How were you able to get started?

[Wolf]

What kind of job did you have prior to starting your homestead, and do you still need that job?

[English Oliver]

Piano construction engineer, worked mainly in Europe and China. Retired now and don't need the job.

"O"

[jwal10]

I grew up on a farm, ran away at 12. Before that I moved irrigation pipe for peppermint on our farm for the renter, also for a neighbor. I had 12 cows that I raised from working on a dairy, 1/2 Holstein 1/2 hereford and 60 mother sheep. I had a Farmall B tractor and haying equipment. I rented a neighbors 14 acre former veal farm and lived in a chicken coop. Rented another 100 acre and planted 60 acres of wheat. Grew farm to 1600 acres by 1991 when health forced me to sell out and because the doctors didn't know if I would live. I got everything in order for my wife to live comfortably raising our 2 kids. Health improved and I eventually took a city job, 18 years later we moved to our dream property, a off grid cabin and 1 acre. Because of health issues again I moved into a small town and a little cottage to make life easier. I have retired and hope to get back to our dream "homestead" soon....James

[ErinP]

Our place is pretty small (40 acres), so it was fairly easy to get in to.

DH is a cowboy and I have an assortment of part time jobs. We're not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination. lol And yes, we still need our jobs, but we're working toward the day when DH can just day work. (Kind of the cowboy version of substitute teaching)

[chewie]

we only have 16 acres, but this land is pretty good and that's not too bad for a tiny homesteady type place. getting any of the bigger land owners around here to sell an acreage was not easy. its about as common as hens' teeth actually, they simply will NOT give anyone a chance. even those that are too old to live on the farm, we tried several of those--just to buy a small house/barnyard and some land for our horses and goats, haha, good luck!! but they dont' seem to mind letting those cute farmsteads rot into the ground, rather than let a younger family enjoy them. maddening.

we worked for a ranch while paying for this place, house not included. after it went on the market and sold out, we moved into temp housing and built ourselves this new home. he works for a feedlot now, 3 miles away, and I work for a hunting lodge less than 2 miles away, and other odd jobs that come up, plus teach art and selling my paintings thru galleries. and soap, and anything else I can market!

we dont' have money to spare, but I often feel beyond wealthy, we live where ppl come on vacation, I can usually go riding anytime, any day, we eat organic food that many pay huge bucks for, and I raised my kids rather than daycare. rich isn't always about money.

we are building our cow herd and like erinp., looking for the day when hubs can daywork.

[Qhorseman]

Turned my back on civiliazation and walked away. Retired military, law enforcement and private security. Nope, I don't miss it.

[big rockpile]

Back when I bought my first place me and my Ex both had Good Union Jobs.I was a Baker and she made Baseboard Heaters.Plus I did Odd Jobs and Trapped.All her wages went on Bills mine went into Savings.

We bought continued to work after buying the Farm.Oh we was living on and had use of 300 acres before buying we was paying $35 a month rent.

big rockpile

[ghmerrill]

Originally Posted by big rockpile

Back when I bought my first place me and my Ex both had Good Union Jobs.I was a Baker and she made Baseboard Heaters.Plus I did Odd Jobs and Trapped.All her wages went on Bills mine went into Savings.

We bought continued to work after buying the Farm.Oh we was living on and had use of 300 acres before buying we was paying $35 a month rent.

big rockpile

$35 a month rent? Was that because the dinosaurs back then kept running folks out?

[motdaugrnds]

Well, We're here because of our love for one another. I was a city gal with a great & enjoyable career in the mental health field. David was in management in a different state & about to get married. Then Mother (a different state from either David or myself) got sick and needed me. David caught his fiancee ratting on him and left to join Mother and me in order to help. No one had enough money to do much. We winded up on this specific piece of land in this specific trailer by vary strange methods that I like to say was my Heavenly Father's hand.

Pooling our resources, we started this homestead. Mother purchased 6 acres of uncleared land (strictly so I could stay home to tend to Mother 24/7) that we could grow our own food on. David and I put in a septic system, cleared the land, put up fencing, built the barn, chicken house and all other needed structures by hand. I bought some dairy goats and a shotgun; and later we added fowl, fruit trees and vegetable gardening. That was our beginning; and since Mother's death, here is where we stayed, neither of us having any interest in leaving.

[Parttimefarmer]

We inherited money. We didn't want to put it in the stock market or have it just sit, so we bought a farm, which we had always wanted to do.

Dh still works, is self employed. My parents live at the farm year round, I live there in summer.

[alpacamom]

My dh is an IT guy and has to work to keep our heads above water. I, too, had to work for a couple years after we moved here, but I just took a job that paid just over minimum wage and only worked part time to help us through a rough patch. Someday, we hope that dh will be able to work off the farm FT, but unless Publisher's Clearing House shows up on our doorstep with a big ol' check, it won't be happening anytime soon. We moved here from the 'burbs of Chicago and don't have family that farm, so we've had to do this all on our own.

[Yvonne's hubby]

When I came to this county I had 600 bucks, a 1964 vw microbus, my hand tools, two helpful kids and one useless spoiled brat along with their no account mother. I sold the vw for 400 bucks, and put a thousand down on 40 acres of recently logged over wooded land. I looked for jobs but there were none, so I created my own. I went into the building business along with doing anything else I could find to make an honest (mostly) dollar. If I remember correctly I managed to make about 25 hundred of them that first year, and about the same the next several years! As time went on I swapped just about anything for most anything else I could find, didnt care what I was trading as long as I was gaining in the deal. I managed to keep the family fed, clothes on their backs, build us a house, clear fields and make a homestead out of the place. That was one of the hardest times of my life.... and also one of the best.

[chewie]

Originally Posted by motdaugrnds

Well, We're here because of our love for one another. I was a city gal with a great & enjoyable career in the mental health field. David was in management in a different state & about to get married. Then Mother (a different state from either David or myself) got sick and needed me. David caught his fiancee ratting on him and left to join Mother and me in order to help. No one had enough money to do much. We winded up on this specific piece of land in this specific trailer by vary strange methods that I like to say was my Heavenly Father's hand.

Pooling our resources, we started this homestead. Mother purchased 6 acres of uncleared land (strictly so I could stay home to tend to Mother 24/7) that we could grow our own food on. David and I put in a septic system, cleared the land, put up fencing, built the barn, chicken house and all other needed structures by hand. I bought some dairy goats and a shotgun; and later we added fowl, fruit trees and vegetable gardening. That was our beginning; and since Mother's death, here is where we stayed, neither of us having any interest in leaving.

cool story, thanks for sharing. any pix?

[highlands]

I started out doing menial labor, yard work, worked in a slaughterhouse, saved enough money to get a computer (over 30 years ago). Taught myself to program the computer and do statistics. Did data analysis, computer consulting and graphics. With the money I saved I bought old houses, fixed them up and sold them. Always leveraging while living with a very tight belt. Invented stuff, built up companies to manufacture and sell the stuff, published a magazine. Bought land, sold it because I couldn't stand the neighbors. Bought more land with more elbow room. And there we be. Lots more details but that's the outline.

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
Pastured Pigs, Sheep & Kids
in the mountains of Vermont
Read about our on-farm butcher shop project:
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/butchershop
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/csa

[HermitJohn]

Times change, my first land was 40A at $100 an acre. This was not tough to afford. I see places now where similar place would cost over $100k and I dont see how any younger person could do it. You would have to work a lifetime in the ratrace and plan on maybe being able to retire to some land. The only affordable land now is some rough stuff that is too far to commute to a real job that you would need in order to buy it.

I think the term for it is called indentured servitude and lucky indeed if you can find a full time indentured servitude position that will pay enough that you ever can buy a retirement place to homestead. Then you find you are too old to enjoy it. And lot expensive rules in place to require even more racing rats in order to build a house on it.

[HermitJohn]

Originally Posted by ghmerrill

$35 a month rent? Was that because the dinosaurs back then kept running folks out?

I remember such days. And yea, those dinosaurs were pesky. Gosh I havent kept up with such things, but seem to remember somebody not too long ago telling me $800 a month rent for an old house with acre or so was reasonable. Sorry but that just sounds totally crazy to me.

[big rockpile]

Originally Posted by ghmerrill

$35 a month rent? Was that because the dinosaurs back then kept running folks out?

House had 3 Rooms,Full Basement,No Running Water,Chicken House,Wood Shed and Garden.

We bought this place





big rockpile

[terri46355]

I worked clerical jobs and my boyfriend worked in county government. Neither one of us had great paying jobs, but we both owned our own homes. We got married, looked for a place that we both liked, and sold our houses to move here. I got another low paying clerical job here and he retired with a pension. I think if you're used to living frugally, you will make it happen (if you want it bad enough). Have a goal that is achievable and plan the way to reach your goal. Many people have great ideas, but either want too much or don't make plans.

[motdaugrnds]

I really enjoy threads like this as it lets me understand more about those whose posts I've come to enjoy. You are all to be congratulated on what you've accomplished.

Yvonne's hubby, starting out as you did from another country and working hard for yourself and family as you have, you are to be admired! Nice to have you in America.

Chewie, I've posted quite a few pics in these forums. Did you want to see anything specific? (I went thru pics I have and there are so very many that I have no idea what would interest anyone. I love them all.)

[HilltopDaisy]

I want you to do something for me (us).

Tell us where you live; just the state is good for now.

Please give us an idea of who we are trying to advise.

You can tap into an amazing amount of information here, and most of us are really wanting to help, if we can.