Any Regrets On Moving To The Farm ?????

[OldMcDonald]

ncredneck, If you are happy that your financial situation is such that you can afford to move now, then do it now, otherwise I would suggest a little wait. Not a long wait, just as short as possible.

I was 59 when we moved here from northern Scotland (and some people thought I was too old to "start a new life"). That was 11 years ago, and the fifth farm of my own in 3 countries. I might have one more move left, I might not, life is good here and very cheap.

I would suggest that whatever happens you move whilst you still feel fit enough to tackle any job you might face. No point in waiting until you are slowing down - I am not as strong as I was 10 years ago, but still humped 50kgs (110lbs) sacks of lime and fertiliser into the spreader earlier in the week, and looking forward to the olive harvest starting at the end of the month.

I should maybe have added that my wife and I did not wait until we felt financially secure, we would never have done it if we did - but not everybody is prepared to live on a low income. Take advantage of the free sample of the first 15% of my book about living a rich rural life without much income and see what is possible if you really want to. You can download the sample through the link on my website. It costs you nothing except a little time to read it.

 

[Msamt]

Great stories, every one of them. I moved to the outskirts of a new town, up on a hill, 10 acres of my own, another hundred surrounding me. Everything is 20 mins away, and the Fedex and UPS guys find the place just perfectly. 2 of the 5 kids (and one of the grand babies!) are 20 mins away as well. I did 20years in the Navy, and am still slugging it out in the corporate world- actually typing this out from downtown Beijing China right now! Pretty lucky guy that works from home, but at 52 the day to day grind of big companies is getting to me. Everything is paid for, the Navy pension and 401k are pretty secure to take me thru to the end, having a real hard time staying motivated enough to keep socking the 16k$ away each year for the retirement account, but if all I have to do is keep spending 50 hours a week chained to the home office desk, and the 6-12 trips around the globe each year, I think I can get thru at least 2016 before hanging up the laptop and spending much more quality time making my snowmobile trails thru the woods and becoming a full time sun flower farmer- that.s the dream at least. +100 on the good partner part, my 2nd and last wife has been 1000% the reason for my success and happiness, 10 years with the ex took its toll, but after 13 years with the sweetheart of my life, doesn't even seem like it ever happened. Life is too short, move when you can, get to what feels like home, and remember the malls and shopping will always be there, I really cant stand them anymore...
Farm life is definitely for me!

 

[zzvyb6]

Yep, I sure miss the city. Missed the postage stamp lot with neighbor's ugly cheesy fences o 3 sides. Sure do miss the home owners association (you can't park a boat in your driveway at any time). Can't see a single neighbor now. I can pee anywhere without being seen. My backyard city neighbor was a flasher, but was so ugly I hated to have to look at her. My retired city neighbor always complained about an occasional weed in one of my driveway cracks. Speaking of crack, the crack-heads were always trying to steal whatever was not cemented down in my yard, my porch and my garage. Sure do miss having 2 deadbolt locks on my doors now. I don't even know where the keys are now for my current house, barn or machinery shed. There's probably still a barking dog next door to my old house. And I sure do miss nodding hello through the bathroom windows to my good neighbor next door when we happened to pee together. I REALLY feel bad when I have a nightmare about my current property taxes versus what I was paying almost 30 years ago. Heck, the current owner there could buy a slightly new green tractor with what he pays in taxes there now.

And you can understand how terrible it feels when my city friends pull up my 800' driveway, park their car and lock it. Just what do they think I'm going to do while we all have dinner?

Honestly, I have to go back to Ann Arbor once a year or so, just to slap myself in the head for moving.

 

[FTG-05]

No, not one regret, except for perhaps not doing it sooner:

 

[boggen]

there is a lot of expense and down right work keeping a property up. a lot of it is machinery and tools, but then just plain old physical labor.
if you are a person that wants vacations, and take off some place, big acreage can be ugly.
you are a weekend warrior and it never really stops, every weekend something needs to be replaced, fixed, etc... etc....

you can quickly get lost in wanting say some awesome garden look, and plants, and flowers all over the place, and it can over whelm you. KISS (keep it simply stupid) it is no longer about look here, but rather, what needs to be done (prep work) to make things easier and faster and still get it done. ""cutting tree limbs so ya do not knock yourself off tractor or tear something off tractor while mowing"", cutting a tree out, redo fence lines, and areas to make it easier mowing, redo drives (dirt / gravel) for easier plowing / dealing with snow, pull all the bushes, and mow down the flowers. keep things picked up and cleaned up.. (tree branches, fallen trees, etc...) keep things mowed as well to deal with keeping rodents at bay, erosion issues, etc..., having an actual shed that is not a "storage shed' but a usable shed for regular maintance of the various machines and tools that are needed for regular maintenance around the farm.

the faster and easier regular maintenance stuff is... more free time i have to do what i might want to do vs. being a slave to the farm.

the difference between city and country... what means taking 1/2 hour to deal with stuff outside in city = 1+ hour at country. larger machines, more prep work, oil changes, gas or diesel, checking stuff making sure it is good to go, longer time doing what ever, driveways, mowing, going to get something at a store can turn out to be 1/2 day wasted.

knowing how to drive an actual truck or sports utilty vehicle in the mud and snow. 2wd, 4wd, i don't care. simply knowing how to drive in various conditions and keep on going, and keeping you safe and others safe as well while on the road.
city folks = tow truck, country folks, keep on going. or they stay till someone with a vehicle comes back home to go out.

dealing with stray's (dogs, cats, etc...)

your more likely to have a neighbor that likes to shoot his guns. or drive 4 wheels / atv on some sort of track near you out in the country.

generator of some sort more likely a requirement. power outages may be down for some time.

internet out in the country stinks. satilete about only cheaper way to get high speed, but ya still pay out the rear for it.

females! and them getting use to dealing with a septic tank and septic field, and not putting female stuff down the toilet, and men condoms....

working around a well. only able to do wash some much laundry at a given time, more limited to only being able to use a single source of water at a time (if ya have multi kids... lots of showers / baths.... and working between well, washing dishes, laundry... and you could be in the hurt)

lots of folks say well water is good, but if you have a ugly well, well water does go bad, and then it may come back... each and every year.

hard water wells... replacing faucets, shower heads, valves, etc... toliets, dealing with stains from hard water on sinks, showers, and like.

telephone (land line) can easily go out or staticky, and cell phone reception can be non existence, it may be good one moment, then a breeze picks up and gone the next.

cattle getting out, it may not happen that often, but when they do. say good by to flower beds, and say hello to hoof prints all over the yard.
and if it is night time, they can be worse that deer in the head lights. more so black cows... been there done that.

living out in country, at least for me, for what ever reason, i am like a deer magnet. if i drive at night time. new set of brakes min per year. not to mention, other animals running out in front of me. if it was not for anti lock breaks, i would need new tires every few months from locking up brakes and putting a flat spot on tires.

*ughs* fires... a lot of folks around here like burning out ditches and other areas off... part of the mowing thing. is keeping paths opened up, for fire brakes, and keeping stuff down so nothing can go up in an instant if a fire gets out of hand.

------------
a lot of things end up getting done by a single person, working machinery and tools. and if your are not with it... can be life threatening deadly. all it takes is one little mishap.

 

[cre10]

It would be nice if the bars were closer at times, but I enjoy pissing in the front yard and shooting guns in the yard.

 

[nc redneck]

Guys
Thank you for all of the reply's each one will go in my thought process. I can not move for 2 years as we need to keep my daughter in Apex schools. I am a long term planer and have financial end covered no matter what decision we make. We are starting to look at new houses and builders. We want something smaller and easier to maintain that house we have in Apex. Building on property will require selling double wide.
Building a new house would not be the smartest move if we sold in a few years after moving in. We have considered living in double wide for a year or 2 to help decide if we want to live there or not. Also seriously considering renting house in Apex for a year or more. Then move would be reversible, it would be very hard to replace the home and location I have now.
I am a Walmart, Lowe's kind of guy, if I have those don't need much more. Wife on other hand goes to gym several times per week. She retired as a paralegal last year with full pension. Not sure how she will adjust as poster mentioned above.
I also agree with above poster that sitting in recliner all day is a quick way to die early.I have nice basement shop here in Apex. Welder , air compressor with room to back my 40 foot RV in and work on it. I will never give up shop until I go to retirement home.
I have always been a I would rather try and fail kind of guy than not try at all. How ever as you get older the failures hurt more and less time line to recover.
Please keep you thoughts and input coming.
Thanks
Scott

 

[nc redneck]

Guys
Thank you for all of the reply's each one will go in my thought process. I can not move for 2 years as we need to keep my daughter in Apex schools. I am a long term planer and have financial end covered no matter what decision we make. We are starting to look at new houses and builders. We want something smaller and easier to maintain that house we have in Apex. Building on property will require selling double wide.
Building a new house would not be the smartest move if we sold in a few years after moving in. We have considered living in double wide for a year or 2 to help decide if we want to live there or not. Also seriously considering renting house in Apex for a year or more. Then move would be reversible, it would be very hard to replace the home and location I have now.
I am a Walmart, Lowe's kind of guy, if I have those don't need much more. Wife on other hand goes to gym several times per week. She retired as a paralegal last year with full pension. Not sure how she will adjust as poster mentioned above.
I also agree with above poster that sitting in recliner all day is a quick way to die early.I have nice basement shop here in Apex. Welder , air compressor with room to back my 40 foot RV in and work on it. I will never give up shop until I go to retirement home.
I have always been a I would rather try and fail kind of guy than not try at all. How ever as you get older the failures hurt more and less time line to recover.
Please keep you thoughts and input coming.
Thanks
Scott

 

[jix]

Old MacDonald, congrtats on you book.. I hope it sells thousands of copies and that it prospers you.

I like your courage. That's the right stuff!

 

[jix]

It would be nice if the bars were closer at times, but I enjoy pissing in the front yard and shooting guns in the yard.

Better than shooting in bars and pissing in the street. Smile. I like few with friends on my porch..or a BBQ. City Bars bore the **** outa me...and empty my wallet

 

[Budweiser John]

Made the decision to leave the city in 1971. Took the assets from the sale of our suburban
House and purchased 80 acres of worn out land (didn't know about such things at the time)
One year old son in tow, managed to cobble together the shell of a house in the span of 60 days
And celebrated our first thanksgiving in November of '71 with 3/4 inch of sheeting
Between us and Mother Nature. The bathroom consisted of a friendly log and bathing
Had all the comforts of a wash tub in front of the wood stove. Needless to say, we didn't
Do much entertaining those first few months other than the infrequent visits of both sets of
In-laws who were convinced we had collectively lost our minds.
In town work to pay the bills race home by way of the lumber yard and continue building.
Work, build, more work, build barn number one, have second child, girl this time, buy beat up
old tractor, come to appreciate mud season......
Give thanks for a spouse who thinks drywall dust is a normal life style and kitchen cabinet
Doors are a **** nuisance but can back a horse trailer a quarter mile down the lane around
The corner and spot on to the paddock gate and load said critters for a trip to the fair grounds

Forty three years now since that first very cold Thanksgiving, two grown kids with loving spouses
Two grand daughters, a home now expanded to accommodate room for holiday guests and gatherings
A late model tractor and equipment, a roomy shop, and barn.
Hard work, true grit, a loving spouse, and faith. Moving to rural Americana? Best decision ever

 

[japody]

What more can I say?

 

[OldMcDonald]

Old MacDonald, congrtats on you book.. I hope it sells thousands of copies and that it prospers you.

I like your courage. That's the right stuff!

Jix, Thank you for your kind thoughts. The book might eventually sell enough to cover the costs, but I doubt it. I probably should not have published - that was not my original intention, it was originally notes of my lifetime experience for my son, but so many people persuaded me I should make a book about farming in so many different places that I went ahead. Only one of those actually purchased a copy when it came out 3 years ago. Friends? I always said I never had any, just acquaintances and good neighbours.

I aimed it at people starting a fresh life in the country, but, personal experience of meeting quite a few (particularly ex-pats here in Portugal and a few Brits via Internet) who ask for advice that is freely given, is that few of them really want to know what works and what does not. They have preconceived ideas about what to do and often fail.

My wife of 43 years (chosen when she was still at school and going on to be trained in Home Economics) have discovered that it takes very little income to eat and drink well and have a happy life. You must enjoy each others' company though if you are farming together because you will rarely be apart.

 

[oosik]

NC REDNECK - - You are to be congratulated!! IMHO, this is one of the most enjoyable threads on all of TBN.

 

[Buppies]

NC REDNECK - - You are to be congratulated!! IMHO, this is one of the most enjoyable threads on all of TBN.

Agree great thread and many more great people. The human spirit is indeed alive and well

 

[JBourquin]

I love reading the stories in this thread. It reminds me to never give up. I may not be exactly where I want to be yet, but I also know that I'm the only one that's gonna' get me there. Keep'em coming.

 

[jrkaye]

Raised in a suburb of Chicago then off to college and the military and moves to CA, PA, CO and finally TX. Currently on 15+ acres in a small valley in West Texas, surrounded by cotton producers, some cattle folk and a few, like us, that have horses. Yes, it's constant upkeep of one fashion or another but the satisfaction of the place looking good and plans for a few more improvements and looking out for miles and seeing.... More miles is wonderful. Everyone smiles and waves, life moves at a slower pace. So what if the nearest big shopping mall is 60 miles away, I can buy everything by either using my laptop or picking up the phone :dance1: . Life is good even when it's tempered by some hard work and long hours in the tractor seat. Then you look over at what you accomplished and/or created and that smile comes right back.

 

[dave1949]

It doesn't sound like moving 20 minutes out of Apex--a growing town of 42,000--would be giving up much in the way of nearby services. I wouldn't count that aspect of it very much pro or con. You would likely plan your trips a bit to combine chores, but that's about it if you don't have kids in school anymore.

Before living on 150 acres here, we lived on 10 acres in a coastal town in southern Maine. From spring through Columbus Day it was pretty busy. In mid-summer you almost needed to make an appointment to get on Route 1. We didn't go anywhere in town during the peak season daytime unless we had to. In the building boom before the recession lots of condos and housing subdivision were going up. It was becoming very suburban hectic. About one more building boom and it won't be much different than living on the outskirts of Boston. Maine people already jokingly call the area 'North Boston.'

That is why we moved to somewhere truly rural. That sounds similar to your mention of new homes and high school coming to your neighborhood, you seem to be looking for some peace and quiet.

I say go for it. In the end having one place to look after is much easier than two. I bet you drive to the farm quite often as it is anyways. Put a sign in the driveway: 'If you lived here, you'd be home now.' I bet it would grow on you very quickly.

Having some acres doesn't mean you have to work yourself to death or try to impress anyone. Do what and as much as you enjoy and let Mother Nature worry about the rest of it.

 

[patrick_g]

Took early retirement in '99 at age 56, spent a year fixing up city house to sell. Wife retired in '00 and we moved from San Diego after 30+ years to south central Oklahoma. Traded our SOCAL dirt postage stamp and cracker box for 160 acres and much of the $ to build a 5000+ sqft 3 level house (walk-out basement) and have a herd of Black Angus currently selling at record prices (400 lb calf at $3.00 a pound.)

Can pee off the front, side, or back porch with nearest neighbors 1/4 mile away with sight line mostly obscured by trees (many pecan.) All medical/dental is 30 miles or 30 min away by car. The only permit required was from Dept of Environmental Quallity for the septic system. I am radio ham and have some antenna towers but no CC&R's or similar BS. Until my towers are so large as to fall under FAA jurisdiction no permit or permission is required.

I can target shoot at 1000 meters on my property as the diagonal dimension is a tad over 0.7 miles or 1138 meters. We have ducks, geese, deer, quail, rabbits, dove, and turkey on the place and over 65 you qualify for a lifetime hunting and fishing lisc. We have 12 ponds, mostly stocked with multiple species including crappie, various sunfish, channel catfish, large mouth bass, perch, etc. We hear coyotes more than see them and have heard AND SEEN mountain lions in our back yard. We see lots of birds and walking critters of various sizes and dispositions.

We are approximately 30 miles from each of the closest 5 Walmart super centers. This is not back side of the moon remote or even in the middle of nowhere (but you can see it from atop the barn.) Gas and road diesel is available less than 2 miles away. Farm diesel is delivered to my overhead tank. Propane is delivered to my two each 1000 gal tanks. TV is via satellite but a good outside antenna would work for a multitude of stations. We are on the edge of DSL service for internet with just enough bandwidth for streaming video (Netflix.)

I designed both sets of stairs as straight runs wide enough to support a chair-lift and not block pedestrian traffic on the stairs. The master suite is on the ground floor and is a steel reinforced concrete safe room with interior steel shutters hidden behind curtains for closing in case of tornado or other reason. In our old age if we are seriously feeble we can live on the ground floor as the basement is just guest facilities and a "pool hall." The upstairs is more guest rooms, the library, a 1000 sq ft tea room, ham shack, etc. So we could get by not negotiating the stairs. The ham shack was once located in my wood shop which is attached to the house proper (just a part of it, not a separate building) so relocating the ham shack downstairs if the stairs become a barrier is not a big deal.

Until or unless there is some overriding concern that dictates otherwise we have no plans for moving to town, E V E R.

Pat NJ5G

 

[nc redneck]

Dave1949 I think your reply hit home thanks. Other reply's are worth there weight in gold also. I do think about no drive time, trailing tractors, cooler, tools and other stuff each trip. I currently maintain 3 property's my house in Apex, commercial rental 7 acres with one house. Commercial rental is triple net so they maintain there 2 acres. I do the other 5 acres plus the farm. A lot in mowing season not so bad in the winter.
It seems the older I get the bigger pain in butt these places become. Commercial I will keep until I fall over dead as it is a gold mine to me. Other stuff can be planned out of over the next few years.
Thanks for all of your thoughts. I like to hear it from those who have been there and done that.
Scott