New member from Maine

[mygoldendoe]

Hi from Alabama! Your plans sounds great, love to hear more about it as you go along.

 

[SherryV]

Portland is a big city for me!

Me too. We live in a small town outside Lewiston right now and withing 45 minutes of Portland. I might go there 4-5 times a year. If we could find land in our current town we will stay right here.

 

[SherryV]

Ahhhhh yes, the balancing act between rural vs suburbia. It's difficult when you want to start/have a little homestead to become more self sufficient but have to balance the need to be employed, and therefore stay within easy reach of the "big" city. Closer to "civilization" you are, the more expensive everything becomes. I worked in the mortgage industry for almost 10 years. Got out during the housing/mortgage market crash ~2007/2008. Often thought about going back but the govt (fed & state) put so many "requirements" on it (licensing <taxing>, mandatory education, certifications <taxing>, testing, bonding, etc.) it priced me right out of the industry. Hurt a lot of honest folks who could no longer afford to keep doing it. Anyway, Portland isn't really a "big" city and there is "country" within an hour drive, so you should be able to find something that will fit your needs. Hope you can anyway. Land prices up that way are nothing like they were when I was last living there.[/QUOTE

I worked in mortgage servicing at a large bank on the east coast for 11 years. The last year I transferred to the accounting end of things and jobs were out sourced 13 months later. I could have applied for internal job postings but I was ready for a change. Too many regulations!! Looking for work in the accounting (A/R or A/P or payroll) at a SMALL company.

Our current town is small, we just have an acre but we are surrounded by farms, our neighbors are not interested in selling. Our immediate neighbor raises goat, sheep and cows. I look out my window and see all the animals and want my own. We also are on a busy road now (19 yrs ago when we moved here it was not busy. New exit off Int 95 increased the traffic). I want a house that sets off the road so you can't see it and enough land to have a few animals. Depending on what we find we may be able to split off some for our son to put something on someday. He is 22 but very interested in getting goats... said he will help me with them (time will tell if this will happen )

Currently applying for jobs and getting our home ready for sale in the spring.

 

[Baymule]

@SherryV jump in the conversations and join the fun! We have a good time here, we joke and laugh with one another. Don't think that because you don't have your "farm" yet that we won't value what you have to say. There is no better time to research and learn than when you are in the planning stages. Hope you find the right job.