Homestead philosophy, Self reliant, Stuborn, or simple minded?

[Buzz-sawyer]

I like livin a simple life...less bills, make about everthing I need, or want........fix stuff.
Basically a throwback , Now I already know somw of you ARE Hippies, some are Stubborn...Many are self reliant.........Lets hear some stories about how yopu live!?

(As Bro. Noble puts it....NOW its fashinable to be a hillbilly :D :D)

I will get it started.
I like being able to take care of my self and my family...and I dont like spending loads of time away from them to get piles of cash so I have made some trades.....I may be a tad poorer on cash but not love and fun....
This is where sawmilling fits into my life..I always loved wood and building with it........So I put together a mill for ,"Fun and Profit".......Now who would of thought by doing that dream, I would meet such a clan of ,"Rugged individual as you folks....." :D :D :D
I built my house with material I sawed out collected and bought with money that I earned as an INDEPENDENT contractor........mizerly saved my pennies and invested in getting what I need to live, so I dont have to be a SLAVE to the dollar,
but can rather enjoy my life.
I hunt most all the meat we eat, and grow a large garden, and eat wild plants as well.

I try to keep the motto ,"Work to live...dont live to work"......have always taken the time to play with my kids....walk in the woods, play in the creek.......
I have homeschooled my kids....teaching them HOW to live...as well as reading and writting and the bible.
I love life! And like ta laugh too.....and visit with friends....those are the moments we seem to remember and the ones I live for.........

[SwampDonkey]

Buzz, what's the ground hog whisperin in your ear? :D

[Buzz-sawyer]

Carpe Diem !    Sieze the Day !!   Carpe Diem !    Sieze the Day !!   Carpe Diem !    Sieze the Day !!

[pigman]

Looks to me he is about to sieze the ear. :D

[SwampDonkey]

I think Buzz got angry with him and turned his pelt into a warm winter hat. ;D

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Looks like THIS thread is going nowhere, fast  : : : :

[Timburr]

Its already had 5 replies in less than an hour, but I know where you're going :D :D

[Buzz-sawyer]

Well trappin and eating  and makin banjo heads outta his brethren didnt hurt his enthusiasm for the GOOD LIFE!

Harold what you got ta say bout the philosophy of the groundhog?

[Fla._Deadheader]

The first Banjer head I used on my Daughters first Banjer, was Whistle Pig.  ;D

[crtreedude]

I have always attempted to be fairly self-reliant. It is interesting, but I envy the people who get to live on our fincas as caretakers. They seem to enjoy it so much - of course, they try to make Amy and I very comfortable when we are there as well.

We already get a lot of our fruit from the fincas and meat - soon fish and vegetables. I am not exactly homesteading since others do most of the work which we pay.

Just this week we decided to start spending weekends on the fincas - we have to get out of the house we live in because that is where our offices are - and we end up working all the time.

[J_T]

Buzz not so diffrent than you  8) Wife canes and frezes enough to carry us all year then some. I trade or swap for all I can. If I'm broke we just don't do anything. Put my mill together out of steel no one knew what to do with and it works. My uncle and I built a forklift that will load a bundel tyes any where you want to and my log truck was once a fire truck. :D Best thing they all paid for . Don't got much don't want much and not bothered by much . Only thing i'm lacking is a T9 ;D ;D

[Tom]

I've been thinking on this a bunch and have just about decided that I don't know anything about myself.  :-\

[DanG]

That's ok, Tom.   We know plenty about you.  If'n you gits curious, just ask, and we'll be happy ta fill ya in. ;D

I guess I got to cogitate on this a little bit, and maybe drink about it for a while.  Before I start that tedious process, though, I might oughta share a few first impressions of myself, just ta keep me honest.  First off, I'm lazy.  Oops, that'd be LAZY with all capital letters!  Most of the time, that works against me, but I live for that rare moment when it pay's off.  Sorta like playin' the slot machines, don't ya know?   Bein' LAZY, and kinda halfway bright, I tend ta invent all sorts of ways to get outta work.  Most of the time, these little schemes get me into a whole lot of trouble, if they ever get off the ground to start with.  Likely as not, they end up on the scrap pile.  But, there's always the chance that one of my ideas will hit it big, without requiring a lot of effort on my part, of course.

Secondly, I'm stubborn.  No, maybe that is third, and CHEAP should be the second thing. ???   Well, there ya go!  I told ya I needed ta drink about it for a while. :-\

[UNCLEBUCK]

I think I believe and think alot like Buzz but it has taken me several years to get rid of my fancy toys and credit cards but I finally did it . I felt like I was trapped and swimming in deep water but I did it .  I have come full circle right back where I started and grew up . I have walked away from so many different occupations and ended up right back on the farm . But now I got me one of these water pistols for doing dishes if my mail order bride ever shows up  ! I aint scrubbin no DanG dishes anymore !  :D                                                                                                                                      

[Kirk_Allen]

Buzz it is so funny that you posted this today.  Just tonight my wife and I were talking about this very thing, RIGHT BEFORE you called :D

Our long term plans are to be off the grid and totally self reliant.  Dont mind having the access to power and water but dont want to have to depend on it. 

I know when we build our place in Alaska it will be 100% self reliant.  Cant wait! 

[ADfields]

Kirk, when you headed up hear to Alaska?  And what part are ya aiming for?   Alaska is the best thing the wife and I ever did, by a good bit.

I'm with Buzz.  I worked for years, busting my back so I could "retire" some day.   One day it dawned on me that money wize I would never swing it like I wanted, and I had wasted YEARS of my life for some thing out of my grasp!   So we sold it "ALL" and moved hear to Alaska and started "working to live" like Buzz.   I now do the work I want to do, spend my time the way I want and am hapy in my hart like I have never been before.   We don't have much at all now but what we have is ours not a bank's.   We live on the grid but dont "need" it.  We have generaters, gas frig and freezers, wind power and inverters and everything to live off grid but the grid is cheep power so we use it.

  I often used to be to tyed down by work I did not like but payed good, to do things like hunting, fishing, building and wood cutting.  Now they ARE my work! ;)   A bad day at work now is something like the fish don't bite, much more like the farm life of my childhood.   I work hard but onley at things I want to do and I trade or pay for what little I don't.
Andy

[Buzz-sawyer]

Andy
Maybe Ill come up too.
I wish I had more parners and friends to trade with....Right now I got 20# of nice tomatoes to trade for cucumbers....or whatever...My beans....didnt take either........
But Mr Kirk loaded me up with some extra deer meat( thanks bud).
I am tanning a bunch of hides from last season too.
Andy you need a coon and fox fur hat up there this winter? :D :D :D
P.S you said,"Now I had a Ford 300-6 that I used to power a tractor ".was it home built?

[crtreedude]

One of my favorite quotes is "If you get up everyone morning and get to do what you want, then you are rich." This was said by Warren Buffet.  I think the key is to stop trying to imitate everyone else and do your own thing as they used to say.

I guess instead of heading to Alaska I heading a little further south... I checked out of the rat race some time ago.  My only problem is that I love business - building businesses and running businesses so I had to figure out a way to be self reliant and at the same time involved in business.

I will admit that I am tied to the internet. Not only for business, but also for information and amusement (like this forum). I doubt I would be willing to be without this adiction...

[thedeeredude]

I guess instead of heading to Alaska I heading a little further south

What's this, you don't like getting 6 feet of snow in the time you go to bed and wake up :D

[thedeeredude]

Hehe, this is exactly the life I want to live, minus the trucks and tractors you guys have. I don't know how to fix em and I can't be self reliant if I have to buy gasoline or diesel.  The only thing is, the government abolished the homesteading act, so you have to pay for land now, its all good though.  I just want to go out on 10 acres chop down some hemlocks and white oaks, build a hand hewn cabin, build a fireplace, make some wagons for my mules to hitch to and forget about the fast pace life.  Then I'll make a sawmill to pay for taxes and the land. 

[Kirk_Allen]

AD,
we want to move to the Haines area. We spent 12 years in Anchorage just off of Campbell Lake and after our last trip up a couple years ago, I have no interest in living in Anchorage.  We have visited all the southeast communities and Haines sticks on us. 

Good fishing YEAR round, miled winters, pretty good hunting, but I can drive out of Haines and get to some great hunting near Tok. 

Once we get ALL our bills squared away and stash a small nest egg for taht rainy day we plan on going back up to Haines to close on a peice of land. 

Anyone that has ever spent any time in Alaska can relate.  Once you leave, you will be haunted for the rest of you life if you dont go back.  We will return!  My wife and I met up there and we both want to go back. 

I like the southest Forest Program too!   8)  10,000 bf of timber for personal use per year was the limit last time I checked.  I think I could build a few things with that every year!  Got to love Alaska!  Pay you to live there, give you Timber to build with (only certain areas) and NO INCOME TAX! 

[woodbowl]

Man o' man Buzz!.................Where you been hinding this thread?  It's gona' jerk the heart of every down to earth, life loving guy and gal on the forum. I've been told that there is only two ways to acheave this. You either have to be rich or poor. I know this is a state of mind in the  real world but financial pressures to me are like finding a frog in the soup. A fellow that works himself silly ain't no fun to be around and when he gets to  the platau I 'm worried he may not be the same free spirit...........Still trying to figure it all. Uncle Buck made a full circle. I guess I'm still looking for a short cut.

[Fla._Deadheader]

 I'm headed to Costa Rica.  8) 8)  Affordable living, inexpensive food, great climate.  8) 8)  Gonna teach some Tico's how to run the Mills and Planers and other tools.  8) 8)  Gonna re-taar, like Alfredo.  :D :D :D

[Buzz-sawyer]

"Gonna re-taar, like Alfredo".............yea right,  :D :D :D

[Fla._Deadheader]

 ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D