How do people afford this?

[lazy gardener]

No I was talking about how now people are interested in getting their products from small farming businesses, but it may go out of style and go back to getting crappy meat and produce from Walmart.

There will always be 2 kinds of customers: Those who can afford to buy organic, wholesome foods, and those who can't. Some of the buying choices are driven by economic necessity, while others are driven by convenience or perceived value or health benefit.

I am often amused when I go to the health food store. I might buy some multi grain flour, my spices, and some sprouting seeds. Other patrons buy the bulk of their groceries there, because they can afford to, and are committed to the benefits of a whole plant/whole grain/organic diet. Then, there's the granola "wannabees" These folks pop in on a regular basis and load their carts with health food junk food: candy bars, trail mix full of "healthy M&M's and healthy chocolate chips, potato chips, granola bars and other snacks. Of course, they make sure their friends and neighbors stay informed that they shop at the "Health food store", therefore have a healthier diet!

 

[MollySunshine]

It seems as though most of y'all commenting started out later in life being self-sufficient had a spouse to help them out. Is it realistic for a young single person to do this?

Of course it is possible! Everyone goes through stages in life and everyone has to start somewhere. The greatest thing my parents instilled in me was to save money. Pay yourself first. Set a certain amount away every week. You become used to not having this amount. Everyone has posted their own ways of managing. The comman thread is stay small, learn to go without. Discipline.
Good luck! Set a goal, see it, live it.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

just going to add, if you want to cut down on your food bill aquaponics may be the way to go, (its the process of raising fish with plants), systems can be as cheap as you want (start small, like rain barrels) or as expensive as you want (go large scale for example 1000 gallon fish tanks).

but you can pretty much grow two crops in a small space (am trying to set up an aquaponic system this coming winter) you can really grow any plant you want (as long as it requires PH neutral soil) am planning on grow a nice supply of our vegetables. (as i live in Canada so we don't have a huge growing season some years) plus you get the bonus of fish (which there poop power/fuel the plants needs) these can range from gold fish to tilapia (which am hoping i can get a permit to raise them) to trout. but in the end you can have two different crops, both protein and plants.

 

[tastyacres]

just going to add, if you want to cut down on your food bill aquaponics may be the way to go, (its the process of raising fish with plants), systems can be as cheap as you want (start small, like rain barrels) or as expensive as you want (go large scale for example 1000 gallon fish tanks).

but you can pretty much grow two crops in a small space (am trying to set up an aquaponic system this coming winter) you can really grow any plant you want (as long as it requires PH neutral soil) am planning on grow a nice supply of our vegetables. (as i live in Canada so we don't have a huge growing season some years) plus you get the bonus of fish (which there poop power/fuel the plants needs) these can range from gold fish to tilapia (which am hoping i can get a permit to raise them) to trout. but in the end you can have two different crops, both protein and plants.

Neat.

We have plans on doing this some time down the road....

 

[PirateGirl]

just going to add, if you want to cut down on your food bill aquaponics may be the way to go, (its the process of raising fish with plants), systems can be as cheap as you want (start small, like rain barrels) or as expensive as you want (go large scale for example 1000 gallon fish tanks).

but you can pretty much grow two crops in a small space (am trying to set up an aquaponic system this coming winter) you can really grow any plant you want (as long as it requires PH neutral soil) am planning on grow a nice supply of our vegetables. (as i live in Canada so we don't have a huge growing season some years) plus you get the bonus of fish (which there poop power/fuel the plants needs) these can range from gold fish to tilapia (which am hoping i can get a permit to raise them) to trout. but in the end you can have two different crops, both protein and plants.

Once you get setup definitely share it on BYC!

 

[itsasmallfarm]

Once you get setup definitely share it on BYC!

will do, where just sorta planing the system out and getting a few ideas at the moment

 

[MollySunshine]

This is ingenous! Yes, please post when set up. I don't think I've ever heard of this. It makes so much sense.

 

[pitbullmomma]

Is there some sort of financial secret I am not seeing that lets people stay at home and play with their animals all day and still afford huge houses and cars? Do I need to win the lottery? I am all the time seeing people with the best of everything but plenty of time to spend with their animals. (Of course there is a bit of sarcasm in this, but any hints would be appreciated)

Brutal hint from one who knows:

Don't go the veterinary route.

Not only will you suffer the grueling hell of vet school X 4 years (which is worse than almost anything I can think of at the moment). But once you graduate, find a job as a vet, and start working off your massive debt load, you will work 80 hour + weeks trying to save all the animals while neglecting your own, having no life, making a comparatively crappy income (especially considering your vet school debt) and a quality of life that is questionable, while lecturing clients day in and out about the quality of their pets life, and putting down animals 24/7 for reasons too numerous to name. And did I mention vets have one of the highest suicide rates of all the professions? People think it's all, like Animal Planet. The reality is far different. I won't get into the abuse and neglect you see daily, and the clients who expect you to perform miracles with $30 in their pocket, and cuss you out when you can't fix it, or they don't want to hear the options you give them.

Sorry if this upsets people, but...been there, done that, will be paying off my now-scanty 70K debt till I'm in my 70's or die. How do I stay at home and play with my chickens and dogs and have a decent quality of life? Quit being a vet and went back to nursing. School nursing, to be exact. I make a little less than what I made as a vet, it's fairly happy work, I don't work nights/weekends/holidays/24/7, have to be on call, all that jazz.

Oh , and the kicker? Veterinary people can be some of the most catty, back-stabbing people you ever worked with. I don't know why this is, you would think all animal lovers are sweet. But they can be up there with seasoned, ICU nurses with some new grad meat to work with, lol.

Sorry if that not what you want to hear, but that's one ex-vet's opinion. There are alot more of us around than you would think!

Just some honest advice. Veterinarians are always working. Even when they're not. Brutal, brutal lifestyle for most. Interview some vets before you decide that's what you really want to do....or develop an incredibly thick skin and learn to function at 200% with no sleep or food, ever. Just sayin'.

 

[Cajun_MikeR]

So true! I couldn't afford to buy organic eggs or free range chicken. That's why I have chickens. Is it cheaper in the long run? Eggs are for sure, but haven't done the math on meat yet.

On our last batch of cockerels, it worked out to about $1.25/lb. It was about $90 in feed to raise 18 birds to a dressed weight of 4lb average. That was 18 BSL cockerels raised to 18-20wks. Now, I'm not including the cost of grow out hoop house that we keep them in, because it's something we always have and that was the 3rd group raised in it.

 

[pitbullmomma]

Another thing to consider, and I tell this to the high school kids I work with:

Don't go to college if you don't have a useful major and a solid plan.

Back when I was young--and changed my major a bunch of times--college was cheap. Junior college was like 25 bucks a credit. You could major in Psychology, Philosophy, Women's Studies, whatever, until you figured out what you wanted to be when you grew up. Now it is not like that.

College is prohibitively expensive. You better pick a major that is going to get you a good job, because you will be paying off that debt for a long, long time. Healthcare (not veterinary medicine, lol, sorry to beat a dead horse. And truly, I'm not bitter. Just realistic), computer stuff. And I tell the kids too--college is not for everybody. It's true. Some people are better off learning a skilled trade. That's where a lot of money is at. Gone are the days when you could just major in, whatever, get a bunch of grant money, and spend some glorious years being a professional student and live in a studio off campus with a couple of part-time jobs. The economy is much different now...