New from NC....for now

Hello, I joined this forum because there seem to be a lot of like minded folks here to learn from. My wife and I are Christians and are expecting our first son any day now. We are currently living in NC in a rural neighborhood close to my work. I'm originally from MS and grew up on 50 acres. I would like for my son to grow up the same way, especially considering the way things seem to be going. We try to eat local organic foods as it is and even grow some of our own in our little garden. Its not necessarily a sustainable lifestyle though and our debt to income ratio is definitely higher than I would like it to be.

We currently have about 25 acres of family land available to us in MS and I have been considering relocating. I would like to build a house on a piece of property where we can have enough room to support ourselves. I also want my son to grow up learning how to support himself rather than relying on supermarkets and our current economy. If we decide to tackle this transition I want to get as far out of debt as possible.

Anyway, that's a little about me.

Welcome my brother from another mother

My wife and I moved to our 12 acre plot to be able to feed ourselves and not worry about what the stores were doing.

You will have some hard choices to make with that relocation, and the allure will be strong. I advise following a Dave Ramsey like approach to finances if that is your ultimate goal. We can talk about that later...sounds like an exciting time in your life, take time to enjoy the journey.

Welcome to our little community. You will learn a lot here and find everyone very supportive and knowledgeable. I think your decision to teach your new little one how to be dependent on God and himself is the most wonderful thing a parent can do.

I am too thinking about relocating. I had a five acre homestead and gave it up due to some family issues but where I am living now still have room for a garden and a friend has a place right down the road, within walking or biking distance, where I can keep a couple milk goats and some chickens. I can have bunnies where I live and may get a couple of angora bunnies for the fiber since I spin my own yarns. I used to have sheep but don't think I would ever have them again but you never know with me.

Once again welcome.

Thanks for the welcomes. My wife and I were just talking about Dave Ramsey today. We have been good about staying out of debt but with our current mortgage and vehicle payment it is more than I want hanging over our heads. We need to check him out.

We are currently living in a subdivision on a .35 acre lot, not much room to expand, and definitely no outside animals. My extended family owns a total of about 450 wooded acres bordering each other in MS. I am a beneficiary on my Grandfather's portions which is about 55 acres in all. One 25 acre cleared plot with a pond and another 30 acre wooded plot with a natural spring. I can use either of them if we choose to go that route.

Welcome. You could always have a couple of chickens in your house. After all, other people have parrots, so why not chickens?

Lol, my lab would love to have a couple indoor chicken "toys".

chicken chews

Hey 12acre, I made those once. I have a friend who had one lone Rhonde Island for years and kept her in a big dog cage in the house, and she has a really small house.

Chickens in the house???/ YIKES! I remember getting a few roosters that we transported in our van. We had to have all the windows rolled down because the smell was causing us to gag!

Welcome to our little family. My sister lives in Columbus MS and my parents are in Alabama, about 5 minutes from her. Congratulations on the upcoming birth of your son. Having kids sure changes ones perspective on things. I know that when we adopted our son it really got me going in the direction of self sustainable lifestyle.

Hey folks, sorry for the delay. Just an update, our baby boy is here, 7 lbs 11 oz.

Congratulations! Hope your son and wife are both doing well.

Everything is going great, both are doing very well!

Welcome! Congratulations on your new baby. Hope all is going well for you.

Congrats! He's just a hair bigger than my son was when he was born.

Congratulations on the new baby and I hope things are going well.

Thank you everyone

Hey folks, after a lot of figuring things out the Lord has shown us He has different plans for us. Our son just turned 8 months old and we are back living in our old home. It is a small 3 bedroom on a little over 1/2 acre wooded lot. We will be here for a while most likely. I will be asking some questions in the future dealing with microfarming, chickens, and goats!

Welcome back and congrats on the birth of your son. . It's funny how what we plan and what the Lord has in store for us don't usually match up, hang in there.

Good to see you again. Hard to believe your little one is already 8 months old. They grow up too fast, don't they? We have others here who homestead in an urban setting, so I'm sure you'll do just fine.

I just quit farming a 39 foot wide city lot for a small acreage. I urban farmed that space for the last 26 years. If you need to know something, just ask!

Thanks folks! It is hard to believe the little guy is crawling in the dirt now!

39 feet is a tight space! Our lot is just over 1/2 acre and about 75% wooded. I love the trees but it is giving me problems with the sun. I have one area around our back deck that is full sun and the rest of the clear area gets sun about 2 hours out of the day. I'm planting some lettuce right now that will be protected and trying to plan my locations for full sun vegitables in the spring. I love peppers so will grow some in doors in pots year round. I also am planning a chicken coop for some egg producers and I may raise some meat chickens as well. Future plans for a milk goat and bees.

I recently watched a documentary on a family who grows 90% of their food on .25 acre lot. It far me motivation.

Check our my website http://www.ubuilderplans.com.

There is lots of good info to help get you started there.

We raise duo purpose chickens. Right now we have Buff Orpingtons and my mind is drawing a blank on the other breed. Guess that's what happens when I try to get online late at night after taking my night meds. We also raise Nigerian Dwarf goats. They are dairy goats, and if I'm not mistaken they are the smallest of the dairy goats. Their milk has a high butterfat percentage, which is great!

Welcome back, I hope you will find what you need here to make your 1/2 acre into everything you want it to be

Farmfresh wrote:Check our my website http://www.ubuilderplans.com.

There is lots of good info to help get you started there.  

I just looked, and yes LOTS of very good info, even for old hands...here'e a random sample paragraph:

What was true in 1918 is still true today. The backyard chicken can be a valuable asset in the difficult economy that we face today as well. A few chickens in the backyard can provide your family with nutritious eggs and meat, supplement your garden with fertilizer and help keep your lawn pest free. All the while using very little of our most precious resources - time and money.