Is there an "age limit" to this?

Ok, I didn't think either of those things would necessarily be an issue. I will definitely look into it for sure. I never knew there were so many forums out there. It's crazy, but good too. It's a good match though, because people love to share their knowledge and I love to listen. I figure if I can learn from other people's mistakes, then I won't have to make as many :P But in all seriousness, I truly appreciate getting insight from other people.

I am pretty sure I could hold title as the queen of research. And organization. I've got an entire notebook in Microsoft OneNote dedicated to my research on all the topics I've been studying. And I'll be adding a few more sections yet today.

I think you are ahead of most in the fact that you have a significant other who is willing do start the journey together.

I'll be 28 this year and hope to find land and someone to share it with in the next year or two. Wish I started 10 years ago.

A couple more things that might benefit you . If you decide to do something , we'll use a chicken coup as an example , do it right , do it once & move on to the next project . Things that are cobbled together always need more work & attention . Don't go into business , grow into business . Start small & progress if what you're doing turns out to be a paying proposition .
One of the very first things I would do is plant a nice orchard & berries & such as you can always use the fruit & any excess will readily sell . It takes a few years to establish an orchard so the sooner you start the better . Again , research which variety's will do well in your area .

Well, nothing is set in stone just yet. I really wish that we could be doing this as husband and wife. Heck, even if we weren't pursuing this, I still wish we could be at that level. We have been dating long distance for two years now, but have spent limited time together in person. I feel that things will work out for the long run. I'm just impatient.

The fact that he is on board with all this makes me want it even more because I know that not everyone shares my enthusiasm for this kind of life. To be completely honest, sometimes I don't. I'm enough of a girly girl that I like my mani/pedi trips, and going to the salon to get my hair done, and I LOVE shopping. That's a bit vague though because I can get excited over buying clothing hangers and tool kits as much as shoes and purses.

I hope you can find someone to share in your adventures

That sounds like what my dad would tell me. "Work smarter, not harder" was a favorite little quip of his, and I think it holds a lot of value. I would prefer to do something right once and be done with it. My to do list is long enough that I don't have time to work and rework and rework something. Anything worth doing is worth doing well.

That will definitely be the first stuff I plant. I love veggies and all, but I am a fruit fanatic. What excess fruit? Unless I literally have too much to deal with (between consumption and canning/preserving, which I will be researching as well), I don't see myself needing to sell the extras. It would make for a nice bit of extra money though.

Back when I was Trapping heavy the Fur Market was high. Not so much now but there still is money to be made. Cost mostly is Traps. There is some classes, Books and Videos. Plus need area to Trap and Permits.

Around here people make extra Scraping Metal, cutting Firewood and Handyman work.

big rockpile

__________________
I love being married.Its so great to find that one person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.



If I need a Shelter
If I need a Friend
I go to the Rock!

I'll add it to my research list

Twenties is not too young. basically you are talking of buying an acreage in the country while retaining jobs. This is no different than buying a house in town as far as keeping the financial committment doable. As you do not hope to make a living from your homestead project it is not the end of world if some fail. If you plant some tomatoes and they get froze, big deal, learn a lesson and try again. I quit teaching and bought my farm 143 acres when I was 28. I grew up on what people would now call a homestead. 1/2 acre. Over the years had milk cows (5 at one time) chickens, rabbits and brood sows, so I had some livestock experience but little knowledge of farming. The thing I did have was the ethusiasm and phyisical gift of youth. I can not imagine doing what I did now at the age of 60. Boy did I have some failures and some successes. Financially it was a great struggle, there were times when I bought nothing that wasn't an absolute need. I remember buying cabbage one winter because it was cheaper than lettuce.

The things you need to be doing to make this easier is saving money, the size of debt directly relates to the amount of stress, acquiring knowledge and trying to gain some practical experience. You will get a PM.

You make an excellent point Bruce. I'm deliberately trying NOT to put all my eggs in one basket. As I read from someone here at some point, it's always good to have an exit plan, and that's what I'm hoping to accomplish before I even start.

I know that I won't be able to take this on and be completely debt free, but in the mean time I am working on eradicating all my debt. I've got a small balance on a credit card and that's it. Car is paid off, no student loans and I'm renting. I feel like that will go a long way in helping me save when I'm not giving up all the left overs to pay off debts now.

Ok rethinking what to say. Me and my first wife worked got Down Payment and Bank Finance for our first place. Before that we was Renting where we could Garden, raise Chickens and live off the land.

We lost our first place because my wife wanted to live in town and party. Six months later I left her and remarried. We traveled for a couple years. Came back moved on my Inlaws Farm into a burnt out house. We fixed house up and Farmed until we got tired of each other, us and inlaws. We got a house Owner Finance, while there found raw land Owner Finance after 5 years we moved to the raw land, where we stayed for 17 years.

Where we're at is only 3 1/2 acres but it was also Owner Finace.

big rockpile

__________________
I love being married.Its so great to find that one person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.



If I need a Shelter
If I need a Friend
I go to the Rock!

Currently I'm in a little apartment by myself. The boyfriend is, well, in his truck. I love my apartment (could stand to have better neighbors) but it doesn't afford me too much growing room right now. Can't have any critters underfoot either, which I've come to realize I miss terribly.

The sellers I've been communicating with are offering owner finance with a large down payment. As there are some details to work out first, I don't know exactly how much of a down payment they will want, but once I get a few things hammered out, that'll be my first point of discussion.

Of course, this is all assuming we totally decide. I have failed to mention that we haven't been able to visit the property yet, though we've narrowed a time frame down to early spring, weather permitting. I'm aware that there is the possibility of it not being a good fit, or for any number of reasons not working, but so far as I can tell, I don't see a reason why we shouldn't pursue it.

If not, then it'll just give us more time to save up money and keep looking. Silver lining in everything right?

See what property is bringing in the area. Most charge little more considering they are OF, most want 10% down and Closing Cost and interest will be higher than Bank. Suppose it will have a House, check it over everything from top to bottom, if there is any problems consider if you can fix it or live with it.

big rockpile

__________________
I love being married.Its so great to find that one person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.



If I need a Shelter
If I need a Friend
I go to the Rock!

Whenever we get down there, I'm planning on spending some extra time, not just to look over the property, but go in town, check out the area, meet neighbors. I intend to be very thorough. Heck, I'll go over a sweater with a fine tooth comb before I buy it.

Depending on my parents' situation, I might try to bring them along. My dad has been a building contractor for over 35 years and he'd have a great eye for any issues I'd not see myself.

10% sounds about right. I know the taxes are low, and they've got quite the setup going already. That's part of what attracted me. Groundwork is fairly well laid. I'm anxious to get down and see it.

Kat,

Welcome!!!

It's true there are a lot of people here with some years. There are younger people, too. I'm in that headed-toward older but not quite there yet crowd. At my age I tend to think of people as "Youngers" "My Age" and "Elders." Underneath it all, we're just people at different points on our own timeline. In ways, it really doesn't matter.

I'm a hiring manager at work. I have to say that I simply LOVE young people. They bring energy and enthusiasm that is so very needful. They bring new ideas. They bring new skills. They bring fresh eyes to project work. Sometimes the way we've always done it isn't the best way to be doing something today. We need their perspective. I also like to have people on my team who have some years of experience. Experience simply can't be replaced. It's earned, sometimes painfully. LOL! The important thing is that a good balance will bring better results. I'm much more interested in the integrity and work ethic a person has than I am their age. Honestly, I could care less about age. I'm interested in the person.

A good friend of mine once advised me to layer people into my life like lasagna. "Make sure you have friends who are younger than you are. Some of your own age. Some who are older. You can all help each other in different ways. It will bring balance to your life." I think those are wise words.

I no longer have a farm, but when I did - when I started out - I was in my late 30's. I had a lot of skills, but I lacked a lot of knowledge and skill, too. Some of my BEST teachers were the 7-12 year old kids from neighboring farms. A friend's 8 year old boy was the one who finally was able to teach me how to back up a tractor that was hooked to a hay wagon and get it all the way in the shed without dinging the doors.

So here's a hat tip to you and a hearty congratulations for having a dream, being willing to plan for it and being willing to work for it. The knowledge will come. You'll make mistakes, yes, but you'll gain experience over time. Good for you for having a dream and a goal!

I'm glad you're here.

Thank you Kasota! What a thoughtful message. I think that is great advice, to have friends of all ages, and backgrounds, and whatever else. Everyone has perspective

Hey, Ms.Kat!
I started my homestead project at the age of 49. I am now 52., and it's still a mess. I was fortunate to gain a job in town, but I live and learn.
Little sister, live your dream!
Measure twice, cut once!
You will be fine!

Thank you! I think you hit it on the head. Living and learning. Sums it up nicely. Thanks for your advice

If you want animals, make sure you can have them. Start out with chickens and rabbits. They will provide fertilizer for your garden and food for your table

Short answer NO. In some ways it could be easier being young.

If you have the ability to resettle without worrying about kids, or losing a lot of seniority at a job. What I suggest is you advertise caretaker/ farm help position wanted. Hang fliers on bulletin boards at feed stores, vet office, agriculture supply, auction barns. Also look for someone wanting to hire, ask everyone you know and people you do not know at places where farmer types hang out, especially farmers markets. Jobs are good but if you cannot get one look for a part time volunteer/ helping situation with a market gardener, riding stable.

In anther thread on here someone is thinking about renting a home for $400 a month in exchange for some chore work taking care of some of their animals. The nice thing about that situation is they would teach you how to care for them. So if you found other jobs and was able to have a lower cost place to live for exchange with chores that you wanted to learn how to do anyway it could work.

Most people could use a person to help out with chores a couple times a year for a couple of days. If you are currently in a rural area offer to do this . Again the good thing here is they show/teach you how to take care for the stock. You can see what works on their place what doesn't . What type of stock you like and what you would rather not be around. Almost every one loves baby pigs but not that many likes hogs. Find out you would rather not have hogs on their dime.

I worked at a Boy Scout camp as a horse wrangler in the summer - started by volunteering for two weeks the first summer. They had to teach me just about everything that first summer. I worked there two years in the summer while cleaning stalls at a boarding stable during the school year. Did not make much but I learned a whole lot. Definitely better than flipping burgers.

I know a man who changed jobs from being a printer to working on a farm by taking a position as a farm hand. Nice home to live in, farm truck for work and pay. Not sure how much he got paid but he had a nice place to live and seemed to be doing alright.

Many farmers on conventional farms are old , real old . They need help. If you are willing and able to work there is work to be had. Having at least a Class B drivers license would be helpful when looking for farm work.

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Health Care is vital to all of us some of the time but Public Health is vital to all of us all of the time. C. Everett Koop US Surgean General 1981-1989.

Seems to me there is an obvious opportunity, being discussed in this forum.

Maybe you and the poster of this thread should talk. Maybe something of mutual advantage would come of it.

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"Live your life, and forget your age." Norman Vincent Peale