This simple life costs how much?!!!!

Le Petit Norman · #41 11/24/08, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrincessFerf

All excellent posts! When my husband and I moved into the country we had lots of ideas... lots more than we had money or time for. So we chose to do the things right away that meant most to us... a large garden and chickens.

Our neighbors are life-long residents of this area and most are either active farmers, retired farmers or sons/daughters of farmers. While they were a bit reserved towards us at first, they have been very welcoming of us "city folk".

Large garden: I have gardened for years (in very small spaces in the city) and our first garden in the country was the size of our whole LOT in the city. We had more food coming out of it than we could handle and gladly gave much of it to our new neighbors. In turn, our neighbors plow our driveway for us in the winter (although we do give them $$ for gas), so we don't have the expense of a plow for our truck.

Chickens: We did A LOT of reading about caring for chickens before we got our first chicks. One of our retired farmer neighbors gave us an old coop he had on his property. It needed a lot of work which my husband and I finished just in time for the chickens to move in. We get more eggs than we need, which we share with our neighbors. The neighbor who gave us the coop gets eggs from us for free always and in turn it gives us egg cartons he rescues from the recycling center (he works at the town dump/recycling center). He also gave us a large bag of potatoes from his garden this fall, yum!

Since my husband and I both work in IT, we get lots of questions from our neighbors when they have computer problems. In turn our neighbors have lent their equipment to assist us with projects around our "mini homestead".

I don't think of this life as the "simple life". Its a very different life than we had in the city and one we were glad to embrace, with all of its challenges. We work harder physically and we create more of the food we eat. This fall I made applesauce and apple butter (and canned it) for the first time. Very exciting. We have one apple tree that produces quite well. We made some tomato sauce, but didn't plant as many tomato plants as we should (we'll do more next year).

We've decided to do broiler chickens next year, too. Our one neighbor raises his own broilers and I offered to help him butcher his birds so I can learn how to do ours.

I don't think "living simply" has to be terribly expensive, unless you insist on having everything new, high-tech and top of the line. Like anything else, its what you make of it.

KISS barter trade, that is the good way to go ... with a lot of little mistake to learn...

I could trade or barter for more things such as hay and feeds but I am just fine with my half beef (for a whole pig) and my five galons of milk a week (for 1 sunday a month of milking so the farmer can ride to is mother and visit her without having to hurry for the evening chores.... I also barter the straw for some works during harvest time, always fun to take the kids in the tractor while going back and force betwen the fields and the farm everything else is not trade or bartering, just good relationship with people around pears for pears .....

emptycupranch · #42 11/24/08, 12:24 PM

My husband and I decided to work towards becoming more self sufficient just this past year. I grew up 'hobby farming' but hubby is a city boy. Needless to say I am enjoying myself immensely and he is tolerating the work at best!

Anyhow my husband teaches martial arts and we have bartered free classes for a wide variety of things to help get us started. Currently we have 5 hens that we received free from one of the parents, we bartered lessons for a stock trailer, and we have the opportunity to barter custom made rabbit hutches for lessons as well.

My first two ewes were given to me, I traded an old horse sulkey for an ewe and two market lambs, and I bought a ram and 3 ewes for $300, and the seller wants to buy lamb from me next year.

I had to search for my rabbits as I wanted Rex's but put ads up and found a few to get started. It started out with difficulties getting them bred but now things are working better!

I just sold that stock trailer, as it needed too much work for me to ever get around to fixing, for $700, same day I saw an ad for a better stock trailer for $900 - offered him $800 and now have a good usable trailer for only $100!

We live in fruit country and are surrounded by orchards. This year we were given about 10 truckloads of apple wood, we've brought home half so far. Just have to chop it with the chop saw into the right lengths. It is nicely seasoned and keeps us very warm!

I built my sheep shelter out of wood pallets that I found free in town and used tin found on my landlords farm, only bought the nails. The whole fence for their pen was built from page wire found on my landlords farm as well and used T-Posts. Cost me $20 in total. The gates are made from wood pallets, and also the feeder.

The most expensive part of this has been the hay for the horses and the vet bills for the horses. They are just here for our fun and joy, no real contribution... and they cost the most. I am down to four horses now and next year will be down to three. The hay is just too darn spendy! (current local price is $4-$8 per bale small square and $100 per round).

Anyways, nothing looks real pretty around here but it all works. I had to get creative (my chicken 'hut' is made from hay bales and roofing tin!) but that is half the fun!

michiganfarmer · #43 11/24/08, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beeman

Here's a simple one. I just need some hay, luckily I already have a truck, trailer and tractor with a loader. Round bales are bringing $40 per bale around here. Needed bulk feed to and it's now $13.89 per hundred.

Of course its expensive when you buy everything. Homesteading is about living on what you can produce on your own land.

Buying feed for pets is not living simply.

Beeman · #44 11/24/08, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michiganfarmer

Of course its expensive when you buy everything. Homesteading is about living on what you can produce on your own land.

Buying feed for pets is not living simply.

Do you produce a lot of barbed wire? Make many tractors lately? Someone donate the land to you?

This thread has taken an interesting turn.

Common Tator · #45 11/24/08, 12:50 PM

We have had to improve as finances allowed. It takes time and resoursefulness and money to get a place set up and time to add animals. But the 6 goats we bought last year became 12 this year when they produced 6 kids! We sold 2 kids and still have 10 goats. Most of the year they thrive eating brush on the property and a little suppliment grain we add to be sure they get the nutrients they need.

The established apple orchard on our place when we bought it produced nice income this year when we opened it for U-Pick. We will add a market garden for next year, and hopefully be able to sell some eggs too.

Because we treat our ranch as a business, and we declare our income, we can also deduct our expenses, and that is wonderful!

It's not all about how much it costs.

wvstuck · #46 11/24/08, 12:56 PM

I just think it is time to re-think things. Put your needs before your wants. Everything can be done cheap and save you money if you think about the cheapest way to do something. Trying to get something done too fast or doing too many things at once can lead to overpaying for something. I like what others have said, you can't say can't. My grandmother raised her children during the depression and always said "Can't never could do anything". Homesteading is not expensive unless you want more than you can have. Do it yourself, hardwork pays dividends in the long run. My wife and I built our barn ourselves, one guy helped one day in setting the rafters. We knew what we needed, and we ended up with what we built with our own two hands. I don't suscribe to the life of things being too expensive or too hard to do alone.

michiganfarmer · #47 11/24/08, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beeman

Do you produce a lot of barbed wire? Make many tractors lately? Someone donate the land to you?

This thread has taken an interesting turn.

Barbed wire, and tractors are not required to live simply.

I think that living simply is not expensive when someone actually lives simply.

Beaners · #48 11/24/08, 01:03 PM

We are adding both ducks and quail to our place this year. The ducks are a month old, and the quail eggs should be arriving any day. We are trying to grow as much of their feed as we can on-site. The goal is to have them pay for themselves at some point down the line, and we have tried to maintain low start-up costs to make that possible. The duck pen is made out of scraps of plywood the previous owner left in the shed. The quail are going into cages we already have, that were free.

While I would love to have more property, the 1/2 acre space we own forces me to keep everything as "tight" as I possibly can. I figure it is good practice for when I finally have enough room to spread out on. The plantings closest to the road are "ornamental" and also edible, for either the animals or us. There are already a couple apple trees, and we will be adding in some more dwarf fruit trees. Those are going to be one of the largest expenses for us. We do have to buy our hay, and hopefully next year that will be the majority of our bought feed. The rabbits already get a lot of gathered foods, which has lowered their costs.

To make things less expensive, we are putting in a lot more work. We don't have a rototiller, I have been turning sod over by hand. The rabbit cages were free, but they needed a good cleaning and they are a variety of styles. That means cage cleaning isn't as quick and efficient as it could be. And so on and so on.

I like the quote that I have seen on a few different signatures on a few different boards online. You can have it two of these three ways: fast, cheap, right...you decide.

There definitely is a false sense of economy in a lot of "homesteading" activities though.

Kayleigh

GBov · #49 11/24/08, 01:16 PM

I really enjoyed this thread but I think I will make it disapear before hubby sees it LOL

I once worked it out that home grown veg cost the same as from the shop if you factor in your labor and seed costs and compost - I was living with a small yard then so had to buy all my manure and the like. And before I started selling young hens my chickens and eggs cost just about shop prices as well but by gum, you cant beat the tast and satisfaction of your own.

We plan to buy a house with enough land for some cows and pigs and poultry and I fully expect it to cost near enough what like for like would cost in the shops at first. BUT with a good look round there are always ways to cut costs and bring in a bit here and there.

At the end of the day though, living the good life isnt about what it cost but about how it makes you feel.

seedspreader · #50 11/24/08, 03:07 PM

The ironic thing about people telling Beeman about working on vehicles is that he is an ASE certified mechanic that owned his own business.

I think Beeman's point is pertinent, some of us live a lot cheaper because we live a lot simpler with a lot less. But for someone who is getting started I think it's important to be realistic about homesteading or simple living.

PrincessFerf · #51 11/24/08, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GBov

I really enjoyed this thread but I think I will make it disapear before hubby sees it LOL

I once worked it out that home grown veg cost the same as from the shop if you factor in your labor and seed costs and compost - I was living with a small yard then so had to buy all my manure and the like. And before I started selling young hens my chickens and eggs cost just about shop prices as well but by gum, you cant beat the tast and satisfaction of your own.

We plan to buy a house with enough land for some cows and pigs and poultry and I fully expect it to cost near enough what like for like would cost in the shops at first. BUT with a good look round there are always ways to cut costs and bring in a bit here and there.

At the end of the day though, living the good life isnt about what it cost but about how it makes you feel.

Very well put. People always ask us if having our own laying hens is cheaper. I always say "Not at all, but I like knowing where my food comes from. Plus, I struggle mentally with the process of factory farming."

So while it might not be cheaper in the long run, the satisfaction is worth so much more.

wvstuck · #52 11/24/08, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seedspreader

The ironic thing about people telling Beeman about working on vehicles is that he is an ASE certified mechanic that owned his own business.

I think Beeman's point is pertinent, some of us live a lot cheaper because we live a lot simpler with a lot less. But for someone who is getting started I think it's important to be realistic about homesteading or simple living.

Seedspreader... once again you've gone and did it!

You have summed up a great thread with just the right amount of easy explanation. I say "to each his own".

ErinP · #53 11/24/08, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seedspreader

The ironic thing about people telling Beeman about working on vehicles is that he is an ASE certified mechanic that owned his own business.

I think Beeman's point is pertinent, some of us live a lot cheaper because we live a lot simpler with a lot less. But for someone who is getting started I think it's important to be realistic about homesteading or simple living.

i don't believe Beeman said anything about people working on their own vehicles. i did.
and I'm an elementary school teacher, if that makes a difference.

And I think it was wvstuck who brought up this line of thought though with the excellent point that people do indeed spend money on things they really don't need. Ie, the 2005 pickup...

seedspreader · #54 11/24/08, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ErinP

i don't believe Beeman said anything about people working on their own vehicles. i did.
and I'm an elementary school teacher, if that makes a difference.

And I think it was wvstuck who brought up this line of thought though with the excellent point that people do indeed spend money on things they really don't need. Ie, the 2005 pickup...

No, he didn't say anything about people working on their own vehicles but vehicle maintenance and repair was brought up several times in response to things he has said.

He's forgotten more about repair than most here have ever known (myself included). I lean toward the "it's actually a lot cheaper than how most people on HT do it", but most people who are interested in Homesteading probably don't want to live the way we do. And there are people who do things cheaper than we do who I don't want to live like (I am sure)...

But his point remains, ESPECIALLY if you are a commuter to a daily job that is any distance. In those cases, it's more costly and has a greater environmental impact (two big reasons that a lot of people homestead or at least get interested in it).

Silvercreek Farmer · #55 11/24/08, 07:48 PM

I can tell you one thing, there is a lot more competition around here (small town, NC) for "scraps" than there ever was in Charlotte!

mpillow · #56 11/25/08, 06:54 AM

We finally bought a tractor...and we bought a newish one(3yo) with commercial frame with bucket and 8ft backhoe and then bought a tiller.Its JD 36hp. Expensive yes....but we were debt free and this debt is covered by savings acct...it will be paid for 2009. We bought it in winter and got a good deal (planning purchase for 3 years)

So how to justify the expense? My son knew how to operate one by the time he was 8-9yo(before we bought it). He's 14yo now and has such finesse with it that he'll be able to easily find work while going to college and make good money (if the economy doesn't crap completely). We use it to till gardens clean up barns turn manure/compost piles and in the wood cutting process....digging fence posts etc.
The boy can use it to build his house and his sisters' too when he is older. It will be a useful cost saving/time saving device when/if we get the right land to develop to heavy food production.
If husband gets laid off, he can earn money with tractor work...

My goats are great at mowing the lawn so we fence the gardens....sometimes we tether the ones that push the garden fences....and I know so many people are sooooo against tethering....but its a workable, cheap solution if you are diligent about supervision.

Lots of people tie out dogs.....whats the difference, I ask!

Le Petit Norman · #57 11/25/08, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrincessFerf

Very well put. People always ask us if having our own laying hens is cheaper. I always say "Not at all, but I like knowing where my food comes from. Plus, I struggle mentally with the process of factory farming."

So while it might not be cheaper in the long run, the satisfaction is worth so much more.

Well I have been building for my neighbor a chicken coop and after doing all the math, I know that they will save money on eggs. Everything have been built from scrap lumber and second hand fences equipment, 6 month old laying hens are pretty cheap around here ( 6 to 8 $)and food is back at a better price. They will buy the feed at the store and even using this way they will save money.

But you are right, the first reason they wanted the chicken was that they want to avoid factory farm product, they will go that way for there pork too !!! They have tested some pork chops this summer at my place and have bought a whole pork last month now they just want to raised one, the pasture is already fenced (It was a pasture that I used to rent to the previous owner) they will just need to buy a feeder pigglet (from me

)and the feed with a lot of grass for the boy.... that pork won't be cheaper than what they can have at cub but geez what about the taste (and the local economy considering that a local butcher will be pay a fair price to butcher it comparing to the poor guys working in those big plant butchering hog 24/7. For them this is not a simple life, this is more " hobby homesteading " as they still get almost everything form the groceries store or the farmers market. At least they have been glad to take on my advice when I told them to deer fence a 1/4 of an acre for there garden as they were only looking for a 3000 sq foot garden, they now have a safe place for the chicken during the summer and they will be able to extend the garden next year and plant way more root crops. It seems that my donkey will have to plow more land next spring and dig more potatoes next summer