Tell me about your dream of living in the country....

**simplemom** · 03-14-2004, 07:27 PM

I would love to know how you came to live in the beautiful country....maybe it could encourage me that it could happen to us, too.....

I just saw a barn in commercial, just now, and I became sad...everytime I see a mountain, a forest, a large garden, a river, some rapids, etc...it completely moves me in a way I cannot explain. Sometimes I even cry....even if minutes ago I was happy....

It has always been my dream to live on a farm or at least in the country, with lots of land and many, many trees around me. We never did it. With Pierre working in the Montreal area with a job you don't find in the country....we stayed in a small town near his work....

Tell me...have you always lived in the country? How did you make your dream come true, if it was your dream...I would love to learn what you did......

**homesteadmamma** · 03-14-2004, 07:46 PM

It was always our dream to live in the country. Having been raised in a small town of just under 10,000 and living in small towns when we were first married, we had always dreamt of country living.

Dh was transferred first to Saskatoon and then to Winnipeg and for 18 years we dreamt and planned our move. Then 10 years ago we decided to get rid of debt and start really working towards getting our dream home in the country. It took us 8 years to pay off all that we owed - $18,000.00 in cc debt, over $10,000.00 on a car and another large loan of just over $12,000.00. We worked hard, went without and squeezed every penny we could until we were completely debt free. We also saved enough to pay cash for our present home, thanks in part to a severance pkg dh got, and in part to being VERY frugal, sticking to a very tight budget, and going without.

It took us 3 full years to find our dream home. We looked in many areas and found a number of homes, but either they were too expensive or had major repairs that needed doing (such as mold).

Then one day I went on the net and found our home. That was two years ago this past January. We purchased our home in the country and paid cash for it. Although we didn't get land like we dreamt about for years, we decided that paying cash for our home was better than going into large debt. The cost would have been just too prohibitive had we gone for land.

We now have a park with large oak and maple trees across from us. We have a number of large trees on our own lot. Dh has his own workshop, rather than the basement. I have my Victorian home. Our home is everything we had ever dreamt of and then some.

Lucie, don't give up on your dream. We were married 34 years before ours was fulfilled. Were now making new dreams and goals.

**simplemom** · 03-14-2004, 08:14 PM

Oh CJ, you give me hope.

It must have been alot of sacrifes to obtain your goal, but you must think it was very worth it.

I just find it hard to wait....and I just don't know what the futur holds for us and I don't know when it could happen...we have talked about it recently and Pierre says we will move in the country before 10 years, for sure. I am dreaming for in 5 years, maybe....

Tell me CJ, do you still have the picture you showed us a long time ago of your Victorian home? I remember you posting it once... I would love to see it again.

**sunshine** · 03-14-2004, 08:24 PM

I grew up in the country-- as did dh. But when we first got married (early 80's) farm ground was not a good purchase. So we bought 4 acres in town. . . . the entire block north/south and 2/3 east/west.

Then when dh got sick-- we decided we really wanted to be in the country--- not bring the country in town. . . . so we started looking for a place. We just got lucky when we found this place. The sign was nearly hidden by tall grass-- - we saw it on Tues. called the auctioneer to see it that day--- called the bank the next day to get loan approval and appraisals. . . . then went to the auction on Sat. . . . out bid all others and signed on the dotted line!

Whew!

**homesteadmamma** · 03-14-2004, 08:36 PM

Lucie, the thing to do now is to begin to plan. Learn all you can about homesteading and living in the country. Try new things. Begin to set aside a specific amount of $$ each month and don't touch it. Make yourself a chart even and watch it climb as you begin to put money into savings for your dream.

Find books and read about country living. Begin to prepare yourself now, because it really does make a huge difference.

Here is the picture you wanted to see:

**homesteadmamma** · 03-14-2004, 08:39 PM

I'm going to have to take a new picture because all the windows and doors have been replaced except the bottom alcove windows. It makes such a huge difference with new doors and windows.

**forestdale** · 03-14-2004, 08:45 PM

Lucie, I grew up in Sydney. Population then of 1 million, now 5 million. I escaped from Sydney in the 1970s and worked as a nurse around the country, always in country hospitals or on aboriginal missions. I actually thought about never going back to a city then. I used to read this book called "Living on the Earth". it gave me a wonderfully romantic view of country living. I thought I might just "go bush" in the tropics and live wild. Luckily I didn't because in 1977 I met my dh. We moved to Germany and married when I was 31 - I always said I'd never marry. After living in Hamburg for 2 years we moved back to Australia and moved to the mining towns in Queensland it was so isolated I thought I'd die. I didn't want to be back in the city, but I wanted to be in a rural part of the country were I could have a garden and chickens. After 11 years we bought this house, we had saved and saved but we still couldn't move here. We got tennants in the house - luckily they were a wonderful couple and we had no problems with them at all. We sent our kids to boarding school, which cost us well over $100,000, but I didn't want them to go to high school in the mining town.

We decided that I would come to live here when our first son left school. He wanted to do an environmental science degree and there was a suitable university near here. Dh would stay and he would live here when our second son left school 12 months later. As it happened, the day that I decided to leave, the mine decided to close down and we all left! DH was asked by the new company to come back and work for them, which he did. So for the first few months we were here, the kids were on summer holidays and dh worked up north - coming home on his days off. The new company was terrible to work for and in a phone call when he was telling me that he hated what he was doing, I told DH, "Just come home, things will work out". He did. He came home and everything did work out! I was working as a technical writer and had three people working for me. He retired and became a houseDH until he drove us all insane with his perfection. Then he bought our store, I closed down my business and here I sit. This is the condensed version, naturally. Soon the store will be sold and we'll both be sitting here.

I guess what I'm trying to tell you is that nearly everything you ever do in your life that is worthwhile will come at a price. The price you are paying now is the frustration of wanting to do something that you can't do - yet. But your day will come. You are practising your ideal lifestyle in the way you live your life and by coming here to the village. When you finally make your big move you'll know exactly what you want and you'll have many of the skills you need to make your new life a success.

See every day that goes by as one day closer to your dream. Keep reading and collecting information, keep dreaming, look for your ideal home online - this will help when you're ready to buy because you'll know exactly what you want and the price you'll probably have to pay. Stay focused on your goal and remember that often you need to take a chance to get what you want.

**forestdale** · 03-14-2004, 08:52 PM

CJ you have a beautiful home! I'll try to take a pic of our home in the next day or two and post it.

Good advice you gave Lucie too.

**doodlebug** · 03-17-2004, 05:54 PM

I guess I've always lived in the country. I was raised on 100+acres, when we were first married we lived in a trailer on a small lot but still rural, then another trailer on a bigger lot and more rural, our first house had about 3/4 acre, our second house had 4.7 acres and we now have 4.3 acres. I just cannot ever imagine living in a city but dh and I have talked about retiring to a small town but we would still want at least an acre of land. Just gotta have my own personal breathing space, lol.

Hang in there Lucie, dreams do come true, sometimes it just takes a little while for them to happen

**Katybird** · 03-17-2004, 08:38 PM

We live in a very small town (less than 500 people) and live on the edge of town, even though we are in the city limits it is still as though we live in the country. We moved here from a large town (150,00 people) when our children were all in school so that they did not have to go to school in the city schools where they have armed policemen patroling the halls.

**frugalmel** · 03-17-2004, 09:39 PM

Hang in there Lucie. I think CJ has given you some great advice.

I myself am not sure if I will ever live on an actual "homestead" or not. If my dh has his way we will be near the beach (not on it, just near enough to drive to). Being a country person, not a beach person I am less than excited. He has said however he would like to have some property. I guess I won't be a farmer, but if I have room for my plants and garden I will be ok.

Hang on to your dream!

**simplemom** · 03-21-2004, 12:03 PM

I'm sorry friends, I just saw this thread today...Thank-you Cj for showing me your home again. It is really beautiful. Thank-you also for sharing your advice with me. I'm going to start doing like you said and keep focused on my goal.

Thank-you Bethany for sharing with me your story. It is inspiring. I'm looking forward in seeing a picture of your country home.

Thank-you Dana, Kathy and Melody for your encouragements and sharing your thoughts on how you are living.

I can feel it....one day I know we will be in the country, looking outside in the woods....

**Michele Annette** · 03-28-2004, 03:22 PM

CJ , your home is beautiful, thank you for sharing!

We cannot wait to love in the country! I know I have been talking a lot about moving throughout all of these threads, and I'm sorry if it's getting annoying to some of you!

We hope to have a few acres in Colorado soon. It will be so hard having to move into an apartment first, but I guess we need to be somewhere, while we look for land. I prey very soon something good will happen!