work or homestead?

tnborn · #1 09/22/06, 08:32 AM

Recently, my hubby and I built a house. Should I go back to work full time or stay part time so I can do some homesteading? I'm not used to being in debt. If I temporarily worked full, maybe we could pay the debt off sooner.

Any suggestions will be helpful.
tnborn

catahoula · #2 09/22/06, 08:43 AM

That's a tough one, I took a farming job and the whole time I was working for this guy all I could think about was "wow this would be perfect weather for working on our place." The income is nice working full time, but it makes for busy weekends around the home, which would be busy anyway, but there is an added sense of urgencey. Try part time instead of "fool time" and see how that works out for you.

tnborn · #3 09/22/06, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catahoula

That's a tough one, I took a farming job and the whole time I was working for this guy all I could think about was "wow this would be perfect weather for working on our place." The income is nice working full time, but it makes for busy weekends around the home, which would be busy anyway, but there is an added sense of urgencey. Try part time instead of "fool time" and see how that works out for you.

thanks.

Madame · #4 09/22/06, 11:35 AM

Does it have to be either/or? Could you work a few days a week and still have time for home? And as Rose asked (in so many words) is it economically feasible? Figure out the cost of working before you decide. Congrats on the new house.

Jenn · #5 09/22/06, 11:05 PM

Just moved and facing same choice: I will definitely not work fulltime unless only way to work at all, and in that case probably not until DH retires in a few years and we need the money to pay bills not just to pay off mortgage. At present wondering whether to seek work at all anytime soon- I'm afraid the moment I find a good job possibility they'll say "start NOW please!" so I'm postponing to when I am consistently bored instead of only bored when I'm physically too tired or don't have materials on hand to do more startup homesteading projects. Maybe 6 more months ;>

tnborn · #6 09/23/06, 07:19 AM

thanks everyone.

pcdreams · #7 09/23/06, 10:22 AM

Tough issue. If you work full time you're going to be to exhausted to keep up (play makeup on the weekends for what you didn't get to do while you were at work).. Then again if you stay part time you'll be paying more interest as well as be in debt longer.

If It were me I'd work full time till it was paid off. But forget getting anything meaningful done on the weekends. Just enjoy the tranquility and plan for the future..

marvella · #8 09/23/06, 10:32 AM

you're lucky to have the choice.

Shepherd · #9 09/23/06, 10:50 AM

We bought our place and both continued to work full time, putting every dime away we could in savings so we could pay it off faster. When the company finally shut down after 28 years in existence, we were able to pay the place off and I was able to 'retire' early. DH got another job since then and continues to work (we need the health insurance, not just the paycheck.)

I could have gotten another job and continued bringing in that extra paycheck, which would have helped considerably, but due to health reasons we decided we'd be ok financially. It was a major adjustment, tightening that budget belt, a lot but we've managed just fine.

My father taught me that you want to work hard and save up as much as you possibly can while you're young and able to work, because the day will come when you won't be able to physically handle 'rebuilding' your life if something happened and you lost it all (or a large part of it). He'd had open heart surgery a couple of times and broke his hip in a terrible fall while salvaging parts from a house that was going to be destroyed.

swamp man · #10 09/23/06, 12:04 PM

I choose to work full time until this place is paid off,and just squeeze whatever "homesteadin' stuff"I can into my schedule.I'd really like to be further along than I am right now,as far as the homesteading end of life is concerned,but on the other hand,it feels pretty good to be able to make a double mortgage payment once in a while.
After the mortgage is knocked out,I'll be able to cut business back to part time,and take life in the direction I want,or so the theory goes...
In the meantime,I learn alot from working my smallish raised beds,and plant lotsa' fruit trees,bushes,muscadine vines,and other stuff that doesn't require quite as much time and attention as livestock and other things I have in the plans.
Congrats on the construction of your home,and best of luck.

RedHairedBonnie · #11 09/23/06, 12:19 PM

I work, part time, but do take any and all extra hours. Here was our thinking...
Our bills needed to get paid, and as we are building the bills keep coming. Also, hubby is on a pension and is doing the work himself, which saves a lot of money. There really isn't time to do everything we want now, the house needs to come first. Since I don't build things, my time is better off working and paying bills. It's always the time verses money thing, no matter what aspect of live you discuss, and only you can decide what is best for you. Question though, how many home projects could you start this coming winter? Would you be looking at a minimum wage job, or skilled labor? The above suggestions of possible part time work, and counting the costs, both ways seem to be the way go.