single mama homesteading to live?

Here is a recent newspaper article about a neighbor of mine.

http://bangordailynews.com/2015/04/2...e-on-the-farm/

Single, 3 children, farmer, supporting her family entirely from what she produces on her farm.

I used to sell my produce in the same Farmer's Market along side of her.

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http://www.mofga.org/

http://www.mofga.org/Programs/FarmAp...2/Default.aspx

nobody mentioned it but get your self something to protect you and kids - get familiar with maybe a firearm do you have security on the house don`t mean to scare i`m sure you already thought about this - this world is changing every day - a dog is a great idea sorry if i said the wrong thing

Thanks guys, I do have a giant breed dog, south African boerboel, & a hunting riffle for protection as well as an alarm system. I have applied for subsidized childcare to help me finish my degree and become a contributing taxpayer, however the program is out of funding and I am out of luck. No family in the state and I know very few ppl here as I have only lived here for a year. My options appear very limited from where I stand. I am selling eggs and some chicken etc. And sense butchering meat chickens, the little pigs, I am nearing the animals profit paying for all their own feed plus providing my children plenty of free milk, eggs & white meat. I am attempting to fine tune my feeding methods to reduce costs, experiment with fodder/fermented feed etc... I was given some fruit and blueberry seedlings by my ex for my birthday so hopefully they will grow fast.
From the store my children eat a LOT of fresh fruit, salad greens, carrots, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, corn, the basics. I'd like to try melons perhaps instead of their store bought fruit. And encourage more veggies I guess. I'm sure they will like them more if they pick them themselves.

Belle, time is your most precious commodity. While it sounds romantic to grow all your own food...don't waste too much time growing/raising things that are cheap to buy...at least until you get your degree and a full time nursing job.

For example, I can buy 50# bags of potatoes every fall for $10 locally. So, I grab 5 or 6 bags every year and put them in my cellar. It would take WAY more than $50 of my time to grow and harvest that many potatoes. Instead I grow sweet corn that my kids sell at the road, (and I freeze the excess), tomatoes, hot and sweet peppers, beans, cukes, squash and lettuce. What can be canned/frozen gets me through the winter.

Some livestock are lower maintenance than others. You already have chickens, which pound for pound are probably the most productive animal you can raise. A couple of pigs would feed you though the entire year and would, other than the initial fencing, wouldn't take but a few minutes per day in care.

One other thought. While I admire your tenacity in doing this yourself, and not immediately jumping on the welfare roles like so many others would do...if moving back where you DO have family support is an option, it may make your life a great deal easier in the short and medium term.

I wish you the best of luck.

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'Emergencies' have always been the pretext on which the safeguards of individual liberty have been eroded.

Friedrich August von Hayek

I am guessing that you were awarded the home in the divorce. I don't know how divorce works in GA....
That is awesome that the ex is paying support......but don't count on it.
If the house is not in your name exclusively, don't count on staying.
*I* personally would not invest a lot of time, blood-sweat-and tears into a home you think might not last.....

THAT is brilliant!!

[quote]I'm still playing with options to cover childcare (sense I have no family around) such as renting out a room, If I can find someone, maybe while i work an evening shift, but food is another issue. About any day job I can get without my degree is gonna pay minimum wage and barely cover the childcare (for 3) for it plus gas. [quote]

I don't know your location but waiting tables is a great way to make good, cash. If you have never done it before, make sure the restaurant's prices average out to be 20.00 per person OR MORE. (meaning their meal, drink, etc. will be at least 20.00.........NOT a cracker barrel where the meal is 7.00)

Make friends with the local police department, let them know you are a single mom raising kids on your own.

Room mate? Be careful. Run backround checks. There are too many freaks in the world........
Look up a nanny service. My gf paid 125.00 a week to have a German Nanny live with her. That way you have a live in, that wants to be here, and has has extensive training, and backround checked!!

Between work, school, and raising kids; you have set very HIGH goals (I won't say unrealistic) of feeding the kids a balanced meal off the land.....
It can be done, but you are gonna be worked to the bone......

Is there anyone that can help you?

http://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Homes...g+on+half+acre

The Backyard Homestead

http://www.amazon.com/Self-Sufficien...s=John+Seymore

The Self-Sufficent Life

Both books are AMAZING tools on how to lay things out, and what to lay out.

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I am sure of two things: There is a God, and I am not Him.
The movie Rudy

Don't overlook the Aid that applies to your situation.
As a Taxpayer Id rather pay your aid a few years while you are in school than have you poor forever barely getting by.

FYI Garden Seeds can be bought on food stamps.

Have you thought about using coupons and buying food that is on sale or in bulk if you can

You're getting sound advice from others in here. What I would add is to keep a close eye on your own health!

You sound like a workaholic, which tells me you probably manage to do 2+ things at a time. This is well and good; however, it can be overwhelming when caring for 3 young children. Making sure you teach your kids "their" part of the responsibility around your home is not only helpful to you but is GREAT for them!

I would reiterate some of what others have said, i.e. Do not spend your time growing what can be purchased cheaply in the stores. I'm thinking that would be the root crops like potatoes, carrots and onions. Getting the freezer is a good idea, but get one that is "energy efficient". (I have 3 going and the amount of power they pull is miminal.)

Raising animals for meat is, also, a good idea....IF they are cost effective..... Keeping them healthy and well fed can take much of your income; so be cautious about what animals you are raising for food. (I have dairy goats and chickens and they all free-range, which helps a great deal with food. However, since you only have a couple of acres, this may not be feasible for you.)

Another VERY IMPORTANT aspects of your (and your children's) survival is looking ahead and planning on what you can actually count on to be there when you need it.

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I am what I am! Acknowledging this is the beginning; and my growth is yet to end. http://motdaugrnds.com/farmsales ~~~~~ http://motdaugrnds.com

You want to make whatever you do as easy as possible...

Don't get too much too fast, too big of garden takes far more time and effort than going and buying veggies at a farm stand. We are constructing a greenhouse now that my children are a bit older and one is going to school in the fall. Before that we would buy bushels of beans for $15 and carrots for $8 than bring them home and can them for 2 days. Far more time effective to do it that way.

As far as meat goes, pigs are the cheapest to raise if you can get the piglets cheap. Layers are another good option, you can sell some eggs at school and cover the feed bill. We raise all our own food, but I also have a thriving farm business that provides my income, and pays for all my food. You can't raise chicken cheaper than you can buy it, so that's up to you. Deer also provide us with plenty to eat.

I completely understand your situation, I quit my full time job because I was working just to pay child care. I started a business out of nothing, selling eggs from 10 hens. Everything takes time and money, you need to decide which is more valuable.

I have never re-cooked any food I collected for my pigs. So long as it is for you and you aren't selling the pork I don't know that there are any laws that apply. I have picked up scraps from restaurants and I know several people around here who get it from the local grocery.

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"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." C S Lewis

You know so far as meat goes you might do better doing some hunting to fill your freezer. I don't know if you have a wild hog problem there but in some states you can hunt them year around. Sounds like you have really thought things out and have a good base to work from. Kudos to you.

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"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." C S Lewis