the daydream fund challenge thread

JayneC

Hey everyone,

Have got a book from library - Successful Smallholding, lol!! It's becoming an obsession! It will happen, it will!!

I read an article the other day (in permaculture magazine) about a guy that is living without money!! He lives in a caravan and volunteers 3 days a week on an organic farm (where his caravan is parked). He has a woodburner and a solar panel for electricity (for lights, his phone and laptop) and grows his own food or forages/trades for it and coppices wood on the farm for his stove. He gets about by cycling. He seemed quite normal too!!

Anyway it's inspired me to believe I can make a go of a small holding. I've given myself a target of 5 years to prepare. I'll save as much as possible and research as much as possible too. I've found out about an organization called WWOOF where you can volunteer on organic farms in return for bed and board so will try to get some experience by doing that. I'm quite prepared to live in a caravan (at least initially) just got to persuade the family to join me!!

Davesnave

Sorry I haven't posted much lately. Last week we had several lots of visitors and this week it's all hospital & dental appointments, but in between we are battling-on with more clearance. Also, 50 apple trees have been pruned, or condemned, according to their health.

My main problem is the easterly wind, which is certainly bringing lots of dry weather, but it also makes it impossible for me to burn all the stuff we have accumulated since the last big burn-up. I think we have about a dozen of those 1 tonne builders' bags, plus a big pile of prunings on the field itself, but my neighbours are thatchers and their hay barn is downwind...........:eek: As soon as we get a westerly, I will be out there with the matches!

I'm currently clearing the area where our 42' x 24' polytunnel will go, rather than have the digger driver redistribute all the lovely nettles and docks that have been growing there. This is a bit premature, as I've had to apply for planning permission, but hopefully that should be just an (expensive) formality.

Karmacat

Hi there.... I've only just happened on this thread, and just seen your reference,Dave, to burning - it sounds like you're burning to get rid of stuff, is that right? Does local planning law or something prevent you from burning for fuel? Even if you saved it for BBQs in summer, if you can't burn it now, sort of thing. I found out a little bit last year about burning your own wood as fuel in France, and its absolutely essential out in the sticks.

Just interested to know what the situation is in this country .........

rozeepozee

Hi Karmacat :hello:

Hello to everyone here aspiring to running a small holding. I've just popped over from Frugal Living where another poster recommended this thread- it looks really interesting.

I can see I have some reading to catch up on. I'll have a read and pop in later to introduce myself properly.

Karmacat

Hi there! You arrived from the samelink as me, Rozeepozee

rozeepozee

hermum wrote: »

Hi Pink I only joined a few days ago, it seems that a lot of people who were posting a lot don't come on this thread much now. I'm thinking of changing my name to Norma No Mates.
Hopefully they've all managed to realise their dreams & there's no time.
Good luck have you been looking at any yet, or are you still in the planning stage? You sound mighty organised to me.

Hi again. I've just found this thread and am really keen to share info with everyone as we've been talking about buying a smallholding for what seems like years now but have been busy with other things (making babies mainly - one son, aged 3, and twin girls due in April).

I post regularly on the Frugal Living Challenge thread and that is very active (200 pages plus at last count). What's really helpful over there is the OP is "living it" (she has a smallholding too), posts regularly and has a very useful first post with loads of links and other useful info, books etc... I'm wondering if this could happen here - but I note that the OP hasn't posted for a couple of weeks or more now....

rozeepozee

Reading backwards and just finished page 45.

here's my own quote from the Frugal Living Challenge thread yesterday commenting on how many of the posters want a smallholding

rozeepozee wrote: »

There seem to be so many people on this thread with similar aspirations (and some already living it) it makes me wonder if there's some way of sharing hints and tips - or having some sort of challenge thread for those wanting to do this. Not quite sure how it would work.

Where we are at at the moment with this dream is:

We both like the idea but circumstances have stopped us from implementing (new baby, needing fertility treatment for sibling so wanting to be near a suitable hospital, now pregnant with twins and don't foresee a move til they are at least 18 months old).

We have the funds to do it on a small scale (buy a house with some land - how much do we need - I really have no idea?!? How much land do you need to be fairly selfsufficient?) without any additional borrowing or selling our current home, which we could let out. Ideally we'd like something that could give us an additional income e.g. a holiday let, but that would probably mean borrowing.

Would it be too hard, too much of a culture shock? I have a large social network of other mums in the city in which we live. I'm a bit scared of being too isolated and would prefer to be on the edge or near to a village or town. DH is less social than me and less concerned about this but worries about lack of amenities in rural areas, e.g. schools, access to further education, jobs.

My feeling is we just have to make the leap and if it doesn't work, we won't have put all our eggs in one basket and can always return to Sheffield. Want to be as prepared as possible if we do though so less likely to fail. Where can you get advice, info on doing this kind of lifestyle change?

Any advice or suggestions would be gratefully received.

R x

I can add that we are in the fortunate position of being able to run any smallholding we initially buy as a "hobby" as we own three rental properties and would also rent out our own home which would make it four. These properties don't make fortunes but they make enough to live on as long as we don't splurge. We've not had a "proper" holiday for five years, unless camping counts. Our own home is mortgage free and we've spent the last few years building up the funds in our buy to let offset mortgage accounts so would be in a position to spend about £250K without taking on any extra debt and that would still leave a contingency fund of at least 10%. We'd like to buy in Wales, preferably near the coast and also would be near the inlaws.

It almost feels like we could take the plunge if we had a proper business plan (and the courage!), although realistically, I think our lives will now be "on hold" for at least a year once the twins are born - it would be too stressful to even consider moving before then - having two babies is going to consume a lot of our time and be stressful enough.

Skills wise, I've started my own business previously (I was a lawyer many years ago and sold my practice before I had the obligatory near nervous breakdown, buying the rental properties referred to above), so I have some transferable skills. DP was formerly and IT consulatant, has retrained as a teacher (though doesn't much care for teaching), is handy with wood (has done a furniture making course and is very good!) and we both have been practicing growing for the last year or so in our small garden - really basic stuff on a very small scale (e.g. our carrot harvest last year was about two plastic bags worth!). We did raised beds in baths that I'd salvaged from a hotel that was being refurbed!). We're also practicing living frugally - hence the Frugal Living challenge. My in laws have had an allotment for years and produce much of their own food from a small plot so we have good growing advice on tap.

I won't write a novel. Hope that gives posters a flavour of where we are at - you seem like a friendly bunch so please be nice to me if I've said something horribly naive. I'm happy to elaborate if anyone has any questions.

Poppycat1

Welcome rozeepozee, I to am on the frugal living challenge. Not going too well. Just having a new kitchen put in and it seems I need something else for it all the time.

I have just planted three rows of onions and two rows of garlic. Last time I tried to grow garlic all it done was grow some nice green stalks. All I do is separate the bulb into cloves and place just under the soil (allottment). Should I be doing something else?

Also planted some chillis, tomatoes, butternut squash, peppers and some marigolds. Have been told marigolds are good at getting rid of some nasties, is that right? Got to put my plastic walk in green house when I get home from the school run. Wish me luck. lol

I am doing all this so I can sell a few plants aswell as eggs on the doorstep. Well it's really my son that wants to run the 'shop'.

Long way away from self suffciency but I know I will get there.

Edit: green house up and I am really pleased with it. Just hope it stays in one place. Another question please, I have a few bedding plants that I bought about three weeks ago as plugs, I have replanted them to bigger pots today. My question is: can I put these in the greenhouse now?

Nikki

Poppycat1 wrote: »

Welcome rozeepozee, I to am on the frugal living challenge. Not going too well. Just having a new kitchen put in and it seems I need something else for it all the time.

I have just planted three rows of onions and two rows of garlic. Last time I tried to grow garlic all it done was grow some nice green stalks. All I do is separate the bulb into cloves and place just under the soil (allottment). Should I be doing something else?

Also planted some chillis, tomatoes, chillis, butternut squash, peppers and some marigolds. Have been told marigolds are good at getting rid of some nasties, is that right? Got to put my plastic walk in green house when I get home from the school run. Wish me luck. lol

I am doing all this so I can sell a few plants aswell as eggs on the doorstep. Well it's really my son that wants to run the 'shop'.

Long way away from self suffciency but I know I will get there.

Marigolds worked a treat in my green house last year, so will be doing it again this year. Garlic needs to go through a frost for it to split into cloves so they should be ok as there are plenty more frosts to come. Did you use supermarket garlic? We did this a couple of years ago and got the same result you did. I did see a programme a while ago as to why supermarket garlic isn't a good choice for growing at home - partly because it's imported from much warmer countries and not used to our climate and partly to do with the way supermarkets store it.

Poppycat1

Wow, pleased I planted the marigolds now, thanks for the info Nikki. Hope they grow.

Yes, I think it was supermarket garlic I grew last time. But this time I got four bulbs for 99p from one of those cheap shops. Should be ok then :j.