|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chris Kott wrote:
Thomas Kelly wrote:Broke, living paycheck to paycheck at a dead-end job. Live in Oregon so I'm surrounded by expensive real estate. Want to find fertile land with a water source but those are too expensive here. Don't want to move too far because I want to stay connected with family and friends. Really want land to build a cob house and garden but everything requires money, something I'm not a big fan of. What should I do?
Not being a big fan of money for it's own sake is fine, but if you want things, you need money. Land is a thing, ergo you need money. As you said, everything requires money.
I suggest you look at your job. Why is it a dead-end job? Can you not get a better one? What do you do? What are you qualified to do? Are there any trades you're interested in, particularly ones whose employers will pay you to train? Are there any hobbies you could monetize?
You can move to the other side of the globe and stay connected with friends and family. I would be concerned with finding a place that checks all the boxes and maybe has enough space for people to stay over or park small trailers, and isn't too far away for regular weekend visits.
But above all, I think that if you aren't a fan of everything requiring money, I think you're actually saying you aren't a fan of having to work at something that isn't what you want to be doing so that you can afford to do what you want to do, living on land with a watersource, in a cob cottage you build yourself, and a garden that feeds you. That's an admirable goal, but honestly, you are going to have to work to get the money to buy all that.
I suggest that you train to do something in line with your permacultural goals. If you do what you love for work, you never work a day in your life. If you temper choices in that vein with careful consideration about how much you need to earn to get what you want, you can find a path forward.
I happen to be in a similar situation. My much better half is a glassblower and can find a retail part-time job anywhere, to compliment some work she does with other artists. But her work happens out in the country, about two hours east of where we currently live. I currently commute almost an hour in the other direction for work. So in addition to exploring employment options out there, I have also joined a local urban beekeeping club, and am going to take two introductory apiology courses in the coming months. My much better half's employers also garden on a large scale, and have offered us space to garden on their property, which I plan on doing next season.
I suggest that if you haven't looked up the work of J.M. Fortier, you do so. He's into permaculturally-aligned market gardening utilising walking plow-scale machinery, and focusing on intensive horticultural production. The idea, as I understand it, is to grow horticulturally rather than agriculturally, and work it like a job. He does, and has by himself, up to a practical maximum of something like three-quarters of an acre of garden. Any more would require more labour, the way he does it, but he is able to make money doing it, enough to expand and grow his operation.
Many of us are stuck, or feel so, but in many cases, that's illusory. Just break down your assumptions. Deconstruct the argument you've made for why you can't change anything, and start over with the premise that you can do everything you want, and don't put so many obstacles in your own path.
Let us know how it goes. I am sure you'll find no end of helpful advice on this site. Good luck.
Great comments from everyone.
I was hoping that some land owners in VERMONT would respond to this conversation. Do land owners look for buyers ? That is without monetary gain the primary objective. Rather looking for people who who want to change the game to regenative, sustainability, husbandry, permaculture or better yet the principles written by Robert Or.
another woods trying open conversation to the land owners
-CK
michael kenney wrote:
Thomas Kelly wrote:Broke, living paycheck to paycheck at a dead-end job. Live in Oregon so I'm surrounded by expensive real estate. Want to find fertile land with a water source but those are too expensive here. Don't want to move too far because I want to stay connected with family and friends. Really want land to build a cob house and garden but everything requires money, something I'm not a big fan of. What should I do?
Check out Michael Reynolds “Garbage Warrior”
How he had land and reached out to people and brought them in to start a self sufficient community. More people with land should no be so narrow minded and open their land to people.
Thomas Kelly wrote:Broke, living paycheck to paycheck at a dead-end job. Live in Oregon so I'm surrounded by expensive real estate. Want to find fertile land with a water source but those are too expensive here. Don't want to move too far because I want to stay connected with family and friends. Really want land to build a cob house and garden but everything requires money, something I'm not a big fan of. What should I do?
Thomas Kelly wrote:Broke, living paycheck to paycheck at a dead-end job. Live in Oregon so I'm surrounded by expensive real estate. Want to find fertile land with a water source but those are too expensive here. Don't want to move too far because I want to stay connected with family and friends. Really want land to build a cob house and garden but everything requires money, something I'm not a big fan of. What should I do?