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That sucks! When we were told on March 4th that we would have to move as the landlords were selling our "ghetto house", we put an ad on craigslist under "housing wanted". We described who we are and what we wanted... we were LOOKING FOR a place in the sticks where we could have our chickens and possibly more, our dog and 2 cats, and I put in the ad that we were hoping to find housing a ranch where we could work off part of our rent, that we are in our 40s and are looking for a place where we can be for a long time, at least 3-5 years. God really blessed us because the very next day, this woman called me and had been looking for a tenant with EXACTLY the same qualifications I put in our ad!
Fast forward to today, and we have been here 4 months as of this week. We got everything we wanted. Our rent and utilities are a package deal and even includes internet and Dish network! One flat fee, and even THAT is $100 a month less than we were paying for rent alone down in the ghetto of Sacramento! I work from home, so at least access to high-speed internet that is not satellite was a necessity (hard to find when you live in the sticks, but we got wireless DSL & it works fine with my job). Our place is small, so small we can't have DH's kids out for the summer to visit (it's a 600 sq foot mother-in-law cottage), and as I can see, that is the ONLY drawback to living here. We (usually DH) work off most of our rent every month on the ranch, which is good because we're both still only working part-time. Because we're in our 40s and are not "kids" and have lost a lot in the last couple of years, this was the ideal situation for us AND for our landlords. For all intents and purposes, we're empty nesters who just needed a good place to be. We've become part of this mountain community where we live on... of all things ... an alpaca ranch! We help with the alpacas, everything from feeding and poop-scooping to annual shearing! They are the most amazing animals, and it's kinda funny but the devastation I felt when we lost 2 homes in 2 years and all our nice cars and the prestigious job I had and the whole 9 yards... had we not lost all that, we never would have found this situation, would not have learned the things I've learned about raising and breeding alpacas, the fabulous and caring animals that they are, their value as a renewable fiber source, it's just been wonderful so far. We are both more deeply, personally satisfied with our lives and our situation than either of us ever thought we would be, being this poor. And by virtually every financial definition of the word, we are dirt poor. But we are richer than we have ever been.
I hope you find the right caretaker(s) for your ranch. Check in the "housing wanted" ads on craigslist, and maybe you'll find just the right people, the way our landlady found us!
I wouldn't trade my life here on the ranch for my fancy city job or my former Infiniti (though I do miss having a reliable vehicle LOL).
That sucks! When we were told on March 4th that we would have to move as the landlords were selling our "ghetto house", we put an ad on craigslist under "housing wanted". We described who we are and what we wanted... we were LOOKING FOR a place in the sticks where we could have our chickens and possibly more, our dog and 2 cats, and I put in the ad that we were hoping to find housing a ranch where we could work off part of our rent, that we are in our 40s and are looking for a place where we can be for a long time, at least 3-5 years. God really blessed us because the very next day, this woman called me and had been looking for a tenant with EXACTLY the same qualifications I put in our ad!
Fast forward to today, and we have been here 4 months as of this week. We got everything we wanted. Our rent and utilities are a package deal and even includes internet and Dish network! One flat fee, and even THAT is $100 a month less than we were paying for rent alone down in the ghetto of Sacramento! I work from home, so at least access to high-speed internet that is not satellite was a necessity (hard to find when you live in the sticks, but we got wireless DSL & it works fine with my job). Our place is small, so small we can't have DH's kids out for the summer to visit (it's a 600 sq foot mother-in-law cottage), and as I can see, that is the ONLY drawback to living here. We (usually DH) work off most of our rent every month on the ranch, which is good because we're both still only working part-time. Because we're in our 40s and are not "kids" and have lost a lot in the last couple of years, this was the ideal situation for us AND for our landlords. For all intents and purposes, we're empty nesters who just needed a good place to be. We've become part of this mountain community where we live on... of all things ... an alpaca ranch! We help with the alpacas, everything from feeding and poop-scooping to annual shearing! They are the most amazing animals, and it's kinda funny but the devastation I felt when we lost 2 homes in 2 years and all our nice cars and the prestigious job I had and the whole 9 yards... had we not lost all that, we never would have found this situation, would not have learned the things I've learned about raising and breeding alpacas, the fabulous and caring animals that they are, their value as a renewable fiber source, it's just been wonderful so far. We are both more deeply, personally satisfied with our lives and our situation than either of us ever thought we would be, being this poor. And by virtually every financial definition of the word, we are dirt poor. But we are richer than we have ever been.
I hope you find the right caretaker(s) for your ranch. Check in the "housing wanted" ads on craigslist, and maybe you'll find just the right people, the way our landlady found us!
I wouldn't trade my life here on the ranch for my fancy city job or my former Infiniti (though I do miss having a reliable vehicle LOL).
