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How Has the Internet Affected Your Life as a Homesteader?
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So much to do, so much to do and I sit at the keyboard frittering time away.
Seriously, internet access has given me a great intellectual resource, pleasure from HT, and money in my pocket as I don't have to buy as many books as I used to. |
The internet is a great research and info tool but it is a great bill and waste of time.
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We aren't "homesteading" yet but are preparing for it. If it weren't for the internet I don't think we'd be anywhere near where we are now knowledge wise. I think it's worth the cost of the inet connection.
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This site has answered many questions for me . The knowlege that I have learned has been great. This site also has givin me so many ideas that has worked out great for me in my garden, orchard, farm animals etc etc
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It gives me a sense of community when I log onto a forum of persons of like mind such as this one since most of the people I connect with in "real life" do not share my interests in homesteading. They are frugal to the extent they clip coupons but these are for things I would never buy, mostly. I especially enjoy being able to type in a word or phrase and having instant information from many points of view.
Example: I just bought what I thought was a terrific wonderful knife at a great bargain at a pawn shop, $40 reduced to $30 just for me. It even had a sheath. I checked this knife out online afterwards and don't think I will be buying much more in that pawn shop because I found out that wal-mart has the Gerber Profile for $18 new! Also when you look it up there are some youtube movies about said knife which were only eg spewing so my time could have been better spent than on watching them but mostly I get my time's more than worth onthe internet. Now ifonly I can train myself to look things up BEFORE I buy them!!! Oh and the internet saves me a LOT of money because I mostly use it instead of telephoning these days. |
A lot of time wasted, but the weather radar is worth the downside.
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I'm not sure it "relates" specifically to homesteading, but it gives me communication with people with similar lifestyles/attitudes that I would not be in contact with otherwise. Many unusual horse-drawn implement parts and old tractor parts that are not available locally, I find through the internet.
Since I no longer drive, can no longer show the horses/ponies ... so my sales are totally dependant on Internet advertising. Same with my artwork. It is not the type of thing that sells locally, there are no local art galleries, I can't do art shows ... so the Internet gives me a way to advertise ... and if sales are very limited, I do often manage to trade for items I consider "luxuries". |
it has been a great research tool for us!! helped us design sheep milking stuff, get other info and connect with many peoples that are trying to do what we do all over the world!! met some really great people as well! also we have found unique items for sale.
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................It has allowed me too forget my TV isn't working ! Plus , I keep very close track of all my banking activities each day . It is an invaluable resource . , fordy
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LOVE IT!!!! I was constantly buying books before I found homesteading sites on the internet. I am saving alot of money. Of course with the good comes the bad- too easy to lose a few hours when you get on the internet.
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It seems to have slowed down the love making.
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Well I can honestly say it has completely enabled us. We make 90% of our income from an online business and the other 10% comes from selling soap at the farmers market and my soap site. I would love for the FM side to increase but if we didn't have our internet biz we would still be spending too many hours a day at city jobs to allow us to enjoy being here.
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Yup, I agree with most said above. I farmed for a long while, and couldnt get any information on things without going outa my way to find it, and now I can just set in my own liveing room and get way more than I need. For $20 a mo, its probably the best investment ive made for a LONG time. Its the only place ive ever found women who thought they might be interested in me.
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I'm not a homesteader, but by reading here and other like-minded forums I have learned much and been encouraged to do what I can in my particular circumstances.
It's also wonderful to see how many men, women and families are still out there with homesteading and self-sufficiency dreams. So...it has been a great source of help and enjoyment for me. (o: stef |
Just as a quick basic cost comparison Pre-internet, I was advertising horses standing at stud and for sale in the magazines. It was the only venue available for advertising and just one full page ad in one of the "big name" magazine stallion issues ran $600 at the time, with ads in at least two magazines almost a necessity. Classified could run as high as $50 for one insertion. My advertising costs probably averaged at least $3000 a year and that was pretty much a minimum.
After moving to KY where I had Internet access, I had a website designed which ran $400 the first year, $150 for each year after that. Sales ads on the classified Internet sites average $100 per horse advertised (more than one site) and my advertising costs are around $500 a year now. Until the last couple of years, I had more sales and I had more outside mares booked to my stallions ... for substantially less money. |
Since I went on the net in 1997:
90% of my writing is sent via the net (so that's my main payday! now mostly agricultural and homesteading articles); meet my "best friend" Aunt Jenny on the BWH forum in 97 and I don't know what I'd do without her! this last year began a web site for my farm that is brining more come-to-the-farm traffic but also getting lots of web orders! and have instant access to questions about goats, chickens, canning, planting by the moon phases, and so much more! It's like everything else, you can abuse it and let it waste your time, or you can USE IT AS A USEFUL TOOL!!! |
Hey it was nice to have when we got Electric and Phone.:nanner:
big rockpile |
saved big money on a few things online that I couldn't find anywhere else..saved a lot of gas $ not having to shop around for things..found out a lot of information..and like they said..community..and less buying books too..i agree with almost everything...also i don't write nearly as many letters as i'm emailing or facebooking now.
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The Internet provides information resources easily at my finger tips. Information that before was weeks away. I love the Internet for research.
I think the Internet is mostly responsible for our lifestyle. Especially folks here that have encouraged and assisted, accepted and corrected us! If it weren't for this forum, I doubt we would have gone as far down the homesteading path as we have. I have read what others have done with less than I have and I am amazed and encouraged to try more. |
It brings libraries of information to us. Before the internet we would have had to live in a city or at least a town, preferably with a major university, to have access to so many books, magazines and other sources of information. Best of all, unlike TV, we can carefully pick and choose what we want from the internet.
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 |
I do most of my shopping online. Find hard to find items. A font of info. My daily entertainment. Do my banking. Keeps me in touch with family & friends. All of this from the comfort of my home in a nice comfy chair with my hot cup of cocoa.
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It has been a blessing here. I have found so much information about planting building and finding folks with simular interests
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