how in the heck are we supposed to live these days

[ams3651]

Quote:
How wonderful! My 2 nearby neighbors are relatives and we barely speak! My cousin mowed about a 1/2 acre over grown yard with his small tractor and field mower for me....for $20! I would love to live like that, I dont eat tomatoes but I grow them to contribute to my grandmothers juice making because I use it and the rest I give to my sons friends parents, they dont have alot but let us borrow weedwacker and stuff we dont have. I would love to grow more and give to the food bank but I feel my back problems will keep my garden very small this year.

 

[rikkitikki58]

Most of these posts deal with commuting to work. Well let me inform you good people of something. When gas goes to 7 bucks a gallon and higher, there wont be any "work"to go to. Companies and businesses will start going belly up and then we can pedal our bikes around our little homesteads. I dont mean to sound like an ogre but we need to unite against these big oil companies and our own government (because they could do something about it if they were pressured enough). Sorry for the vent.

 

[texasreb]

ams3651,

You do what you can and accept help when you need it. If your back limits you--so be it. Don't offer what you can't provide. Maybe you can contribute some other way. I'm sure you have talents and skills beyond gardening.

Also, you might try bartering with your relatives next time instead of paying them to mow. Or maybe, paying them is your contribution...it's all good!

 

[speckledhen]

At that price for gasoline, considering what many people make, it would behoove them to stay home and start living a conservationist/cheapskate type lifestyle. Sell your eggs on the street corner for $$$. Dont work at any job you have to drive to. Heck, it makes no sense to even leave the house for some people at the cost of going to work!

 

[kurby]

we have already buckled down. We have slaughtered a pig, and a calf. We have chickens for eggs and meat if necessary. We are down to 1 trip a month to town which is 21 miles 1 way, We have a 1 ton truck and can't afford to get rid of them for farm reasons, so it costs now 20.00 for a trip to town, which is crazy!
We put in a bigger garden to can out of etc.. I just hope it gets better, I feel for the teenagers too. No way can they afford to go to a min. pay job, if they live further than 15 miles away.. I think times are going to get really bad before they get better. Not good Not good at all.
K

 

[MandyH]

I have been a stay at home mom/farmer for 3 years now. Whenever I think about going back to work, me and DH say there is no sense in it because I would only be working to pay daycare and fill up my truck. I feel like I ought to help him out financially, but he says to stay home because I am worth more here than off at a job somewhere. I tend to agree with him for the most part. I have a garden, we raise rabbits, sheep, chickens, turkeys, guineas, and ducks. What I don't have in my garden I am bartering for with a neighbor and I do NOT move my Tahoe unless I HAVE to get groceries or somebody is dying. I could live without the TV but my 2 year old would probably have a melt down, and the only reason we have a telephone is because DSL isn't available and I have dial up.

 

[ams3651]

Quote:
Where I live used to be my grandparents house so theres a bit of a mentality that I have to have everything perfect. This year I decided if they didnt like the tall grass in the side yard they could stick it......

I will have eggs this year and probably only get in pmpkins, watermelon, tomatoes and corn which will be done by planter.

This is my first home and Ive only been here a year and a half, still have a push mower because its all I could afford, just got an electric weed wacker for same reason. I was so looking forward to harvesting and freezing this year, I want this piece of land to do all it can for us. Im especially thankful for the apple trees my grandfather planted more years ago than I can remember.

 

[ZykloniaDark-GothikRanchr]

I just read in the news today, there is a farming family in MCMINNVILLE, Tenn. who trained two mules they bought at an auction to pull a modified rake to mow the hay fields. They said it is slower than a tractor, but less money to feed the mules to do the work. I am looking at my goats, to see if I can train them to do some yard work, although they already mow my lawn!!! I think the whole episode is getting ridiculous! it will end up with either us getting paid more, or america coming to a screeching halt because no one can get to work for a little over minimum wage!! if as goes to $7 a gallon, most people don't make that per hour. they would have to work 3 days to pay for a tank of gas!!!
right now a gallon of gas is roughly 2% of my hourly wage. some people it is almost half or more. when will the gov't get smart and allow us to use some alternate fuels????

 

[love-my-wolves]

Yep, my DH is a diesel mechanic. He hated his old job, they treated him like crap! Well, he is high paid (he was the foreman) and he took a $5/hr pay cut to go to a company it took him 1 year to find! No one was hiring!!! It was pathetic!!! Even his new job (which he loves) is 1 hour 15 min away. We cannot afford homes close to his work (in Dulles Airport, DC) so the commute is a must. He will be getting a motorcycle (which he has been begging for for 12+ years) to save on gas in warmer weather. As for me, I don't know. I need to work. I think I can get another management/vet job, or have been considering staying home and doing med. transcription. Don't really know. I have been making more homemade (thanks you guys! I can't cook, and y'all are so helpfull) and will be doing a garden next year. Kids have already learned the meaning of "we don't have any money". At one time, my 4 year old replied to that by saying "mommy, just write a check!!" Now they all know.

However, I think the situation will level out before gas gets that high, as car manufacturers will not be selling the big behemouth trucks, and those are the high $$$ makers. They will push the government to do something before anyone else, because they want those sales!!! Could you imagine Dodge not selling anything but small cars? Not likely. But the prices will push the middle man into the poverty line, for sure!!! Me included. I cannot even afford to buy a house right now, the cost of living is just too high. And we don't even have credit cards!!! If we don't have cash, we don't buy it! UGH, now I'm depressed!!!

Steph

 

[speckledhen]

I think this country needs to come to a screeching halt when everyone calls in to their job to say, "Hey, I can't afford to come to work today, sorry." No way this can continue and the average joe keep absorbing the costs with no rise in wage. It just cant. Like I've said before, it's time for a real American Revolution, just like when this country was founded. Unfortunately, I think that type of person has gone the way of the dinosaur.