Dare to Live the Dream

[Mahonri]

Quote:
I own 7.78 acres of my dad's original farm in Utah. I have always wanted to move there and put a nice farmhouse with a basement and a big barn and chicken coop.

I finally realized I have too many kids to ever be able to afford to do that. I have no debt but college is EXPENSIVE. (I have 7 kids, oldest is 21, youngest is 6)

As a kid I learned to grow food, with time available, I would be a Master Gardner. I can grow LOTS of food. I ran and managed two large orchards as a teenager... I know well how to grow fruit.

I know how to raise most poultry, milk & beef cows and pigs. I have the know how to dig a well and to pump it with solar & wind energy.

I'm just never going to be able to do it.

But I still dream about it.

Once I realized I would never fulfill my dreams, I built a chicken coop in my backyard.

 

[Emzyyy]

Im young, I dream. I would like to have a big farm a nice house. I plan on adopting a couple kids and giving them a life where they can be learn to be self efficient. I'd like to have a christmas tree farm, I don't know I just think it would be really cool to grow organic christmas trees. I want my family to be vegetarian, but if that can't happen we will raise our own poultry and such.

 

[Cindiloohoo]

We, as in my husband and I, and 2 girls, have a dream too. We want to build up to buy more land. We are currently trying to pay off our house and 1.5 acres so that we can turn around and sell to buy a "real" farm. We have gotten started with chickens, goats, turkeys, and quail. Eventually we want to have enough land to throw some cattle in the mix. We want to be self-sufficient. That's our goal. We don't have opportunity to buy more land where we are currently sitting, so a move is a must or we would stay where we are now. We have gotten burnt out on the construction lifestyle of moving to a different city every other 6 months or so, while trying to maintain our family being together in a little travel trailer, and paying a mortgage so we have a home base. We just want to have a nice home, and be able to work from home TOGETHER. I currently homeschool, and sell chickens and eggs

and he's currently unemployed so...it's a long way off, but I NEVER give up!! This is just a temporary setback!!

 

[CoyoteMagic]

I've already built my dream house. 4k sq ft totally green right on down to the composting potties!! In the morning I watch the sun come up over the upper gulf of mexico, aka Sea of Cortez. You can sometimes see whales and dolphins. Many birds follow the fishing boats as they head out for the day.

We have someone who comes twice a week to dust and do the household chores I don't like. But most of the time it's just the 2 of us and our furry and feathered children. They are all able to roam at free will as the adobe walls are high enough to keep the coyotes and foxes out. Eagles and hawks are still a danger but there are places for the birds to get away from them.

I have a private studio where I work on my quilts and we travel to shows and event on the weekend to sell them. My DH spends his time in his "game room" Wall to wall Tv's with every known college sports channel. Pinball machines and his computers. He also has a complete kitchen so he can whip up some snacks.

When we want we take the sloop out for a sail around on the clear blue water. We may do some snorkling looking for lobsters for dinner.

When evening comes, we set out on the veranda and watch the sun settle down over the buttes and desert.





Now if my lottery numbers would cooperate!!!!

 

[Southernbelle]

Quote:
Around here, for $150,000 you could easily buy 10 acres with a house and outbuildings. Then you'd be mortgage free. I know that's true of a lot of Southern states and some parts of the midwest, too. Our property taxes are about $1500/year.

 

[kitaye]

We have a very similar dream, you and I.

Your are in a good position to make that dream a reality especially as your spouse has a skill that can be transferred. Not sure about your area but around here craftsmen of is skill are in high demand. I suspect they are in any area, though it may require some travel on his part.

Check into the rules and regulations for running CSAs (community supported agriculture) and organic market farms. I know the rules for getting certified organic are quite strict and will require lots of work, and red tape. The same goes for offering animals products to market as well. Very strict guidelines. But if you are willing to put in the work and go a year or two without making a lot of money it can be done. Not only will it be good for your family it will be good for the markets.

 

[Southernbelle]

Quote:
My husband doesn't share my dream of self-suffiency and often actively discourages it, so I had to modify my dream, too. I still dream and I'm blessed to be a stay-at-home-mom, so I plant a garden and have my chickens, but I don't know that I'll ever have more than that, so I try to be happy with what I have.

 

[BarkerChickens]

DH and I currently live in .41 acre in the Mojave Desert of So. California. Not exactly, the the best climate for farming (arid desert = lack of sufficient rainfall and our summer garden has to be partially shaded due to the high heat). We would like to eventually get several acres somewhere else (North Calif. or Oregon maybe...who knows) where we can raise turkeys, goats, pigs, sheep, etc. Dh likes to garden and due to his recent unemployment, is thinking of going to school for horticulture at the local community college. I am finishing up my Master's degree in geology and will be starting work full-time in a few weeks. We live frugally and try to stay simple. With me working (basically, we are switching places) and him going to school, we'll be setting ourselves up for moving to a larger property. At the next property, he'd likely have to stay home to farm...maybe work part-time or find someway to work from home. My career will be the income to allow us to do what we want. Our ultimate goal is to be able to live off our own land (with off-the-grid energy such as solar or wind). DH already gardens a lot (year 'round) and us planning to build a greenhouse this year (to use next fall/winter) and we have 30 chickens. We have decided this house will be our "practice" property for what we can (obviously limited in the animals department), that way we will be better prepared for what the future provides.

 

[Stumpy]

I just want to say I hope your dream comes true. I live in a southern state where the land taxes are very low, but job opportunities aren't great and there is basically nothing culturally speaking in my rural county.

 

[msdoolittle]

BTW, our house and land (1800 sq. ft 2 story and 15.4 acres) WAS less than 150K. This also includes a pond, a metal building (the man cave/workshop) and about 4 acres of fenced land, so I thought it was a pretty good deal. And, with agricultural 'credits', my taxes are about 1100. So, not too terribly bad.

And, I'm an eternal optimist, so I just can't accept letting a dream die

We have had to make lots of cutbacks to support our dream, but honestly we don't even notice them now. All I can say is that I am totally happy here!