-- Stacy Rohan (KincoraFarm@aol.com), February 21, 2001.

Ok, Georgia, 32 acres, 3 horses, 4 dogs, 2 cats, 40 chickens, 10 turkeys, 2 very unproductive rabbits, 2 fantail pigeons being kept for a cousin, 2 pygmy bucks, (anyone need a goat?). Land here about 3,000 to 5,000 per acre for good, productive, pasture land.

Jobs are primarily industry related - salaries around $8.00 to $20 per hour depending on what you can do. Taxes: very high unless you have land in the conservation trust. Ours: $232 per year because we agreed, in writing, to keep the land as a farm for ten years. If we didn't have the land in trust, taxes would be over 1500 per year. If we sell, we have to pay double the taxes from the beginning of the agreement to the point of sale unless the purchaser agrees to keep the land as a farm. There is county/city water, but we have a drilled well and don't want the county water. No garbage pickup in the county either.

Temps are hot and humid. We don't get a lot of cold weather. We have, as I tell people, three seasons: warm, hot and hotter. Not much snow at all.

Schools are good here. Public schools are community schools and parents are very involved! Have several private christian or non- denominational based schools and a private academy as well as a college.

No car payments, no truck payments. A shavings shed, a chicken condo, a rabbit house, a pigeon loft, a horse stable which doubles as our house too. Total homestead cost: $51,000 in 1986. Oh and I left out the small goat house which I have plans for expanding into a large goat milking barn.

We have a garden with raised beds and a rose trellis and rose arbor. Add to that a riding arena for dressage and jumping and 20 acres of woods and 10 acres of paddocks. 2 acres is unfenced around the house. We pay cash for any improvements to the place like board fencing for the horses and home improvements for the stable/house.

Property surrounded on three sides by 400 acres of neighbor's farm, and on one side by a subdivision. Our place is way off the road and we also have a 150 year old cemetery on the place. We are thinking at times of moving further out, but are so close to being paid out, that we hate to move. Can't replace what we have by selling and going back into debt.

Food costs - around 200 per month for 2 adults, one child. Spend about $250 per month on animal feed. Majority is spent on horses. Vet bills - none last year, hopefully none this year. We give our own shots, wormers, and preventative meds.

I sell eggs, we butcher the older hens, we raise a calf for beef every other year and a pig every other year. We raise some veggies unless the deer eat all of them, and killed one deer this year. We will be getting a milk goat soon and the draft horse does all the wood hauling and logging for us. We heat only with wood, we don't have a/c, but have a huge attic fan/exhaust fan which, in the summer, at night we have to put blankets on the bed as it gets too cool.

We live in a nice area, but it costs a lot to live here compared to what people earn. A decent three bedroom house on an acre of land or a lot will cost you about $85,000 to $100,000. If it is in a subdivision, you can add at least 20,000 to that. Most families have both parents working full time. We are lucky, I work off the farm and my sweetie works on the farm. That way we have insurance and income as well as things getting fixed, repaired, grown, etc here.

That's it for Ironwood Farm.

-- Cindy (colawson@mindspring.com), February 22, 2001.