Help this Newbie Make a Plan

First off, welcome to the forums. I hope you will continue to participate and will enjoy all of them.

How wonderful to be young and to have dreams of a self-sufficient or homesteading lifestyle. Enjoy.

You have received a lot of good information so I'll deal with some other aspects. While rent on an apartment seems a waste and is high, ownership of a small cabin is costly as well. You will probably want insurance on it, and then there will be taxes to pay on it and the property. In addition there is general maintenance that has to be figured in as well. Paint on occasion, a new roof every couple of decades unless you go with a metal one, plumbing faucet washers to replace or sometimes replacement of entire faucet sets, drains can corrode away, etc. Comes with ownership of any property or you pay rent for someone else to provide the repair of the same. All I'm getting at is that there is no free lunch even with ownership of a simple cabin.

You write of need for some income. Yes, you will need plenty in order to keep health insurance in place, especially if married and children will be born. There are also regular check ups for dental and eye care and eventually glasses or other prescription needs along those lines.

There is also vehicle insurance which is a constant cost as well as vehicle upkeep and eventual replacement, never mind the cost of fuel for one. Learn to shop fewer times per month to avoid many trips to the store. Try out making powdered milk and after it is cold from overnight storage see if you could learn to live with it rather than making store trips weekly for fresh dairy.

You're doing great by having a garden. Learn to save seed from open pollinated varieties or consider the annual expense of hybrid seed. My money almost always goes to the many advantages hybrids offer while many on these forums prefer OP varieties. Your choice entirely.

When it comes time to outfit yourself with homesteading supplies get the best you can afford and consider it a lifetime investment. If you get the best roto-tiller and maintain it properly it will serve you well for decades and give enjoyment while in use. The cost of a one good one vs. several cheap ones? BTW, not a thing wrong with the good honest labor of hand digging a garden. I did it for several years before I invested in a roto-tiller. You can also learn to garden without any tillage, read books by Ruth Stout. Available through Inter-Library Loan, no need to purchase.

You can also supply hand tools such as post hole diggers, saws, etc. by attending auctions and buying at them. Don't just get caught up in the moment though and pay too much. Know the value and cost of things before attending. Garage sales are also a good place to buy.

Going without electricity isn't really a big deal but it does mean going without a refrigerator and without having frozen food storage available. That is of course unless you get gas appliances, more specifically propane sort of like campers have in them. They are available but costly.

If you drive somewhere fairly frequently you can use a battery isolator to charge a second battery or more and then you can get a good 12 volt electrical inverter to power your computer and a few compact fluorescent lights from those batteries. Nothing quite like having light at the flip of a switch in my opinion. Used to use a battery and electric light when camping and it generally works better than a flashlight.

Canning foods versus freezing them--canning is more time consuming but once done there really is no further cost for storage. With frozen foods there is the continual electric bill. Newer freezers don't really consume a lot of electricity, and you can go appliance browsing to read the annual consumption labels on them to get a good idea.

Dehydrating foods is naturally easiest when done with an appliance. It can also be done with trays in an auto or by other methods as well.

Where, that is the million dollar question. One must balance winter cold against summer heat. Will you need heat or AC, both, or neither? Using AC of course means power consumption with a bill. You can use some alternatives and possibly get by without AC. You can also simply learn to live without it. I did and have lived without it since 1997.

Enjoy your dreams and I hope you do realize them over time. Be sure any potential mate you share them with is on the same page sd you or keep looking.

Best wishes, and again welcome. Windy in Kansas

You are not too old to start.

First off make the most of your garden at grandmas. Start planning your fall crop - now. Keep the goal in mind to produce as much of your food needs as possible from this garden. Next year consider buying your seeds at the local feed store - the people that run them have a wealth of knowledge about what fertilizers and crops do best in the area.

Here is a good place to start with your fall crop selection.
http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/fallgarden/falldirect.html

Grow what you actually eat, what you would eat if you had more money. Once you have those down pat, start thinking about which ones you can add to make money or to produce more of what you eat. You can condition your soil. In fact that should be part of your farming/homesteading practice. Right now when you don't have land, you can't utilize manure from your own animals, but you can either buy it, or get it from someone who has more than they use.

How much land does your grandma have? Is there any chance that she will let you use a part of it to park a mobile home on and/or enlarge your garden. If she would consider letting you live in your own mobile home there, you will have gotten your feet wet and gained some of the experience you need before you take the plunge. In exchange you could help her maintain her land. Mowing or fixing things around her place, etc. Once you have proven that you can and will live up to your part of the bargain, ask her about getting some chickens. Either for meat or eggs or both.

Then pay off your mobile home while you live there and start saving for your land.

Welcome to the forum! It is good that you have dreams...now you need the plan. What are you willing to give up for your dream? Can you get a 2nd job to help with the finances? I totally ditto - get out of debt ASAP. Work 3 jobs if you have to.

Some things you can do now - find a place to rent in the country so you can at least have a garden and a chicken. All the book learning will only take you so far...then it is time to get your hands dirty and learn by doing. Then go back and read a few more things.

Frequent the Farmer's Market for your food. If you are going to grow all you eat, you better learn to eat it.

Garden in pots.

Dreaming is only good for so long. If this is truly your dream start working for it. You will really be glad you did. Sitting back and dreaming isn't going to get you anywhere.

I really like the advice and tips you are receiving, acesup ... I'm applying it to my own dreams/situation!

Keep 'em coming!

I love this site and the people here.

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i dont like to think tooo much before i speak ... heehee ... i like to be just as surprised as you are.

Cash and Education is the name of the game for you now. You and I are about the same age, I'm a year older. I faced a different set of problems my family moved up the ladder and couldn't understand my absolute resolution to stay with an agrarian lifestyle. Cash is numero uno right now, find ways to make more money and if you can find ways to make money that give you education in the areas you need it then BAM two birds one stick. In college I raised tropical fish it taught me a lot about aquaculture and business plus made a little money and took very little time and capitol. That might not be right for you but working at a CSA might be? Take the time out to write up your long term goals then write up your midterm goals then short term. Then you will be able to see the pace at which you should be moving. One little bit at a time works. Remember people get where they are by making little decisions everyday that take them down a path a little bit everyday. YOU control your destiny, you are the one who has got you where you are and you will control where you end up.

good luck, check out my blog its about making money on a small farm.

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www.theidahoagripreneur.blogspot.com

When I was 27 I cashed out everything, bought myself an old ton and a half international truck and headed for Kentucky. I bought my first place 110 acres in the middle of nowhere, twixt nothing and less than nothing. no house no fences, no developed garden spot, one old fallen down barn. I am now 58 have raised three kids gone through a couple wives, (finally found that good one), raising her boy and still working on building my fourth "homestead". Owner financing, hard work, lotsa sweat, a fair amount of blood and a broken bone here and there, and whole lot of blisters later,,,,,,,,,,We are living in our own log home, tending 37 paid for acres, loving life and I wouldnt trade my lifes adventure for anyones! If you are wanting to do this just remember the key factor.. You cant go swimmin without gettin wet.

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"Nothing so needs reforming as other peoples habits." Mark Twain

I read an article on that family about 2-3 years ago. That is what got me started.
My advice to the newbie is to start small and get into urban homesteading then go from there. Baby steps. That is what I am doing. You can learn the skills and techniques from books or others. For instance, you mentioned soil...there are ways to improve it. You can pretty much grow anything anywhere. I never realized that until I started reading up.

Let people help you! That is my big advice. I'm 28 and although I grew up out in the country and have other farming experience, there is no way that I could be doing this without learning to accept the help that people offer and to ask for help when I need it. ALL of the people I've met who are interested in local food and self-sufficiency love to encourage new people and help them solve problems. I love that I am seeing more younger people on this site all the time, and it's a great help to be friends with as many people with the same interests as possible. I took an 8 week "Start your own diversified farm" class through the local community college this winter, and for all the technical things I learned, I still think the community building was more helpful. For every time that someone will tell you why you can't/shouldn't do this, it's amazing to have people to tell you why you absolutely can.
For more technical advice, call the local community college, the university extension office in your area, master gardeners, the local CSA's and anyone else you can think of. Then start reading! Also, I suggest seeing if anyone will let you come and work in exchange for knowledge. I've been doing a fair bit of it and it's absolutely worthwhile, plus a lot of people will at least feed you lunch!
Other than that, there are still lots of things you can do in town. Have you checked in to community garden space? Learn to cook, bake, and preserve. You can learn sewing, felting, spinning, knitting, leather work, woodworking, and any number of any hand projects even while in the biggest city.
Good luck and feel free to PM me with any questions! Caite

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www.morbidaffectation.blogspot.com

www.ladiesfarmjournal.blogspot.com

Have you thought about finding someone who does what you want to do and taking an internship with them? Its not widely advertised, but it is still possible. If you can live simply, the opportunities are endless. Some are paid, some are for room, board and the learning experience.

I sure would like for the OP to chime back in, just to let us know what they are thinking.

Maybe he is a bit overwhelmed with all the great information he is getting.

It can be overwhelming. There is so much to learn. Just take it one step at a time and learn from your (and others) mistakes. I don't think you ever stop learning.

Maybe he is a bit overwhelmed with all the great information he is getting.

It can be overwhelming. There is so much to learn. Just take it one step at a time and learn from your (and others) mistakes. I don't think you ever stop learning.

Oops! Sorry about the double post.

hey newbie im a newbie 2 and im 31. So far I have taken baby steps:

1. planted a garden
2. quit spending money do we really need this and that it helps me to say i have to work so many hours to buy this YIKES! so i dont buy it
3. I have started to find multiple uses for things
4. I have really become addicted to this site ( the frugile living is wonderful and inspiring)
5. My next step is to quit smoking I will save lots o money

Good luck

I know this is well in the future but is seems to me Tx. is likely to be hot in the summer (unless an ice age gets started real soon) So unless you really really like to sweat a framed shed or old trailer will require air conditioning and the goal as I see it is to avoid paying alot of bills. I think you should research building concepts that are better thermal performers the best bet for that climate (without spending tons of money) would be earthship style buildings like in N.M. If you haven't heard of them they use old tires (free) compacted with dirt (cheap or free) as building blocks giving them 3 ft thick dirt walls. All that thermal mass allows them to maintain their temp with very little heat or air. By avoiding air conditioning you can go off grid for much less money. The only big downside is these buildings require a lot of hard work to build but you have muscles and time rather than money so it sounds like it might be a good fit. I believe you can go to N.M. to help build and go home with all the info on how to build your own. You could also research cordwood construction, straw bail construction and adobe all can be done cheaply and with better results than frame construction.