Living Off the Land

Most of us work really hard at our jobs each and every day. We get up early, run out the door, and speed off to our workplace. We get stuck in a rut day after day just so we have money to pay the bills that we have acquired from school loans, credit cards, and all of the other things that we need to survive. But do we really need that 90 inch color television to survive?

As we all have seen, people lose their jobs every day now. You could have a great job that you have worked at for 30 years and still that does not actually mean you have job security. You could just as easily be fired today as the young kid who works at a fast food restaurant. This is something that more and more people understand in these times we live in. There has to be a way for all of us to secure ourselves from the possibility of becoming another job loss statistic.

While I am not a "know everything" kind of person, I do see some advantages to slowing down and doing things for myself. I have property and I grow a large amount of the food I eat right on my land. I do not have to worry about eating a month old can of green beans that was brought to my store by train or truck because I go outside and pick my own and can the leftover food for later use. I try to always keep stocked up on as many different food supplies as possible just in case I have a bad growing season. This is just one example of becoming self-sufficient that I try to convey to people.

Becoming more self sufficient is a great way to relive stress. Food costs money and money is something that most people do not have in large quantities anymore. The economy has shown us that our money can be worthless in the blink of an eye and our jobs can be gone just as fast. Think how nice it would be to never have to worry about the standard forty hour week again. Think how nice it would be if you could just stay home, work on your land, grow your own food and make money doing something that you enjoy instead. This is possible in many different ways because of the internet and online jobs. This can also be possible through farming. I chose the farming route and online route just for the fact that I wanted as much income as possible doing two things that I enjoy. I enjoy being online and making websites and writing so this is not even like a job to me. I also enjoy farming and being outdoors so this is also more like a hobby and much less stressful than a regular job. I am able to make money through my websites with advertising and products sales, and I make money selling my produce from my farm as well as cutting my food budget by more than half because I plant what I eat.

While this may not be for everyone, for those of you who have lost your jobs or are looking for other alternatives, this may very well be a path you might want to look into. While it isn't simple, it is worth the few hurdles that you will encounter on your way to an easier lifestyle. The first hurdle is finding land for your small farm. If you happen to have at least three or four acres, you can begin with that. If you want a larger farm with higher output, look at ten acres and up to begin. It is important to remember that you really do not need a huge amount of space to have a profitable garden. It all depends on how you use the space. The second hurdle is getting rid of your home and using the money to buy a smaller home to put on your land. There are a million and one ways to go about doing this but a good start is to find a garage kit at your local big home improvement store. Some of these garage kits are as large as 1500 square feet and they can cost as little as 9500 dollars. By building it yourself you save huge amounts of money, and even better, you will end up with a house and you will not have a mortgage payment. The only thing you will have to pay is your property taxes which is a drop in the bucket compared to the corrupt amounts that the bank charges you each month for your mortgage.

I hope you find what you are looking for in life and if working 40 hours a week in a job that could be gone in a heartbeat is what you enjoy, good for you and more luck to you! If you are like me and wish to live by your own means and not rely on anyone, start thinking outside of the box and learn to do things for you instead of the banks.