hi everyone. Going to try and explain how we live, hope this is in the right
place.
thanks for making me feel so welcome. Please excuse typos, I'm doing this
from a phone that is smarter than me at times.
we live on $848. per month, no food stamps. Dh gets full disability and has
Medicare. I am a veteran, applied for my medical benefits so we do not
have high insurance payments. We have no mortgage, property taxes. We
have no utility bills. All utilities, (land line phone, electric, cable, etc), stop
3 miles from us, at the hardtop. We have a 3 mile dirt road/driveway.
our water is gravity fed from a wonderful, year round spring. Tastes great
and ice cold. Electricity is 2/55 watt solar panels. Heat is wood, cooking
is wood antique cookstove in winter. I love my stove. Summer, warm
weather is an antique propane stove. We use the grill size tanks, as we
would never get a delivery here. Our hot water is heated by wood in
winter through our heat stove and a solar heater in summer. I enjoy a
nice hot shower or bath in my antique cast iron tub. I have an antique
sink in my kitchen. I like old things.
our road is 4wd year round, and sometimes that doesn't do it. We have
walked to get to my small Suzuki when our road is not good for the farm
truck. Farm truck is strictly used back here, so we don't keep insurance or
tags on it. My Suzuki has basic coverage, and I pay $26.58 per month.
propane tanks are filled at southern states and cost $16.45. We have 4
tanks and they last us about a year, use wood in winter. We do buy gas
for chainsaw and vehicles and keep some stored. We don't go out very
much, every trip counts, no wasteful driving. Especially when it takes
about 45 minutes to drive our driveway and another 20 minutes off
the mountain. That's in good weather.
I do our laundry by hand, hang outside in summer/good weather and
inside when icky out. I use vinegar for rinsing and I make my own
laundry soap. I have a washboard and a plunger. Its not as hard as
some would think, but does take a little longer. I do wash my large
blankets at a laundromat. I wear a lot of dresses and skirts, even in
the winter. They are easier to clean. I can do all my farm/outside
chores in my dresses. When doing laundry by hand, you learn to
wear clothes that are easier to wash. Jeans take work.
no freezer or refrigerator. I use a spring house, root cellar, dh built
me an old fashioned ice box this past fall. It works great. I can
and dry our food. In winter I get a natural freezer. I haven't
been to the grocery store since January and until last Tuesday
I was feeding 5 of us from my pantry for 6 months. All meals are
from scratch. I bake all of our breads, muffins, cookies, etc.
we have home canned chicken, pork, beef, sausage, fruits, jams,
veggies, soups, etc. We grow a huge garden and have apple
trees and berry patches.
I have a treadle seeing machine and a loom. I sew, quilt, read
never bored.
we have had chickens, dairy goats, raised a pig and a jersey
cow. The chickens and cow will be coming back. Yippie!!!
our food budget I'd $150.00 per month. I order from a co-op,
use sams, Kroger, no aldis near by. I haven't used coupons
in years.
we walked away from everything when dh got hurt. Decided it
was time to leave the rat race. We never looked back. We have
almost 80 acres, surrounded by hundreds more. Nearest
neighbor about 6 miles away. We have deer, turkey, bobcats,
bear and lots of birds; hawks, eagles, doves. We have a pond
and I love hearing the spring peepers. We have creeks, streams
and a small waterfall.
I don't feel like we are lacking anything. We have good meals, can
watch a movie on the portable DVD, sit at the pond, etc. Our
I should have been born in another century. Is it hard, yes at
times. But so was the rat race. Dh may be disabled, he has good
days and bad, we make the most of every day and we have each
other. There is a great feeling knowing that you are able to
provide for yourself. We get plenty of fresh air and excerise.
oh my, I have really rambled on. I hope I have been able
to explain a little about how I live.
place.
thanks for making me feel so welcome. Please excuse typos, I'm doing this
from a phone that is smarter than me at times.
we live on $848. per month, no food stamps. Dh gets full disability and has
Medicare. I am a veteran, applied for my medical benefits so we do not
have high insurance payments. We have no mortgage, property taxes. We
have no utility bills. All utilities, (land line phone, electric, cable, etc), stop
3 miles from us, at the hardtop. We have a 3 mile dirt road/driveway.
our water is gravity fed from a wonderful, year round spring. Tastes great
and ice cold. Electricity is 2/55 watt solar panels. Heat is wood, cooking
is wood antique cookstove in winter. I love my stove. Summer, warm
weather is an antique propane stove. We use the grill size tanks, as we
would never get a delivery here. Our hot water is heated by wood in
winter through our heat stove and a solar heater in summer. I enjoy a
nice hot shower or bath in my antique cast iron tub. I have an antique
sink in my kitchen. I like old things.
our road is 4wd year round, and sometimes that doesn't do it. We have
walked to get to my small Suzuki when our road is not good for the farm
truck. Farm truck is strictly used back here, so we don't keep insurance or
tags on it. My Suzuki has basic coverage, and I pay $26.58 per month.
propane tanks are filled at southern states and cost $16.45. We have 4
tanks and they last us about a year, use wood in winter. We do buy gas
for chainsaw and vehicles and keep some stored. We don't go out very
much, every trip counts, no wasteful driving. Especially when it takes
about 45 minutes to drive our driveway and another 20 minutes off
the mountain. That's in good weather.
I do our laundry by hand, hang outside in summer/good weather and
inside when icky out. I use vinegar for rinsing and I make my own
laundry soap. I have a washboard and a plunger. Its not as hard as
some would think, but does take a little longer. I do wash my large
blankets at a laundromat. I wear a lot of dresses and skirts, even in
the winter. They are easier to clean. I can do all my farm/outside
chores in my dresses. When doing laundry by hand, you learn to
wear clothes that are easier to wash. Jeans take work.
no freezer or refrigerator. I use a spring house, root cellar, dh built
me an old fashioned ice box this past fall. It works great. I can
and dry our food. In winter I get a natural freezer. I haven't
been to the grocery store since January and until last Tuesday
I was feeding 5 of us from my pantry for 6 months. All meals are
from scratch. I bake all of our breads, muffins, cookies, etc.
we have home canned chicken, pork, beef, sausage, fruits, jams,
veggies, soups, etc. We grow a huge garden and have apple
trees and berry patches.
I have a treadle seeing machine and a loom. I sew, quilt, read
never bored.
we have had chickens, dairy goats, raised a pig and a jersey
cow. The chickens and cow will be coming back. Yippie!!!
our food budget I'd $150.00 per month. I order from a co-op,
use sams, Kroger, no aldis near by. I haven't used coupons
in years.
we walked away from everything when dh got hurt. Decided it
was time to leave the rat race. We never looked back. We have
almost 80 acres, surrounded by hundreds more. Nearest
neighbor about 6 miles away. We have deer, turkey, bobcats,
bear and lots of birds; hawks, eagles, doves. We have a pond
and I love hearing the spring peepers. We have creeks, streams
and a small waterfall.
I don't feel like we are lacking anything. We have good meals, can
watch a movie on the portable DVD, sit at the pond, etc. Our
I should have been born in another century. Is it hard, yes at
times. But so was the rat race. Dh may be disabled, he has good
days and bad, we make the most of every day and we have each
other. There is a great feeling knowing that you are able to
provide for yourself. We get plenty of fresh air and excerise.
oh my, I have really rambled on. I hope I have been able
to explain a little about how I live.