Safety in a Failing Economy

[Sachita]

Originally Posted by uniquetobeme

i am extremely concerned about the economy and my families well being. I am a single mom with 3 kids, and my son's boyfriend lives with us also. I went through a break up in 2009 that left me in financial ruin and I am also making much less money than I used to earn.
I am barely scraping by, yet I know that I have it better than a lot of people.
I live in a suburban area and I don't have a yard for a garden, but I plan to use containers this spring to grow food.
I keep saying if I ever win the lottery I want to buy land and build a self sustained farm that is organic and humane to animals. (not that owning livestock can ever be humane, but as humane as possible). But, I don't know the first thing about farming.
I find it so sad that we are being poisoned by the crap that is manufactured andante that animals are treated so harshly.
I would love to come out some weekends and help, when it warms up a bit...that is if I can afford the gas. I've heard it is supposed to go way up...which means the price of food is going to go up even higher.
My mom owns a large plot of land in West Virginia and many times, lately, I have contemplated moving there and seeing if I could talk them into starting an organic farm.
I don't think a lot of people are seeing the writing on the wall. Most of America is asleep at the wheel. There are lots of web sites on emergency preparedness and survival training. My 14 year old is constantly watching the videos. he has a bug out bag that has a few essentials inside. We also have a pantry with extra water and flood, but I don't think we could survive for more than a week. Plus, society in America has become so much more violent. If people are hungry, they will fight and kill for the food. Not all, but there will be some who would. I haven't read all the thread, so I apologize for redundancy. The reality that things are going to get worse economically for the middle and lower class is a real possibility, if not inevetable. I am learning to appreciate the little things in life and be grateful for what I do have, but I can't say that I'm not really scared. Things can get really crazy in the world really fast and those that aren't prepared are going to have a really hard time.
I am grateful for this thread because hopefully some people will see it and take measures before it is too late.
Also, I use freecycle to get things for free (and to give things away) and I also use couponmom.com for saving on groceries when I have time. Which, unfortunately isn't often. ( hopefully there aren't too many typos...I did this from my phone)

Is moving to your mom's land an option? If it is, that sounds like a good plan especially if you have strong kids willing to help you. Will it be easy? Nope, it won't but it will get easier and it will be worth it. If you can earn some kind of income there that seems like your best option. Start a garden, till the soil, grow extra things like tomatoes, greens, almost anything you can sell on the side of the road. There is most likely a horse farm close around there that will give you manure. have your boys till it into the soil good. In fact see if the horse stable will let them work a few hours a week for money and or to trade for the use of a tiller. I had a guy that lived down the street, very close that I use to trade with. He would bring his tractor and tiller and till for me. He sold his tractor. Now I have to rent one. But if there is a farmer close I bet he/she could use an extra hand and will trade with you. Gotta work hard tho.

If you need seeds I'll send you some. If you need laying hens you gotta come get them. But on craigslist you can probably buy chicks pretty cheap in the spring.

I feel safer on land then I would in the city. each year I put in more fruit bushes and trees. My hope is to get a shower and potty built by the barn so people can at least camp out and help develop the land.

[uniquetobeme]

I did buy a little herb garden today :-). I don't know much about farming. I would need to look into it some more. I'd want to find out how to become certified organic. I'd also like to build some cabins and have a little writers retreat or something like that. This particular area could use a decent cultural type center. There is not much to do around there. I would like to open up a used/new bookstore and maybe a coffee shop or bar and have theme nights and live music, maybe a thrift store too. (couldnt do the shop on my mom's land...there is a river and the only way to get to the propery is a long walk over the swinging bridge or to drive a vehicle through the shallow part of the water. The best part of moving is most of my family is there and it would be nice to be near my family. It is also very isolated...I probably wouldn't have many friends and it is highly unlikely that I'd find anyone that I could date. LOL there are probably only 2 lesbians in the entire town! LOL, if that many :-). I'd love to have a writers resort or a couples retreat on the property. I don't think there are any horse farms, but my aunt and uncle own about 3 horses. I just don't know how I would survive until I started to make money and I'm also worried about health insurance. I'll give it more thought and talk with my mom more about it. it would be a big move, but I'd have lots of help, love and support from my family. (again typing from my phone...my cat destroyed my router by knocking over a glass of water onto it!)

[uniquetobeme]

I talked to my mom last night and she is going to talk to her husband and then I'm going to do a bit more research. It sounds like a good idea in theory. Probably, if something doesn't give here within a year, I will move to WVA. In the meantime, I will do as much research as I can :-)
The thought of growing a real watermelon from non-genetically modified seeds is almost enough to motivate me to make such a change right away! Haven't had a good watermelon since I was a kid!

[Sachita]

Originally Posted by uniquetobeme

I talked to my mom last night and she is going to talk to her husband and then I'm going to do a bit more research. It sounds like a good idea in theory. Probably, if something doesn't give here within a year, I will move to WVA. In the meantime, I will do as much research as I can :-)
The thought of growing a real watermelon from non-genetically modified seeds is almost enough to motivate me to make such a change right away! Haven't had a good watermelon since I was a kid!

I am sorry it took me so long to respond. I've been very busy.

What exactly are you waiting to see happen? I feel the best course of action, especially if you have kids, is to move towards safety and sustainability. I do know you need income. Is it possible for you to get some kind of job where your mom is?

Sometimes it takes a leap of faith and learning as you go. You're lucky that you have some little helpers. Pull your family together, make a plan and start moving in that direction. If you'd like to come down some weekends and help I'm sure you'll learn a lot and meet some great people.

[uniquetobeme]

I'm waiting for my son to graduate. Unfortunately, the last 5 years have been crazy in my world and my sons had to change schools 4 times. (I went through a really bad breakup in 2009 that really impacted our lives) so I don't want to move him another time.
The other issue is my 14 year has some medical problems that need to be resolved before I move and I found out he has to have 2 more surgeries :-(.
I am also thinking about going back to school to be a social worker.
I am giving it serious consideration, but I can't move just yet. My eldest son's boyfriend (he is 18) lives with us and he also has another year until he graduates.
I'm certainly keeping the idea in my head as a possibility. I wish I had a crystal ball to see what the best choices were, but I guess that would take the fun out of life. :-).
I would like to know more about some of the struggles people have had setting up a farm, and also about issues such as health insurance and things like that.
I was thinking, if I got a degree in Education, I could work at a school in the area and do farming in the summer.
Life is so full of complicated decisions. I know I long for a more simple life :-)
Thank you all for your support and advice :-)

[Sachita]

Originally Posted by uniquetobeme

I'm waiting for my son to graduate. Unfortunately, the last 5 years have been crazy in my world and my sons had to change schools 4 times. (I went through a really bad breakup in 2009 that really impacted our lives) so I don't want to move him another time.
The other issue is my 14 year has some medical problems that need to be resolved before I move and I found out he has to have 2 more surgeries :-(.
I am also thinking about going back to school to be a social worker.
I am giving it serious consideration, but I can't move just yet. My eldest son's boyfriend (he is 18) lives with us and he also has another year until he graduates.
I'm certainly keeping the idea in my head as a possibility. I wish I had a crystal ball to see what the best choices were, but I guess that would take the fun out of life. :-).
I would like to know more about some of the struggles people have had setting up a farm, and also about issues such as health insurance and things like that.
I was thinking, if I got a degree in Education, I could work at a school in the area and do farming in the summer.
Life is so full of complicated decisions. I know I long for a more simple life :-)
Thank you all for your support and advice :-)

I have a thread here called Sachita Collective where we will document the progress at the farm. Or you can also subscribe to www.sachitacollective.com there is a place to add your email on the left and it will send you an email each time we post to the blog.

A site that I find very helpful is http://rodaleinstitute.org/ there is lots of valuable articles, market studies, etc. Decide on a clear plan based on your ability. If you have a few teenage son's grab your tent and bring their butts down here to help us! lol You'll learn a lot.

Once we get ramped up our goal is to not only operate a successful organic farm business for the farm family but to teach other women to start up and operate the same. Hopefully we'll have some clear grant and loan options. Anyhow, much of this will be discussed in the thread. If you and your boys decide to come down let me know. I can help you with gas and feed you while you are here. We really could use some strong backs to clean up the greenhouse area and start tilling very soon.

[uniquetobeme]

I will plan on coming for a weekend sometime between April and late June. We can plan a specific date as it gets closer. It sounds like it will be hard work, but great fun and a good chance to see how it works for me before jumping in with both feet and moving to WVA. My 17 year old is a football player, so I enlist his help for moving heavy things :-) My 14 year old wants to try "bugging out" and see how we do. This would be a great opportunity for him to get his wish :-)

For some reason, I don't know why, whenever I think about starting a farm, or farm life and communal type living, Nathaniel Hawthorne's book, The Blithedale Romance, comes to mind. It was a strange book...interesting, but strange. LOL The main character, Miles Coverdale, was a strange man. Anyway, back to the topic...

I am wondering what I need to be prepared to bring. Do you have restroom facilities and a shower? If not, I'm thinking I will see if I can find portable ones. When I used to visit my Grandma's (the place I'm thinking of moving to) she had an outhouse, a well outside of the house to pump water, and wood stoves...They did have electricity, but that was it. I remember how much I loved watching the light flicker on the walls at night and sleeping with 10 quilts at night because it was so cold in the winter :-)

I do believe in fate, and I think life will lead me in the right direction. It's kind of funny, because I said that if I won the lottery I would want to start my own organic farm, and I haven't won the lottery, but the opportunity to start a farm at my Mom's house can be a reality. I just wish I had more "cushion" to get started :-) (Still waiting on the lottery part.. LOL)