Are you really making a living from your stead?

Trainwrek · #41 09/18/14, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael W. Smith

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How many people here who are "doing it" are not relying on ANY outside income (which includes SS, disability, or medicare)?

Is it possible for a couple in their 40's (after working, saving, and scrimping and quitting the rat race), to pay cash for land, home, etc and once the homestead operation is set up - live solely off "the land" - meaning they actually MAKE money after all expenses? That would also include the expense of health care, because Mr. and Mrs. Homesteader are only in their 40's and are not on Medicare, and their children Johnny, Susie, and Billy are covered as well.

At the end of the year, once all expenses are added up (including all homsteading enterprise expenses, all living expenses - food, healthcare, taxes, electric, vehicle) how many people here are making a profit?

Are you asking if it's possible to make a living as a farmer? I can introduce you to a couple of thousand in my area. Yes, it's true, some people are farmers. Not really a big mystery solved there.

**highlands** · #42 09/18/14, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael W. Smith

But how many people are saying they ARE making a living off the land - when they have other income from investments, pension, rentals, royalties, or SS? ... How many people here who are "doing it" are not relying on ANY outside income (which includes SS, disability, or medicare)? ... At the end of the year, once all expenses are added up (including all homsteading enterprise expenses, all living expenses - food, healthcare, taxes, electric, vehicle) how many people here are making a profit?

We are. It is very possible to do. I know of other people off web who also are making all their living from their land. It is doable. It does take some time to get there but that is true of just about any business. Consider your homesteading a business, because it is, and have a plan.

-Walter

Bellyman · #43 09/18/14, 06:47 PM

Give 100 unemployed people a nice lawn mower and see what happens. A bunch of them will sell it and spend the proceeds in one or two trips to Walmart. Some of them will mow a lawn or two and tell all their friends how they can't make a living mowing lawns. One or two of them might just go out and beat the bushes, mow some lawns, build a business and earn a respectable living.

Farming or homesteading is not so different. It's all about the person.

farmerDale · #44 09/18/14, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael W. Smith

But how many people are saying they ARE making a living off the land - when they have other income from investments, pension, rentals, royalties, or SS?

We do. There are thousands and thousands who do.

hawgsquatch · #45 09/18/14, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FarmerDavid

My wife fixes people instead of animals but ya same thing. For some unknown reason she thought she needed to go to private colleges all seven years making it even worse. She's fortunate to work in a rural hospital close to where we live and still get paid a competitive wage. No on will believe me when I tell them we pay almost $1800 a month in student loans.

In the state of California if you go to work for the state or the FDA at a feedlot for three years they will pay off your student loans and the wage is not so bad either. So many new vets are going into the pet boutique business, that there is a huge shortage of large animal vets.

homesteadforty · #46 09/19/14, 02:44 PM

Hmmm... I don't know that I "make a living" off my place but I do live off it.

I grow, raise, hunt and fish for 99% of my own food. Though I still buy some spices, coffee and such. I also raise all the food for my critters. I raise flax for linen and sheep for wool and make my own fabrics except for cotton. I live without electric, indoor plumbing and telephone. Local travel is by foot, horseback or buggy but I do have a truck to make my monthly trip to town.

I built my cabin out of trees off my place (cut with a saw and hewed by hand), bartered for window glass (built my own frames), bought several pounds of nails to put the shakes on the roof and finished it in one summer.

I sell some feeder pigs, fresh vegetables, eggs and extra fleece for the cash that I need to cover auto insurance, taxes and some other minor things that I can't trade or barter for.

Of course it is a whole lot more involved, but it is perfectly possible is live off your land if you're willing and able to live the lifestyle.

ognend · #47 09/20/14, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hawgsquatch

In the state of California if you go to work for the state or the FDA at a feedlot for three years they will pay off your student loans and the wage is not so bad either. So many new vets are going into the pet boutique business, that there is a huge shortage of large animal vets.

Speaking as someone who is married to a vet - quite a few vets today have ethical problems with the way animals are treated in these feed lots and factory farms. Not easy to turn a blind eye to the sow spending years in a crate she cannot turn around in - what's a vet to do? Pretend that the sow is an inanimate object? That's not what they went to school for. The "old school" vets are slowly retiring and the ethical standards of the new vets are much higher. Even if the AVMA cartel is still owned by the food conglomerates, things are changing.