Ever feel like you're the only one?

[Truckinguy]

Why do I seem to be the only one that I know personally who is trying to live simpler, more back to the earth and pay down debt? Don't get me wrong, I have the best family and friends in the world and very smart and reasonable people but they just seem to be caught up in the modern rat race and not really looking for a way out of it except to work more to pay the bills instead of reducing the bills and being more self sufficient.

I can't pretend to know everyone's financial position but most people look at me like I have three heads when I tell them I raise and butcher rabbits, I"m getting chickens and I don't need the latest cell phone/Lexus/flat screen tv/big house, etc. I"m trying to live within my paycheque and not use any credit while I have some telling me "Come on, live a little!". Believe me, I"ve lived a lot which resulted in a bit of a rocky road a few years ago and now that I"ve learned my lesson the hard way I"m doing things differently. It just gets discouraging sometimes when it seems everyone else is going in a different direction.

I know this isn't particularly a homesteading oriented forum but I know quite a few people came from HT and understand what I"m talking about. Sorry, I guess the gloomy day kind of got to me.... sorry for the vent....

 

[Anntann]

Must not let it get you down You're saving money. Learning skills. Trying to get out of the debt trap. All good. what happens to the guy who has $20,000 in credit card debt when he loses his job? Or has an accident and can't work? Or..god forbid..what happens to his FAMILY if he dies? Can't eat the fancy Wii, or that humongous flat screen home theatre thing. Sell it for less than 10% of the purchase price.

Getting rid of debt gets rid of a HUGE stress. And that, in turn, helps with health issues.

We got our first cell phone 2 years ago. TWO, not five or 10. :lol: and it does NOT take pictures. We dont' text unless it's an emergency and get get through on the phone. Only reason we have it is because the farm doesn't have a land line.

My mother hated..HATED the idea of farming, butchering, raising anything but her vegetables for canning and the flowers. My father's family were always buying things they neither needed nor could afford. Grandma in particular. After 60 years of marriage, christmases, birthdays, etc...she STILL would go out and buy herself crystal vases, silverware, rings, brooches, knick-knacks.

I think most of my town neighbors would be astonished to learn we EAT the chickens and rabbits we keep out at the farm. I know they think I'm crazy for not having the house all dolled up with fancy curtains and furniture. We sort of live in "college eclectic" :razz: Almost all our money goes into getting the farm going/built.

I DO miss the vacations we used to do. Miss them A LOT. But maybe I can get this rabbit showing thing going and turn that into "there's a show out in Oregon I want to go to!" and then tack a few days vacation on to the show!

 

[Shara]

You know how people say "there's one in every family", meaning the loony one? That' you. Lol, and me too! My hubby's family and all our freinds spend money that I don't know where it came from. We are all low-income, but there are a couple who are always asking others for money. Meanwhile hey have new furniture, tv, gaming systems, ect, from the rent-to-own store (which, by the way is 3x as expensive as buying new...) And whining about how they have no food "can we come over for dinner?" lol, when they eat out at MC Donald's everyday!

 

[MaggieJ]

I guess I'm used to being "different". Been that way all my life and my family raised us to think for ourselves and not follow the crowd. Consumer goods have never been important to me. My interests and the time to follow them are important... and I like a simple life. It can make you feel a little lonely sometimes, but I figure that is a small price to pay for the good things it brings.

 

[Half Caper Farm]

My aunt and her new husband were over from England back in May, visiting my parents. They came to see our place and were just in awe of our "lifestyle"! My aunt could see how happy I am to have my farm and my animals.

We have no debt. We don't drive the latest and the greatest - far from it - but everything is paid for. We have clothes on our back (Value Village!), food on the table, a roof over our heads, money in the bank. We don't have the latest toys, but we don't want them and wouldn't have time for them if we did.We've got horses to ride, goats to play with, beautiful property to roam - and good neighbours. I don't think we've turned the television on in at least three years. We don't go on vacations - we're right where we want to be! No need to get away from it all. My "vacation" is the three days I spend at the Royal Winter Fair in November, showing my goats.

So, if you're happy doing what you do, who cares what the rest of the world thinks? Most of the world has always considered me a bit weird - nothing new there.

 

[HendricksHearth]

I get like that too sometimes, Truckinguy. Sometimes when my interest in being self-sustainable comes up for whatever reason, my family looks at me like I am bonkers and sometimes strangers, co-workers, fellow students, etc. do too. I try to remember that when the going gets tough, the skills I have now and those I am trying to develop for the future will help me get back on my feet, and a whole lot faster than those that are "living a little," and wind up in bad situations because of it. My family was so poor when they came to the US- they were just sheep farmers that wanted the opportunity for something more. My Dad started with nothing and now is doing very well because he had survival skills, taught himself how to repair things and how to work with what he had, and how to save what little he made had for later. I look at him now and he is retired, very happy, comfortably well-off, and is exactly where he wants to be. I look at other people his age and they are in debt, working, stressed, frantic, and sick. I know which group I want to be in when I am his age and I also think it is a good way of life for a family. Sure it is hard work, but I know when we sit down to a homegrown meal that we are simply enjoying the rewards that our labors bring.

I also agree with Half Caper- if you are happy, that is all that matters.

Hang in there,

Lauren

 

[Anntann]

You know, when the relatives or friends start talking about Living a Little, you can think about the time you spend with your rabbits, or doing things YOU like doing...and how you're paying down your debt NOW instead of having to take out a second mortgage to pay for some vacation you took. You won't need cholesterol reducing medication since you're eating well, healthy meat.

Just smile at your friends/family and offer them some rabbit jerky :razz:

 

[eco2pia]

I love this life and I love this group!

I have kids that wear value village happily, eat unconventional but healthy food, are already cost-conscious, and I know I am teaching them a better way.

We have never had a cell phone. We don't have any credit cards. My mortgage is my only debt, and it is only half the value of my place, even in today's market. We may not have as much junk as everyone else, but when the car breaks down, or somebody needs braces, or glasses, it's no emergency, because we have a healthy savings account and we are ready to roll.

All this on a "lower-income". We chose this life, too. You aren't alone! We are richer than they know.

 

[rabbitgeek]

Ha! I know the feeling T-guy!

You should have seen the look on my neighbors face at the last place when we put up an clothesline, the umbrella type that spins. He wanted to know if our clothes dryer was broken. I told him no that we like to dry outside, especially in summer so we can use less energy and save some money during the season when our electric bill goes up from air conditioning and summer utility rates. You know, like they teach the kids in school, conserve resources.

He nodded and said "That's a good idea."

So keep doing it your way. Today for dinner we had cheese enchiladas and cooked pinto beans. It was a simple dinner and even my sons are amazed how good this "peasant food" can be. Peasant food is my term for the home style Calif Mexican cooking.

Instead of fancy vacations in exotic locations, we are taking car trips and camping out. The time spent together is the real value. We can spend a little more when we get there if we don't spend it on air fares and fancy lodging. So we can go to a museum, or have amusement rides on the boardwalk or buy a corndog!

We are not going to rabbit shows every month, so we can go other places.

Simplicity has its own elegance. I can make burritos on an open fire. I still haven't fried chicken and cooked rice on an open fire. But it's on the list.

You can "Live a little" but do it your way.

Have a good day!

 

[Truckinguy]

Thanks, you folks are awesome. Sorry, just had a down day. I did a great cleaning job on the whole house which always makes me feel good. I am happy trying to live this lifestyle and my family and friends are great people but I still get the feeling they think I'm a little bonkers. They're not really into the rabbit meat but I couldn't give away the eggs I got from chickensitting fast enough.

I grew up in Toronto for the first 38 years of my life and have enjoyed the last 6 years out in the country more then you know. I"m so happy when I"m out working with the rabbits and looking forward to getting chickens. I"m glad to be part of this group and HT, it's good to know there are others out there who share these views on life.

Half Caper Farm, I want to get down the the fair again this year, I'll keep a look out for you.

 

[Miss M]

Venting is allowed here, Truckinguy! As far as your family and friends go, just keep your eyes on the prize.

You know you are doing the right thing. You can see the handwriting on the wall (I know you're not in the US, but it isn't just the US that is in trouble!), and you are living in a way that will help keep you going in rough times. Not having debt is probably going to be very important soon, and your family and friends will wish they had listened to you. Being as self-sufficient as possible will be important, too... and you may end up teaching the lot of them.

Goodness, even if economic calamity doesn't come, some scientists think that we are in for some serious solar flares in a year or two or three. That would be enough right there to take us all back to the 1800s overnight.

Banking on all of our current luxuries always being here for us is not wise. It is always wise to be as self-sufficient as you can. If you live in an apartment (like we did until recently), there's only so much you can do. If you live in a house in the city, which we do now, you can do more. And we are. If you have a farm, there's so much you can do to be self-sufficient, and you can even enjoy it!

You are living very wisely in these times. Your efforts to be more self-sufficient and paying down your debt are the best investments anyone could be making right now.

That said, yes, sometimes we feel alone. I wonder if anyone else in this subdivision can see what's coming. More and more people are becoming aware that they should become more self-sufficient, which is why you have the backyard chicken movement (wish we could have chickens. We're allowed to have three in this city. But my uncle's homeowner's policy forbids chickens, because then this would be a "farm". :? ).

 

[Shannon Shanks]

Definitely not the only one. We're working on sharing property with friends. People think we're completely nuts. When we go through the "why" part of the conversation (economics, work load, built in animal sitters etc) they can understand it logically...but DEAR GOD!! SHARE!!? It's just not done these days. It's the sharing that gets them. The self sufficiency, getting out of the rat race, even building the cob house. They don't even question that part of it. Just the sharing.

Personally, we think they're nuts for their huge debt load. To each their own lunacy I guess.

 

[Miss M]

That's great that you have trustworthy friends you can share property with! We've thought of doing this, but the only friends we have who are on something of the same page we are live a thousand miles away. Maybe we'll meet somebody here.

Kinda sad when sharing brings such a reaction! Something of a commentary on modern society.

 

[Shannon Shanks]

It certainly does. The thing is this used to be fairly common. Kinda sad.

We still have a LOT of details to work out as well as the legal stuff, but it's should work well. It helps that most of what we want to do overlaps and the property is large enough for where we diverge. We also have a lot of complimentary skills.

This just kind of evolved out of many conversations about what we want to be doing and more importantly why we want to be doing it. Keep looking.

Shannon