Ever wonder if you realy have what it takes?

[blue8ewe]

We are faced with a real possibility of getting our little piece of land. About 16 acres. I dont think I will live forever on this plot(realy want a much bigger piece for "forever")
But it could be a great start. I have often said, and thought i meant I would live in anything if I could just have land.
Well, it has a cabin with water brought in from a spring, a year round creak, lights, gas, wood stove, two bedrooms with a small room for a possible third, 1 bath, small shop generator, batteries powered by the generator.
Hard access in winter but doable, septic.
We are a very large family and well, we could fit it would be snug. I got to thinking, can I realy do without a washing machine? A freezer?, I like my dish washer. These are the biggies. Not realy a big deal but I'm wondering, do I have what it realy take? Can I realy do this?
It has been a dream for so very long and now faced with the possibility I might just realy get it....Can I do it?
Can I wash a ton of laundry without a machine, can we keep up with a ton of dirty dishes, can we survive in a tiny shelter togeather, can I store up enough without my freezer, can I travel around to get our needs taken care of, am I strong enough?

Did any of you get cold feet? Did you question your self? Did you survive it and are glad you took the plunge?

[zukgod]

DO it, that said is there power? That would be a deal breaker unless you could get it there. But if there is power simply install a washer/dryer.
We just moved from a Very nice home 2000sq ft on a lake to a very crumby small home 900sq ft in really rough shape on 10 acres. I would not go back, we are selling the lake house now and selling this old one in 2 years and moving way out in the sticks on as much land as we can afford.
Good luck and go for it, you only live once you have to atleast try for your dreams. Laying on your death bed you won't say wow I sure wish I had a washing machine, but you may say I wish I had followed my dreams.

Josh

[virtualco]

Wow blue8ewe, what a really good question. The rubber meets the road for me in April when I buy a place in SW MO, and then I am retire early in June at 50 yrs old to live my dream of having a homestead. I, like you, have been dreaming of homesteading for a long time now and very, very, soon it will be my reality.

I too wonder if I am up to the struggles and challenges of building housing on raw land, doing without sewer, water, and electricity. I will also be face loneliness as my wife won't be joining me right off the bat but will in 2008. I know how to use a hammer is and know hot water is always on the right. What else do I need to know?

My biggest concern if how I will handle my first winter in SW MO. Here in SW FL we mostly have 80 degree days in winter, but where I am moving they had an ice storm with no power for 14 days and daytime highs in the upper teens for three weeks straight. Ouch

I am being proactive in my approach to this as I am doing more walking around the neighborhood to stay in shape, quit smoking cigars, getting my medical and dental needs taken care of and out of the way. And I read and plan, read and plan, and read and plan some more.

I think we will be ok blue8ewe, let's now charge and go get'tem.

[MaineFarmMom]

By lights and gas do you mean you have natural gas/propane lights? If so, you can buy a freezer that will run on that. Ours at the cabin runs on propane. It turns on twice a day and uses very little propane. My parents bought a washing machine for the cabin. They live out there all summer and fall. When Donna needs to do laundry she plugs the washer into the generator. Laundry is line dried in good weather, dried by the woodstove on a rack when it's cold.

There were a lot of things my mother wanted to do and she regretted not trying what she could. She was only 56 when she died. You won't know until you try. If you don't try you'll always wonder. If you get out there and hate it you can go back. Good luck.

[canfossi]

Yes go for it! You may never look back. When I was having my house built, I had to move into it after the framing was up (late Sept), at this point no water/septic, no wiring of any kind, no heat or insulation. I almost cried more than a few times. I lived like this for 6 weeks and had to get water from the creek everyday. It was rough. After a month a woodstove was put it and I started the wiring with a friends help. I was cooking on the woodstove and heating water and the house. Most of the heat was going through the roof as there wasn't any insulation in yet. I made it, now things are painted and warm and cozy with my own solar power (that was installed my a professional). I am now collecting next years supply of wood and building a pantry as well as 101 other things. So go for it you do it. Chris

[blue8ewe]

I hear all of you and I am grateful for your replies. I notice one difference between us all. Most of you sound as if it is just you or you plus 1. I have me, plus a ton.
No commercial power, but it has propane and a generator with battery storage.
Batteries dont have a converter. (I dont know what that means)
Im also concerned as to what the propane powered machines will cost to run?

[ailsaek]

Hi blue. I definitely hear what you're saying. My family is me (43 and with a questionable back but a wide stubborn streak), DH (41, diabetic, has a frozen shoulder), DD (20, in lousy physical shape, probably going to move out very fast once we get a homestead going), and DS (6, has Down Syndrome). A couple of the houses we're looking at would actually be ones where I could have livestock, and every time I think "This is the house we are going to offer for!" I wonder if I can really do it. I'm going to be the one turning over ground for my square foot garden, I'm going to be the one feeding chickens, gathering eggs, etc., I'll be the one taking care of any dairy goats we get, and if we get a donkey or mule, I'll be the one driving her. I get overwhelmed by keeping the house clean - can I really manage a homestead? (My current thought is yes, but it will be a homestead with a cluttered house.)

And we're not considering any places without running water or electricity. My heart goes out to you. I don't know you well enough to state for certain that you can do it, but I hope you can, and I hope your kids are old enough to be some help with things. How soon would the move be, if you do decide to go for it?

[LisaInN.Idaho]

You can do it...we did. We left a big house in the burbs of Phoenix 5 years ago to come up here to North Idaho where we owned 35 acres of wooded, riverfront land...no power either. We had our two daughters ages 7 and 14 and we built a 20x24 foot cabin with a loft and used an outhouse and bathed in a rubbermaid tub for the first year and a half. We added on each summer and used a laundromat till we built the laundry room/bath room. Your place sounds loads bigger than ours was.
We installed a solar/generator power system with inverter so we use AC power with very efficient appliances..most run on propane. We don't have a dishwasher...that's really the only thing I do without.
We've been here for 5 years and I can say it sounds a lot scarier than it actually is to do it...even the outhouse was no big deal. And if you think I was maybe tough before we lived here...no way..total suburban softy. We lived in a big home in a golf course community with a cleaning lady and gardener. 4 bathrooms and a state of the art kitchen.
This is way more fun and a lot more gratifying.
Good luck!

[Silvercreek Farmer]

If you think it will work, go for it! We are all here for your questions! First thing, you might want to do some research and figure out what you have for an electrical system and how to use a converter (turns DC power from batteries into household current) and make sure you can test the batteries and know how to maintain them, as ruining them would cost. As far as a freezer goes propane will work the cost around 1800 new, and there are such things as gasoline powered clothes washers if you want to go that route!

[LisaInN.Idaho]

Originally Posted by Matthew Lindsay

If you think it will work, go for it! We are all here for your questions! First thing, you might want to do some research and figure out what you have for an electrical system and how to use a converter (turns DC power from batteries into household current) and make sure you can test the batteries and know how to maintain them, as ruining them would cost. As far as a freezer goes propane will work the cost around 1800 new, and there are such things as gasoline powered clothes washers if you want to go that route!

An inverter turns DC power into AC household current.
We have a very efficient electric Kenmore front loading washer that takes the least amount of power and water of any on the market and it runs off the batteries or generator. The dryer is heated by propane and runs on electric and we use a clothesline in nice weather. We have a propane freezer but also 2 electric chest freezers that work well with our setup.

[WindowOrMirror]

People have lived in far more spartan accomodations for thousands of years... the question is, how far have you retreated from your roots? We almost all have it in us if we choose to do it or are forced to do it... it's called survival. Humans are pretty fair at it.

R

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Originally Posted by LisaInN.Idaho

An inverter turns DC power into AC household current.
We have a very efficient electric Kenmore front loading washer that takes the least amount of power and water of any on the market and it runs off the batteries or generator. The dryer is heated by propane and runs on electric and we use a clothesline in nice weather. We have a propane freezer but also 2 electric chest freezers that work well with our setup.

Ha! that's what I get for trying to homestead on the job!

[LisaInN.Idaho]

Originally Posted by Matthew Lindsay

Ha! that's what I get for trying to homestead on the job!

Heh..it's my DH who is the electrical engineer but I know the sun rises and sets on the inverter. Love that thing! AC power...there's nothing like it.

[Jim S.]

Ever wonder if you realy have what it takes?

Nope, never wondered that. Pulled up from city life in genteel Williamsburg, Va., and moved to Tennessee in 1990. Had a small farm there ever since. But then, I never completely cut myself off, either. Seen friends do that and do not make it. Can't take the shock, or get on the land and never do get anything started.

I still have 220 volts coming in the wire to the house, we have lights in the barn and cable TV and a computer. We have gas central heat and air (though we don't use the heat, we use a wood stove). I have a good-paying job in town.

Wow, many here might say, that's NOT homesteading! I prefer to call it farming, myself, and it has indeed been a revolutionary change in my lifestyle, even though I am not off the grid and not beating my clothing on a rock or sweating in my house in 99-degree summers.

In fact, that's my biggest advice to someone heading to the country...resist the urge to immediately cut yourself off all the way. Be pragmatic. Your risk of failure climbs for each immediate step you take away from the old life with which you are familiar. Take too many steps all at once, and your failure risk goes way up, really fast. Or else you never ever get a start, because the learning curve climb is just too steep to take that first step.

Most of life's a series of steps, not one big jump. Work toward your goals a little at a time, and you'll get there. Try to jump the canyon to get there, and most of ya will fall in.

The other thing I might add is, I see a lot of you are maybe 30-35 years old. When I started, I was 35. Man, I could do all kinds of muscle work then, putting up fence all day, just working myself into the ground. Next day I'd wake up feeling fine and ready to go again. Can't do as much now looking toward 50. But I have been planning all along to lay the path to a farm I can work in my 50s, and then into my 60s. Point there is, don't assume that because you can sleep in a cold house and do hard manual labor in your 20s or 30s, you'll be able to do that same thing in your 50s and 60s.

I used the energy of my younger years to lay the base to build on in my older years. I still work all the time on the farm, if I am not at my day job. But I'm building on the base of hard labor laid when I was young.

Just some stuff I learned I thought I'd pass on. I think anybody can do this. But it really does take a step-by-step approach and someone who is a planner. Everything about country life demands that you plan...even your next trip to town must be a plan, so that you do not forget to do something while there. Plan for your future years, lay a good base while you are young, and don't forget to buy the soap bars when you are in town! At the same time, be ever-open to emerging opportunities, be realistic about what you can achieve, and be content with less than some preconceived utopia in your head. Pragmatism is your very best friend. All of this will greatly increase your enjoyment and chance for success.

It's all about the journey. Thanks for reading.

[Maura]

You don't need to move to a new place to find out if you can live without a washer, dryer, and dishwasher. Start using the laundrymat, and get those kids washing dishes in the sink- one night a week for starters.

[Jim S.]

LOL Maura, we do the dishes in the sink even though the house had a dishwasher when we bought it...got no kids, sorry. But I ain't giving up my washer and dryer. LOL. Bought them used for $150 for the set, but to me, they are made of GOLD!

[LisaInN.Idaho]

One fringe benefit of not having a dishwasher: I was able to splurge on pottery dishes that would have been creamed by a dishwasher. I'd always wanted them but didn't get them because of the dishwasher.

[Madame]

Laundry - find a nearby town with a laundromat and go there once a week. Dishwasher - I found it easy to get used to not having one. Haven't had a clothes drier for going on two years - I'm so used to line drying that I don't think about it.
There are propane freezers out there.
Go gradually, stop when you've reached your limit. Don't feel everything has to be accomplished right away. Take it a day at a time.
If it becomes too much, you can always rent or sell the place - but you'll always regret it if you don't at least try it.

[Deb862]

Originally Posted by Jim S.

In fact, that's my biggest advice to someone heading to the country...resist the urge to immediately cut yourself off all the way. Be pragmatic. Your risk of failure climbs for each immediate step you take away from the old life with which you are familiar. Take too many steps all at once, and your failure risk goes way up, really fast.

I would definitely second this. I realize many above have done it but it just depends on the person really. We moved from a rural residential area to a parcel of land 1-1/2 miles from power in the middle of the wilderness into a shell of a house with no power save a generator at first, no water, running or otherwise, no insulation, no refrigeration, etc. We spent the next 2 years triaging everything that needed to be done and it was VERY stressful. Sure, we survived but discovered that, for us at least, we had gone too far. I would definitely not do it again without more planning and upgrades before moving in. It was a positive experience in many senses such as we learned how to do literally tons of things for ourself and learned what we really wanted in life but now, we would still have moved but would have spent a little more time accumulating things that would have made the transition more smooth (such as some form of refrigerator, some form of water, etc.). While we did have a positive exerience with solar and would definitely use it again, we would have it as an adjunct to grid power.

All in all, while not an experience we would repeat, it was valuable for helping us refine what our "dream" and "vision" really was.

[Spinner]

Homesteading doesn't necessarily mean going without the things you want. Build on a laundry room, put in a washer & dryer. Heck, add a freezer if you want.

I have a 100 year old house, but I put in a washer/dryer, freezer, dishwasher, and any other convenience that I want. I'm always remodeling somewhere. The one thing I want that I haven't put in yet is an outdoor kitchen. That has been on the schedule for a long time and will eventually get done.

Lots of things can be done for very little money. When I need lumber, I have a friend with a portable saw mill so I just find someone with trees they need cut and make a deal. I get lots of lumber free cause my friend cuts on halves.

Look around for a salvage store and you can buy lots of things for pennies on the dollar. I put in a second bathroom for under $500 using all new materials. I'm currently remodeling the big bathroom adding a garden tub, walk-in shower, new commode, vanity, ceramic tile, and storage closets. I bought all the materials for around $700. It took 2 years to get everything gathered up. The work has been slow, but when it's finished I'll have a $10,000 bathroom for $700.

I think the biggest thing for me when I moved from town was giving up a garbage disposal. It took a while for me to get used to composting instead of sending everything down the drain.

The thing I like best is that we have no zoning out here. If we want to build something, we put together a design, gather up the materials, then start working on it.

I've lived without water & electric. I know I could do it again if I had to, but I don't want to. If you don't think you can make it without the little comforts, then try your best to find a way to have them. Maybe put a mobile home out on the property to use for extra storage space, laundry, freezer, etc. It could be attached to the house by a hallway and give you lots of extra space until you can build on.

Where there's a will, there's a way.