Question

amandak · #1 09/22/10, 08:42 AM

Hi everyone, I'm new on here. My name is Amanda and I live in Williamsburg, Ohio (near cincinnati) My husband and I are newer, 1st generation homesteaders. We both feel that we were born a few centuries late and love the way people used to help one another and make mutually beneficial trades to get what they needed. Lately I've been thinking about creating a website for that specifically--to connect local homesteaders within their communities, to create relationships and promote bartering to support one another. I've got some ideas what this could look like but need some feedback from other homesteaders, eg. what you would like and wouldn't you like in a resource like this? Would anyone be interested in a site that could connect local homesteaders in order to swap basic homestead goods and services and build local relationships?

Forerunner · #2 09/22/10, 08:58 AM

Go for it.

Establishing such a network now may save much grief after, if world conditions continue to go south.

Timberline · #3 09/22/10, 09:13 AM

Welcome to HT!!

That's a good idea. One word of caution however, my accountant told me to never let any bartering we do become public knowledge, because it is taxable under IRS laws and they have and will nail people for tax evasion for doing it and not reporting it on tax returns.

amandak · #4 09/22/10, 09:37 AM

Thanks for the feedback forerunner and chalk creek. That's our government for you huh?...How ridiculous. Thanks for the info, I will keep that in mind when I put it together.

TRAILRIDER · #5 09/22/10, 09:40 AM

I would certainly be interested, and you and I are in the same (sort of) neck of the woods! Welcome !

Windy in Kansas · #6 09/22/10, 11:02 AM

Welcome to the forums.

Timberline · #7 09/22/10, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amandak

Thanks for the feedback forerunner and chalk creek. That's our government for you huh?...How ridiculous. Thanks for the info, I will keep that in mind when I put it together.

Yeah, they must think we're all going to get filthy rich by trading a lamb for a piglet, or a bit of labor for a load of garden compost. They have to get their share out of our big profits!

momofseven · #8 09/22/10, 11:47 AM

welcome......

texican · #9 09/22/10, 11:58 AM

Learn your neighbors, their names, their childrens names... the manager and clerks at stores you frequent... get to know the farmers, the dairy men, the gardeners, in your local area... donate your time freely. Ingratiate yourself into the community. Bartering is done all the time, but not really called that... just neighbors helping out neighbors...

A stranger moved into our tight knit community 20 years ago. A few days after buying his land and moving in a double wide, he visited every house up and down the road, explained who he was what he was going to do (christmas tree farm) and he'd like to help anyone in need. My pa liked him from the get-go, like every one else... a month after showing up, he heard my grandpa's corn combine was broke, he drove down the roughedy bump road to my grandpa's corn fields... he was a mechanic, couldn't fix it, so he put up his tools and spent all day picking 10 acres of corn by hand! Word got around, he was "in".

Another guy moved in three years ago. Visited no one. People visited him, and he gave out the old cold shouldera. So, now he's got his empire of dirt, without a single person in the neighborhood caring if he lives or dies... He's "out" and will probably remain "out".

Internet connections are great, but a lot of the most knowledgeable people around have never used a computer, and would never consider themselves homesteaders.

good luck!

Txrider · #10 09/22/10, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by texican

Learn your neighbors, their names, their childrens names... the manager and clerks at stores you frequent... get to know the farmers, the dairy men, the gardeners, in your local area... donate your time freely. Ingratiate yourself into the community. Bartering is done all the time, but not really called that... just neighbors helping out neighbors...

A stranger moved into our tight knit community 20 years ago. A few days after buying his land and moving in a double wide, he visited every house up and down the road, explained who he was what he was going to do (christmas tree farm) and he'd like to help anyone in need. My pa liked him from the get-go, like every one else... a month after showing up, he heard my grandpa's corn combine was broke, he drove down the roughedy bump road to my grandpa's corn fields... he was a mechanic, couldn't fix it, so he put up his tools and spent all day picking 10 acres of corn by hand! Word got around, he was "in".

Another guy moved in three years ago. Visited no one. People visited him, and he gave out the old cold shouldera. So, now he's got his empire of dirt, without a single person in the neighborhood caring if he lives or dies... He's "out" and will probably remain "out".

Internet connections are great, but a lot of the most knowledgeable people around have never used a computer, and would never consider themselves homesteaders.

good luck!

Yup I was all set to go out and knock on doors up and down the road where I bought my land, turned out I didn't need to though... Almost every neighbor came by as soon as they saw me out cleaning up the place and we talked a while..

Being used to this sorta thing I dropped a unique fact about me to each one, so I can figure out how the grapevine runs quicker... and they all have more to gossip about me to each other...

I have enough family and friends of theirs in the community and have worked with them enough I already have an in really and folks to trade work with for most things I need.

amandak · #11 09/22/10, 12:32 PM

thanks texican, I understand where you're coming from and that's obviously common sense to most people. But where I'm at- really close to a large metro- there is a big movement of city-folks moving out to the country, who are experiencing what it's like to live in rural america. They've got a lot of re-learning to do when it comes to dealing with people. I don't mean to judge, it's just an observation... I'm a new homesteader but I grew up in small-town-america...and there are certain values and standards that I have, and most on here probably have the same standards...but they seem to be missing in our society today. For example, a handshake and a man's word being better than some written contract. I get that...but a lot of people don't and they need a way to learn it.

I'm thinking of creating a site as a way to help people, newbies especially, connect with others to build good relationships (offline ones), and trading is just a by-product.

For many newbies it's always been below them to trade or barter for anything...because previously they could just pay for it. I'm hoping this could be a step- not a complete solution-towards helping people connect and re-program how they view money, things and relationships (learning to put relationships before the other things.) Sure there are a number of folks out there who don't use the internet but there are a lot of homesteaders who do. That said, I appreciate your words and believe me, I understand

I love your quotes too by the way.

JDog1222 · #12 09/30/10, 07:10 AM

Try using Craigslist, whenever I am looking for something....I just post (it's free), usually I get what I need!
http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites

motdaugrnds · #13 09/30/10, 09:12 AM

I agree with the others, i.e. "Go fot it!"

I also very much agree that getting out there and letting your neighbors know who you are is what will enrich your life in ways nothing else can. (I wish that neighbor who picked the corn all day was my neighbor.)

One of the problems I've encountered is not being physically able to get out, make the rounds and lend a helping hand. I did as much as I could; but my familial responsibilities were and still are so heavy I just don't have enough energy to go outside the family homestead. I truly hurt about this and have often cried about it; but can do nothing about it. Thus, we are known pretty much as a recluse here and, thus, have no one outside the immediate family we can actually count on if need be. Thus, a website such as you are proposing might work well for families like mine.

Haven · #14 09/30/10, 09:12 AM

Welcome from another Ohio-an...on the other side of the state. I think you have a great idea. How about passing out flyers at your local farmers markets, to the vendors.

Patt · #15 09/30/10, 11:00 AM

On the one hand I can understand what you want to do, internet networking is how one set of Americans meet and make relationships and that is fine. But Texican brings up a good point: it is not how the people in their new rural community meet and make connections. You have to get out there meet people person by person and establish relationships. Go to the local businesses and use local people to do any work you need to get done. It takes time and effort. Plus the biggest benefit is that once you get to know the local people they will be happy to let you know who the weasels are in the community. And sadly there are always a few who will happily rip you off.

So I have a feeling that the internet networking idea in the end may short circuit the new people's entrance into the community and create 2 communities, one of newbies who all know each other and the the locals.

Here in my small rural community half of the local businesses don't use the internet much less the local people.

thequeensblessing · #16 09/30/10, 11:05 AM

AmandaK, just wanted to say Hi! We're practically neighbors.

Well, in she grand scheme of things anyway. I'm just east of Cincinnati, in Adams county. There are quite a few of us on here from the greater Cincinnati area.
I think what you are trying to do is great! Good luck with it!

robinthegeek · #17 09/30/10, 03:22 PM

Hi Amanda!

I just wanted to say hi, let you know that we're practically neighbors as well, we live down in Bethel.

I think you're idea sounds great as well.

Robin

hecate · #18 10/01/10, 06:43 AM

We're also neighbors! My DH and I live in Amelia and he grew up and graduated from Williamsburg.

Welcome to the forum!

jwal10 · #19 10/01/10, 09:36 AM

My neighbors are like good family members we look out for each other. We trade anything and everything, always talking about what everyone have, extra produce, finds in town, animal trades, eggs, milk, building materials. My neighbors know what projects I am working on, I know their's. We are always helping each other out, ride to town together, I made butter, you have eggs, I found Shantterrell mushrooms today, you found cheap plywood yesterday, on and on....James

ErinP · #20 10/01/10, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by texican

Learn your neighbors, their names, their childrens names... the manager and clerks at stores you frequent... get to know the farmers, the dairy men, the gardeners, in your local area... donate your time freely. Ingratiate yourself into the community. Bartering is done all the time, but not really called that... just neighbors helping out neighbors... {etc, etc}

Internet connections are great, but a lot of the most knowledgeable people around have never used a computer, and would never consider themselves homesteaders.

good luck!

I agree completely!

It seems the people who've figured out that "neighbor" is a verb are the ones who never have trouble.

Looking around my yard-- There's the 1000 gal. water trailer that a neighbor let us borrow for a few months, the hole we dug for our basement using a neighbor's skidsteer and another neighbor's bidirectional, the blocks for our basement that we hauled on yet another neighbor's triple axle flatbed trailer, the two heifers which used to be bucket calves who were given to my kids by still another neighbor, my kids currently sleep in a buddy's camper, my husband is riding pens with a nice mare that was given to us by still another neighbor, and so on and so forth.

But, on the flip side, the neighbor with the water trailer, we haul his daughter and her horse to 4H practice, DH is hauling calves today for the neighbor with the bidirectional, I can't even count what all he's done for the neighbor with the big flatbed, the camper buddy camped in our living room for a few months...

They're normal, organic relationships.

I'm not saying forget the online stuff (shoot! I LOVE this forum!) but I'm saying the everyday stuff should take precedence.