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A Farm of My Own:  Reality Check?  |
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greyghost
True Blue Farmgirl
650 Posts
Lynn
Summerville
Georgia
USA
650 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 31 2005 : 5:01:33 PM
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Okay, so my husband and I are about to take the plunge and buy a small farm. Maybe only 10 acres, maybe more. I think 10 is safest.
Part of that plunge is: My husband will quit working at the end of this school year. He's had it - can't take it much longer. We will do our best to have the house and land paid for, and I work part-time from home, making anywhere from $500 to 1K a month. Not a whole lot. Both of us are willing to get a part-time job to help make ends meet if need be, but really I want DH to stay home and enjoy life a little.
We are not lazy people. We hate sitting around and often work from sunup to 10pm - him at his job and then remodeling, me at my computer, remodeling, and housework.
We want to make our land as self-sufficient as possible. We will raise chickens for sure, maybe a cow or goats, and DH wants to raise rare trees for sale. We have always had gardens (well, since we got married!) and have some experience canning and are both interested in trying to live an old-fashioned farm life as much as possible.
On the side for money - DH and I are very good at fixer-uppers, and think the best thing for us to do is buy one a year, fix it up and sell it for profit. There are a few other things we could do for a little money - DH can make adirondack furniture and I want to sell some handmade items (not sure which will sell best yet).
Please please please tell me if we are just dreaming and idealizing or if we have a chance at making this work. Or remind me of the hidden expenses that I may not be thinking about. DH and I are just sick of the lack of control we seem to have in our current lives (work, food in grocery stores, the loose dogs in our neighborhood that attack our dogs...neighbors too close to us in general...) We are also concerned about the economy and just want to make sure we are as close to safe and independent as can be. |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Aug 31 2005 : 5:18:16 PM
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the only thing I would worry about is making sure you have some food supply stored up just in case and that even if you are very healthy you are prepared with either insurance or savings to cover a big illness or injury. I sure wish you luck!! Sounds wonderful!
Jenny in Utah
The best things in life arn't things |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Sep 01 2005 : 11:21:57 AM
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I think, if your hubby makes adirondack furniture, and you are able to sell $1,000.00 a month from home, you can eventually build on that as a less labor intensive lifestyle than fixer uppers. However, fixer-upper resales can have a great profit margin, so perhaps you could try one and see if the profit from it will help launch your other businesses. Health insurance and cost of building materials will be two of your biggest considerations. But it can be done; I have heard of it so many times, and I wish you luck. Sounds like, for you guys, it is time to get out of the "rat race". Think positive!!! :)
jpbluesky |
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ByHzGrace
True Blue Farmgirl
348 Posts
348 Posts |
Posted - Sep 01 2005 : 12:19:04 PM
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I know you can do it! We made our dream something we could see. From psalm 139 we cut out of wood all our right handprints and made a kinda wood sculpture by interlocking them together to remind us "If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast."We had to hunt her up and reglue them when the roof went.
I keep my work for the benefits of a cheap group health insurance.We could never have afforded the cancer treatments without bluecross. My husbands cancer was found on a routine preventive physical he wasn't sick or so we thought.He is now my hero and a survivor!
My company really helped with $$$$$ for hurricane aid and now my sons have been given scholarships to college by my employer too. None of these could we afford with just the harvest. You don't know how health care costs come out of no where like the storm and amount to insane type numbers when you are cruising along feeling good. Don't forget to save money to plan for an alt power option. We have solar and wind. We don't need the heat/ac but if we did I'd be sure to add the ground source heat pump of a well!
Have you ever been to Barnsley Gardens in Adairsville? |
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greyghost
True Blue Farmgirl
650 Posts
Lynn
Summerville
Georgia
USA
650 Posts |
Posted - Sep 01 2005 : 1:24:35 PM
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Thanks, girls!
For insurance, we are wanting to do the same thing my parents have, and it has so far taken care of them. The Good Samaritan Network (or something like that). My mother has gone through quite a bit of health troubles in the past year and a half, and my dad has needed both back and knee surgery in the past 6 years, so far they have always gotten all if not most of the money they needed to pay for everything. There is a delay - a few months before the funds come in, they put it on their credit card and pay it off as the money comes in. It costs a couple in our age group about $200/month. We would have to pay for our doctor visits/dental/vision, but I've been self-employed for nearly four years now and can tell you, those visits aren't as bad as I thought. (SEmployed health insurance is an expensive joke!). I learned pretty easily to just set aside a dollar amount each month to pay for the annual visits and everything works out.
We are still young - DH is 33 and I am almost 29. I do have back problems tho - I just herniated a disk and it is taking quite a while to heal. DH is still healthy -
Our saved money actually comes from remodels. So we have experience there. We had our own house, and two rentals that we had fixed up in FL, sold them pretty high in that market, and have a nest egg now.
My husband wants to have the alternative power options - he wants wind power, and wants to make his own water wheel (he likes neat projects like that).
Ellen, your interlocking hands sound so neat - what a great reminder! I haven't been to Barnsley Gardens yet but Adairsville is all of a half hour from my house. We'll get there sometime. :) |
Edited by - greyghost on Sep 01 2005 1:35:48 PM |
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ByHzGrace
True Blue Farmgirl
348 Posts
348 Posts |
Posted - Sep 05 2005 : 3:37:43 PM
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Lynn
I was pondering the ghost in your name you maybe had been by. I been dreamin of getting up there for a retreat. I'll drag you along with me, we can go get spooked together? Do the camellias still have a bloom in Oct? |
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Lazycreek
Farmgirl in Training
39 Posts
Charlee
Mt Ida
AR
USA
39 Posts |
Posted - Sep 05 2005 : 5:25:44 PM
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I will tell you the things that have caused us to need more money than we planned. Car insurance, car repairs, medical expenses even with insurance. Add in some unexpected trips due to deaths and illness in the family. I planned to do pottery, but here in our area, I can't get the amount of money I got in the Dallas area and my expenses of getting supplies has made my profit margin less than I hoped for. Takes more time to get the garden going and the fruit trees bearing and the chickens laying than we thought it would.
Even with all this, I encourage you to do whatever you can to make this dream happen. Worst case is that you buy the farm and he ends up having to teach in a small community and it is less stressful and you have to work full time for a while until things get established.
Charlee
Believe in the power of your dreams |
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sqrl
True Blue Farmgirl
605 Posts
Melissa
Northern California
USA
605 Posts |
Posted - Sep 06 2005 : 08:30:00 AM
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I don't have much experience here since I don't have a farm yet myself, but I know you can do it. It sounds like your a very practical person and you know what you can and cannot do. I think there is absolutely no reason to not do this. Just pay attention to the signs of the universe (or if you want to call it God) if ever you feel like your fighting current stop and look around, somethings trying to tell you something. Just keep on your path and you'll get where your suppose to be. Thats what keep us going. I too am in my late 20s ans want to farm and live simply and I know I'll get there. And so will girl!
Blessed Be
www.sqrlbee.com www.sisterhood.sqrlbee.com
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DeborahJean
Farmgirl in Training
36 Posts
Deborah
Spokane
WA
USA
36 Posts |
Posted - Sep 06 2005 : 7:22:12 PM
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This is our dream too. DH and I will be moving in a week or two to our 20 acre farmstead. I will be weaning off a 60k engineering job in about 8 to 12 months, and we will do what we can to be completely self sufficient. I appreciate the advice about possible finacial pitfalls, especially as we are ages 50 and 60, not youngsters any more! But reasonably healthy and ready to really LIVE the rest of our lives. We are learning as much as we can now, and will be setting up our new farm on a pay-as-you-go basis. Two children in college takes a big chunk of our cash, but in time we will be reaping the benefits of our hard labors.
We are checking out solar and wind power now too, and I sure hope we can get that going. We would love to become 100% self sufficient, or at least have enough extra to do some bartering with other like minded folks.
Deborah |
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jenny louise
True Blue Farmgirl
166 Posts
jennifer
cass city
MI
USA
166 Posts |
Posted - Sep 06 2005 : 8:25:01 PM
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Lynn, and all, Luckily my hubby still held a decent job after we moved to our farmstead and also has insurance benefits, so I can't quite relate there. But I have tried farmers markets and selling artwork at shows for my living and am now working a regular job on top of keeping up with critters and gardens and remodeling.
Our decision to move way out also removes us from the folks that have some disposable income, so i drove into a city quite far away to sell produce. The chunk that came out of profits for gas was bad a couple of years ago and now would be ridiculous. The artwork was an o.k. proposition, but once again, the shows want the booth money all at the same time, in early spring before you start making money, and then the gas to and from and lodging, etc. It eats away at profits and I did not make enough to warrant all of the hassle. So I am working at a job once again that i like but it keeps me away most of the week, and i play catch-up as so many do, on the weekends. But look at MaryJane! It can be done!
I was thinking of using the stout method of gardening and putting in beds of u-pick flowers and leaving an honor can out by the road. Might be worth a try and putting a sign 4 miles away on the busier road. Making money while I am not here!
The thing is to give it a try, then you learn what works in your specific area and to your energies, and you garner so much wisdom on the way, and what fun.
Even if you feel as if you might be failing in a project; it is not failure, because you are learning and it is so much better to do than not.
Good luck, and bessings to you, jenny |
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Mari-dahlia
True Blue Farmgirl
269 Posts
Marianne
Hoosick Falls
New York
USA
269 Posts |
Posted - Sep 07 2005 : 03:31:58 AM
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Deborah,
My husband and I bought our farm with the idea to be selfsufficient and retire here also. A couple of years before we started looking we subscribed to BackHOme magazine. It is a magazine designed around living off-grid and not relying on any outside services for any support. Not only do they mention the way to do this but they also have directions for devices that can be made by hand by anyone so they also emphasize the cheap ( inexpensive) route. Some of it is a little extreme for us but like with anything you pick and choose what will work for you. They have a website www.backhomemagazine.com
Goodluck, we love it.
Marianne |
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Rosemary
True Blue Farmgirl
1825 Posts
Virginia
USA
1825 Posts |
Posted - Sep 13 2005 : 12:07:19 PM
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| Lynn, I wish you great good fortune in your exciting adventure! One thing you mentioned gave me pause, though: "raising rare trees." By this, I assume you mean non-native species. I worry that if a tree isn't native to your area, it might wind up requiring a lot more maintenance than you expect, which could eat into time you'd like to scatter over other interesting projects. It might even mean using chemicals that would pollute your otherwise natural environment. If, on the other hand, you're talking about making valuable, but perhaps neglected, native species available again to folks in your neck of the woods, then hooray! Unless local conditions have changed from when the species was/were abundant, the chances are you'll be able to grow your trees without fuss or toxins -- and, of course, you'd be doing all the other native flora and fauna in your area a huge favor by supporting the ecosystem Mother Earth originally had in mind. BTW,if you're used to working from dawn to after sundown, good. You'll be doing a lot of that with a farm! (But there might not be as much time for sitting in front of a computer as you're used to, at least not during the seasons of the most intense farm work. It would be great if you could plan your array of money-making endeavors to fit into seasonal work requirements -- sewing and furniture-building projects in the dead of winter, and so on. Blessings! |
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greyghost
True Blue Farmgirl
650 Posts
Lynn
Summerville
Georgia
USA
650 Posts |
Posted - Sep 15 2005 : 12:32:36 PM
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Hey Rosemary,
We want some of the rarer japanese maples, plus several other types of trees that sell well to downtown beautification projects and the like. I will NOT grow or sell anything invasive - there is a surprisingly long list of plants deemed invasive and yet you can buy them at the garden center any day of the week.
We would avoid chemicals. There are often natural ways to fight disease just as there are great natural fertilizers! Neem oil or milk sprayed on foliage can often nip many problems in the bud - so to speak!
I drove too far looking at some acreage earlier in the week - my back was NOT ready for an hour round-trip yet! OUCH! I am finally feeling better today and hoping to look at more land soon. There is a NICE piece for sale on the side of a mountain, with a spring and lake access on 15 acres. Not the cheapest, of course, but not outlandish either. And another, fully fenced, with an old red barn, mostly cleared land not too far from town, on 10 acres.
So happily looking!! |
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Horseyrider
True Blue Farmgirl
1045 Posts
Mary Ann
Illinois
1045 Posts |
Posted - Sep 17 2005 : 04:39:44 AM
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Please understand that I'm not trying to rain on your parade here. But you need to understand that in many ways, country life is much more expensive than city life. For example, when we needed to re-roof the house, we also needed to re-roof the barn. The house was $11K, and the barn was $9K. Barns and outbuildings need to be painted every five years or so. There's another $2K. It's possible you could do some of this work yourself, but you'll still need to buy supplies and rent scaffolding, sprayers, etc. Your lawn will need a lawnmower, and you'll use them up much faster because you're cutting an area much larger than you would in town. If you'd cut an acre with a mower a year, then cutting five is like five years worth of use. A riding tractor mower that's equal to the job can easily cost $10K. Don't assume the animals can graze it; pastures need to be mowed too, to keep down weeds and coarse growth. Most animals can't digest the coarse stuff. And your fuel costs are going to be higher, because it takes a lot more gas to get anywhere. We live about 25 miles from the closest decent grocery, and if I want something like Whole Foods, I have to go 40+ miles. And then there are the property taxes. Our place is lower than town places at $4K a year, but that's still $250 a month just for taxes. You'll need specific insurance for a farm setup. Regular homeowner's won't work. This way you can get your outbuildings covered, have some liability for your animals (they do get out from time to time), and maybe recover something if you lose some fencing. We fenced and crossfenced a few years back, hiring it done. Five paddocks on about three acres. $17K. Yes, you can do fencing yourself; we'd always done it ourselves before. But we wanted to make sure the posts were deep enough, corners braced professionally, set in cement, etc. Less maintenance in the long run.
I had some friends years ago who bought a sweet little place, just ten acres, tucked along a quiet road and lined with trees. He was a freelance architect, and planned to work from home. They planned to heat with wood, bought a sweet cow, and live mostly off the land. They had a nice nest egg from the sale of their last property, and life looked good. They got their fruit trees, their chickens, and a couple of pigs.
Over the next few years though, the freelance jobs weren't as plentiful as they needed; there were some recessionary times, and the jobs slowed to a trickle. The woodlot they thought would support their heat needs wasn't big enough, and they had to buy wood for heat and cooking. There was the vet for the cow during a dystocia, the cost of fuel to drive further for groceries and necessities, and then she became unexpectedly pregnant. It still didn't look that bad, but in the end they decided they couldn't make it like that. I came and bought some books on homesteading that she was offering for sale, and the baby was in a box next to the wood stove. The house was cold. Her clothes were dirty, worn out, and didn't match. She was exhausted. It was pretty grim.
Another family I know bought a country property with a house that was structurally sound, but in bad repair. There was no ceiling in the livingroom, and the upstairs wasn't habitable. They had planned to fix it up. It was a beautiful old house, with tons of character on a lovely piece of hilly ground with a creek and outbuildings. But they never finished the house. They got used to the mess, and time wore on, other interests came along, and twenty years later they still looked at the bare beams above the livingroom.
So my advice to you is to be realistic and a bit hard nosed. Have your plans in order to the last detail, and for each proposed plan, also have a Plan B, a Plan C, and even a Plan D. Plan for every contingency, including the fact that your back may not get better. (I feel for ya there; I have a herniated disc, too! I have a wonderful chiropractor that keeps me feeling great and able to do the things I want to do.) What do you do then? What happens to your original plan, and how can it be modified to take your condition into account without folding? Do you have a market lined up for your rare trees? What if you lose your crop? Are you willing to work for pennies an hour? Do you have the stuff to be outside every single day, regardless of the weather, to feed, clean stalls, and do repairs? Are there others you can barter with? What do you have to barter? If you lose a crop, can you afford to wait for the next one, even if it's years away? Can you afford to pay the vet every time, on time and in full?
I don't mean to sound like a downer. I just want you to have every chance at success possible. I see a lot of folks that get dreamy eyed over country life, and don't take into account the hard facts of life that make it possible for people to live out here. If you can deal with the hard facts, you've taken into account the additonal expenses, then you're likely to make it and have a great time. I hope you understand where I'm coming from. I wish you much success! |
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katie-ell
True Blue Farmgirl
1818 Posts
Katie
Illinois
1818 Posts |
Posted - Sep 17 2005 : 05:51:05 AM
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| A question about Japanese maples -- do they grow well in Georgia? We find they are imported into our area from Oregon mostly, because of the growing climate there. Have you any experience in the nursery business? Are you going to do container growing or in-ground? You'll need lots of water, fertilizer; what about insects? Do you know how to prune them properly? Do you have a source for the liners? I agree with Mary Ann's advice above -- have a very good plan, and Plan B, etc., before you begin. In three years, I want you to have your place, to be working toward your independence, and to be happy happy happy! |
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greyghost
True Blue Farmgirl
650 Posts
Lynn
Summerville
Georgia
USA
650 Posts |
Posted - Sep 20 2005 : 08:36:46 AM
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Mary Ann,
I appreciate your honesty. I was asking for a reality check, and appreciate your advice. I want the hard facts so I know what to anticipate. We have worked too hard to have the money we do have to lose it doing something we were not adequately prepared to do yet.
We have done a lot of roofing before. We have remodeled 5 houses in the past - we have done everything from jacking, framing (my favorite part is rearranging the rooms so the house functions better), wiring, plumbing (I am learning both from my husband now, and can handle most of the small projects that happen at home myself - including reseating toilets and the like), drywall, trim, etc. We do it all, and it's one of the things DH and I love to do together.
Fencing - I've built fencing before. We never hire out for folks to do work on our houses - labor is too expensive, and with this past hurricane, so will the supplies be more expensive for some time.
Financially - it makes more sense to me to have DH at home and me out working. He does most of the heavier labor on the rehabs, I do much of the finishing work (painting, sanding, drywall mudding, hole-filling etc.). There are many jobs just north of Atlanta that pay better than they did in the Tampa area, if we find we will need the extra income.
We have a few different plans - I'm one of those "plan for the worst and all your surprises will be pleasant" people. Our current home has a tiny mortgage, and when we are finished remodeling it, will be worth just over three times what we paid for it. If the land we buy does not have a home, we will stay here until we have the home mostly built. We put extra attention to detail into the in-law suite at this home as there is a bed and breakfast in town and we know the owners very well. They have told us they hate having to turn people away when they are full, so they will send people our way, we will rent out the in-law suite, give it a cute little name and a website so people can see what it looks like. If we rent it as much as 3 nights a month it will pay our mortgage. The B&B in town is full nearly every weekend now, on holiday weekends they book up months in advance.
We have lived in small towns since we got married - we are more than a little used to planning trips to the larger towns to cut down on gas and all that to get things we need and will need for the next few months. We buy in bulk.
We will pay cash for our land - no debt. Depending upon what remains and what the property demands, we can either move an older home onto the property, build one, or fix what is there (depends on the property). Each contigency has its own "if A then B's" and if "B then C" and so forth. We hate debt - have never had much of it. We always buy low and sell high - very careful about how our money is spent.
Katie - We'll keep the trees in containers - the clay here would require some heavy-duty equipment to pull the trees from the ground. We have friends in the tree farm business, mostly in Florida - but we have met a tree farmer here in GA as well. The irrigation system need not be in place for the first few years, as the trees are small and can be kept on a smaller system. Fertilizer: I'd prefer to keep the trees organic - I'm a mod at a gardening forum and know a lot about natural fertilizing with compost. DH and I both know about pruning, how and when to prune. I have seen Japanese maples being farmed here. We won't start trying to fight nature or anything like that! |
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Mari-dahlia
True Blue Farmgirl
269 Posts
Marianne
Hoosick Falls
New York
USA
269 Posts |
Posted - Sep 21 2005 : 06:00:41 AM
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Lynn,
I live in upstate NY so I do not know what will grow in your area but:
I would contact the UNiversity of Georgia. Most of the rareast trees are our own natives. They are not propagated to any extent and some of them are hard to find when they were once plentiful.I am a plant collector and have a group of close friends all in the plant or parks business and we have the most proplems locating natives. For example I believe the University of NH is the only place propagating a strain of Elm resistant to Dutch Elm Disease. The rarer Japanese Maples may take more than 2 minutes on the internet to find but not much more.
I spent most of last summer looking for a native, large and in good shape, Sycamore and could not find one. Old fashioned lilacs that smell good are hard to find, many of them are highbreeds that no longer have scent. They are also experimenting with a new Chesnut and that might be a good one too.
Good Luck ! It is a great endeavor which you are entering into.
Marianne |
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greyghost
True Blue Farmgirl
650 Posts
Lynn
Summerville
Georgia
USA
650 Posts |
Posted - Sep 21 2005 : 08:04:18 AM
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| Marianne, it's certainly worth looking into! Thank you for the advice. I know DH will still want some of the rarer Maples simply because he is a little hard-headed. I'll visit the Uni GA website today and see what they have. :) |
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greyghost
True Blue Farmgirl
650 Posts
Lynn
Summerville
Georgia
USA
650 Posts |
Posted - Sep 25 2005 : 4:13:01 PM
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Hey girls:
We've decided to put off the farm for a couple of years, for a variety of reasons.
Mainly we do not like the way the wind is blowing where the economy is concerned.
We have decided we will pay off our current home, which sits on 1/2 acre in town, and have the rest of the money to invest. Our home is still in the remodeling process and will be for another 6 months (we do the work). There is enough land here I can have a good size garden, and we can start the trees for the farm in pots, it takes a few years before they need BIG pots.
So if the economy holds out, we hope our investments turn around and get us the land, and an old farmhouse, and the sale of our current home would give us a good nest egg, and then we'll see where we go from there! Besides, if we own this house for 2 years... no capital gains! Sometimes the tax man is nice...
DH will still not be working next year. He needs the time away. Neither of us are good at handling "jobs" - we do what we have to and are good employees but we HATE stupid beaurocratic nonsense and being told to do stupid counterproductive things! With him home, we can work on the investments, I still have my graphic design work which will cover our basic needs (and I can push that into a bigger business anytime). We also have some ideas in the works - we came up with a novel idea for a book (which will be designed and illustrated by yours truly)! And there are some craft-type items I have come up with that I think may sell well in the little antique shops in the next big town - they have quite the downtown tourist attraction!
Anyway, we both have a little disappointment, but we both feel it would be foolish to make such a large jump now, with gas prices fluxing all over the place, heating costs out the wazoo expected this winter, the VERY LARGE deficit that just got $68 billion bigger thanks to Katrina, not to mention Social Security is not that secure - people will be retiring in 2010, the first large wave of baby boomers, and those monies will come due - and our gov't has been borrowing from that for some time. It just sounds like an economic armageddon... at least here we are in a small town, can walk to the grocery store or hardware store, DH is a teacher so he will nearly always have a job.
I always plan for the worst... then hopefully all surprises are pleasant!
We WILL have our farm... someday! I just want to make sure we do. |
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Kim
True Blue Farmgirl
146 Posts
Kim
Pflugerville
Texas
USA
146 Posts |
Posted - Sep 25 2005 : 5:10:51 PM
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Ok, now that BF and I are on the outs and I will be slowing packing up all my treasures the next couple of months....I found a farmhouse in my price range. It's within the town limits, no land so to speak, BUT A HONEST TO GOODNESS FAMR HOUSE!!!!!!! Please keep me in your prayers as I will be moving forward with the necessary paperwork this week to see if I can qualify etc. 
farmgirl@heart
Be at peace with yourself and the rest will follow |
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A Farm of My Own: Reality Check? |
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Reality Check?
