In case you haven’t read about it yet, we’ve decided to leave our homestead and live in town next to the beach again.
This was a very difficult decision driven mainly by the desire to get completely out of debt (cars included) and save money. We will also be closer to our church and the school I work for, as well as the dance school and all the other things we’re involved in. This will relieve a lot of stress because right now it takes an extra 30 minutes to get home from “civilization”. That means an extra hour round-trip on any day we decide to leave the house…which means almost every day. We can’t just run home for a break or if we forgot something for the day.
We live on 3 acres in a 3-bedroom/2bathroom home. (That cute little A-frame on the hill is ours.) We are moving to a 800 square foot 0.5 bedroom home. Yes, that’s a studio with a 11×8 area we will turn into a bedroom. At least it’s bigger than the less than 250 square feet this family lives in!
The good part is that we will have a lot of yard space. We will be able to have a large garden and even a backyard area for a few chickens.
I’ve already started simplifying like crazy. I literally am either selling or trashing 2/3 of everything we own. It’s very refreshing, actually.
Last week there was a wild forest fire close by that actually scared me enough to start evacuating (even though it wasn’t necessary). It was a great way to start packing, though! I started by clearing out everything that really mattered and sent it to stay at my parents’ house for now. I’m left knowing that what’s in my house isn’t the most important stuff and I can live without most of it. We should all pack this way. In fact, we should all just clean out our homes regularly and live this way. (And maybe stop buying so much unnecessary STUFF.)
Of course we are excited to start this next chapter in life, but we are going to miss the farm.
We’ll miss our large flock of chickens.
And the eggs.
Our goats.
Our ducks.
The turkey that often jumps up on the window sill to watch every move we make. We’ll also miss his crazy turkey dance he does, puffing out his feathers, dragging his wings on the ground and tapping his feet in a strangely impressive rhythm.
Shooting BB’s and arrows in the back yard or shotguns down the street.
Neighborhood kids riding their horses bareback and bringing our girls home on them.
I will seriously miss the awesome old fashioned neighborhood we live in…with frequent potluck dinners at the community center and the annual “hooligan”, complete with donut-eating contests…
(Yes, I do let my kids eat crap on rare occasions like this. This picture was in the newspaper, too!)
and frog jumping contests with GIANT bullfrogs. (Bidding on these guys starts at around $700 to raise funds for the community volunteer fire station.)
The llama next door.
The wild turkeys that show up in the yard every once in a while.
The herd of cattle that swing by our side of the mountain every few weeks- with new calves in the spring time.
Seeing wildlife every day like deer, foxes, bobcats and hundreds of different native birds.
The views.
I will not miss the rattlesnakes and tarantulas. (It’s actually kind of fun to find tarantulas and the chickens keep them far away from the house.)
We hope to be debt free soon and saving money for our future. We hope to have the freedom to travel more and go out to dinner or gelato without total guilt every once in a while.
We hope to participate more with our church and get connected with new families- especially homeschooling ones.
We’re not going to stop homesteading, though, because ANYONE CAN HOMESTEAD! Whether you’re growing basil in your window sill or raising a herd of cattle, all that matters is that your making an effort to be self-sufficient in some way. I do believe every little effort counts!
I’m looking forward to sharing our new homesteading adventures with you. I’m happy with my garden and chickens…but I’m pushing for bees and maybe even rabbits! We’ll see. đ
So what do you do, or what do you want to start doing, to be self-sufficient?
Oh, I’m so sad that you’re leaving your beautiful farm, but it sounds like such an adventure you’ll be embarking on! Good luck to you! I look forward to your posts about homesteading in small spaces đ
Thank you! I hope I can be super useful for people wanting to homestead in small spaces. đ
Kudos! What a neat way of thknniig about it.
Justement moi aussi j’aimais beaucoup Mistgun, mais quand on sait son identitĂŠ … bah t’es totalement perdu ( je sais pas si dans les tomes c’est dit, je crois que c’est plus loin XD ) –’ Enfin moi perso, ça m’a troublĂŠ
Dag Bouke,Momenteel is je Belgische bundel enkel geldig in BelgiĂÂŤ en de Nederlandse in Nederland. Voorlopig kunnen we dit niet aanbieden maar we houden rekening met je suggestie!Viking groet,David
I liked the comment about looking nice – so important.Glad all is going well with the Mac and I have to agree about the laptop cushion. It is the best thing I ever brought for my laptop. its called a Cushtop by Belkin. Now have to get another one for Miss14
…….and Inspired By Stamping has this colour inspired challenge. So, armed with colours white, saffron and pink, a style of colourful, inky and imaginative, and a theme of sewing and doileys, I was set to go.
So sad you’re leaving the farm, but I’m sure God has lots of adventures in store!!
You linked to a Dave Ramsey book–is this the best resource for someone JUST getting started learning about managing money, saving, reducing debt, investing, etc? I’m in my mid-20s and have no idea where to begin.
Thanks!
Thank you. And YES, I LOVE Dave Ramsey and the book I linked here is absolutely the best book to start with. It’s the one I started with.
Such a beautiful place you have! Sad for you, but also excited that you get to start another adventure. We are in the military, and moved 3 times in our first year of marriage, to the East Coast, Midwest, then West Coast. Purging always felt great. As far as homesteading goes, we have herbs in pots and we’re putting a garden for the fall, tomatoes, carrots, cabbage, brussels sprouts, and some medicinal herbs. After the Marine Corps, we want to live in CO and have some chickens and a large garden. The idea of even settling down in one place for more than a few years seems like a dream though. đ
Well first of all, THANK YOU for your service!!! Semper Fi. You’re homesteading in those pots…good for you! Your plan for CO sounds amazing, too. We would consider moving out of CA if we weren’t so attached to our family that lives here. The beachside weather isn’t so bad, either. đ
I have been meaning to comment on this beautiful post. I can’t imagine how hard this decision was for you and your family, but I am rejoicing with you that you’re following God’s leading and I know that He will have such bigger plans through your obedience in following His plan and will for your lives. I will be praying for you that you make a super smooth transition. And I look forward to all of your future posts on how you find ways to continue homesteading! I know you’ll continue to be a source of encouragement and inspiration. Lots of blessings and prayers, Kelly
Awww, thanks so much, Kelly! I’m hoping to keep a few chickens but we are so ready to simplify we’re even reconsidering that. đ I’ll keep you posted!
Hi Roz,
I loved this post and especially of your little one standing in mom’s high heel shoes and pulling on the bow. Very cute. I really enjoyed your story.
I am a long-time patient of your mom’s and my personal challenge is to heal myself of colon cancer. I have spent 3 years of extensive research, I do not believe in conventional treatments of “cut, burn, poison” and do not have financial resources to have advanced medical protocols performed so I am doing it myself. Taking charge of my health and my future, that is scary and uplifting at the same time. We have similar POV. I know you will do well, you’ve had good teachers.
Wow, Morgan, thank you so much for contacting me. I’m so glad to “meet” you and be in touch. I’d love to have you at one of our classes sometime. đ
Got it! Thanks a lot again for helpnig me out!
Well done Gary.Not only do? you look a hell of a lot better now than you did before, you also look much happier.
Salut Marie,oui je vais très bien, je fais vraiment de belles rencontres et de belles dÊcouvertes.Ici la rentrÊ aura lieu lundi prochain, on dÊcouvrira ça ensemble,vous aurez plein de nouvelles,merci pour tes encouragements de toi et tes copines,àtrès bie,nôtnLatcelot
It’s a joy to find someone who can think like that
You pour so much love into your posts that each is like a great gift from your heart! Thank you for the many gifts you’ve given to me, including this one. I especailly enjoyed your beautiful writing and the song from the Indigo Girls! Russ
Ad Pavel VacekNevĂÂm, jestli VĂÂĄm to pomà ¯à že, ale shodou okolnostĂ jsem si vĂÂera mailoval s kamarĂÂĄdem, kterĂ½ tady “antitrust” studuje, tak jsem se ho ptal z ĂÂeho se to uĂÂĂÂ.Tady je jeho odpovĂâşĂÂ:”My antitrust case book is “Antitrust Law, Policy and Procedure” (5th ed) written by E. Thomas Sullivan and Herbert Hovenkamp.”KomparativnĂ ta knĂÂà žka nebude a jestli je alespoĂ Ë dobrĂÂĄ z hlediska popisu americkĂŠho soutĂâşĂ žnĂÂho prĂÂĄva, to netuĂ ÂĄĂÂm. ZbĂ½vĂÂĄ jen doufat, à že by tady neuĂÂili z nĂâşjakĂŠ hrĂ ÂŻzy.