We have been renting for about 8 years now and although I am grateful that we have a roof over our heads ( and 2 bathrooms), it would be lovely to have our own place! A place where we don't have to ask permission to do anything, where I can hang pictures, or paint if I want to. Where I can have our dog inside and a cow outside. And more room for the children to run around in.
So Andrew and I have decided that for the next 18 months we are going to try and save enough for some land.
We are a one income family. When we had our children we decided that I would stop working and become a permanent homemaker. While this works for the family and the children and Andrew like having me at home, financially it can be difficult especially with debt.
Debt can be the killer of savings. With debt there is often no option for saving because all our money is already earmarked.
When we married we had a mortgage, credit card debts and a personal loan. Financially we were drowning, so we made some tough choices. We sold the house, payed off all our loans and cut up our credit cards. We now have a "cash on the barrel" philosophy as Pa Ingalls would say. As hard as it has been it has also been wonderful. We don't owe anyone, but if we want to buy something, especially big ticket items, we have to wait or go without.
So when it comes to saving for land, while it is a possibility it is also going to take much sacrifice from all of us. We are going to have to set a strict budget and stick to it. I am going to try and save money on the groceries by cooking more from scratch and making more cleaning products. Christmas may be a little simpler and we won't have as much discretionary income for our craft supplies. But the end result will be wonderful. We will have our own piece of land and will be able to start homesteading in earnest.
Jenny
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