Guest Post by Hardscrabble Farmer
We have zero debt. Obligations, like taxes, insurance, fuel, etc. but with no borrowed money, no interest, no mortgage, no credit accounts.
It makes it far easier to see what are costs are on a daily basis- we must pay the propane bill on delivery, we need new socks and boots, the next visit to the dentist will run $300, etc. That allows us the flexibility to draw on our skills, production, saved resources, etc. as needed or to chose to put off/do without, do it ourselves.
The benefit is having far more freedom in our choices, being far more anxiety free than before despite having less and knowing that our way through this world is made possible by our own will power and grit rather than some anonymous corporate entity that can pull the plug at will.
People in debt are not at liberty to live their lives on their own terms, and of course our tax burden could eventually make it impossible to meet those obligations at some point where my energy does not have the ability to keep up with the demands of the assessor but then we can always sell our real estate and use up the proceeds to make it through our dotage and that’s only if our children decide to opt out.
We have a family photo on the wall, my paternal Grandmother at age 11, her 8 year old sister and her infant brother with her Father and her Grandfather behind a barn. Her Grandfather is white-bearded and wearing a tattered farmer’s hat, patches on the knees of his trousers, her father is repairing the sole of a shoe, staring straight at the camera with a couple of tacks held in his lips and a hammer in his hand. The children all lean in, the baby cradled on his Grandfather’s lap wearing a handmade bonnet. I came from this stock, these people who were self reliant and devoted to each other. That photo doesn’t shame me, it brings me great pride and I only hope that I will be able to live up to their impossibly high standards of what it means to be a man and a family.
Economics are like the weather. You can talk about them, you can complain or rejoice depending on the situation, but you can’t change either one, you just have to find a way to do the best that you can and protect yourself and your loved ones when either goes bad.
Sounds like:
Discipline=Freedom
“We have zero debt. Obligations, like taxes, insurance, fuel, etc. but with no borrowed money, no interest, no mortgage, no credit accounts.”
My Family finances are the same. The freedom and the feeling is great. Unfortunately I still have a daily job and am not working for myself. True freedom someday, I hope and Pray.
I wish there was a way to quantify the value of feeling this way- the quality of our sleep, for example, how our health has improved despite being a decade older, the way our marriage has turned into this fortress and engine of the family dynamic, the carefree childhoods our children are experiencing while at the same time accumulating a long string of skills that give them a sense of purpose and real pride.
Yesterday we all stood in the kitchen making hors d’oeuvers together, youngest toasting little pieces of bread, my wife placing thin slices of cheese and roasted red pepper on them, me drizzling each one with olive oil, oregano and garlic and all of it either right off the farm or traded for something from our production… the way that they tasted and the conversation we had after a long, hard day felt so immeasurably rewarding and yet to an economist it wasn’t worth mentioning.
I had plans when we moved up here, but I never counted on these kinds of payouts, never even considered that we’d do anything more than try and disengage from the bigger economy while living the same way, I suppose. But by doing it, everything changed and all for the better.
About three weeks ago my kids had the chance to go visit their Grandfather down in NJ and see some old friends and go to the County Fair but we just didn’t have the extra money to make it happen. Conservatively we put the figure at $250 for travel, tickets, food, etc. That very same day a reader of either my blog, or the stuff I post here, out of the blue, sent me a check for $250 and said it was because he and his wife felt called to do it, that our life and the way I was writing about it was a kind of testimony to God’s hand in our lives. Maybe that was just a coincidence, maybe it was synchronicity, but either way our kids got to go see family and friends as a result of something that couldn’t be quantified in any economic sense. Like a rainbow, it was just a gift that delivered far more value than anything you could ever buy.
We have to learn to trust our instincts that life has a plan and that we benefit far more when we listen to it and follow along rather than rail and struggle against things we have no chance of changing. That doesn’t mean we have to be passive, in fact it requires us to take an even more active role in our own lives than we usually do.
Things are going to be just fine, I really believe that, whatever is on the horizon and all we have to do is to find ways to make our contribution to the world turn out on the plus side of the ledger of life.
“We have to learn to trust our instincts that life has a plan and that we benefit far more when we listen to it and follow along rather than rail and struggle against things we have no chance of changing. That doesn’t mean we have to be passive, in fact it requires us to take an even more active role in our own lives than we usually do.”
This is a great line. I call it “paying attention to the universe”. I learned years ago that there is a difference between diligence and working at something versus trying to force something to happen that likely isn’t meant to be. One produces and spurs satisfaction the other often leads to misery and disappointment.
Not enough people spend enough time just listening. If they did they’d be smarter, more content and find it easier to cope with adversity when it arises. They’d see the beauty of challenges, large and small but would also see more clearly their place in this world and would eventually come to appreciate simple things and to be happy with what they have instead of always wanting more, more, more.
But that’s just me.
As for debt I’ve always felt it is a bit like fire. It can be useful but should be used with caution and respect and not abused. I’ll leave it there.
A good thoughtful post HS. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Damn, farmer, that’s quite a set of paws you’ve got on you. My dad had hands like that, he was 6’4″, and still, the first thing you would notice about him was how big and strong his hands were. When i shook his hand, mine would just get engulfed by his. I wish i’d been born with hands like that, they say things about a man that words can’t.
I share your belief HF and commend you for all that you do. But how in the world can you possibly live a happy life without those trendy granite counter tops and the latest electronics and C/A? Why you act as though love and a close family with the basics of life are all that is needed, a full stomach ,a nice home and the love of good parents. Wow, that is downright revolutionary thinking and that is exactly what Americans have FORGOTTEN.
If only people could understand that happiness does not come from THINGS. Strong families, that’s what we need. 🙂
HSF – you are speaking a language understood by very few indeed. Those that know, know. Those that do not, will not.
I know.
Unbound, we did all the theme parks when the kids were little. We took them to DizzyLand and Universal several times a year. When you live in California, you become a sort of unpaid tourist agency; there were many times we guided the relatives through the secret passages to get from Tomorrow Land to Tom Sawyer Island. I don’t remember much about them.
The one attraction I can fondly remember is walking around in the choking dust of the AV Fair when it was still at the original site. We typically went every night of the fair from late August to Labor Day and then summer was officially over for us.
I’ve only gone once to the new fair site, they have asphalt everywhere, that was the last time.
Gone are the days of parking out in the north forty of the fair and trekking through the desert to reach the closest gate, pay $2.50 entrance fee and take a trip back in time. Roasted corn, Hot links, Texas BBQ, candied apples, cotton candy and ice cream awaited us inside.
We usually checked out the winning hogs and sheep, the bucolic table settings, I observed one table that got the equivalent of 18 thumbs down, it was titled ‘A visit to grandma’s house’ all the plates and cups were mismatched. I loved it. Most of the decorations were handmade, all of them, really. I wonder if anybody recalls the video I posted of Sharon Weisenberger with her kids’ decoration ideas?
At night, we went to the rides. I had read that Mexico City is home to some 200 traveling circuses. I don’t know where the traveling rides come from but anywhere you go to a small fair, Rantoul to Tegucigalpa, they are all similar; tilt-a-whirl, zipper, hammer, mirror fun house… You can ride all night, no two-hour waiting.
Sounds wonderful. The way I look at it is you are only going to make X amount in your life anyway so why give any more in interest and fees to the thieving banking bastards than you have to.
HSF, did you make it to the Hopkinton fair? It sure looks like the new owners have done a good job of killing it. I have always enjoyed the fair because it was about 50/50 a celebration of your way of life and a celebration of the hedonism of the rest of society. It still has that balance, but there’s less than 50% of the vendors there were a few years ago and while I did not check all the animals there are less than 50% of the goats and chickens, too. We went Friday to avoid the worst of the crowds, but I’m not sure that was necessary because there were very few people there.
My best life lesson came from my parents and grandparents, all survivors of the Great Depression. They lived well below their means after that experience . I sort of assimilated their instincts, I guess. The habit of saving and avoiding debt and ignoring the herd instinct to collect new shiny things got me and Mrs. Zigzag to a comfortable debt-free retirement at 57 .. and that was 10 years ago !
We still live much more frugally than we need to. But I always tell people that money’s #1 value to us is the purchase of our freedom and independence.
Same background as Zigzag’s – from great depression era parents and grand parents.
Sayings around the farm house when we were little have stuck to us.
“Never a borrower nor debtor be”.
“Look after the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves”.
“A stitch in time will save nine”.
“Time nor tide wait for no man”.
“Waste not – want not”.
These made little sense to us when we were little, but bit by bit over time as we grew older, they came to mean a way of life lived properly. These same tidbits of truth have now been handed down to another generation. Whether they will be taken to heart remains to be seen.
A few things, HS, another sweet story, so thank you very much.
Men do love adventure, and managing a homestead with livestock
certainly is an adventure. The remark you made about reducing
the level of anxiety, resonates w/me the most. In our city life it
often was all about granite counter tops. If you had them? Your
status was ensured…(you needed other status symbols as well, of
course)…if you didn’t have those things, you might be anxious
about it. Wow. And those anxieties were manufactured, and unnecessary.
City life…they can keep it. Going into debt to live in a great community/maybe.
(mortgage) Going into debt to live above one’s means? No way. Oh, and very nice that someone sent you $ out of the blue.
T4C,
Great movie suggestion. Started watching it, will continue later after chores are done.
Apt for us because the Mr. just bought a sailboat (on the day it went up for sale) so we
need to know what is what. First impression? The boat owner was too impatient. We’ll
see what else is revealed. So, thank you!
Suzanna (Gore)
At age 48 (11 years ago) I sent in the very last (large) overpayment on our mortgage. I had thought to just save the money, and keep on paying monthly, but I realized that one shouldn’t pass up opportunities for freedom when they are in hand. It was so much more valuable than I had ever dreamed – that is, to be debt free. It was life changing & liberating for us. So many today are worse than broke, they’re in debt!
Today, we live off grid with solar power and a well, and although we can never be totally free because of property taxes, we’re as close as one can get. No matter what, we’ll always be ok as we can eat our own produce & aren’t afraid to get our hands dirty.
If the society crumbles, we may get leaner (and meaner,) but country folks can survive. Thanks Hsf for the always uplifting inspirational anecdotes. They help to keep us focused in a world gone mad…
A mouthful there… ‘never completely free because of property taxes.”
A mouthful there… ‘never totally free because of property taxes.”
I always figured that debt-free meant that the money in my pocket was all mine. Always had some sort of job, but doing all my own home maintenance saved beaucoup bucks. Shade-tree mechanics, coin shows and gun shows meant steaks and good bourbon instead of dry, meatless meals.
Dropping out of the organized world in 1979 meant that nobody’s opinion about my politics could affect my standard of living. That in itself is part of living free.
downvoted you outlooking due to your plagiarizing tendencies . Asshole .
@ hardscrabble nice article , you are blessed .
Sorry I got sucked back in to posting here for the day .
Most articles are so good that I cannot resist .
I no longer ask for an easy life, I just ask for the strength for a hard one.
Not my quote , I think maybe Bruce Lee?
Whatever , just a cook , be well
BRAVO Hardscrabbled farmer (thank you for taking the time out of your busy life to write this).
Great story and comment afterward, HSF. I’d love to see the old family photo if you could put it up. Sounds like something that would resonate well here and give ample focus for pondering. I always leave those types of photos or paintings of real life, truly hardscrabble, with a feeling of gratitude that those people lived those hard lives doing what they had to do and I have it so easy.