Frustration!

Laura Zone 10 · #21 03/25/12, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nostawmama

I guess I would like to start with a small introduction. I am a sahm of 2 children, boy and girl, 4 and 1. Have had a dream for a long time now to have a homestead and be self reliant to the best of my ability. My problem was the ability! I don't have any kind of background with homesteading but I feel like I have more common sense than the garden variety idiot so I have been lurking here, posting sporadically, and researching extensively about all as many aspects of homesteading that I can. I have recently realized I am at the end of my rope with researching, the desire to actually DO something is driving me crazy! However I really don't know where to start- hubby is in a precarious/temporary job situation and we don't even have a semi-permanent place that we are living. Is there ANYTHING that I could start on that may ease the frustration of idleness?

Start in your kitchen
Eliminate processed / packaged foods.
Replace with local fresh organic
Cook from scratch
Bake your own bread. From whole wheat berries (grind them)
Grow herbs in pots, and use them in your cooking.

Get out of debt. Dump all debt and learn to live a cash only lifestyle

Read. Go to the library and read. Read about soil. Read about water. Read about gardening..for your zone....read read read. And when life settles down, then you will posses the knowledge to DO what you have read.

Enjoy your babies. They will be in college next week.

DanielY · #22 03/25/12, 07:33 AM

To me Homesteading is nothing more than a different way to get what you need.
Basically you can go to work earn money and then pay for others to have made everything you have. OR you can focus on making it yourself. Although the issue is more complicated. think at first about what way is cheaper. In many cases you cannot beat the price of mass production. But many times you can. We make our own soap. it is not necessarily cheaper but we get a much better product (Custom Soap) at supermarket generic brand prices. We also grow tobacco for four smokers. Huge savings even when we spend $1500 a year to grow it. We grew tomatoes last year and canned all of our tomato products except Ketchup (ran out of tomatoes). I have never in my life ran out of Tomatoes. That is like running out of Zucchini. It was work but not nearly as depressing as working to then go buy it all. We keep chickens in our back yard. not cheaper but better, healthier. I make moccasins rather than buying slippers for around the house. the nice thing is if I want to run out while wearing them it does not look as strange.
So far I save our household $250 a month with just the few things we do. I apply that money toward buying us more land in the near future. After I do that I am bumping the D.I.Y thing into overdrive.

Maverick_mg · #23 03/25/12, 10:00 AM

There are lots of CSA's in NY. I know some of them offer work shares. They seem like a lot of money at first because you pay it all up front, but when you break down your week to week price, some are not too bad. If you got a work share, you get a discounted price in exchange for going to the farm and "doing chores". IMHO, this would be a good way to learn the ins and outs, good and bad with out fronting the bill for the whole thing. The added bonus being that you can take the kids with you, they could see a working farm up front if the CSA farm has animals then you all could learn animal husbandry. Then you would have an idea on how much work you could take on when you get out on your own. I am also a SAHM in MI of 3 little ones, and it wasn't until this year that DH got into farming and homesteading with me. He and I had a long talk many years ago about it and he was supportive of ME doing it, but it wasn't his thing. I decided it meant enough to me to pursue on my own so to speak. So like you I did my research and luckily we had some land but a like minded friend of mine did not, he was my first "work share". He would help with chores and in exchange got eggs and produce. If your husband ends up with another job that keeps him way from home, you will have to do most of the homesteading stuff on your own so it would. E a good idea to find a farm to learn at and see what your skills and passion are. Good luck and welcome to the addiction known as Homesteading.

tinknal · #24 03/25/12, 10:17 AM

The most important thing you can do now is to become debt free.

Laura Zone 10 · #25 03/26/12, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tinknal

The most important thing you can do now is to become debt free.

As long as you are not sacrificing your children....totally agree.
IMHO, your #1 top priority (after God, and your dh) are your children!

greengrow · #26 03/26/12, 07:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tinknal

The most important thing you can do now is to become debt free.

I second that, five years ago I could not fill the gas tank when they stopped my credit card, now I have been able to pay the mortgage even when I lost the day job 9 months ago.

If you start filling a freezer try to find some where to keep it on a pallet, this makes moving a whole heap easier as you do not need to empty it

Sonshine · #27 03/26/12, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nostawmama

Getting a job at this point is something that really isn't an option for us right now- my marketable skills would not actually get me a job that would even cover the cost of childcare. Also there is quite a personal aspect of not trusting someone else to watch/raise my kids other than me and hubby. (and his job has him away from home from 5am till 8pm for 6 day a week!) Believe me we have discussed it a few times and its always the same drawbacks.

Did just pick up a little herb garden container starter kit that will fit in my window! Going to start with that and also got a learn to crochet book as well. Have a friend that was trying to teach me but she is now 5.5 hours away

Do well enough cooking from scratch in the kitchen but I think learning to make bread might make the list of abilities to work on!

chewie- a little more about the situation as it stands right now. We are currently staying in an apartment in NY state but our home is lower Delaware. DH works for a company that has very unstable work right now, worksites closing, some opening, we are actually living quite day to day- we may get laid off at anytime but there is also quite the chance that we may be staying up here through the next couple of weeks or months. It is rather stressful- but we have extremely limited job opportunities back home and this one actually pays pretty well so we are sticking it out the best we can. Really it is a blessing to us- I just have been experiencing some extreme impatience of late.

Thank you everyone for your ideas! Any more will be appreciated- all we have at the apartment is the computer and 2 youngins. Don't even really have that much to clean thanks to sparse living! (We don't want to have to pack it all up to take back to DE when we go

)

Strawberries do well in containers. They have some really nice ones that have holes in the sides for the strawberry plants to go in. They dehydrate well, and are also great for making jam. Tomatoes do well in pots, as do peppers. I imagine greenbeans would do well in pots. Do a search for patio gardens. They have some really nice ideas.