Curious. I plan to work at least part time off the homestead until my retirement kicks in. Or should I just plan on working for someone else forever until I fall down and die? Do some of you make do with a few acres and animals? I'm not talking about those with children. I already know what it takes to keep them clothed and fed! I will be supporting only myself (beginning this Spring). Please remember that there is no such thing as a stupid question. :) I am a little nervous, leaving the paycheck behind. Will I really be able to feed myself? I have enough saved to make a "good start" and for emergencys. I have skills deemed perfectly usless by my former co-workers and friends. Like....animals, gardening, needlework, wilderness survival and the like. Seems like we humans managed for about 3.5 million years without Big Business. But back then life expectancy was awfully short,,,like 25 - 30 years (I'm already way beyond that, lol) Can I make it a few more years out in the woods and fields? I suppose if I can't I could hi-tail it back to town :( Or ask my Dad for money (OMG..no, never mind) Your thoughts are appreciated.

-- Susan in Northern Michigan (cobwoman@yahoo.com), January 30, 2002

Answers

I work away I work construction so i only work about 6 months a year!! I work alot of overtime when i work soI set a goal of what i want to buy each year thats what i save my overtime money for! You could try working from home like selling on Ebay to help defray your cost of homesteading! The computer has opened up a whole new world for home buisness!

-- Grizz In Western Maryland (southerneagle@yahoo.com), January 30, 2002.

Grizz, You always make me feel better. Thanks,

-- Susan in Northern Michigan (cobwoman@yahoo.com), January 30, 2002.

I don't know if what I do would count as working on the homestead or not. Since my layoff I garden, do technical writing, a little Emmitt Fix it shop work and conservative low risk/return investments with my severence package.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), January 30, 2002.

Good Luck with your plans!!I work only weekends, but every weekend. I would love to not have to work for someone else, but the big drawback for me is the health insurance. It is nearly impossible to find affordable health and dental coverage for a family with children. Do you have health coverage?? If you have that covered, then I say more power to you, for knowing that there is more to life than a "career", which is all that some people live for.

-- Joyce (duckthis1@maqs.net), January 30, 2002.

I really feel I could live off the farm but for one modern necessity INSURANCE,you got to have it or you can loose everything. Lets face it modern technology is wonderful and I for one would be dead today if I did not have it when I had cancer. I would never tell anyone not to have insurance. I am in the medical field and there is definitely a difference in the type of care you get as a private pay and someone with insurance.Even car and home insurance is expensive and necessary because people sue each other so much these days.I work 3 days a week and do my farm thing the other days and feel I have the best of both worlds. If you can budget yourself for the year and start slowly and frugally hopefully you can make it. Good luck, Terry

-- Terry Lipe (elipe@fidnet.com), January 30, 2002.

we can't afford insurance even with the husband working full time. i homeschool and take care of the place....i homestead, he works and fixes things here. i bring in extra through odd jobs and midwifery when i am up to the stress. luckily, we moved to Wisconsin, so have Badger care for a while, which is insurance while the kids are with us.

however, he is self-employed away from home, and we hope to get better so he can work at home doing woodworking more in the future. i don't think he'll ever have much of an interest in gardening, canning or anything. I call him "my reluctant homesteader", but he loves our life!

-- marcee (thathope@mwt.net), January 30, 2002.

Susan I think that insurance is the big worry. Also if you don't have any debts you would have a better chance. I know you can live so much cheaper on a homestead because of health I lived for over a year on $80 and I did get foodstamps. Had to do away with my vehicle as I could not afford gas or insurance. My break down was $30 for electrcity, $15 for phone (had to be able to access 911), $27.50 interest on land then bartered for dog and cat food and as many needs that I could. I like homesteading as I know if I had not been where I was I would never have survivied. I also didn't notice do you already have a place to live in or is your land all that you have? If you are sure this is what you want you maybe really surprised at how little you can get by on. Hope it works for you. gail

-- gail missouri ozarks (gef@getgoin.net), January 31, 2002.

"Sooner or later I'm going to die, but I'm not going to retire." Margaret Mead

-- paul (primrose@centex.net), January 31, 2002.

I look forward to the day when I only have me, myself, and I to take care of. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids and wished I had more but.... I am held back a bit from doing life the way I want. I would love to try to live off the land, get to a place in my life when I can go with no electricity, running water, plumbing,etc... But I'm not sure I can subject my kids to that right now. Besides their father would probably haul my butt into court. My family already thinks I've slipped off the edge with my life style.

I guess I would say try it! Give yourself a couple of years to make it work. It could take you that long just to get a garden that is viable. I know around here if I had the time I could make cutsy little bent willow shelves and nicnac type stuff and take it to the Cities. But then again I know the market having lived there. I live in a tourist area so in the summer I could market to the resorts. How about a cabin sitting service for the people who have summer residences. You could offer year round security checks on their places. You might have to get bonded but it could pay off big. I have friends in Chicago who have bought property in Northern Michigan, they paid incredible prices for what I consider tiny pieces of land and have plans to build expensive "rustic" log homes. Their idea of roughing it. It's an idea.

Susan

-- Susan in Minnesota (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), January 31, 2002.

I'd work off the homestead for the insurance BUT i'd be going to every auction I could to get EBAY stock. The EBAY stock can be sold at your convenience and allows you the income to take a job you want, not the one that pays the best.

If insurance is not an issue what about working for yourself in a cash based home run business e.g. housecleaning. Unless you are in the furthest corners of the UP of Michigan there are enough rich people to pay for this service

-- Marc (toymeister@hotmail.com), January 31, 2002.

The first few years after we left high paying jobs in Chicago, neither of us worked. We lived off savings and worked our butts off to get this place started. Now we could continue to chip away at our savings because we're not making enough to live off, but decided not to do that. My husband has gone into substitute teaching, which pays pretty well in this area and still gives him pretty many days off and the summers. You just have to be flexible to do this and have a bachelors degree in something. I've been considering going back to work and will do something like babysitting where I can take our five year old with or waitressing at night when my husband can be home with him. I don't think either of us will ever go back to the 9-5 ratrace. I do agree with the other respondents, insurance is a big issue for us. We need homeowner's, auto and health. It's not cheap and we're paying a lot for catastrophic hospitalization coverage only.

-- rose marie wild (wintersongfarm@yahoo.com), January 31, 2002.

Hi,

Is your land paid for and do you have a house there to live in or something that can be called a house? (I live in a barn..and some folks live in buses, vans, or campers/trailers.).

If I were able to do this (no children at home and no bills), I would do the following:

Not quit my job until:

(1) I had proved to myself that I could feed myself by growing a huge garden one year and canning, preserving or freezing all food. (2) If you like dairy products, can you have a goat or cow and if so, can you feed it off what you would grow on your homestead? If not, could you barter for the feed? Same thing with chickens. (3) Can you pay your taxes on your land, cars, etc? What about insurance in case you get sick? (4) I would think that if the place is paid for, you could keep a part time job for the insurance and still make it ok on a few acres. That is what we are aiming for in about 4 years. My farm will be paid for and then I am definitely looking for part time work. Just enough hours a week for medical insurance..otherwise, we could do just fine on our thirty acres. But no insurance and if you get sick, you could lose everything.

-- Cindy (colawson@mindspring.com), January 31, 2002.

Hi Susan, I know what you mean about leaving the paycheck. I did just that over a year ago and still get a little freaked out about it. I finally had a career I wanted - management position, my own office, a budget - I thought I had arrived. Then I found that I didn't agree with the many things that went on in my workplace. I considered looking for another similar postion but by then I was already thinking along the homesteading line. So I quit. Everyone around just kind of shook their head, couldn't believe I was giving up that great income and benefits. Truth is, I've never been happier. I've given up a lot - Eddie Bauer, eating out a lot, buying whatever-whenever, $15 bottles of wine. But I don't have to go to meetings anymore, I get up around 8 unless I have a farmers market to go to, I enjoy cooking becuase I have the time and I don't have to ok my schedule with anyone. For me, the freedom is worth twice my old salary. Now, I sell produce at the farmers market, which means while everyone else is at the office I get to be in my garden, and I waitress part time a couple places - not a steady schedule really, just fill in when someone is off. That keeps it fun for me. You will be really surprised how much less you can live on with a few changes to your lifestyle. Good luck!!

-- Stacey (stacey@lakesideinternet.com), January 31, 2002.