How to get started?

[yotetrapper]

Ok lots of good points here. First of all, I am no where near retirement age LOL, I'm 27. My husband is nearly 30 years my senior. He loves to live in the country, and is cool with chickens and gardens. The thing I can't convince him of is livestock.

I want a milk cow, or at the very least some goats. And I want to raise pigs, and turkeys to slaughter. If we moved we would sell this house (owned outright) and buy another. We would have enough for the house.... just not the extra acreage I wanted. We might even have enough for the extra acreage, but I'm not sure I couuld convince HIM we needed the extra acres lol.

I thought if I could come up with the money to pay the difference in a house with say, 1 acre as opposed to 5 or 6... we could do that. And I feel that if I bought the additional acres, he would have a hard time saying no to the livestock (he even sort of said as much one day when I said I would buy my own acre and get a cow, LOL).

So I guess what I was really wondering is ideas on how to save money. I like the ideas of using money saved by gardening to put away but anyone else have other ideas how to stretch my meagre paychecks?

I seperated my chickens into seperate runs this year, after seeing how much hatching eggs were selling for. Figured if I was keeping all these neat breeds of chickens, I might as well seperate them into their own seperate pens and sell eggs for $20/doz as opposed to $1.

Maybe over this long cold winter, I'll start making soaps and crocheting items to sell at the farmers market next year along with extra vegetables, etc.

 

[Beekissed]

Raise bees, sell honey, make beeswax candles and sell.
Raise herbs, sell online or to local eateries.
Raise vegetables, sell at roadside.
Make soaps, sell everywhere!
Raise cut flowers, sell to local florists, or dry and make attractive arrangements to sell as gifts or funeral bouquets.
Pay cash or do without.
Make your own bread, detergent, food, clothing, etc.
Heat with wood.
Drink water instead of other, more costly liquids.
Recycle things into something else, to avoid buying materials to build new.
Buy at Dollar stores or thrift stores.
Save money on gas by staying at home or combining errands.
Get rid of car payments and buy a used car for cash.
Keep trying to find ways to cut costs and put those savings in a savings account.

 

[yotetrapper]

Raise bees, sell honey, make beeswax candles and sell.
Raise herbs, sell online or to local eateries.
Raise vegetables, sell at roadside.
Make soaps, sell everywhere!
Raise cut flowers, sell to local florists, or dry and make attractive arrangements to sell as gifts or funeral bouquets.
Pay cash or do without.
Make your own bread, detergent, food, clothing, etc.
Heat with wood.
Drink water instead of other, more costly liquids.
Recycle things into something else, to avoid buying materials to build new.
Buy at Dollar stores or thrift stores.
Save money on gas by staying at home or combining errands.
Get rid of car payments and buy a used car for cash.
Keep trying to find ways to cut costs and put those savings in a savings account.

Good ideas. We have bees, but they're my husbands. I've been waiting to find my own swarm, but no luck yet.

I have no credit cards, or car payments, but gas is a killer. I drive nearly 30 miles one way to work!!

My one venture in beeswax candles didnt work. They would not burn!? Guess I can try it again, though.

I've been pushing for a woodstove for 3 years now, thought I finally had him convinced, but think I just lost that battle again.

I do make my own laundry detergent, and shop at thrift stores. Sometimes I make bread.

 

[enjoy the ride]

Most of the recommendations I've heard about saving (not from personal experience-I'm pitiful,) is to simply start- put whatever you can into a dedicated account. If it's on a couple of dollars a month then so be it........
I think then that it becomes a more pleasant thing to find creative ways to save more. The I did not buy "x" so that money goes into the account.
Can you car pool with anyone? Some places at work have van pools that they actually pay for but I suppose if this were true, you'd already know. Or maybe your employer would allow you to work more hours on less days so you can cut your trips down?
I live near the top of a road that drops 1500 feet in 5 miles- towards the end at a really steep rate- I hate to say I've become so cheap but I put the truck in neutral for large parts of it. I would never turn the motor off but this helped squeeze an extra almost mile/gallon out of my trips- I'm not sure whether I will spend all of that with brake work later.
I also went through the truck and took out anything I really didn't need like the rubber mat in the bed and the million things I simply tended to carry but never really use.
Since diesel is $5.10 per gallon, it really motivated me to think about my driving.
Whatever you do- I hope you find that great piece of land you want just at the point it is perfect to buy.

 

[mockingbird girl]

I'm kinda in the same boat as you.. I live on .69 of an acre, looking at buying 5 acres right now but its so expensive in my town. 5 acres for $12,000.00. It would take me forever to save up that kinda money. (and thats a great deal.. I have found 2 acres for 28k, and 1 acre for 18k.. this land I'm looking at is all overgrown pasture.

So for now I make the most of it. I have a huge garden, 35 chickens 4 ducks, meat rabbits (4 does, 2 bucks).. about to butcher 29 bunnies in 2 weeks time. That's about the extent that I've gone..

I have been putting any money I make from my animals into my savings acct. I'm not doing half bad. I was selling chicks for $4/chick. Selling eggs for $1.50 a carton. Selling my rabbit meat for $1.50 per pound live weight.

With the 5 acres I'm hoping to get a few dexter cattle, sheep, & goats. Wish me luck though! And good luck with your future land purchase!

 

[Beekissed]

Sounds like you're quite productive for what space you have, Mockingbird! Nice to hear about someone making money on a small acreage...gives everyone hope.

 

[MyBackAchers]

Nice garden pics!

If you want "more land" and can not expand where you are at (the first option is to make use of every inch of space you have - you'd find you can do a lot more with it when given some thought) - - , try finding a place for sale via contract for deed. Most for sale want something down but the credit thing is a no-brainer. There are so many even on eBay or Yahoo classifieds - take the hubby out to look at some and see if the sellers can do a CD.

A lot of people live with no credit history, card or what ever. And it is best that way when banks are so shaky.

MyBackAchers.com

A dog's Paradise is no less a Paradise.

 

[shareneh]

I have saved sooo much money by not buying groceries every other week. I stock up on all the basics and refuse to buy more until I am low low low. I realized that I saved at least one grocery bill per month doing this. Take that money and put it away.

You can also pay yourself a few bucks into a savings account and vow not to touch it. Even if it's five bucks that is more than you had last week.

I agree with the others, try to find a contract for deed. That is how I got my current house.

Be creative, it is fun once you get started.

I also believe that you can improve your credit. Pay off all the outstanding debt and then start putting the money you were paying to pay off the debt into your savings account.

Tell relatives and friends you are willing to work a day a week cleaning or babysitting and you will make a day's wages there too.

If you show your hubby that you are willing to come up with the down payment for this dream he might jump on board.

 

[enjoy the ride]

If you're looking for a great deal, it helps to be ready to pounce if it becomes available. That means knowing what you want, what issues like water or septic could come up in the area you want, knowing good neighborhoods and one you don't want to be near. Off road on on- and what issues ewach might have. Look at real estate magazines and share with your husband. Then spreading the word around- another person might have a relative or neighbor with something suitable.
And lots of field trips- I found my second house on a trip to go to see a realtor- I passed a sign on the road that the house was for sale- one I had already looked at but couldn't come to any terms with the owner. I arrived at the realtor's office saying that I already knew the house I wanted. Made her day for sure.