How's the economy in your neighborhood?

[yotetrapper]

Sounds like all them farmers dumping their milk need to be sending it to whatever state BlackBart lives in.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I've noticed quite a few more suicide attempts in my area. I am very thankful that my dad has a VERY secure job and pension. He will actually be making more money when in retirement than he does now working....and he retires in about a year and a half. My college is basically all paid for in scholarships and the jobs I am looking at after I graduate will always be in need of people to work them. (I am hoping ot move on to med school and there are certain programs that will pay YOU to go to school.)

I have seen quite a few foreclosures and lay offs in my area though. People are selling their houses and their cars because they just can't afford to own them anymore. I've also seen quite a few families moving back in with their parents. I have a feeling you'll see quite a bit more of that in the future.

Back when gas was very expensive, I bought myself a little Honda Accord. That helped with gas prices back then and now I pay about $14 to fill up my tank. It's wonderful. I take as many classes and such as I can to keep my insurance payment low and I have scholarships for most of my grocery and school related bills. Even so, I try to buy things that are on sale and I use coupons.

However, I did find it strange that my family was able to sell off a pop up camper and a two horse bumper pull trailer quite fast. In some ways the way the economy is going does help my family because we are able to afford things we may not have been able to a few years ago. I do think the economy is very scary though, especially for my friends who are graduating and don't know what to expect. The jobs are out there...its just an incredibly unpredictable market right now. The only truly secure jobs are in law enforcement (and only if you are somewhat established already), sanitation, and medicine. While I don't want to be a veterinarian, I expect they will be seeing a decline in business as well because people either can't afford to keep their pets, or can't afford to continue giving them adequate veterinary care.

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

My hubby and I don't have jobs - we are retired (for now) but if our money doesn't last, well, one or both of us will be getting some part time or min. wage job in the future. I believe that once our children move out, things will be much cheaper here

I have two teenage sons - 19 and 18 - need I say more? - one is moving in June and the other will be out by fall, at least, that is his current plan. It isn't that I'm kicking them out - they want to go, and yes, it will be more comfortable to live once they move out, just wish they weren't moving so far away. The 19 year old has a Job at a fast food place for Min. Wage, the 18 year old graduates next month.

One reason we moved here is that it is cheaper to live - we have 25 acres, and are set up to get cows and pigs (we had one cow last year, raised to butcher, still have beef in the freezer). I switched to dual purpose chickens, so I can not only get/sell eggs, but we'll have meat from those, also. We installed a woodstove, and I trade organic produce from the neighbor's garden in the summer for eggs from my chickens. I also sell a few eggs to pay for their feed bill. My own garden last year was a bust , I'll be re-working my methods. I'm newer to the area, and have yet to figure out the growing season and work/time to get past the soil (it is heavy clay).

There isn't a lot of industry here. Most folks drive over 50 miles to work at any job that will pay them enough to take care of their families. These folks are also farmers - the farms just don't pay enough to farm without an extra job.

We plan to plant an acre of sugar cane to extend the forage/hay this next winter. An older gentlman (one of our neighbors) was discussing this the other day and it sounds like a great idea. (we have donkeys - they will eat a lot of things

)

We have a woodlot, to feed the stove, and get pallets for free at a couple of places. A lot of those pallets are oak and hardwoods, they burn great in a small woodstove - and our house is small with an open floorplan, so the woodstove heats it up almost TOO well

I chose a model that I can cook on, also, if necesary.

I do not know how the economy will go here within the next decade or so. I am not counting on it getting any better, and I am planning on a more simple lifestyle to cope with that.

I rarely buy cooking oil, so I did not notice it had gone up so high - I'll have to check later (I need to go to the store today anyway). With butchering our own beef and pigs, however, I'll have fat that I can also take to render down and use. I actually have 4 pounds of pork fat in the freezer I had planned to render down to make soap, but perhaps I'll save some of it for cooking with instead. The beef tallow I may use for other things - not sure how good it would be for soap anyway. I often use butter to cook things in - if it is something that would go well with that flavor anyway. Butter, I have noticed, is a bit cheaper.

We have spent a lot of money the last two years, since we moved from the city, we had no farm equipment, so had to buy haying equipment, build outbuildings, etc... I believe our last "big" purchase will be a good Smoker for the meat.

The electric bill has gone up, fertilizer, seed, etc... all gone up. Feed for the stock has actually gone down since this last summer. My kids use more electric than hubby and I do, hence the "cheaper to live" when they move out. I believe my bill will be cut in half (or more) at that point.

I don't believe the bad economy has hit too badly here lately because the industry and the area has been low for awhile now. Other than food prices going up, things are pretty much the same as they have been for quite a few years, here.

Of course I live in a rural area, most people either farm or have family who farm and it is just natural to barter and trade. We have a large presence of Amish around here, and many of the folks who are not Amish live much like they do anyway.

If I had stayed up in Michigan, I would never have been able to retire at my age. Down here, I think we'll be ok - not rich, but certainly not destitute.

I do admit, however, that we paid off all of our debt before the move, and that was the biggest and best thing we (or anyone) could do. Now we pay cash or just do without. Everything on the farm is paid for - no mortgage, no car loan, nothing but the regular bills to pay, and we have been cutting way back on those.

This got a LOT longer than I had planned, and kudos to anyone who stayed interested enough to still be reading this.

I guess my answer to the economy is to buy local - barter when possible, develop strong community ties and simplify and pay off your debt with every extra dollar you might have.

meri

 

[b.hromada]

Quote:
Ditto. Those pictures are cute!

 

[yotetrapper]

Kudos mojo! I read it all and agree 100%. That's how we live. Two years ago we were just paying the regular bills with no extra cash available. But since then my husbands wage has went up $8, plus he gets tons of overtime now every week, and my wage has went up $2, and gas has went down, and suddenly we dont feel so broke any more. I spent a ton of money this year on fruit trees and berry bushes, but I wont even notice that as I grew all of my veggies and flowers from seed, so wont be buying many (if any) plants from the greenhouses. I just spent $117 on Lavender Orpington eggs, I would of never been able to even consider that 2 years ago. I have money in the bank, food in cupboards, ammo in the gun room, chickens in the coop and veggie waiting to be planted. Life is good for us now.

PS I've not seen a single person with a homeless or work for food sign. Only signs I've seen lately were ones at tea parties.

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
I plan to put in some fruit and nut trees and berry bushes, too. I have three old (ancient) apple trees up by the road that still produce apples, but mostly they are good for apple butter and the like (the donkeys love them). I want some good keeping apples, too. Maybe some pears

I love pears. We have walnut trees coming out our ears!! I seriously have at last count (and I gave up) 30 walnut trees out at the edge of the woods. I'd like some pecan trees, too, Oh and I found a Hickory Nut Tree across the road on the neighbor's land (hayfield) - I'll have to ask if I can gather some, it is obvious no one has for many years. It is right near the road, had to chase the geese home one day, that is when I noticed it.

I'd like to have more perrenial food plants, rather than planting so much every year. Finding time to garden (and working with the drought we've had lately, although this spring has been nice and wet) is hard on your back and your nerves.

meri

 

[debilorrah]

Mahonri that picture is tooo funny!!!!!! that cat cracked me up.

On the economy - my neighborhood has gone downhill so fast in the last six months it is appalling. Someone has broke into my car twice - once to steal a sweater and the second time, some fruit I left in there. That is sad.

 

[yotetrapper]

Quote:
Well, at least now ya know how to get rid of all that extra zucchini ya can't give away, leave it set in your car.

 

[silkieluver_07]

Quote:
My father's cousin is dumping his milk into the fields because it's not even worth it to export. Bull calves sell for $0.24. They are barely scraping through. He is thinking about selling the farm all together.

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

Too many people don't get the implications of the global food market. Milk and milk products (cheese etc) are very expensive in some countries. Taiwan, Hong King China and Japan all import huge amounts of milk products. Ice cream became a HUGE hit in some of those countries over the last decade or so as they opened their borders and their people became wealthy enough to buy "treats".

That market dried up so fast there was food on the ocean rotting because the deliveries were refused.....

Ignore the Dow, it is all but meaningless. Watch the Baltic Dry. It is practically not manipulatable by speculators and is a good indicator of international shipping. It shows raw goods and finished materials being shipped globally. It was at 11,000 something in May or June of last year. it is at 1,000 some this year. No that isn't a typo!

There were shipments of produce that sat in international waters here recently that rotted because the shipper would not take a credit marker and the buyer could not get adequate cash to pay for the load..... When perishables get caught in a market like this, the product is lost too fast for a market correction. Then the growers have lost too much money to stay in business and soon enough (within a year or so I am guessing) supplies will begin to dry up. Prices will shoot up as inflation takes hold. People will see opportunity and try to get back into that business and supply will return. But all of that may take five or more years.