Do you have SS friends? Or do your friends think you are weird?

[hsm6kids]

LOL I am definitely an oddity here. Everyone I know are more into getting there hair and nails done than making soap, or bread, or gardening, etc. Not to mention the chickens and my goat dreams. I find I have little in common with family and friends and they rarely come around anymore. Funny though I am happier than I have ever been. They used to bring there kids here dressed real nice and clean as a whistle, never lasted long and they would be so upset about the stains that they might have to try and remove from there kids cloths. I told them you should know by now that here we get dirty, real dirty and we have fun doing it. The kids always want to come to aunt tracys house though and I always enjoy watching them get dirty playing in the garden or with the chickens.

 

[2dream]

Weird is to mild a word for what people think of me. I am more the "strange" one.

I just tell people that if they think I am strange now hang around for a while and watch how stange it really gets.

Fortunately my children and DH thinks all this is normal. Gardens, chickens, rabbits, canning, no credit cards and if you can't pay for it you can't get it.

My mother has always thought I was off my rocker. My dad has always admired my tenacity. I don't have much to do with my materialistic family. We talk occasionally and it is usually them whinning about what they don't have, can't get, how much they owe and "I don't know what we are gonna do, we are about to lose the house". My comments are usually not welcome as you can well imagine.

I figure right about now the Jones' are wondering how they can keep up with me. Since I still have a roof over my head, eating like there is no recession and driving my old Toyota that gets 35 mpg.

 

[Beekissed]

Oh, Yeah! Same here....I get a little irritated with the whole I-can't-pay-my-bills saga when someone is driving two new cars and living in a very expensive home. Can't they figure out what causes this phenomenon? Their response...well, a person has to drive, ya know! Funny how my vehicle gets me to work the same as theirs!

 

[FarmerChick]

Welcome to the forum NurseNettie

great attitude....live and let live!

alot of great tips, jump in and join the chats! nice people on board who have the SS in their blood! LOL

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Oh, Yeah! Same here....I get a little irritated with the whole I-can't-pay-my-bills saga when someone is driving two new cars and living in a very expensive home. Can't they figure out what causes this phenomenon? Their response...well, a person has to drive, ya know! Funny how my vehicle gets me to work the same as theirs!

You know, I have the same quandry with a few of my friends! Well, one in particular. She and her DH both work, and they are barely making ends meet...BUT they just got cable turned on because they only had one channel...Oh and their cell phone service was temporarily suspended and she just HAD to have her cell phones back on! But she tells me in chat she doesn't know how they are going to make it, that she hopes things get better soon...etc etc...

She simply doesn't understand how DH and I manage with neither of us working out of the home. Simple. The only extras I have are my phone (landline) and internet. Those would be gone tomorrow, too if I needed the money for something else! Or if I couldn't afford it anymore, ya know?

 

[the simple life]

Let's see... I recently got a not so nice email from a soon to be former brother in law, who basically told me I have no right to speak on the subject at hand, after all, I "ran away to re-invent yourself like some kind of know it all"....

The original subject was not relevant here, but what I pulled out of it from him that there's something "not quite right" about people trying to do what "we" do... Grow and raise food, live closer to the earth, live more simple-- whatever our idea of self sufficiency is ( I know we all pick and choose where we're going with it).

I literally laughed as I read it. Re-inventing is not wrong, nor is our choice to take a step back and try not to take more than we need, and even make a positive contribution to the earth and ourselves.

I suppose it's like any other lifestyle choice. I don't expect anyone to condone or approve my choices. It's not for anyone else to decide or even be concerned with as far as I see. If you want to know more about what I'm doing-- ask and I'll share as much as I know. If not, keep your comments to yourself, and I'll do the same about your lifestyle choices.

I don't find it lonely, because I have a lot here-- in my home, and in my life, to keep me busy and keep me from being lonely. My husband is probably more on board with this than I am. We're 6 months into our "newly re-invented life" and loving it and learning more every day!

I think its important to reinvent yourself every once in a while.
Change is important and change can either just happen to you or you can make the right changes that are right for you and make it into something positive.

It sounds kind of like he is jealous that you would have the guts to make a lifechanging decision. Also, maybe he is offended because you maybe lived a similar life to him and then when you changed it he finds it insulting.
Like now his life is not good enough for you?
I don't know, just wondering. I saw a similar thing happen and I know that was the situation there, maybe he has the same kind of notion in his head.
It sounds like he is insecure.
He had no right to write you a letter about it though.
Good luck with everything, its nice that you are living the kind of life that makes you happy.

 

[Beekissed]

I got called a hippy today and it reminded me of this thread! I was in a craft/gift shop with a very nonfrugal co-worker, as she just wanted to stop into this shop "for a minute" on our way to a patient's house. She was buying a bowl, a handmade pottery bowl, that was very pretty and it cost $40. She asked me if she should buy it!

The way she worded it was, "Would you pay $40 for this bowl?" Well, of course, she asked the wrong person! I said, "Are you asking me if I think YOU should pay $40 for a bowl, or would I pay $40?" She looked me up and down and said, "OH! That's right! You are a hippy and you make your own laundry detergent!"

I just laughed and said, "Downright, lady, and $40 would buy me a heck of alot of bars of FelsNaptha!"

 

[gettinaclue]

I spoke to my SIL about my plans for chickens and garden (I even sent her some origami(sp?)Pots from newspaper I made) and she and I are pretty much on the same wave length. To bad she lives half way across the country.

I spoke to my mother and I could hear her flipping out over the phone. In a nut shell she told me I would fail and to go ahead and give up the ghost. Said it was to much hard work. I thanked her for her opinion, told her I loved loved her and we haven't spoken of it since.

I have friends all the way back from middle school, but I haven't made any since then. I have aquaintances(sp?) And they are also complaining about their car payments and credit card debt after they just bought "bling". I don't initiate contact.

DH had slowly been introduced to some of my ideas and then we had a long conversation about a month ago. I told him what I imagine I would like to do, but was concerned about how far he would want to go. His response? We'll take it as far as you want to take it, I'm on board
.
I adore this man!

 

[me&thegals]

Awesome husband, gettinaclue!! Mine just built me bat houses and tapped the maple trees tonight, so I'm feeling the love glow myself

Some of my friends are definitely not SS at all. One came to hike in the woods and pick morels once in platform heels But, I dearly love her anyway.

Others of my friends garden and can. One of my best friends has lots of chickens and is planning to start beekeeping with me this spring. Another grinds her own grains, has an enormous garden and cans 100s upon 100s of jars each year, makes ALL her food from scratch, makes maple syrup, etc. She's the one who taught me how to make butter, buttermilk and yogurt. It's fun to have at least one friend who is even MORE SS than you. That way, when you're getting picked on, you can point out that SHE is even weirder than you are!

I think it's fun to have friends of all types. I try not to be preachy, they don't scoff at me, and we all enjoy each other!

 

[gettinaclue]

I read about your bat houses! We have bats here already. They fly so close to our heads sometimes I feel like ducking! LOL When I was in HS (about 100 years ago) an old house that had been infested had been poisoned and the colony scattered. One got into the house, and lil' ol' me had to make a midnight run to the "facilities" as mom put it. I stepped on something small and soft in the middle of the hall and it squeaked. I thought it was a new dog toy. I turned on the light and screamed for all I was worth!!

I felt so bad for him after I found out he was sick.

I'm so greatful for them now! They really keep the bugs down.

I've been looking into planting some sugar maples since I saw you tapped your trees but think I may be a little to far south and may need to consider a different maple. I'll have to read up more on that. I'm so jealous over your future maple syrup!!!! Hopefully I'll have some one of these days.

The honey help me do list keeps getting longer!!!!