SageHill
Herd Master
You should’ve seen the machine that took out the grove here - took down trees and pulverized them all in one go. I’d call it a modern day T-Rex 
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The journey into the abyss of no return
- Thread starter Weldman
- Start date
Baymule
Herd Master
If you ever move back to Texas, will you be my neighbor? 
Baymule
Herd Master
Texas style earthquake, I’d be cool with it!
Ridgetop
Herd Master
With regard to DW wanting to save everything, you have to ask about why she feels this way. And also it could be the other way - she could be wanting to spend, spend, spend . . . .
My husband wanted to invest but I would not agree. We owned our house outright, our kids were young, and he made good money BUT my parents lost one house due to father's drinking. Going through high school having to answer the phone with "The check's in the mail" and get cussed out by bill collectors at 15 was very traumatizing for me. We did not have any credit bills, and paid everything cash. I did licensed daycare so we were making a salary for me and had some write offs as well.
Finally, DH convinced me that we could put a mortgage on our house, buy rental property, and have an extra income. I finally agreed. The rental did not make any money at first, but it did pay for itself. DH was making enough to pay all the bills. Finally, we got to the point where tenants were leaving the units. They were 4 BR units and their children had grown and left. We took over and renovated each one as it came along - gutting kitchens and bathrooms, replacing flooring, etc. As each one was finished, we rented to better quality tenants. We stopped renting to Section 8 (welfare) since you had to pay a fee to be listed with Section 8. Then you had welfare tenants tear up your building. (I could tell you stories that would curl your hair.) When we finished renovating the building, we had beautiful 4 BR units, 2 3 BR units and a lovely 1 BR with a private 20x30' deck. We had doubled the rental income. We had older student tenants going for advanced degrees (there were 8 universities around us) and ended up selling the building for enough money to buy other income property in Texas. We wanted to get out of California because they were starting to come after landlords to retrofit existing construction for earthquake, and green stuff.
Talk to your wife and ask her what scares her so much about your wish to invest time and money in your propositions. Doing research into projects is not all bad. Maybe she would have seen that the ducks would not have buyers in your location. Put her to work researching into what would bring in money in your location. Not what is bringing in money in other places but what works locally. Put a mileage limit on where you will sell - how far are you willing to drive a load of whatever it is to the sale point.
No need to get rid of the hogs yet. Keep a couple of the gilts and butcher or sell the rest. How far is it to a livestock auction yard? If you are raising enough to make a good sale in one trip, it might work. If you have errands to do in that town, make a day trip of it, drop off the auction pigs, hit up the feed mill, vet supply, etc. If not, raising a litter of pigs every year can give you meat in the freezer and a couple hogs to advertise for sale locally. You don't have to jump into pork raising big at first. Or into anything too big at first. Take your time and enjoy what you are doing with building, well digging, and working on your place.
When butchering the ducks, don't bother plucking them. Skin them and only keep the thighs and breasts. You will have to cook them covered and maybe with a gravy because they will dry out with no skin but it will be a lot less work since those pin feathers are hard to pluck. My grandmother used to have to brush them with melted paraffin. When it hardened and she pulled the parrafin off it got the pin feathers but it is a lot of work.
Remember, most of us are older than you and have started this a long time ago. There is no hurry to do it all right now. We can sympathize though with you wanting to hurry because we are also "get 'er done now" folks.
My husband wanted to invest but I would not agree. We owned our house outright, our kids were young, and he made good money BUT my parents lost one house due to father's drinking. Going through high school having to answer the phone with "The check's in the mail" and get cussed out by bill collectors at 15 was very traumatizing for me. We did not have any credit bills, and paid everything cash. I did licensed daycare so we were making a salary for me and had some write offs as well.
Finally, DH convinced me that we could put a mortgage on our house, buy rental property, and have an extra income. I finally agreed. The rental did not make any money at first, but it did pay for itself. DH was making enough to pay all the bills. Finally, we got to the point where tenants were leaving the units. They were 4 BR units and their children had grown and left. We took over and renovated each one as it came along - gutting kitchens and bathrooms, replacing flooring, etc. As each one was finished, we rented to better quality tenants. We stopped renting to Section 8 (welfare) since you had to pay a fee to be listed with Section 8. Then you had welfare tenants tear up your building. (I could tell you stories that would curl your hair.) When we finished renovating the building, we had beautiful 4 BR units, 2 3 BR units and a lovely 1 BR with a private 20x30' deck. We had doubled the rental income. We had older student tenants going for advanced degrees (there were 8 universities around us) and ended up selling the building for enough money to buy other income property in Texas. We wanted to get out of California because they were starting to come after landlords to retrofit existing construction for earthquake, and green stuff.
Talk to your wife and ask her what scares her so much about your wish to invest time and money in your propositions. Doing research into projects is not all bad. Maybe she would have seen that the ducks would not have buyers in your location. Put her to work researching into what would bring in money in your location. Not what is bringing in money in other places but what works locally. Put a mileage limit on where you will sell - how far are you willing to drive a load of whatever it is to the sale point.
No need to get rid of the hogs yet. Keep a couple of the gilts and butcher or sell the rest. How far is it to a livestock auction yard? If you are raising enough to make a good sale in one trip, it might work. If you have errands to do in that town, make a day trip of it, drop off the auction pigs, hit up the feed mill, vet supply, etc. If not, raising a litter of pigs every year can give you meat in the freezer and a couple hogs to advertise for sale locally. You don't have to jump into pork raising big at first. Or into anything too big at first. Take your time and enjoy what you are doing with building, well digging, and working on your place.
When butchering the ducks, don't bother plucking them. Skin them and only keep the thighs and breasts. You will have to cook them covered and maybe with a gravy because they will dry out with no skin but it will be a lot less work since those pin feathers are hard to pluck. My grandmother used to have to brush them with melted paraffin. When it hardened and she pulled the parrafin off it got the pin feathers but it is a lot of work.
Remember, most of us are older than you and have started this a long time ago. There is no hurry to do it all right now. We can sympathize though with you wanting to hurry because we are also "get 'er done now" folks.
SageHill
Herd Master
Ah she would be bringing coffee out to you esp if you were building up that pad for the future barn!I don't think you would enjoy trying to enjoy your coffee around 0600 hrs as I drive by shaking the house and you spilling coffee all over yourself as the dishes rattle out of the cupboards.
Margali
Herd Master
Ouch! I don't understand the stock market part but but can understand the urge to save every penny. I've been working full time for 17 years. During that time I've had 2 extremely serious medical issues and been laid off twice each resulting in out of state move and selling house at break even / loss.
Husband and I have worked out a minimum cash reserve number that would cover 6 months of expenses and cash flow compromise for any windfalls. Those are even thirds debt pay down: savings : new project.
Maybe the two of you could work out similar numbers?
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murphysranch
Herd Master
I was the primary wage earner, a single mother and then married with a second kid. I worked from age 16 to 59. I did all the saving. I did all the accounting. I did all the investing. I had great moves and some not so great moves. I had to borrow 300K from my Mother at one point, in order to keep a roof over our heads.
Your wife is like many of us women. We keep our head down, work hard on planning and forecasting, while trying to save for a rainy day. We also support our husbands, yes even those whose heads are always reaching for the stars or dreaming of a new day/thing/plan.
You are lucky to have her fall in love with you. Good team!
Your wife is like many of us women. We keep our head down, work hard on planning and forecasting, while trying to save for a rainy day. We also support our husbands, yes even those whose heads are always reaching for the stars or dreaming of a new day/thing/plan.
You are lucky to have her fall in love with you. Good team!
farmerjan
Herd Master
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Not sure of all that you said about switches and all that... BUT..... you made it work and that is what counts.... and you can understand what and why and sometimes just have to do certain things....
Is that the water from YOUR OWN DUG WELL ???? WOW and double WOW !!!! Beautiful crystal clear water...
Sure you don't want to do a traveling gig????? I am sure several of us could use a few days or a week of your expertise.....
Is that the water from YOUR OWN DUG WELL ???? WOW and double WOW !!!! Beautiful crystal clear water...
Sure you don't want to do a traveling gig????? I am sure several of us could use a few days or a week of your expertise.....
Baymule
Herd Master
That’s a gorgeous jug of WATER!!
