How to get started?

[yotetrapper]

My husband and I currently live on a little more'n an acre in the country. He'll be retiring before too much longer, and a move isnt out of the question. I would like to live on at least 10 acres, part wooded, part pasture, with maybe a small barn. Just enough for a huge garden, and maybe some goat and pig pens. And of course my chicken collection lol.

But I think I'll have trouble convincing him of the cost of 10 acres. He doesnt really share my homesteading dreams. So I would like to come up with the money to cover the expense of 10 acres, but have no idea how to start?

I only make around $8/hr, bring home $200 a week if am lucky. By the time I buy groceries and gas, most of that is gone. Even if I managed to save $50 of that $200 a week, a year's saving would only buy 1 acre. My credit was ruined when I was younger, so that is out, and I'm not sure I could convince Dh of a loan, either. Any ideas?

 

[Beekissed]

Yote, some folks are forming a co-op type thing where a small group, say 2-3 families, go in together to buy a small acreage and agree to share in the work and resources from the place. We were discussing this on BYC one day not too long ago. There are folks over there who are doing it now and it is working great. This may also be an option more appealing to you if your husband doesn't share your dream. You could have a way to have folks around who share your interests and provide you with the help you will need. They even described buying heavy equipment together and sharing it, etc.

I would eventually like to do this with my sons and we have discussed it a little. I think, in these days, it will be important for families to share expenses and land, in order to maximize the possibilities for everyone. One of us might not be able to afford a farm, but 4 of us? That sounds a little easier! It would have to be done with a very professional, legally-binding contract with strangers(and family also, I'm sure!), but it sounds like more and more people are doing it. I've been reading about it in Countryside magazine, also.

 

[yotetrapper]

Well that's definitely something to consider, but I'm not sure how it would work for me. I'm not a very personable person lol. I'd be completely happy if my nearest neighbor was a mile away. But it is something I will definitely think about.

 

[miss_thenorth]

First thing I would do is clear up your credit rating. Even people who have gone bankrupt can work hard to clean up theirs, so they can buy a home etc. Talk to your bank about that.

You and hubby need to talk out different- type scenarios, on what he might like, or at least be able to tolerate., and see if you can come up with some type of a compromise.

There are two things I would be concerned with, though, just for your consideration. More land means more work. --fences, maintenance, etc. when your getting older (retirement age), have you really thought about how much more work is involved with having a farm? (not to mention the price tag of all the stuff that needs to be done)

And at retirement, do you really want another mortgage hanging over your head?

Not trying to discourage you, but things need to be kept in perspective.

i hear eggzactly what your saying about the neighbours. I didn't want neighbours close to me either. I wanted out in the country forever, and finally had my dream come true last year. i have three acres, with a small barn, and a workshop for hubby. on that land, i have my two horses, two goats, over 30 chickens, a nice sized garden (although its a write off this year) three is still plenty of room for a yard and a play area for the kids. I have all I need on three acres, although more would be nice, three is plenty.

You and hubby need to be on the same page first, and then go from there. but it never hurts to clear up your credit rating.

 

[enjoy the ride]

The first thing I thought was to try growing as much of your own food as you can on your acre. For one thing money not spent on groceries could be saved but also, even if it meant less income, garden produce is not taxable as is wages. And you don't need gas to get to "work."
You could even form a business if you think you can make a profit maybe selling produce/eggs. This would allow expenses to be deductable and reduce your income for taxes.
I had less than 3/4's of an acre with a small green house I built myself. I had thirteen raised beds for gardening. thirteen semi-dwarf trees which produce much earlier than full sized trees, two berry patches and a small barn and paddock. Plus plenty of room for flowers- which also could be sold. And herbs alsways seem to be marketable and are easy to grow.
It was amazing how much I could produce on that land. And the more I planted in vegetables and fruit, the less work it actually was due to no lawn.
I don't know how much you do that now, but that now, but if you don't grown mcuh now, this could give your husband a taste (lol) of producing your own food and he might even get addicted to the idea of more growing room.

PS I don't know where you live but you could also research other palces to buy- but I think you must already live in an inexpensive area to buy land as I can't think that $5-6000 could even buy a twentieth of a city lot here.

 

[patandchickens]

One thing that might help on the affordability *and* the convincing-husband end of things would be to think about what it is about those ten acres that you really need i.e. would use. Ten acres is a considerable amount of land for just a garden, some goats and chickens - in the East anyhow. Seems to me that you could do those things quite gracefully with significantly less, if nece$$ity required. If (I am guessing here) it is the isolation or the scenery that you want, then it is not that much extra hard to find somewhere with 1-5 acres that's surrounded by other peoples' larger tracts of forest or farmland.

A smaller chunk o' land is not only going to have lower purchase price and lower taxes, but it will be (all other things being equal) less work and cost to keep up.

And if you can determine what exactly it is that your husband isn't in favor of -- is it the expense? the isolation? the work? certain amenities he wants? etc -- then you can start thinking about ways to compromise so that you both get the CORE of what you each want. Which is probably important because no matter what exactly you mean by 'homesteading' it is going to involve a whole lot of work and a goodly amount of trading off city/affluent/luxury type indulgences, and if both people are not on the same page it really does not generally work very well at *all*.

Fortunately you have some years yet to hash it out and figure out something you can both live with

Good luck,

Pat

 

[Beekissed]

Yote, my credit isn't the greatest either. Oh, not from bad credit, but I just never really got around to establishing good credit. I never had a credit card and payed off major loans very quickly. I didn't know that this would count against me later! Apparently, they want to see you making payments for a long time, in order to see how well you make payments! Who knew?

So, I'm sort of in the same boat as you. I get around that by renting. I would LOVE to have my own place, but with one income (not stellar, I might add) its nearly impossible....though, there are some government loans that are available to folks like us.

Finding a good landlord is kind of tricky, but I finally found a good place to rent, he is going to lower my rent by $25 each year I continue to live there and he lets me develop the land as I see fit. Yes, he could sell this house and I would have to start over somewhere else, but that's a chance I'm willing to take. Life is about change.

For now, I am growing vegetables for selling, I have an apple orchard (16 trees) for picking and selling and I've got chickens for selling of the eggs. All on about 1.5 acres. I also do not have any near neighbors and have large fields on all sides. Now, admittedly, I had to move around a bit and search hard and pray even harder, but it can happen! This might be an option? The rent is $375 a month, has 3 bedrooms, free water(well is great), my highest utility this year was $43, heat with wood, has a cellar, henhouse, two outbuildings and a small garage.
No property taxes, no home maintenance, pick up and move if you feel like it without having to sell the property...it does have its advantages.

And beautiful views!

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[enjoy the ride]

Beekissed- what lovely pictures- that is a sweet place.

 

[Beekissed]

Thanks! God was watching over me on this one! We moved 6 times in 2 years to find the perfect place. Actually, we weren't going to stay here, as we had our eye on a place in VA, but we decided to bloom where we were planted and it worked out well! Got a good house in a good location with a good landlord(very hard to find one of those ) and it was worth the struggle to find it!

We put in the fencing across the front and the gates, painted the trim and shutters, and built this big garden...but everything else was already here!

 

[hoosier]

I love your place!