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Keeping in Touch:  The meaning of resourcefulness  |
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corabela
True Blue Farmgirl
79 Posts
Laura
Mount Vernon
Ohio
USA
79 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 07 2009 : 2:55:00 PM
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Resourcefulness. What can be said about it? It's what Saturday is supposed to be all about, on my blog. Saturday's theme is resourcefulness. It's what the past nine months of my life have been all about, really. While I don't have a nice, neat little story to relate and then wrap up with a nice sentimental "moral of the story", I do have some things to say about how I've come to understand resourcefulness.
After high school, I jumped right into a guaranteed paycheck and yearly raise with military service. I stuck with that gig for six years, during which I frivolously frittered away the bucket loads of money I was making. Towards the end I made a serious mistake. I enrolled in college, got hooked up with student loans, and saved all the tuition assistance I received from the GI Bill, with plans to use it to pay the loans after graduation. Well, I was honorably discharged in July and dreadfully unemployed until December, right after I graduated. Those six months of unemployment drained every bit of savings from that GI Bill and now my unpaid student loans have gathered $3000 of interest that's been tacked on. That's right...I haven't been able to pay on them regularly for about five years now. That bachelors degree isn't worth a pile of beans. In my last job, it provided me with a whole .02 per hour more than my unschooled coworkers.
Every now and then, usually after I've just renewed my forebearance, I think to myself "I really wish I would've lived more cheaply and wisely during that unemployed six months. I wish I would have been able to use that money to pay the loans off". I could have avoided the cascading financial mess.
The next time I found myself unemployed, I was unable to pay my mortgage on my newly purchased house so I moved out and a renter moved in. That was in 2007 and now he can no longer afford to live there either. In a desperate attempt to preserve my credit, I contacted a Realtor only to find I'm seriously upside down on the house and have to do something called a "short sale" which leaves me at the mercy of a mortgage company and puts me in a generally unpleasant, stressful situation. Now I just need to find a buyer and we can commence negotiations. What will come of that is still up in the air.
The most recent bout of unemployment saw me canceling the cable, canceling Netflix, and unplugging the dryer in favor of a good old clothesline. I sold my car to get out of payments and ceased all purchasing of anything other than food, soapmaking supplies, and spare linens at $1 a piece at Goodwill for my aprons. Meanwhile, my husband is paying all the bills and grabbing parts here and there for the Diesel VW Golf he's rebuilding for me. Obviously, money was very, very tight. And still no employment. Soon after, FEMA rezoned the property my rental house was on and demanded flood insurance...a year's worth right up front.
Then, in a horrible train wreck of a disaster, the unemployment agency informed me that they'd accidentally paid me $5500 in benefits that needed to be repaid within 45 days or else... a threat of jail time. That unemployment check was groceries. Now that was gone. My mother-in-law saved my precious sanity by loaning me the money to repay the unemployment agency...my saving grace. I'd rather not owe that much to anyone at all, but I'd rather owe it to someone I love, and someone who loves me, rather than the government. Plus, I didn't want to go to jail.
So what did I do then? In addition to the dryer, I unplugged EVERYTHING while not in use. I started buying flour and rice in 50 pound bags, and beans in 10 pound bags. No more soda or juice...just bulk tea bags and lots of iced tea or water. We canned the tomatoes from our garden and the corn a friend gave us from his garden. We dried everything else we could in a borrowed food dehydrator and stopped buying our weekly treats of imported beer and ice cream once a week. I made cookies instead. We wasted nothing. Every scrap of leftover was eaten, always. (We've eaten A LOT of soup and bread!) All our meat comes from a local organic farm (Fox Hollow Farm) at extremely reasonable prices. The farm offers everything from Filet Mignon to Lamb Kabob meat but I stick with cheapest...ground beef, whole chickens, and eggs. I learned how to use every single piece of meat on a whole chicken. I learned how to plan a menu of 21 meals, using all leftover ingredients for other meals. My shopping lists include only what I need for those 21 meals and that's it. I don't buy convenience foods. I make them. Crackers, cookies, breakfast bars, ketchup, salad dressings, soup stocks, breads...you name it, I have a recipe for it.
We haven't bought shampoo or conditioner in months. Our back-stock of borax and vinegar took their place. (Really, it's not as bad as it sounds. Seems to work better, anyway.) Same thing with cleaning products. I make all of them with these ingredients: vinegar, borax, baking soda, lemons, essential oils. (EXCEPT, I still buy Barkeepers Friend, the BEST cleaning product ever invented, at less than $1). When my year's supply of contact lenses ran out, I started wearing glasses for the first time in fifteen years. And I started taking every odd job that anyone offered. I've packed moving boxes, cleaned houses, watched cats, bathed dogs, and at the moment I have two custom soap orders, 5 custom apron orders, and one outsourced felted pumpkin project. More cleaning and possibly bread-making projects are also in the works.
It has been overwhelming, exhausting, and stressful to say the least. Nearly a year of this nonsense has proved to be an absurd life situation but at the same time, cannot be dismissed as useless. It seems all throughout the years of tough financial times, I've been being nudged closer and closer to learning the real meaning of resourcefulness. Of course it means sacrificing cable television and that Western convenience we call entertainment. It means sacrificing a lot, if need be. It means tossing out the American consumer mania mentality and making do with what you have. And it means using what you have wisely. But it's more than that. If the definition stopped there, we may as well make poverty a synonym. But resourcefulness also means innovation, ingenuity, and above all, gratitude and joy. Without those key ingredients, we could never reach the state of mind necessary for contentment and growth.
Nine months have passed since everything started going downhill, but the dust has finally settled enough for me to see a new perspective. The reason I started this blog, and the reason I started selling aprons and soap on my etsy shop, is not just for money. Learning the meaning of resourcefulness...learning to create the innovation and the gratitude... has led me toward what I really want to do with my life. I want a cozy, handmade life and a loving family. I want to make handmade beautiful and useful things for others; and I want to inspire others to recognize the true value of home.
How simple. Part of me thinks...if only I'd known what I wanted from life from the very beginning. But then I think...nah. I would have missed all this....
~Corabela
Please stop by my blog and my etsy site...let me know what you think. : )
www.corabela.blogspot.com
www.corabela.etsy.com |
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ceejay48
Farmgirl Legend/Schoolmarm/Sharpshooter
13618 Posts
CeeJay (CJ)
Dolores
Colorado
USA
13618 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2009 : 4:25:15 PM
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Thank you Corabela!!!! I can TOTALLY RELATE!!!!!
CJ
...from the barefoot farmgirl in SW Colorado...sister chick #665 |
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MasterGardener
True Blue Farmgirl
572 Posts
Chandra
Louisiana
USA
572 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2009 : 6:03:40 PM
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Corabela, yours is an awesome testimony...of character, integrity, moxy!
Have you seen or heard of the Dave Ramsey book "Financial Peace Revisited"? I don't know how to articulate what the book might do, how the advice would resonate with what you've experienced. Dave talks about having made millions, lost it all, and making it his life's work to learn how to live like no one else so he could "live like no one else' He basically teaches people how to keep more of their money by spending less and by building wealth. He's heard every imaginable story, your's would surely rank up there with the toughest one's to persevere through, but because of the self-discipline, "resourcefulness" as you call it, you'd be able to ACE the principles he teaches in his book. He would have told you to do much of what you've already done...he teaches when in dire financial crisis, you make sure to put your four walls in place and to heck with all the other bills, with the exception of tax, and like your situation with the umemployment insurance... His strategy is defined in "baby steps", the first being $1000.00 in a savings account for the household emergency fund. He insists that this be done immediately, any and all effort be made to get that account funded, because his philosophy is that when we are in financial crisis, it attracts more crisis...it conditions the mind, if you will, and to have a fully funded emergency fund, because "crisis becomes an inconvenience when you have the money" and Murphy's law seems to look elsewhere when you have a fully funded emergency fund.
I am probably saying more than need be said...all I know is the book has helped my husband and I pay off excessive amounts of debt, we're looking at being debt-free in the next year thanks to the Biblical, common-sense principles set forth in Dave's book. Fully funded savings account, debt-snowball with the smallest debt (regardless of interest rate) and then when that one's paid, use that income on the next, and so on...with your moxy, you'd be able to kick-___
on debt. I'd love to hear you and your husband scream "we're debt free" on Dave's radio program someday...
Say to them, may the Lord bless you and protect you, May the Lord smile upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace. (Numbers 6:23-26)
.• ´¨¨)) -:¦:-¸.•´ .•´¨¨))
((¸¸.•´ ..• -:¦:- -:¦:- Chandra
-:¦:- ((¸¸.•´Farmgirl Sister #64
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Edited by - MasterGardener on Nov 07 2009 6:05:08 PM |
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corabela
True Blue Farmgirl
79 Posts
Laura
Mount Vernon
Ohio
USA
79 Posts |
Posted - Nov 08 2009 : 07:45:16 AM
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It's nice to know I'm not alone and that someone can actually relate! Thank you CJ! And Chandra, that really sounds like a book I NEED to read. That snowball effect you spoke of is something I've had planned for awhile now...just waiting for the extra cash to begin. Thankfully...we do have a small emergency fund, although it's been dwindling and needs replenishing. And I cannot WAIT for us to be screaming "we're debt free!!!!" radio program or elsewhere! : ) I literally daydream about it all the time now. I can really relate to what you said about crisis attracting more crisis. It's exactly what happened because I was in a constant state of panic and fear, proactively trying to ward off the next disaster that I knew just had to be lurking around the corner waiting to pounce. I've made a real effort to change those thoughts into daydreams about what I want to happen instead. I know, of course, that it always works, as I knew all along. In the midst of crisis I guess I just lapsed into fear mode. I'm finally coming out of it. Thanks for your reply and support, Chandra. I will definitely look into that book. : )
~Corabela
Please stop by my blog and my etsy site...let me know what you think. : )
www.corabela.blogspot.com
www.corabela.etsy.com |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22937 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22937 Posts |
Posted - Nov 08 2009 : 08:44:18 AM
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Corabela- Congrats on seeing yourself through a very tough financial situation. My husband and I have had similar things happen and we are so grateful for the lessons I learned from my mom and have continued learning with the help of the farmgirls. It's amazing how those pennies you save here and thee add up. We are hopefully on the upward swing and my husband and I have already agreed to continue living super frugal so that we can pay off bills and debt owed.
Oh and Welcome to the forum!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
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catscharm74
True Blue Farmgirl
4687 Posts
Heather
Texas
USA
4687 Posts |
Posted - Nov 08 2009 : 09:00:07 AM
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Laura- you have taken the first step which is awareness..that is a very powerful tool.
It is amazing, once you are aware, at all you can do to make a change with very little to work with.
Heather
"Hitch your wagon to a star"
http://somewheredownintexas-heather.blogspot.com |
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Claude09647
True Blue Farmgirl
761 Posts
Claudia
Our Dairy Farm
Pennsylvania
USA
761 Posts |
Posted - Nov 08 2009 : 4:11:35 PM
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hello, and welcome to the forum. Your story is one that seems to be popping up more and more these days. Around where i live there have been a few families that have been effected to this extent also. But isnt making your won items so just down to earth. I learned alot of what i do from my grandmother. I try to make alot from scratch, to me, they just taste better that way.
"My ideal day is sitting on the back porch, cup of green tea in hand, slippers on, and just watch the cows in the pasture"
http://claude09647.blogspot.com/ |
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laurzgot
True Blue Farmgirl
1669 Posts
Laurie
Alvin
Texas
USA
1669 Posts |
Posted - Nov 08 2009 : 6:14:58 PM
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Laura, Hello and welcome to the forum, It is so good that you are aware of what has happened and are working it out. I've been frugal for many, many years. I just love baking, cooking, growing what we can eat and making prettythings for my familyand friends. This is very rewarding and my children and hubby have really appreicate what mom has and is still doing even though the children have all moved out and grown. You should be proud of yourself for doing what you have done.
Laurie
suburban countrygirl at heart |
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Beverley
True Blue Farmgirl
2707 Posts
Beverley
atlanta
Michigan
USA
2707 Posts |
Posted - Nov 08 2009 : 7:24:41 PM
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not that paying off your debt is a good thing but there is bankruptcy also. I know it is a last resort but if the stress is getting to you sometimes for your health sake it makes sense to get rid of the stress....
Folks will know how large your soul is by the way you treat a dog....Charles F. Doran
beverley baggett Beverley with an extra E...
http://bevsdoggies.googlepages.com/ |
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Tammyb
True Blue Farmgirl
511 Posts
Tammy
Bluffton
Ohio
USA
511 Posts |
Posted - Nov 10 2009 : 04:49:25 AM
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Laura, first Welcome fellow Ohio sisterchick !! I read your story and then re-read your story. You are honest and I appreciate that. I can see that you and your hubby will come out of this with much wisdom, that you can share. Your note was an encouragement to me to keep going, as we have tightened up things in our home also.
Blessings,
Sisterchick #541
Tammyb
Live to leave a legacy
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corabela
True Blue Farmgirl
79 Posts
Laura
Mount Vernon
Ohio
USA
79 Posts |
Posted - Nov 10 2009 : 07:48:26 AM
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What an overwhelming response! In a good way! I honestly was never the sort of person to live this way...never had a need to, before. And I think that's where a lot of people are...they don't live better (more healthfully, wisely, frugally, richly, etc.) because there's a perception that it's easier to just maintain the status quo. Thankfully, I've changed my tune about that one and it's so nice to have found a group of people that understand that! It's a relief, actually. Thank you everyone. : )
~Laura
Please stop by my blog and my etsy site and say hello : )
www.corabela.blogspot.com
www.corabela.etsy.com |
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corabela
True Blue Farmgirl
79 Posts
Laura
Mount Vernon
Ohio
USA
79 Posts |
Posted - Nov 12 2009 : 06:37:44 AM
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I've been thinking some more on all these responses, and I just want to say to all the girls that have been in similar situations, or are in similar situations, I applaud and admire all your efforts. I know it's not always easy...I know the stress can be trying...and I know at times it can seem like your entire life is teetering on the edge of something and the balance could be upset at any moment and everything could go wrong. I know those feelings well. But I know it takes strength and determination to push past those feelings and go deeper into the more important feelings of gratitude and joy. And that's not something that's publicly acknowledged very often. We are often congratulated on "getting through" a difficult situation, but it's not often that someone says "I know it took a lot of effort to avoid sinking into a panic...you did a good job" or "because you focused on the good things, you got yourself out that mess...I'm proud of you!"
So with that said, I think a little acknowledgment would do some of us good. From me to you...(if you need it)...Because of your efforts, your life and the world is now a better place. : )
Is this too syrupy? I hope not. I was just thinking that because so many people are in tough situations right now, it's not always easy to get the simple support of encouragement.
~Laura
Please stop by my blog and my etsy site and say hello : )
www.corabela.blogspot.com
www.corabela.etsy.com |
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catscharm74
True Blue Farmgirl
4687 Posts
Heather
Texas
USA
4687 Posts |
Posted - Nov 12 2009 : 07:07:38 AM
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Laura- no syrupy at all!!! (((HUGS))) I think the thing I have realized over the past say 5-7 years is really the Jone's are in deep deep debt, getting foreclosed on and in denial. Really---who are we TRYING to keep up with??? What society dictacts??? Finding the true meaning of being a farmgirl and figuring out what are my priorities in life has realived a lot of stress for me. There are what...some 5000 women on these forums and we pretty much fall in line with truly living your life and not keeping up. We are real and we are the heartbeat of this nation. We can change things just by living by our convictions and as MJ would say..Just keep PLOWIN' THROUGH!!! " )
Heather
"Hitch your wagon to a star"
http://somewheredownintexas-heather.blogspot.com |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22937 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22937 Posts |
Posted - Nov 12 2009 : 07:48:18 AM
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Laura and Heather- I agree 100%. I see these gals all the time that are my age and they are talking about all these things they do and they are wearing designer jeans and have the highest fashion in hair, nails, and sunglasses and then I see them pull out a credit card to pay for it. I just sigh in resignation for them. Someday they are going to open up their mail and realize the TRUE cost of everything they have been doing isn't just what is on the price tag.
Economist have this thing called an Opportunity Cost. It's a complicated theory but boiled down the cost of an item is the price tag plus the opportunity cost to equal the TRUE cost. So for example I can go to college or I can work full time and not go to college (Simplified example). Lets say working full time I would earn $20,000 without a degree and $40,000 with a degree. And College costs $6000 a year. Well the opportunity cost of going to college is the forgone wages that I could have made while attending school. So the TRUE cost of attending school is the $20,000 wages plus tuition so true cost= $26,000. So then you have to compare the TRUE cost of the situation verses future benefits of each choice.
So when I see people living a throw away life style and trying to live up to some sort of idea of keeping up with the Jone's I wonder if they know that the TRUE cost of those designer jeans is the cost of the jeans plus the 17% interest on their credit card plus the cost of the bills they could have actually paid off in full with the money they are spending. It's amazing how a $100 pair of jeans suddenly can balloon up to $500 or $600 when you look at how fast the true cost can add up (interest on credit card, purchase price, bill expense cost, interest and late fees on bills that could have been paid off) It really opens up your eyes.
Cash really is King! We don't have any credit cards and are working really hard to make sure bills and food at the #1 (or should I say $1) priority around our house. Entertainment and extras come after the other stuff is taken care of! :D
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
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corabela
True Blue Farmgirl
79 Posts
Laura
Mount Vernon
Ohio
USA
79 Posts |
Posted - Nov 12 2009 : 08:07:14 AM
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I couldn't agree more. I live in a town where Wal-Mart reigns and main street is dying. I haven't been to Wal-Mart in 5 years (except once...long story). When I tell people that they ask me "well where do you go?!" There's nowhere else to buy cheap goods within a 50 mile radius. I just say "I don't buy that much because I don't need it." I get funny looks. But the truth is, I DON'T need anything from Wal-Mart (except those bobbins I bought that one time for a sewing emergency). I don't have the urge to keep charging things up as you guys mentioned because I'm still paying off Christmas presents from three years ago charged to a Visa. This year, everyone gets either cookies, candles, aftershave, or soap, all made by me. Not bought on credit. I suppose I used to be into the designer jeans and all that...but it's not important. I stopped keeping up with the Jone's long ago.
Another kind of sick and twisted "keeping up with Jone's" mentality that I've noticed in my locality is "I'm more broke than you are". At my last job, everyone was in competition to prove who made the least and who's life was harder. Needless to say, I didn't belong there.
It's nice to have found a place where I don't feel like I have to convince everyone that there's a reason to smile. : )
~Laura
Please stop by my blog and my etsy site and say hello : )
www.corabela.blogspot.com
www.corabela.etsy.com |
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catscharm74
True Blue Farmgirl
4687 Posts
Heather
Texas
USA
4687 Posts |
Posted - Nov 12 2009 : 08:20:56 AM
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Very good points Alee. What is really working for me is comparing the need vs. want and being realistic as to how long I will use an item when I buy it. For instance, I THOUGHT I was going to need a winter jacket and some clothing for here in TN. I have a lightweight jacket but TX doesn't get that cold. Now that things are changing, I decided to just layer up what clothing for now. I did buy some lined CROCS for my feetsies but that is all. So far, it is working and I saved $125 (for the jacket I REALLY wanted---quality or quantity). I waiting on all clothing purchases until we move. No sense in moving more than we need to and have to worry about it in transit.
Also, I am throwing every last nickel, dime or dollar at CC debt. People don't think it is worth it but last year, I had a $750 CC that I was paying a little above the minimum each month. I started throwing $5 here and $15 there and I ended up being able to pay it off in 4 months vice the 9 it would have taken. It saved me $120 in interest. So it does work. Even Scott is apprehensive that this doesn't work until I hand him a bill with a ZERO balance. We went from 6...yes 6 CC's down to 3 in one year. I am chipping away at the lowest balance one right now...putting the most effort into that one. It is working...slowly...but it is working.
We plan on having another yard sale. We are hoping to see off the last of our big furniture and I pulled out 3 large bins of more stuff---I am amazed but also, this is the last of my purge and helps me in reaching our minimalist living style. I am still shocked at what we can live without and still have a VERY comfortable and chic life. ; )
Heather
"Hitch your wagon to a star"
http://somewheredownintexas-heather.blogspot.com |
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corabela
True Blue Farmgirl
79 Posts
Laura
Mount Vernon
Ohio
USA
79 Posts |
Posted - Nov 12 2009 : 08:37:27 AM
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Heather, I'm so happy to hear how you're handling moving. I just recently witnessed a total train wreck of a move by a good friend. She's an avid antique (and junk) collector as well as sadly, a poor planner. A year ago, she decided to move to a foreign country. She didn't get rid of anything, and wasn't even all packed the day her large 40 ft crate came, to load with her stuff. She hired movers only for one hour and was relying on charity for the remaining 20 hours it took to load the crate. It was such a mess. She's gone now, but I drove by her old house the other day (still for sale), and there's a HUGE pile of stuff on her porch, a HUGE pile of stuff in the back yard, a truck she'd been trying to sell in the front yard, and a barn also full of more stuff...none of which she could fit in the crate. She doesn't know how to get rid of any of it because she's not here anymore! We all encouraged her to get rid of more stuff long ago, but she couldn't part with it.
After that experience of helping her pack box after box of "crap", I wanted to literally go home and get rid of everything I own. Comfortable minimalism makes life so much easier. SO much easier.
~Laura
Please stop by my blog and my etsy site and say hello : )
www.corabela.blogspot.com
www.corabela.etsy.com |
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catscharm74
True Blue Farmgirl
4687 Posts
Heather
Texas
USA
4687 Posts |
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corabela
True Blue Farmgirl
79 Posts
Laura
Mount Vernon
Ohio
USA
79 Posts |
Posted - Nov 12 2009 : 10:51:51 AM
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Wow! Sounds adventurous! But also tiring. I moved four times in 2007. It took it right out of me. Going from TX to TN is a big move, I think. Completely different climate. Have you lived in Tennessee before?
~Laura
Please stop by my blog and my etsy site and say hello : )
www.corabela.blogspot.com
www.corabela.etsy.com |
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catscharm74
True Blue Farmgirl
4687 Posts
Heather
Texas
USA
4687 Posts |
Posted - Nov 12 2009 : 10:56:48 AM
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I once went to a Navy school in Memphis for 8 weeks...back in 1996...that is all...it is SOOOOO much colder here than TX. BRRRRRRR!!!! : (
It is very tiring but now we are to the point where I can pack the WHOLE house in 4 days, Scott loads the truck, in about 4-6 hours- depending on if I help a lot or not and we can unload even faster. I can have the whole house put back together, or at least unpacked, in 2 days. As long as I can clean before I move in, usually I will bring in the boxes and unload them as they come in. This helps free up space, gets the house cozy and homey really quick and we don't wake up in a complete disaster. Also, this means Charlie feels more secure and he can't get into everything and make an even bigger mess. : )
Heather
"Hitch your wagon to a star"
http://somewheredownintexas-heather.blogspot.com |
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corabela
True Blue Farmgirl
79 Posts
Laura
Mount Vernon
Ohio
USA
79 Posts |
Posted - Nov 12 2009 : 3:47:06 PM
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Wow!!!! Now that is impressive. Really impressive. I aim to get rid of enough stuff that that will be doable for us when we move! And Navy school is in landlocked Tennessee? Funny. : )
~Laura
Please stop by my blog and my etsy site and say hello : )
www.corabela.blogspot.com
www.corabela.etsy.com |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22937 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22937 Posts |
Posted - Nov 12 2009 : 8:28:35 PM
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We were able to pack up and move my house in 2 days of about 6 hours each. I had me and my husband, my mom and dad and two family friends. Now that I have donated so many things I bet we could get it down to just one day. I like living simple but I do like to have a few odds and ends like my books and china tea cups ;) Those slow packing a little. That an my husband is a total pack rat that hasn't seen the light yet. But at least we aren't buying much new.
However I did see a great opportunity for a Christmas gift for Nora tonight on clearance for $3 I got her a travel coloring desk with those "magic" markers that only color on the special paper. It'll get put away for the next month and she'll have lots of fun with it on Christmas when we are going to be doing some travelling.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
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corabela
True Blue Farmgirl
79 Posts
Laura
Mount Vernon
Ohio
USA
79 Posts |
Posted - Nov 13 2009 : 10:32:57 AM
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Honestly, I don't think I could pack in 2 days, let alone a week. It would take me about a week or two. We don't buy new stuff (for obvious reasons) but my husband has a hobby addiction. He loves VW's. We have 3. One is running, the other 2 are projects. There are engine hoists, engine stands, transmissions, hoses, bumpers, fuel lines, fenders, wheels, multiple toolboxes, and a lot more in the garage and the basement. That stuff is heavy...and would take a while to gather up in a movable way, I think. I also have sorted piles of things to sell or trade in the attic. Without that stuff though? 3 days. I can get rid of my selling piles but the car parts aren't going anywhere. ; )
That gift sounds really cool! We don't have any children yet so I'm not up on the new toy technology, but I had no idea they make special markers that don't write on anything other than special paper. How about that? That would keep ME busy in the car. : )
~Laura
Please stop by my blog and my etsy site and say hello : )
www.corabela.blogspot.com
www.corabela.etsy.com |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22937 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22937 Posts |
Posted - Nov 13 2009 : 12:31:27 PM
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Laura- I still think 3 days is really great! I love VW's too- well at least I really love the old Super Beetles! I had one until a kid smashed into it with an even older (and heavier) truck and totaled it. My dad is an original owner of a 1970 VW Bug. I would love to have one again. They are awesome little cars!
Yes, the gift should be great! We are also going to go in half-n-half with my mom and dad to buy here this great all wood stable with fences, barn, and animals! It'll be a great buy because it will last more than a lifetime!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
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vintagejenta
True Blue Farmgirl
83 Posts
Sarah
Walden
NY
USA
83 Posts |
Posted - Mar 14 2010 : 09:12:31 AM
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I've got a lot of friends (I graduated from undergrad 3 years ago) who are carrying $40-60,000 in student loan debt, some of it in high-interest personal loans from a bank (instead of the government). So while I can't personally relate to stressful piles of debt, I'm not exactly rich either.
I started saving money after my first job in high school to pay for a school-sponsored trip to France. My parents decided to pay my way as a graduation present. I'd saved up $2,000 in the bank, spent $500 in France, and just kept saving!
I was lucky enough to get two jobs and a cheap apartment right after graduation that let me pay my student loan bills (at least until I moved out East and started grad school last fall). But that didn't stop me from saving! I was a little profligate with all that money (spending it mainly on cheap clothes and eating out with friends), which I now regret a bit, but I wasn't too in debt.
Today my boyfriend and I live in a "cheap" apartment that is still $800/month and are just scraping by. The other day my boss commented on how much I cook (I bring leftovers for lunch all the time), and I replied, "I'm too poor not to cook at home!"
I haven't bought clothes, shoes, or other household items in months. We're down to buying food, toiletries, and paying for laundry. BUT! I'm still putting money in my savings account. In this economy and with my boyfriend and I working in the non-profit industry, It's just peace of mind to have savings we can rely on if either of us get laid off or our organizations go under.
I know how stressful it is to live of little money, but I can't even fathom the stress of having no money at all in savings with debt hanging over your head.
This is why I want a place of our own with a garden and some chickens and maybe, eventually, a milk cow - if you do it right, it will save you mega bucks!
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http://citygirlcountryfood.wordpress.com |
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corabela
True Blue Farmgirl
79 Posts
Laura
Mount Vernon
Ohio
USA
79 Posts |
Posted - Mar 14 2010 : 09:50:39 AM
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Sarah, it sounds like you've been incredibly lucky in the financial department, but more than that, incredibly smart from a young age. It's easy to keep saving once you've made it a die-hard habit. It's hard to start when you have so very little to begin with. We're trying to save again, but haven't. All the money I've made from my new job has gone into paying off debt and purchasing things we've needed for a LONG time or things we'll need for our garden this summer to grow our own food. My job ends in about a month (end of tax season) and I hope to be set up a little better than I was last year. Fewer bills, mainly, with the added bonus of homegrown food. Also, since I've been working full time I haven't had the time to make my own bread, use dried beans instead of canned, or make my own crackers and cookies. We're lucky if we even eat dinner before 9pm now. I guess that's what working full-time and commuting does to family dinners. When my job ends, I'll able to resume those sacred tasks and cut down on the spending. (How ironic, right?)
I guess I haven't really updated my situation lately...
My job has allowed me to pay down (and in some cases, pay off) several of my small debts and the rest will be completely gone once our tax return comes in. After that, only student loans and mortgages will remain. On the mortgage front, I'm very close to a solution. In the next year...probably 6 months...I will either have sold the house or given it back to the bank, and I will be FREE of that! Finally! I'm hoping to sell it, of course. The renter is moving out at the end of April and I'll have to find a new month-to-month renter who is okay with living in a house that may or may not sell at any moment. If I don't find such a person, I won't be able to pay the mortgage, and that's when I give the house back. I just switched realtors...I think the situation needed a woman's touch and now I have a fantastic woman marketing my house. She's been so generous as to donate some wine-colored shutters for the front of the house and my husband and I will be painting the door a matching red, as well as slapping a new coat of paint on the peeling garage. I have a good feeling it will sell.
As for our homesteading dreams...I grew tired of not having what I wanted. I threw a tantrum and demanded happiness from the universe and from God and things began to change. But not how I expected. Part of my demands were "no more life lessons and spiritual growth thru soul-crushing loss and dire financial disasters anymore!" At least for a while. I demanded a break. And rather than things outwardly changing, the way I felt about things slowly began to change. Rather than looking at my backyard and seeing our too-close neighbors and lack of space, I began to think of ways to make the most of the space. Rather than lament about our inability to have chickens, I started researching laws about urban chickens and checking out the moveable coops. Rather than coming home from work and collapsing into a tired heap that's too exhausted to be creative, I collapsed into a tired heap that looked around and saw an adoring husband, a winter oasis of green plants in the corner, a cupboard full of organic food.
The weird part is that this didn't happen by any effort of my own. I didn't TRY to feel grateful. I didn't TRY to push dissatisfaction out of my mind. It's that lovely thing called Grace. And it just keeps getting better. By a shift in inner perspective, the outward reality began to change. And it's one thing to be familiar with this concept in theory, and quite another to witness it first hand.
So my plans for post-tax-season unemployment? Rev up marketing on my etsy shoppe. Go to central Ohio farmers markets selling novelty jams and jellies, cut flowers and herbs, extra produce and seedlings from the garden, and my homemade organic soap and upcycled aprons where permitted. (Some farmers markets don't allow "crafts".) I'm going to try and get a Ladies Club of sorts together and do some tea parties, clothes swaps, seed swaps, and whatever else I can think of for us to do. (I don't know of any other farmgirls out here...haven't met any!) Last spring I was house-bound without a car, licking my wounds, and discovering the meaning of resourcefulness. This spring, I'm branching out. : )
~Laura
Please stop by my blog and my etsy site and say hello : )
www.corabela.blogspot.com
www.corabela.etsy.com |
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Keeping in Touch: The meaning of resourcefulness |
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The meaning of resourcefulness
