Scenario - what would you do?

[Bellyman]

THIS IS HYPOTHETICAL!!!! THIS IS NOT ME, MY SITUATION OR ANY SPECIFIC PERSON I KNOW.

But I thought it might be a fun thread. And who knows, maybe even helpful to someone.

Situation / circumstances:

You have found yourself in dire straits. You just lost your home and have nothing to show for it. But you have your health. You and your wife are 60 years old, unemployed, and there are no prospects for employment. You have $650/mo income from a previous business (no you can't borrow against it or get q lump sum) and you have $5,000 you just received as an inheritance. You have some gardening hand tools but no tractor.For the sake of argument, you do have good gardening skills and some good homesteading skills. You have an old but running pickup and basic stuff like clothing.

Kids are grown and gone and are not part of the equation. They're not coming back and you're not going to live with them.

You can go wherever you want but travel takes money and you don't have a lot. You can do whatever you want but as already mentioned, you are not employable. (Make up a reason if it makes you feel better but you can't fix it.)

Where would you go, and more importantly, what would you do to build a homestead for yourself? People say they've started with less.

Looking forward to the replies!!!

[frogmammy]

Take a good look around, see what's needed, and start a low cost business.

A LOT depends on where you are, and what time of year it is.

Mon

[Dixie Bee Acres]

Look around for a cheap travel trailer, that becomes home. Then look around for maybe a piece of land you could rent cheaply to park said travel trailer on.
Then, get busy. Start clearing land for a vegetable garden.
Scour Craigslist for some free or very cheap building materials and fencing.
Try to trade some labor (cleaning stalls, house cleaning, etc) for a few chickens.
Search out a water supply, even if it means filling gallon jugs from a water fountain in a public park.
Start foraging, depending on time of year, for wild growing fruits, nuts, etc.

[7thswan]

Yes, I would start a homestead. I did when I was married at 18, moved into a rented hunting cabin on 55 acres,no heat, no elec. only a well outside for 75 dollars a month. Lived that way for years,kicked the bum to the curb. Went along in life the "regular" way, then went back to where I belong. If it all went away, I'd start over again, and I will when we move to our retirement cabin. There is no sense in living any other way than what I've learned is in my Soul.

[Harry Chickpea]

Health at 60 is not an indicator of health at 61. A lot of people laid off in this economy have been thankful for the ability to pick up social security at 62.

In a situation like that, if I was unemployable and had no assets, I would not hesitate to apply for food stamps - so that zero money was spent on food, and I would apply for medicaid to minimize health care costs. The $650/mo income would have to go to basic shelter first and I would be loathe to bite into the $5K more than $1K for a travel trailer. I might spend up to another $1K to move to an area with better climate and lower cost of living or better social safety net programs.

With access to food stamps, gardening is somewhat of a red herring. Time and energy might be better spent on income producing pursuits. The situation is more of a "bridge" crisis than total disaster.

The scenario is specific and the age related issues are specific. At age twenty or thirty, my choices would be different. At sixty, preserving health starts to become a major priority, and there has been a lifetime of paying in to social programs.

What the scenario really indicates is a major lack of pre-planning. By age 60, there should be at least one IRA that can be drawn upon in an emergency, an emergency back-up fund, and some other source of income or loan on an investment. All of these are NEVER EVER touched to pay a mortgage or uphold a lifestyle, but are dipped into ONLY in situations like this.

[Bellyman]

It's not me, so I don't really have a dog in this imaginary fight. They should have done things differently... in hindsight. But they're here now.

I'm thankful to be better off than the Hypotheticals but I'll bet there are people wishing they had that much.

Interesting thoughts so far. :-)

[willow_girl]

The problem that I see with this equation is that if someone is too disabled or unskilled to be unemployable, they're probably not going to be able to do much around a homestead, either.

[Bellyman]

Originally Posted by 7thswan

Yes, I would start a homestead. I did when I was married at 18, moved into a rented hunting cabin on 55 acres,no heat, no elec. only a well outside for 75 dollars a month. Lived that way for years,kicked the bum to the curb. Went along in life the "regular" way, then went back to where I belong. If it all went away, I'd start over again, and I will when we move to our retirement cabin. There is no sense in living any other way than what I've learned is in my Soul.

I suspect you have some wonderful stories. :-)

Actually, I haven't hit the big Five Zero yet myself by I'm definitely seeing the insanity of a lot of the modern "necessities" the Jones family just can't live without.

[Bellyman]

Originally Posted by willow_girl

The problem that I see with this equation is that if someone is too disabled or unskilled to be unemployable, they're probably not going to be able to do much around a homestead, either.

Maybe they're convicted felons or something that doesn't mean they can't actually do stuff, only that no one would hire them.

Point is, they've had their "come to Jesus" experience. NOW WHAT????

[notwyse]

I would get a large waterproof tent and a couple tarps. I would slide a mattress into the tent bottem while both were in the back of the truck. Then I would place tarp on top and load the rest of my essentials. This would include a camp stove and fuel and a sun shower. I would go to the library and look up blm campgrounds. These are often free...sometimes developed as in having water. I would make a list. I would get a large map and laminate it. Then I would locate counties that have the resources to live on bare land and survive with moderate weather. I would go up on the county assessor web sites to get a feel for land values. I would make my selections by strict criteria about living there. Then off I would head with the intent to purchase a single prime acre with proximity to fishing...hunting and civilization. Gotta tell you...I love to camp and with that kind of money I could stay out a long long time...

[Dixie Bee Acres]

Good scenerio, thinking convicted felon. I actually know a few people who would give up, blow what little money they had, then go commit some crime. 3 hots and a cot for as long as there sentence is.

[CJ]

With such a limited income, I'd be tempted to buy a cheap travel trailer with the $5k and start work camping. (minding a campground in exchange for free lot rent.)

[CraftyLady]

Whatever my previous business was. . . . I'd use that knowledge to start again.

Originally Posted by Bellyman

THIS IS HYPOTHETICAL!!!! THIS IS NOT ME, MY SITUATION OR ANY SPECIFIC PERSON I KNOW.

But I thought it might be a fun thread. And who knows, maybe even helpful to someone.

Situation / circumstances:

You have found yourself in dire straits. You just lost your home and have nothing to show for it. But you have your health. You and your wife are 60 years old, unemployed, and there are no prospects for employment. You have $650/mo income from a previous business (no you can't borrow against it or get q lump sum) and you have $5,000 you just received as an inheritance. You have some gardening hand tools but no tractor.For the sake of argument, you do have good gardening skills and some good homesteading skills. You have an old but running pickup and basic stuff like clothing.

Kids are grown and gone and are not part of the equation. They're not coming back and you're not going to live with them.

You can go wherever you want but travel takes money and you don't have a lot. You can do whatever you want but as already mentioned, you are not employable. (Make up a reason if it makes you feel better but you can't fix it.)

Where would you go, and more importantly, what would you do to build a homestead for yourself? People say they've started with less.

Looking forward to the replies!!!

[ldc]

Saw on MSNBC web page today that wages are the second highest in this country this year at The Villages in Florida. It's the largest retirement community in the world, with 110,000 people over 55. A friend has just moved near there, and says there is a lot of work! Think I'd go out there and look for this high-paid work, while getting other aspects of life together, and waiting to hit the magic age of 62!

[ArmyDoc]

Originally Posted by CraftyLady

Whatever my previous business was. . . . I'd use that knowledge to start again.

Hopefully not if your previous business was grand theft auto...

[ArmyDoc]

Originally Posted by Harry Chickpea

Health at 60 is not an indicator of health at 61. A lot of people laid off in this economy have been thankful for the ability to pick up social security at 62.

In a situation like that, if I was unemployable and had no assets, I would not hesitate to apply for food stamps - so that zero money was spent on food, and I would apply for medicaid to minimize health care costs. The $650/mo income would have to go to basic shelter first and I would be loathe to bite into the $5K more than $1K for a travel trailer. I might spend up to another $1K to move to an area with better climate and lower cost of living or better social safety net programs.

These are solid suggestions. Are they eligible for social security at 62?

They aren't going to be able to buy much (anything?) so after food stamps, shelter is a the next order of business. Would look to low income housing/govt. assisted housing. Would also join a local church - preferably good sized with a heart towards forgiveness and helping people out.

There's a man at our church who is 55 - hard worker, but convicted felon (convicted as an adult when 17 and did 30 years.) Had his "come to Jesus" moment in prison. He's had a long hard and SLOW road, but he is with in a year or two of owning his double wide, which is saying something. He wouldn't likely have made it without the help of people in church who could/would throw him a job here or there between steady work. He's lucky he has his health because no one will hire him fulltime with benefits because of his record... happy to have him part time and work him 40 hours a week though, only to cut him first if the market turns. Rough life.

[modineg44]

People to do basic housecleaning and handyman jobs are always needed around here and probably in most areas. Most will pay in cash. Our school hires substitutes with little or no college or experience.

[bigjon]

shelter-food-clothing-gun(survival/meat-everything else.

[am1too]

Originally Posted by Harry Chickpea

Health at 60 is not an indicator of health at 61. A lot of people laid off in this economy have been thankful for the ability to pick up social security at 62.

In a situation like that, if I was unemployable and had no assets, I would not hesitate to apply for food stamps - so that zero money was spent on food, and I would apply for medicaid to minimize health care costs. The $650/mo income would have to go to basic shelter first and I would be loathe to bite into the $5K more than $1K for a travel trailer. I might spend up to another $1K to move to an area with better climate and lower cost of living or better social safety net programs.

With access to food stamps, gardening is somewhat of a red herring. Time and energy might be better spent on income producing pursuits. The situation is more of a "bridge" crisis than total disaster.

The scenario is specific and the age related issues are specific. At age twenty or thirty, my choices would be different. At sixty, preserving health starts to become a major priority, and there has been a lifetime of paying in to social programs.

What the scenario really indicates is a major lack of pre-planning. By age 60, there should be at least one IRA that can be drawn upon in an emergency, an emergency back-up fund, and some other source of income or loan on an investment. All of these are NEVER EVER touched to pay a mortgage or uphold a lifestyle, but are dipped into ONLY in situations like this.

Not so fast there. Most of my life I spent barely paying the bills. Had great job for 6 months. The plant manager said if you want to work you won't have to look for another job. In less than 3 months I was the best operator they had on my shift. Some major misstep by the leadership caused a severe problem and plant closed. No where to go but the temp agencies these days. Minimum wage with no insurance and most jobs lasted only 6 months per contract. Yeppers all my fault for not doing better. Today my places is paid for and I owe no one even a dime. My required monthly expenses for everything average less than $400. Oh yeah I believed what I was told.

[am1too]

Originally Posted by Dixie Bee Acres

Good scenerio, thinking convicted felon. I actually know a few people who would give up, blow what little money they had, then go commit some crime. 3 hots and a cot for as long as there sentence is.

All that has to happen these days is be accused and arrested. Even if found not guilty your name still appears on the list. With the spread of the net its all most impossible to get the false crap deleted. Ask me how I know. But alas there is blessings in disguise.