How much $$$ would it take to get you to move off of your homestead?

Ken Scharabok · #41 10/16/06, 07:43 AM

Homesteader's Lament: Why is it I spend all my time, working at a job I dislike, to earn money to pay someone else to do the things I'd rather be doing for myself in the first place?

YoungOne · #42 10/16/06, 07:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brownthumb

Here's MY deal. You pay me a 100 billion dollars. I go to the fringe of a major city that is a ghetto and BUY all the broken down crack houses and then I'll pay to tear them all down. Crush all the brick. Burn all the debris. Let it all grow back to nature's way. Then after 10 years I will move there!

Is it a deal?

Don't forget to pay some dirty politician (plenty of them) so that you can withdrawn from city limits and re-incorporate yourself into your own small town. Definitaley help with taxes and those pesky "local" officials.

MaineFarmMom · #43 10/16/06, 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Scharabok

Homesteader's Lament: Why is it I spend all my time, working at a job I dislike, to earn money to pay someone else to do the things I'd rather be doing for myself in the first place?

THAT is exactly what I tell people when they ask why I do what I do.

michiganfarmer · #44 10/16/06, 08:46 AM

I ve thought about this too. ive posed the question to myself:what if I had to live in downtown detroit for a year, but an employer would pay me a million bucks? Would I do it? I dont think I could take it mentally. I also would feel like I sold out. I dont think I could live with myself. I think trading the labor of self sufficiency for the easy of money, and decadence is wrong. I live this way not only because I like learnign to be self sufficient, but also because I believe it is the right way to live. I think money, decadence, and greed are connected, inseperable, and wrong.

tallpines · #45 10/16/06, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cabin Fever

Fantasy69maker, Hillsidedigger, Farmgoddess, toomb68, Tallpines....

I think some of you are missing the point of my question. I'm not asking how much would you sell your homestead for. I am asking how much would you have to be paid to live in the Big City.

I understood your question.

I'd not want to live in the "Big City" for the too long of time---but for $2 million, I could live there for 2 or 3 years (while my next hideaway was being built).

homebirtha · #46 10/16/06, 10:44 AM

How long would I have to live there?

I mean, I could survive living in a city for a year or two, if it meant enough money to pay cash for a new homestead, animals, everything we would need, and not have to have DH work anymore. But as a premanent location, nope. On second thought, I would hesitate to do it for even a year or two right now. My kids are 3, 7, and 9, and I would hate to waste 2 years of their "formative" years in a city. So maybe not.

katlupe · #47 10/16/06, 11:10 AM

I am already used to living without money. So I'll just stay put here - no neighbors, no traffic, no noise of any kind most of the time & much safer. I can't stand to even go to a city for any period of time anymore. (and I used to travel to NYC for shopping & shows quite regularly in my past life!)

katlupe

patarini · #48 10/16/06, 02:16 PM

Well I hate going to the city of Waverly, Ken compared to Linden you have quite a big city!
money isnt the only thing, its everything! lol

jnap31 · #49 10/16/06, 02:25 PM

My place appraised at up to 70k 4 years ago and land/housing around NW AR had only been skyrocketing in price since then I would sell out for 70k and use the $ to buy more land more remote with more land and less house would prefer to build my own house.

LisaInN.Idaho · #50 10/16/06, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BasicLiving

OK, we are working toward it, but do not currently homestead. But I do have something for those of you who currently do to think about with regard to this thread's question.

My husband and I EACH currently make a 6 figure income. Granted, we work in a very metropolitan area (Washington, DC) and commute 75 miles ONE way EACH day in extreme traffic congestion (1 and 1/2 hours one way at the minimum). The area we live in is very expensive, so we are not rich by any stretch of the imagination. But the commute alone takes it's toll (I could not, and doubt many of you could, tolerate living in the city), and I assure you a 6 figure income comes with it's own demands and stresses. Trust me when I tell you, it is NOT worth it! Basically, I feel we have sold our souls. We struggled for years to get to where we are today, only to learn it ain't all it's cracked up to be.

Keep your soul. Keep your happiness. You may struggle with a low income to make a living, but you will struggle to live life if you sell your soul for pieces of silver.

It may sound easy for me to say, but I started with less than nothing. Very low income family in the very deep south. At 40 years old I put myself through college at night (first in my rather large family to earn a degree) and traveled to Kansas from Virginia every single week (Sunday - Thursday) for over 3 years to gain experience and build a reputation. I achieved what I was after, and now I find that I was happier when I paid bills and celebrated for having enough left over for a 6 pack of beer and a pack of cigerettes.

My perspective may be different because we are not there yet and are working to get there without a mortgage, or any other borrowed money. But knowing what I know about making decent money, it is hard for me to imagine having the place of my dreams and giving it up, even temporarily, to make "a lot" of money. The more money you make, the more that is expected of you, and the less quality time you have to live life.

I envy those of you that homestead and live life as you define. I just can't imagine having that and giving it up for any reason or any price. You have in your hands what most of us struggle for.

You are very right. We were where you are (but in Boston and Phoenix) and it is not what it is cracked up to be. We had the titles, the cars, the private schools, the charity balls and social obligations and it can be a very shallow lifestyle. It seems the more you have, the less it means and it's very unfulfilling. We've lived in our little off-grid cabin in north Idaho for the past 4 years and I can't imagine us ever going back. We lived with an outhouse for the first 18 months and we couldn't have cared less. Everything is an adventure here. We love it. Good luck..I hope you get your homestead too.

Deb862 · #51 10/16/06, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BasicLiving

Keep your soul. Keep your happiness. You may struggle with a low income to make a living, but you will struggle to live life if you sell your soul for pieces of silver...

I just can't imagine having that and giving it up for any reason or any price. You have in your hands what most of us struggle for.

How very true and very well said.

On your second point, we, too, thought we would never give up our homestead. We both grew up poor and saved and worked most of our lives to move 3000 miles across country and buy 22 remote acres in Idaho. Cleared the land, built a house, and raised the kids (well, they were 12 and 15 when we moved). It was absolute bliss until kids moved back east and we never got to see them as neither they nor we could afford airfare more than once a year at the holidays. My family was also east and I hadn't seen my own mom in about 5 years. It was a very hard decision to make and we took along time to make it.

Speaking from the position of having lived on the land and giving it up, I can truly say that absolutely no money in the world would have gotten us to sell or give up our beautiful piece of earth....only the love of our children and family and the desire to share in their lives more fully did.

Meg Z · #52 10/16/06, 02:52 PM

I guess I need a definition of 'metropolis'. In the city nearest us, that we moved out of, there are no high-rise apartments, few condos, and the third floor is tops, there. Most housing is single family subdivision type housing, quarter acre to half acre lots, mostly.

There is no salary that could entice me to live in a condo or apartment, or in a place like DC or NYC. However, I could be enticed to move back to subdivision type living, for a designated period of time. Mostly, because I know I could still homestead, on a different scale. I could still garden, raise my angora rabbits for meat and wool, try quail, and keep bees, at least. I'd have to give up my sheep, and the rest of the poultry, but if it was for a year or two or even three, with a salary that would allow me to save the money to buy my dream place in a few years, I'd do it. I've lived in worse places for longer periods, as a military brat and wife. Everything is temporary!

Meg

**Shrek** · #53 10/16/06, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cabin Fever

I'd like to turn the question around that Deb862 poised when she asked how many would be willing to take a huge cut in pay to move to a homestead. My question is for you who already live in the country on a homestead. How much more pay would it take to get you to move off the land and back into a metropolis? For us, I'm thinking an employer would have to quadruple our pay. We'd work for a few years at this payscale, save as much as we could and then retire to live in the north country again. On second thought, forget it. I'm not sure if I could ever move to the Big City no matter how much $$$ an employer could entice me with. Money and quality of life are not necessarily related....at least they aren't for us.

Being that I am retired from industry and rely on my investments for income, I would require a comfortable fair market profit and availability of comparable rural property in a cost of living region equal to or lower than what I currently reside in.

Of course my area of relocation is restricted to Alabama, Georgia or Texas as I prefer those states and ag zones.

Ramblin Wreck · #54 10/16/06, 03:33 PM

Gosh, if I were full time on the homestead, it would be hard to entice me with money to move back into the rat race. I'm blessed to make a good living on a good job working with great people, but there are fifty things I'd rather be doing on the farm right now. If not for family considerations, I could certainly be enticed to move to a more rural environment than I now have, but I would prefer a Southern or Western locale with some elevation and plenty of water (but not wetlands!).

If they keep raising my darn taxes, I may have to move in spite of family considerations.

Hovey Hollow · #55 10/16/06, 03:51 PM

I'd do it. If there was enough money to take away the worry of debt, retirement, and the children's college. Now, I say this with OKC in mind. There are lots of subdivisions with large lots and I like a previous poster said I would still "homestead" to a certain degree. If I could have a house with about 1/2-1 acre (there are lots of them in the OKC metro) I would garden, keep bees and have a few chickens and the rabbits. Of course no more cows, and I couldn't have 60+ chickens/geese/turkeys.
Homesteading is a state of mind.....not a location. I'm not to the point where I have financial peace of mind, so I'd gladly exchange that for a less than ideal location.

sullen · #56 10/16/06, 05:31 PM

Well I guess I'm the only one not afraid of a city.

#57 10/16/06, 06:17 PM

Sullen..what's "fear" have to do with it? It's chosing to live one's life the way that you wish to..

Having money is great..I'd surely prefer to have financial security over not having it..yet at what "cost" to my own personal dreams? It certainly isn't being afraid of city living which would keep me from being there. It's the fact that since I cannot be guaranteed a single tomorrow, I'd much rather spend ALL of the time that I have where I wish to be.

moonwolf · #58 10/16/06, 06:33 PM

Over the years, I've thought about this in many ways regarding what one 'wants out of life'...and choosing rural semi remote over city, hands down. Opportunities existed where I could have had more pay increase by living in bigger city, but then I thought that is just more money to spend on stuff to live in the city. Maybe the odd 'getaway' for that extra money you make, but I'm always glad to get back to my countryside way of life after visiting any big city.

Some years ago an ex BIL saw how my 'way of life' seemed good. He worked as a corporate executive. He never hunted, rarely fished, never lived in the country....though he put on like he could do that. pffft! Well, he got some hairbrain idea, because he was a manipulative executive type 'leader' that he could 'invest' with a group of guys he worked with to buy a bunch of private land and 'make me' the sort of 'guide' to visitors, hunters and what not. I had NO interest to be any part of such a 'scheme'. Guess that is part of what many homesteaders feel, I think. It's doing it YOUR way, and money can go to hell about anything if it's not going to suit your sensibilities.

DixyDoodle · #59 10/16/06, 06:54 PM

sullen, I have lived in the big city before too, and I hated it. There is a difference between adapting to and truly enjoying where you live. My heart is out here. City concrete is hard and plain and boring. Country earth is soft and rich and full of life.

The only reason I would sell my home is because it will cost us a small fortune to get it up to where I want it to be. A 90 year old house with lots of repairs and lots of dreams to build it on. Our wallets struggle to keep up. It would be nice to have a home that is newer with little to repair. A brand new barn. A nice reliable tractor in the yard. Land where the closest neighbour is a mile away. But that is different than taking money to move away for good. I would rather have my fixer-upper than any brand new city McMansion in the world.

DD

sullen · #60 10/16/06, 08:13 PM

OK, BL, it just sounds like some people are afraid of a city. I have lived all over and I can make myself comfy anywhere. I don't need dirt to survive, in fact I could live without it. I only got into it because of the garbage stores try to sell you. I guess thats the difference.
I don't think concrete is boring, there is plenty of life in a city. Tons. In fact when I moved here I had to get used to how quiet it is.