I guess I should introduce myself.--something to say

[Frosting]

Hello,

I thought maybe I should tell you about myself. I have 1 DH and 2 children. We have a dairy farm with chickens and pigs. Chickens are for eggs and meat and the pigs will taste good. I have a good sized garden that I will be doing lots of canning and freezing from.

I'm lucky enough to live in a neighborhood where SS isn't a strange way of life. Many here are living from paycheck to paycheck and are looking for ways to be more SS. It's not uncommon to exchange items or labor for assistance instead of money here.

 

[Dace]

Hi Frosting

It sounds like you already have a great start! What part of the country are you in?

I am in So Cal and my ideas of SS living are not exactly embraced. We are living in a rental right now ..hubby's business collapsed with the economy and we lost our house so I do not have my garden this year but I did managed to get chickens, and I adore them!
Edited to add....I woudl love to have meat animals....someday. For now I am looking for a farm to sell me a portion- on the hoof.

How long have you been working on becoming more SS?

 

[Frosting]

I'm in Wisconsin. Where else with happy dairy cows?

SS has been something I've slowly worked at for many years. It started with the farm and being able to do our own vet work, as much as possible anyway. Then moved to fighting for time to garden and can. We've always raised our own beef but, then I pushed with the chickens for eggs and meat. Now this year I went and got the pigs. DH didn't complain about them, we had talked about it before but, never got them.

We now raise our own meat, milk, eggs, and most of our vegetables.

 

[Tallman]

With the milk prices being what they are, how are you coping?

Glad to have ya'.

 

[Frosting]

With the milk prices being what they are, how are you coping?

Glad to have ya'.

The SS helps greatly and we have been very careful not to go into more debt than necessary. Milk prices were good last year and we paid down/off what we could instead of taking out more loans like a lot of farmers did.

 

[Dace]

So your family income is form the dairy farm?

Ah...my dream come true! I was sooo born in the wrong area

 

[Frosting]

So your family income is form the dairy farm?

Ah...my dream come true! I was sooo born in the wrong area

DH works off the farm for the health insurance but, the basic bills are paid for by the farm. DH's paycheck covers the groceries and extras but, his paycheck itself could be made up if he were home full time with odd jobs. He has a big demand there but, not enough time. It would also give me more time to do farmers markets.

 

[Aidenbaby]

Welcome to SS, Frosting. I'm jealous that yall have such a fabulous neighborhood. I thought my neighbors would be more like that but they are mostly kind of catty and two-faced.

I, too, wish we could have more critters. As it is, my "girls" are running illegal but quiet. They are going to start laying here in the next two months. I would like to say I had a garden but I'm struggling and the weeds are starting to move in more and more. While I am married, my hubby does nothing whatsoever in the gardens or with the poultry (we only have 6 chooks). He was more or less raised to believe that garden work is exactly that, work.

 

[Tallman]

The SS helps greatly and we have been very careful not to go into more debt than necessary. Milk prices were good last year and we paid down/off what we could instead of taking out more loans like a lot of farmers did.

Good for you!

 

[punkin]