Loved hearing your story! I too, was raised off the land, then grew up and went to college and on to "make money" but never felt as good as I do now when I am collecting eggs, foraging, or digging in the dirt. I'm so glad I also realized that was not "life!" It's good to see you smiling and fulfilled. Thanks for sharing!
Love to hear of others creating their own version of self sufficiency. I am in the midst of doing "Urban Homesteading", as best as I can within the confines of the local ordinances and laws. There are always challenges, and learning to overcome and adapt to a challenge is my greatest thrill in life. I still have a corporate job, but it is primarily for the medical insurance benefits. I then get my satisfaction from doing the things that I know how to do, to really live.
This video really brought tears to my eyes when you started talking about your dad. I'm only 27, but my whole life i've always felt like i was trapped inside a system with really only one way to live life. Go to school, college, get a job and stay on the grind but i've learned about homesteading and i feel like i've finally found my path to happiness after ten years of feeling lost. Very inspirational video!
You will still need to have an income but it is definitely another way of living. There are other options as well. The key to staying out of the system is to stay out of debt.
I grew up in Big Valley, smack in the middle of the Appalachians. A little town called Belleville. My dad taught me how to hunt, as did my brothers. It's refreshing to hear tales from a voice that aligns with what I was taught...from my own dad. Love this channel, and keep the excellent content coming. Bless you and your family!
Jamie, I'm from the same location (ish) in Pennsylvania and I grew up the same way. I've considered homesteading for almost a year now. I hate my cubicle, and I feel like it's going to take years for me to finish my degree in communications. Watching you gives me hope. Thank you for everything you do. -Jess
Jaime, thank you for sharing this with us here on the interweb. My wife and I have been giving some hard thought to the homesteading lifestyle listening to this story is inspiring.
Hi Jaime, I love your story. We all have our journey. I was married 28 years when the spouse said "I don't want to be married to you anymore". Now, three years later, all bills paid in full, a little saved, and looking to see if I can afford my homestead. I'm looking at Arizona. I want chickens, a big a55 garden, fire wood heating , my homestead. An acre maybe. Management of sewage, wells and all the utilities is scary , but the price of a fully plugged in property is scarier. I'm trying to find my entry. I'm encouraged by the way you're approaching things. A little at a time. Thanks again for sharing your story.
Never had the pleasure of homesteading as a child but it is something that has grown. I laugh and say it is because my maiden name is Farmer. Living in Florida on 2acres with chickens and poor soil. But loving the adventure and all the learning avenues on the utube channels. Canning is going great and my pantry is getting full. Being self sufficient is becoming a way of life. Just found your channel and I love your presentation.
hello,, you got some good videos,, I was raised on a homestead farm,, it was a very hard life,, but I enjoyed it,, I still live that way today,, I hope you do well homesteading,, thank you ,, god bless,, James,,
What an inspiring video! Your such a strong woman! Thank you for posting this video, I am a mom of 4 girls, triplets plus one and we moved out from the city to the country on a 20 acre property, best decision we ever made. We are as a family learning together and loving it! We are making more money here on our homestead with less hours we were putting in at our full time jobs. Sorry enough about me, again thank you for the amazing video, you inspire me! Exactly what I want to do, family first, family together!
I'm at that point where I need to make a decision as to where I'm going.. I have been out of work for 2 years now and I too was in the fast pace of the corporate world. I'm in a subburb of Montreal Qc and I',m living off our version of 401k.. Money is getting thinner and I need to make a move.. I have a 4yo daughter which wont start school until sept 2017.. I've been slowly taking that homesteading path without nowing the word.. I do have A LOT to leran.. I mean, I don't know didly squat.. My parents only grew chives. I got myself chickens this year that I snuck under my balcony stairs.. Started gardening (not well) I plan on spending some of my winter learning but the other part will be on actually making a decision for my life.. Love your "dirt" it shows that there are some light or actually relief after
What an awesome story. Funny how we can have such opposite childhoods and have made such opposite decisions in our life and still wind up at the same place. Glad I found your channel :)
Don’t know why you say you’re not very corporate to the contrary you have moved that to your new profession of homesteading. You are amazing I’m hooked on your channel and you’re videos are the best educational videos I have found.
WoW, just watched the first one of your videos. I'm impressed, YOU made choices for your life. so many people let life make choices for them. I'll be watching more of your videos. God Bless and good luck on your adventures.
Nice story Jamie. Follow your heart and make all your dreams happen. I love your channel. I was raised on a farm as a child. as I grew older I lived in small towns. I loved the quaint life but didn't care for everybody knowing my business. I went into trucking for 13 yrs and seen the country. I realized how I miss the simple life. I don't live in the country now because the man I chose to be with is a city slicker. I stay at home and work around my little city homestead. I haven't learned to can yet. As a newbie I found your channel and I love your determination sister. Thanks for sharing!
Enjoyed hearing your story so much. My family is from a tiny town called Hallton, PA that's in the Allegheny Forest as well, along the Clarion River. Brought back childhood memories of going there and getting water from the springs... wish we still had property in the family down there. Such a beautiful part of the country!
Jamie thank you for sharing your life's story. My father was born in 1897 and he went through WW1, WW2, The roaring 20's and the dirty 30's. A lot of me came from my father and I also did not know it as a child. We just thought that was the way everyone lived. Today as I sit on the porch and think of the past I can understand things clearer. As I listen to the stories of folk on U Tube and why they have quit the corporate life for a much simpler existence. The folk I just finished watching from beginning to end, "Our Wyoming Life" and how and why they as a couple quit corporate radio to operate her step fathers ranch near Casper Wyoming after he passed away and would they ever leave the ranch and return to corporate life - NO! Most of folk never understand happiness until they finally realize that they are doing or not doing something that they truly love. Usually that love stems from something from their childhood. I just turned 75, in perfect health and there is nothing better than tending to the chickens or goats or tending to my huge garden that I mostly give away. God Bless Joe
Just found your channel and I'm really enjoying it. I went through alot of what you did when I was young. My parents knew how to do all of this stuff and I didn't learn it unfortunately. Now I'm older and wiser and looking back on this type of lifestyle with fondness. So I'm starting to try and be more prepared and self reliant so it's nice watching someone else go through this as well. Keep up the good work!😊
I've been enjoying watching your videos and am so glad I found you on RUclips! You share really good information and insight. Thanks for sharing your experience with us!
Love your story! I recently found your channel and am really enjoying your videos. We live in Southern Calif. and both work for a large home improvement retailer. We live in a fast growing city and plan to move in the next two years. We hope to have a lot of land to have a huge garden and maybe some animals. We have a lot to learn but can't wait to get out to the country. Your very inspirational!
Guildbrook Farm | Simple Sustainable Living I have learned to water bath and pressure can. I'm working on my bread making skills now. I started as more of a prepper with bug out bags and a good supply of freeze dried foods. Also stocking up on water. Where we live we are in a big earthquake area so I want to make sure we are ready to be cut off from the store for a period of time. Thank you for the encouragement.
I understand where your coming from about wanting to be in the woods. My mom and I lived in tents for about 2 years in a very small town in Montana. I was never more happy. Good for you taking that leap and getting back to your roots.
Thank you far sharing. You and your family are very inspirational. On a lighter note, scars and broken bones were trophies for the largest tree parachuted without breaking.
You made the right move. Your dad would agree, I think. Been at job where you lived for the office, but you never crossed the end zone, never brought in enough money. You better believe in heaven b/c you are spending your life for someone else. You did well.
It is never enough money because most people (or at least me) increased my standard of living with my pay. I realize that is completely unnecessary now. It was a good, albeit hard, lesson.
Thank you for sharing. I am feeling a bit lost myself. I worked to raise my daughters both with different fathers. So I was single for a while until I met my best friend. I was having some health issues when we married and now we are about to celebrate our 12 anniversary, and have been disabled for 7 yrs. I have psoriatic arthritis and had gotten to wear I could not drive an almost could not walk. The damage to my spine was treated with a drug used in the form of an epidural that was not meant for that purpose. I took all I had and bought land for my husband and I to move to. We want to move. It's out in the country. We have a tiny house. And could build at some point if we need more space. But see my husband is an electrician, so is my father. Work here in the city pays well. Not to mention my doctors are here. I could not manage to drive the 2 hours here from our country home. I know there must be doctors out that way. And jobs for my husband. Living there want cost as much as the city. The youngest is leaving for college in the fall. I just long to be in the country. I love the peace. And I feel so much better there. I can go and after spending a night I want have pain all day. I guess it's the country air. I hope to make it to our country home. I need to feel that perfect peace. I hope you find your way back to that perfect place. Sincerely, Leslye Ann
Having to be near a doctor and having to have a specific income (or insurance plan) to cover medical bills would make moving to the country extremely difficult. Is it possible to seek alternative treatment for your condition? If that would work, it may free up your restrictions. If not, maybe you can do like we are doing and homestead where you are . Even if that meant moving to the suburbs that was close to the city for commuting, but still had some land. I wish you the very best Leslye Ann!
Being a Kid growing up outside Buffalo in Strykersville New York, I can sooooo relate to you and all that you say. Let me bore you for a minute ( I am not sure if you will actually read this, but I will say it anyway) It is 10AM on a Sunday morning and I am sitting at my desk at work. Like you I grew up in a family with not alot of money and went of to Arizona to get my engineering degree after high school. I now work at a small company (approximately 50 people) I have an important position that they really depend on me. On the side I design pools and water vessels. I do pretty darn well, not that that is important. I do all this for my wife and 3 kids, elderly mom and sick niece. Who all rely on me. Not to mention medical bills, taxes, college, LIFE, etc...I do not think I have had a day off this month? I am not sure. Over the last two weeks I worked 152 hours. SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is not even a joke or exageration. I have always loved the outdoors! But my new philosophy of " I try to keep all things that I that I like to do to a minumum" is getting old after like 15 years. OMG, I am also a whiner now!!!!!!!!!:( Well now that I have that off my chest I think I need to stop watching your video's. They are making me think way to much. Am I going to be one of those guys who always says, when the kids graduate , or when they move out, or blah blah blah blah, I will do what I want then. Then "THEN" never comes...... Thank You for the video's, I think??? Michael from AZ. (again)
Your dad was an amazing man and must have been around my age, but it was my Grandmother Hazel who baby sat me from birth and lived next door, while mom worked as a nurse. My mom was the first generation to NOT want to farm in our family. She was a " Mrs. Cunningham" and she wanted me to be " Joanie" HOWEVER >> I clung to my grandmother's ways and gram ended up raising me 1935, between her and her brother Ray, who owned a 2,000 egg laying business in Bedford, NH. He and his wife Annie enfolded me into their farm life. The bunnies were my favorite along with the rich abundant organic gardens. And SO all my outside career endeavors were geared toward how to buy land and establish a modest farmstead, which I have done several times and continue to embrace in my 60s. And Yes, I was making good money in electronics, but was not content whatsoever. I missed the heady smell of the forest floor and all its inhabitants. I missed all the lovely small farm animals, geese, ducks, chickens, rabbits. Less is more>> you HAVE IT ALL Jaime. You and Jeremy can barter, sell, work part-time if necessary and think smart about how you guys want to achieve your dream. There's this saying, that" "No one ever changes unless they are SUFFICIENTLY motivated..."
I could not agree with you more. The more money I made the more unhappy I was. I see that the more I make the more the government took away from me it felt like being punished for every check you earned. Then the time you cannot get back it's gone no taking it back. Every day I wake up I realize I was killing myself for a job that does not care if I fell out on the ground they are ungrateful. But, I grew up low income no government Assistance when we were starvin the government turned us away saying we made too much money when in reality we didn't make hardly anything but I grew up a life of just taking what you had to make a livin if you didn't grow it or raise it chances are you wasn't gonna eat it and looking back I did the same thing chasing the Almighty dollar and realize the more I made the more unhappy I was. I prefer being at home working gardens, raising chickens and hopefully soon getting 2 goats.
Jeremy and Jamie, I don't know how I stumbled onto your channel because I was viewing motorcycle videos but there it was and so I clicked on it and cannot get enough now. I am pushing 60 years and am so sick of the daily grind of my career and I too have climbed the corporate ladder but there is no happiness with that. Yes it is nice to have the extra money but is it making me happy? Not at all. That coupled with the fact I live in the most crowded state in the country, I can't even take a motorcycle ride down the road without first checking the traffic map. I flippin hate living where I do. Perhaps that is why I can't get enough of your videos as I have often contemplated leaving everything and moving someplace less traveled. Thanks so much.
What an amazing story! You sure are awakened and understand the true meaning of happiness is being happy within and not chasing the mighty dollar and having no time for yourself, family and friends. Your brave for taking the leap of faith and following your heart! Living simply is ideal! Instead of this crazy world that people compare themselves to each other( best antidote for misery) and think “ things” make will make them happy, when its just that. Things. love and happiness come from within ourselves. Others add to it. All i wanted to do was help others and encourage and uplift, especially for the youth who were lost. so i finally listened to my calling, and went to working weekends only, and being a single parent of 4 teens and young adults, and went to college and did a consolated 3 year program into 2years, and got on the deans list. I was very proud! Then i got into a car accident and sustained alot of injuries, especially to my back and shoulder and have had to put my dreams on hold. All i think about now is living in the country with some land, growing vegetables, canning, and living simply. Where my future will go i dont know, i hope one day i can help even the homeless and create an outreach for shelter and cooking, since not to boast im a fabulous Italian cook and love it and being being creative. Koodos to you, you have a beautiful soul, and i wish you happiness love peace and health! love your videos. God bless
No disrespect intended on my comment about how beautiful you are. Your husband is a lucky man and I hope he can appreciate a comment such as this. Again much respect to him and you. Thanks again on the videos
You literally brought tears to this old man’s eyes. You were so blessed to grow up with a father that cared enough to include you in his life. We learn over the years that if dad is doing what he loves, his happiness will flow directly to those he cares for. Thanks for your channel.
Good for you! :-) I'm headed in the same direction. I'm a city slicker, but, when I visited my grandaunt's farm when I was a child, I vowed to one day live like that. My goal is to accomplish this in a few more years. Thanks for sharing.
We just found you on RUclips, and we have subscribed. We will be "catching up" on your vlogs now and want to keep in touch. Have you heard of "Appalachian Homesteading with Patara"? She is very nice and maybe can give you guys some information on homesteading. Talk more later. Bill & Mary Benway-Watertown, NY
Sounds like an idyllic childhood. That's how I feel about living by the ocean. It's too bad we didn't have the ACA back then, it would have eased the financial burden of health ins. I'm sure your dad is proud of you. I found your channel because I'm getting chickens soon (no, not because of the pandemic or quarantines. I've always wanted them and finally have a big enough yard. I also grow a huge vegetable garden and can etc. Not a homesteader but I do love the outdoors and fishing (never catch a fish 🙄) thanks for your channel
My upbringing was not homesteading but I don’t think I bought a vegetable until after I moved out on my own during college. My grandfather built his family home (where my family lived with them the first 10 years.) He made furniture, machinery, kept animals (before I arrived) and he and my grandmother could grow, preserve and keep anything we needed on one suburban acre. I GET it. But I didn’t have the same career you did. I made it to 6 figures but I was already well damaged by Rheumatoid Arthritis and didn’t have long at that salary. You realize you can only do the homesteading now, to the level you want to, is most likely BECAUSE you had the big job with the big salary. A person loving check to check can’t just go buy a goat let alone get an acre in suburbia with all the raw material and free time to learn and build an off-grid life. At least one that’s comfortable and not cramming 4 people in a VW pop up camper. You’re still experiencing luxury it’s just the luxury of CHOICE rather than COACH. And now you earn money just filming your everyday chores. Kinda the easiest “job” in existence and probably even MORE profitable than any corporate job you ever had. So like I said earlier. I UNDERSTAND the desire to do exactly what you’re doing but it’s just not reasonable unless you’ve built a generous nest egg FIRST. Which you cannot do selling eggs. (I’m still staying a subscriber.) 😉
Awesome story!! I loved listening to you talk about your childhood! I’m sorry about your animals, I know that really stinks. Don’t worry, this kinda life style and your love of the wilderness will follow you through your life!
Great video. I feel the same way. It does not matter how much money one makes, we are always in debt and that is one thing I hate, debt. I can pass the mortgage, but credit cards, car loans, school loans, the ridiculous amounts of money gone to health care, etc. I can't stand any of those. I am starting to learn a lot more about homesteading and will make some changes as I gradually learn. Thanks for sharing this videos with all of us who are looking to live a simpler life.
Beautiful and touching to listen to your past and your reasoning for your homesteading lifestyle with your family. Inspirational? YES! Reading the sincerity in your face... just AWESOME! and seemingly quite a rare thing now days! Thank you very much Jamie
thank you so much for this video we are also just starting our homesteading in the south of france i have a youtube channel called building our good life dream. we chose also to leave the rat race behind and live a simpler life i do not want to be a weekend dad or work every hour to make money for someone else and pay stupid high bills just because so many other people do i admire what your doing and wish you all the best
First, let me thank you for your story. Wait, let me thank you for all of your videos. I always enjoy them all and gain something from each one. We found ourselves forced into unemployment, for various reasons, (believe me, I deleted the War & Peace story I started typing) and an adult son having to move home due to complications from Diabetes. Like you, I learned volumes from my mother, who grew up during the depression with little to nothing. No running water, no electricity, growing everything they ate..or they didn't eat..even down to making toothbrushes from Sweetgum trees. Her story, like your own, taught me that we can make it! Numerous friends have left us by the wayside since we can't go to dinner 2-3 times a week, go out drinking or to concerts. You know what? They weren't friends! We are in our first year of, what might be, homesteading. I have a small garden which I hope grows in size by leaps and bounds. Large trees shade most of our property, but I'm creative where I plant. I am attempting to sprout seeds for several types of fruit trees, planning more garden space, already knew how to can (thanks to Momma) and am saving for a freezer since our 25-year-old one decided to croak. (It's still War & Peace, huh?) You know something? I like my husband more, you and I must have worked for the same extremely high-stress company, and we are eating much healthier! There are hurdles, sure. We can't raise chickens or have goats, we live in Florida where the growing seasons are bizarre or simply too hot to grow many things, but ya know what(?) I'm happier than I've been in decades and I am able to make sure my son gets the care and nutrition he needs. I walk around our property barefoot and have my morning coffee beside my garden. Ok, I'll hush....just thank you again for your videos and all of the knowledge you provide within them. ps...I love your chickens also.
+S Suiter Your story made me smile Susie. Through it all, you are happier. I wish you the best of luck going forward with all you do! Thanks for hanging out with us and sharing your story!
Very cool story. I to left the corporate world my 120k job. Left the rat race and moved to the north west in Oregon. After a career in the Army infantry and two wars I noticed that the world I was fighting for was changing. My kids were attached to there cell phone to much. So I took everyone to the place I grew up. Like you in the mountains, 40 miles back. No cell service what so ever. We detoxification took a year but we survived started a garden, hunted, and grew as a family. We prepped and still do. I trained my kids on the evil black rifles, trained them on pistols also. So we now live the homestead that has been in our family since 1889. We still have my retirement and to be honest will never go back to our past life as we are a family that talks and laughs now. Thank for the video and your thoughts.
+Pathfinder georgia Sound like you have your priorities in order. I hope I can move back to the mountains again soon. It will take time. Congrats on the big and successful change
You are incredibly inspiring. There is a great human spirit involved with self reliance. And I admire you very much for sharing your story. I'm 42 and just beginning in very VERY :) small ways to make my life...simpler. Which is a terrible word because there is actually a lot of work involved in that lol. What you do is amazing and relatable and definitely inspiring. Thanks for sharing. (Hoping you have a hair cutting video in there somewhere lol, so if you don't, please consider haha!) Rock on!
I find your channel so informative and inspirational and I really enjoy watching. I'm in Australia and prepping and homesteading doesn't seem to be as big down under so there's not a lot of information. I was never taught anything on homesteading as a child and at 35 I'm just starting my journey, I have some health problems that mean I won't be able to go back to work once my kids are in school, so I'm doing this so my husband doesn't burn out being the sole provider until retirement and so he doesn't have to chase money, he'll eventually be able to slow down and cut back. We moved out of the city to a small country town, bought a small house with a big yard :) and now we're just working at lowering our outgoings and becoming more self sustainable.
That's the way to do it! Just take it slow. You also may want to check out She's a Bottler channel. She's has some great info on several sites and is in Australia: ruclips.net/channel/UCuE-OdyXCunN6IdpN70aUPwabout
Thank you for sharing this. I feel the same way as you. I am on my last leg in finishing my degree, and a part of me is drawn more towards a complete life. A healthy life with balance. I am on the cross roads of making this change. I need to get my finances set before I make the dive into living this way. I see where our country is going, how society is currently, and I just cannot live like my peers do. Where I am stressed, dying from high blood pressure, and sacraficing time with my children to work in a job that does not benefit me in no other way then a paycheck. Thank you for sharing this.
Jamie, the money is not important, happiness is important. The more you make the more you spend. I enjoy our life on our small farm in The Philippines. Great video!! God bless America.
Thank you for exposing yourself that way. I have been watching some of your videos but wanted to start from the beginning. I am glad I did. I don't know if I want to homestead but I have a strong desire for skills and simplicity. Thank you again. Good luck.
What a great video. I'm considering homesteading and/or permaculture farming. But I'm by myself, so it seems a little more daunting. I quit the rat race in Sept of 2013. I hated my consulting job, and I broke up with my boyfriend, so I traveled for a year, then worked overseas. I got ill, came back, and settled into a cubicle. Once you leave, it's hard to go back to a cubicle. So I'm thinking about how I want to proceed. But I've given myself a cut-off date for this cube. Your story inspired me, so thank you for sharing.
It is hard, if not impossible to go back to the cubicle life - unless it is to help you get to the life you want faster. Which it sounds like that is where you are at now. There is a whole other mindset when you know what you want and are using the cube life to get there. Best of luck to you!
***** Many thanks! OMG, it's so hard. And I can't talk to anyone about it, because it's considered a "good job." I just try to be thankful that it's helping me to achieve my goals and mentally put an expiration date on it. Thanks for your great video, which was more confirmation.
Thanks for sharing with such clarity and genuine process. You made me drift back to my childhood and how simple, natural, and unfettered with the trappings of life that most families are trapped into. I too, didn't realize just how special, how beautiful and how greatly my childhood was positively impacted by our life in a super small town. Dad was a logger and he ran 3 camps on different timber rights. He did well but there was always machinery that was expensive to maintain and then a seasonality that came with it. However, the lake was full of wild fish and every year Dad was first out of 1,300 population to get his moose on the river. He loved it. So now Dad is gone for 2+ yrs I've had time to reflect on what a wonderful childhood he provided. I'm not homesteading, but I try to get out of the city asap whenever possible. Mountain climbing, camping, canoeing, and just anything in mother nature.... it's the right medicine for our mojo.
Sometimes it may take a few years to find your place in live. My parents grew up during the Great Depression, they knew what it was like to have just enough of anything and survive. They brought these lessons learned in their childhood to our family later in life. My parents weren't preppers, off the grid farmers or homesteaders. But we learned from their experiences on Gardening, canning, raising livestock, learning a trade in that could be used with other aspects of life. I'm not a so called dooms day prepper, but I have always believed having a plan B, C, D or E if something ever goes wrong. Sometimes the littlest and simplest things in life can either be the most pleasing or complicated items. Good luck on your journey.
At this point I am not able to have a homestead because of family obligations. In the future when my obligations are met I would like to homestead. Honestly, I am getting sick of the rat race, having to have more and more stuff. A couple of years ago I went to Costa Rica on a mission trip and I saw the poverty. Another thing I noticed because of the poverty there wasn't pressure for more things. They had make do with what they had. I thought that I would like to move there because of that reason. Now I know that I don't have to move to a foreign country to get out of the rat race. I have made plans to do that. I am starting with making my own personal care products and soaps so I can pay off my debt. My ultimate goal is to be completely debt free and to live and work full time on my homestead. Thank you for sharing your story.
YES, thank you for sharing. I did not have that kind of relationship with my parents so I competed for and won a scholarship to study in Germany in 1961 and left home between my junior and senior years of high school not to return. Returning to the US I entered university and graduated with a double major with the help of several people who mentored me and opened employment opportunities. The first real opportunity out of university was with a Fortune 25 company where I stayed 20 years and became an officer of six subsidiaries, one of which four of us built. Stress? NO!! Adventures! And I retired at 46 when the adventures ceased; I have always been a saver. That lasted 4 months until I came to Ohio to turn around (with many others) a foreign owned multi-national on the verge of bankruptcy. It took six years to fix it. And I retired t age 52 for a few months and started two businesses, one failed, one succeeded and I stuck with it for eight years until the adventure left. So I bought an interest in a troubled company in MI; my daughter became critically ill and I came back to OH and found another adventure for 10 years until I retired at 72. People ask me about my career; I answer that I never had one. I never set goals, just love solving problems.Your message, my message: Follow your passion and you will never work a day in your life! You will have untold opportunities to help others, grow your children, love your spouse. Money comes and goes and cannot buy happiness. Real friends and relationships last a lifetime. Keep your friends close and your family closer. And NEVER, NEVER forget tat it is all of God Who showers us with mercy and blessings.
making 10-30k a month right now.............. but money doesnt make happy........ saving it all for my homestead (and then quiting my job after 1-2 years). When I was a kid I already KNEW what made me happy. I wanted to live of the land since I was 7-8 years old. You're very pretty btw and love your tattoos.
Mark here! My wife and I chose to sell the house in the city and start from scratch. We live in northern Idaho about 75 miles from a major city. It’s a dream come true and we love it. It is hard work but we’re not afraid to work. You are very honest and very intelligent. Those two things keep me listening to you. Thank you for sharing your story. 😎
Make more videos like this! It’s so therapeutic to me ! It lifts me up and gives me hope! All you talk about is true❤️ i wish you all the best with your house built and hope that soon all of your goals will be accomplished
Very moving story.... Our fathers shared similarities. We loved the picture at the end! Your husband and children are fortunate to have someone with your value system as a wife and mother.
I currently live with my husband in town and have a lot of limitations. I try to live as simply as possible. I have a great garden and preserve a lot. I did recently quit a job I held for 15 years where I was making good money with high stress. I currently hold a job that is somewhat less stressful, less money-I have the attitude that this isn't permanent. My goal is to buy land in my native Iowa, restore/repair the land, live off of it and just be able to take any job to pay for the bare necessities, insurance and taxes. I am currently taking Iowa Master Conservationist classes to learn to be a better steward of the Earth. I plan on volunteering for organizations that make this place better, and will make me feel good too. Thank you for sharing your story, I can definitely relate and hope some day my plan will come together, I'm sure glad yours did.
I'm presently watching your "how we started homesteading" video. Of all the homesteading channels that I subscribe to I find yours the most real and interesting. I find a it very inspiring. This is something I've always dreamed about doing and God willing I'll get there someday.
Great video. I grow up on the family farm loving the life I lived. I grow up with second hand clothes and hand me downs. Being made fun of for wearing the same pants 4 to 5 days a week. I remember marking my pants with ink after the 3 day just so I could deny that they were the same pants. But I loved the farm I loved what my dad was doing. As I got older it was the same story chase the money. four years ago I gave up chasing so hard and quit my corporate job to build my farm and chase my dream, but to really have the things I wanted on my Homestead I had to go back to work to support my kids, as at that time I was a single father of 3 with 2 in college and one in junior high. Last year I fell and damaged four disc in my neck and my life was changed. I was out of work and at risk of losing my mind along with my homestead the things we did in the years prior are the only thing that has kept up from losing it all. Canning and preserving our live stock. Food prep kept fed for over the past year and kept our minds with something to hold on to. We are attempting to rebuild now basic starting over with very little materialistic its but a wealth of knowledge. So glad you all made it back to the woods.
+Diversified Acres Homestead Thanks for sharing your story. It is good to hear you had those skills to get you through. As for the woods - we aren't there yet but hopefully soon. Thanks for watching
Thanks for sharing your experience, it was engaging and encouraging to folks like me looking into homesteading. I grew up hunting, fishing, and camping all the time so I understand a little about living outdoors. I have never been happier when I am away from the cities and sitting next to a running stream or hunting a squirrel for dinner. Your experience resonates and I plan to live a homesteading life because it's in my DNA. Thanks for reminding me of that...
Wishing you and your lovely family luck, health and happiness in your wonderful homesteading wherever is best for you. Watching your videos with joy, always learning something... I’m sure, your dad is watching over you, he is happy. Blessings to you and your family, from Istanbul, Turkey ♥️🌺
Just started to learn about canning and have a question. After the canning process is done, you have said to store the jars in a cool dry area. I live and travel on my sailboat in areas that are hot and steamy. How do I store my jars? I am processing all kinds of raw meat and have plenty of room to store the jars but it's not cool and there is plenty humidity . What do you suggest? Thanks
Thank you for your videos. Just finished watching your latest (the dirt series/ update on where you are @ plannning/ building your new home) I spent my formative years growing up on a farm. Didn't realize until later how much it shaped me as a person as well. When our kids were in their teen years, we moved back to the country...small acreage with a 100 yr old farm house. My career path has been a lot like your dad's..self employed carpenter/ general contractor..sole source of income, paying our own health insurance, yada, yada... listening this morning, to both your thoughts, and your dad's choices, just reconfirms, and solidifies the choices we've made. I too am not chasing the almighty dollar...although, we do need $ don't we to pay for things. Watching this as I've had my 3rd cup of coffee before heading out the door to work, has been a treat. It grounds me. Your video series is a gift to the rest of us. Thank you. DM
Thank you for sharing your experiences, thoughts and ideas. This video has helped me greatly as I work through the process of moving towards a Homesteading life style. Thank you for your videos and I really enjoyed the canning videos as well. Rob S. (Rockford MI)
Thank you for sharing, I too feel at home in the woods,working with my hands ( gardening, building, fixing stuff,etc.). I am working towards buying a property and living my dream of homesteading. Unfortunately I have a lot of resistance from my folks, my dad even went so far as to threaten to cut me from all family ties :( . I am struggling with how to deal with my parents and be true to myself and be happy for myself. Right now im renting a small apartment, not allowed pets, no garden, no place for a workshop, but a nice neighborhood close to nature. Anyways I just wanted to say I got a little inspired from your video " why we homestead" and am looking foward to watching many more. Thank you
I know this is an old video, but thank you so much for sharing it. It means so much to me as we are trying to to start our homestead from square one and raise our kids in that environment.
Your a cool lady... I enjoy your videos. Thanks.
Loved hearing your story! I too, was raised off the land, then grew up and went to college and on to "make money" but never felt as good as I do now when I am collecting eggs, foraging, or digging in the dirt. I'm so glad I also realized that was not "life!" It's good to see you smiling and fulfilled. Thanks for sharing!
Money isn't everything (although it does help!). Give me eggs, dirt and worms any day over an office. Thanks for watching!
Love to hear of others creating their own version of self sufficiency. I am in the midst of doing "Urban Homesteading", as best as I can within the confines of the local ordinances and laws. There are always challenges, and learning to overcome and adapt to a challenge is my greatest thrill in life. I still have a corporate job, but it is primarily for the medical insurance benefits. I then get my satisfaction from doing the things that I know how to do, to really live.
Some people think you need to fit into a certain "mold" to be "legit". I say do what works for you!
Thank you for sharing your story. I am also a person who loves nature. This is an amazing story.
Just found you channel yesterday and have been watching your videos as I have time. Really enjoying and learning from them.
+Faye Cartwright Welcome Faye
I find you pretty wonderful! I love listening to you 🥰 Thank you for sharing
This video really brought tears to my eyes when you started talking about your dad. I'm only 27, but my whole life i've always felt like i was trapped inside a system with really only one way to live life. Go to school, college, get a job and stay on the grind but i've learned about homesteading and i feel like i've finally found my path to happiness after ten years of feeling lost. Very inspirational video!
You will still need to have an income but it is definitely another way of living. There are other options as well. The key to staying out of the system is to stay out of debt.
I grew up in Big Valley, smack in the middle of the Appalachians. A little town called Belleville. My dad taught me how to hunt, as did my brothers. It's refreshing to hear tales from a voice that aligns with what I was taught...from my own dad. Love this channel, and keep the excellent content coming. Bless you and your family!
Jamie,
I'm from the same location (ish) in Pennsylvania and I grew up the same way. I've considered homesteading for almost a year now. I hate my cubicle, and I feel like it's going to take years for me to finish my degree in communications.
Watching you gives me hope.
Thank you for everything you do.
-Jess
Jaime, thank you for sharing this with us here on the interweb. My wife and I have been giving some hard thought to the homesteading lifestyle listening to this story is inspiring.
Glad it is helpful and thanks for watching
Hi Jaime, I love your story. We all have our journey. I was married 28 years when the spouse said "I don't want to be married to you anymore". Now, three years later, all bills paid in full, a little saved, and looking to see if I can afford my homestead.
I'm looking at Arizona. I want chickens, a big a55 garden, fire wood heating , my homestead. An acre maybe. Management of sewage, wells and all the utilities is scary , but the price of a fully plugged in property is scarier. I'm trying to find my entry.
I'm encouraged by the way you're approaching things. A little at a time. Thanks again for sharing your story.
+Bruce Fuller We are taking it very, very slow. Best of luck to you and thanks for watching
Never had the pleasure of homesteading as a child but it is something that has grown. I laugh and say it is because my maiden name is Farmer. Living in Florida on 2acres with chickens and poor soil. But loving the adventure and all the learning avenues on the utube channels. Canning is going great and my pantry is getting full. Being self sufficient is becoming a way of life. Just found your channel and I love your presentation.
+Frankie Odom Thanks for sharing and watching
thank you for sharing your story
Yankee Liv'n thanks for watching :0)
hello,, you got some good videos,, I was raised on a homestead farm,, it was a very hard life,, but I enjoyed it,, I still live that way today,, I hope you do well homesteading,, thank you ,, god bless,, James,,
You really have to love what you do to endure the sacrifices. That is what I understood from my father as well. Thank you for watching
What an inspiring video! Your such a strong woman! Thank you for posting this video, I am a mom of 4 girls, triplets plus one and we moved out from the city to the country on a 20 acre property, best decision we ever made. We are as a family learning together and loving it! We are making more money here on our homestead with less hours we were putting in at our full time jobs. Sorry enough about me, again thank you for the amazing video, you inspire me! Exactly what I want to do, family first, family together!
I'm at that point where I need to make a decision as to where I'm going.. I have been out of work for 2 years now and I too was in the fast pace of the corporate world. I'm in a subburb of Montreal Qc and I',m living off our version of 401k.. Money is getting thinner and I need to make a move.. I have a 4yo daughter which wont start school until sept 2017.. I've been slowly taking that homesteading path without nowing the word.. I do have A LOT to leran.. I mean, I don't know didly squat.. My parents only grew chives. I got myself chickens this year that I snuck under my balcony stairs.. Started gardening (not well) I plan on spending some of my winter learning but the other part will be on actually making a decision for my life.. Love your "dirt" it shows that there are some light or actually relief after
+Sophie Boulanger The key for us was to take it slow and tackle one problem at a time. You will figure it out - there is light :0)
What an awesome story. Funny how we can have such opposite childhoods and have made such opposite decisions in our life and still wind up at the same place. Glad I found your channel :)
Welcome!
Don’t know why you say you’re not very corporate to the contrary you have moved that to your new profession of homesteading. You are amazing I’m hooked on your channel and you’re videos are the best educational videos I have found.
That's a beautiful story I'm so glad you shared it Jamie it make you appreciate the Simplicity of life
WoW, just watched the first one of your videos. I'm impressed, YOU made choices for your life. so many people let life make choices for them. I'll be watching more of your videos. God Bless and good luck on your adventures.
Thank you for the kind words and welcome to the channel
Nice story Jamie. Follow your heart and make all your dreams happen. I love your channel. I was raised on a farm as a child. as I grew older I lived in small towns. I loved the quaint life but didn't care for everybody knowing my business. I went into trucking for 13 yrs and seen the country. I realized how I miss the simple life. I don't live in the country now because the man I chose to be with is a city slicker. I stay at home and work around my little city homestead. I haven't learned to can yet. As a newbie I found your channel and I love your determination sister. Thanks for sharing!
+Tawny T. Lovell Welcome!
Enjoyed hearing your story so much. My family is from a tiny town called Hallton, PA that's in the Allegheny Forest as well, along the Clarion River. Brought back childhood memories of going there and getting water from the springs... wish we still had property in the family down there. Such a beautiful part of the country!
Sure is! I miss the forests
Jamie thank you for sharing your life's story. My father was born in 1897 and he went through WW1, WW2, The roaring 20's and the dirty 30's. A lot of me came from my father and I also did not know it as a child. We just thought that was the way everyone lived. Today as I sit on the porch and think of the past I can understand things clearer. As I listen to the stories of folk on U Tube and why they have quit the corporate life for a much simpler existence.
The folk I just finished watching from beginning to end, "Our Wyoming Life" and how and why they as a couple quit corporate radio to operate her step fathers ranch near Casper Wyoming after he passed away and would they ever leave the ranch and return to corporate life - NO!
Most of folk never understand happiness until they finally realize that they are doing or not doing something that they truly love. Usually that love stems from something from their childhood. I just turned 75, in perfect health and there is nothing better than tending to the chickens or goats or tending to my huge garden that I mostly give away.
God Bless Joe
Right on Joe. Took me a long time to figure out what the “hole” was in my life. I’m one of the lucky ones who was able to figure it out
Just found your channel and I'm really enjoying it. I went through alot of what you did when I was young. My parents knew how to do all of this stuff and I didn't learn it unfortunately. Now I'm older and wiser and looking back on this type of lifestyle with fondness. So I'm starting to try and be more prepared and self reliant so it's nice watching someone else go through this as well. Keep up the good work!😊
I've been enjoying watching your videos and am so glad I found you on RUclips! You share really good information and insight. Thanks for sharing your experience with us!
Welcome Kandy!
Just found your channel, love the backdrop. Nice story.
+Mike Griffin Thank you and thanks for watching
Love your story! I recently found your channel and am really enjoying your videos. We live in Southern Calif. and both work for a large home improvement retailer. We live in a fast growing city and plan to move in the next two years. We hope to have a lot of land to have a huge garden and maybe some animals. We have a lot to learn but can't wait to get out to the country. Your very inspirational!
Dont wait. There are tons of skills that take years to learn that you can do right where you are. That is what we are doing. Good luck!
Guildbrook Farm | Simple Sustainable Living I have learned to water bath and pressure can. I'm working on my bread making skills now. I started as more of a prepper with bug out bags and a good supply of freeze dried foods. Also stocking up on water. Where we live we are in a big earthquake area so I want to make sure we are ready to be cut off from the store for a period of time. Thank you for the encouragement.
I understand where your coming from about wanting to be in the woods. My mom and I lived in tents for about 2 years in a very small town in Montana. I was never more happy. Good for you taking that leap and getting back to your roots.
Thank you far sharing. You and your family are very inspirational. On a lighter note, scars and broken bones were trophies for the largest tree parachuted without breaking.
You made the right move. Your dad would agree, I think. Been at job where you lived for the office, but you never crossed the end zone, never brought in enough money. You better believe in heaven b/c you are spending your life for someone else. You did well.
It is never enough money because most people (or at least me) increased my standard of living with my pay. I realize that is completely unnecessary now. It was a good, albeit hard, lesson.
You are truly a mythical creature! More women should follow your path rather than the path of the urban yupi path
Thanks for sharing your heart! :0)
Cheers to you for sharing this.
Jaime or Jamie...you are one Wise Woman! I love your honesty and candor...I appreciate your videos so much. Thank you. Cate xo
Lovely story!
Thank you. A good video on #prepping from a #prepper.
Thank you for sharing. I am feeling a bit lost myself. I worked to raise my daughters both with different fathers. So I was single for a while until I met my best friend. I was having some health issues when we married and now we are about to celebrate our 12 anniversary, and have been disabled for 7 yrs. I have psoriatic arthritis and had gotten to wear I could not drive an almost could not walk. The damage to my spine was treated with a drug used in the form of an epidural that was not meant for that purpose. I took all I had and bought land for my husband and I to move to. We want to move. It's out in the country. We have a tiny house. And could build at some point if we need more space. But see my husband is an electrician, so is my father. Work here in the city pays well. Not to mention my doctors are here. I could not manage to drive the 2 hours here from our country home. I know there must be doctors out that way. And jobs for my husband. Living there want cost as much as the city. The youngest is leaving for college in the fall. I just long to be in the country. I love the peace. And I feel so much better there. I can go and after spending a night I want have pain all day. I guess it's the country air. I hope to make it to our country home. I need to feel that perfect peace. I hope you find your way back to that perfect place. Sincerely, Leslye Ann
Having to be near a doctor and having to have a specific income (or insurance plan) to cover medical bills would make moving to the country extremely difficult. Is it possible to seek alternative treatment for your condition? If that would work, it may free up your restrictions. If not, maybe you can do like we are doing and homestead where you are . Even if that meant moving to the suburbs that was close to the city for commuting, but still had some land. I wish you the very best Leslye Ann!
Being a Kid growing up outside Buffalo in Strykersville New York, I can sooooo relate to you and all that you say. Let me bore you for a minute ( I am not sure if you will actually read this, but I will say it anyway) It is 10AM on a Sunday morning and I am sitting at my desk at work. Like you I grew up in a family with not alot of money and went of to Arizona to get my engineering degree after high school. I now work at a small company (approximately 50 people) I have an important position that they really depend on me. On the side I design pools and water vessels. I do pretty darn well, not that that is important. I do all this for my wife and 3 kids, elderly mom and sick niece. Who all rely on me. Not to mention medical bills, taxes, college, LIFE, etc...I do not think I have had a day off this month? I am not sure. Over the last two weeks I worked 152 hours. SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is not even a joke or exageration. I have always loved the outdoors! But my new philosophy of
" I try to keep all things that I that I like to do to a minumum"
is getting old after like 15 years.
OMG, I am also a whiner now!!!!!!!!!:( Well now that I have that off my chest I think I need to stop watching your video's.
They are making me think way to much. Am I going to be one of those guys who always says, when the kids graduate , or when they move out, or blah blah blah blah, I will do what I want then. Then "THEN" never comes......
Thank You for the video's, I think???
Michael from AZ. (again)
Id suggest a transition, but a very slow one. Youll get there.
OMG girl....... this resonant s with me sooo much.
Your dad was an amazing man and must have been around my age, but it was my Grandmother Hazel who baby sat me from birth and lived next door, while mom worked as a nurse. My mom was the first generation to NOT want to farm in our family. She was a " Mrs. Cunningham" and she wanted me to be " Joanie" HOWEVER >> I clung to my grandmother's ways and gram ended up raising me 1935, between her and her brother Ray, who owned a 2,000 egg laying business in Bedford, NH. He and his wife Annie enfolded me into their farm life. The bunnies were my favorite along with the rich abundant organic gardens. And SO all my outside career endeavors were geared toward how to buy land and establish a modest farmstead, which I have done several times and continue to embrace in my 60s. And Yes, I was making good money in electronics, but was not content whatsoever. I missed the heady smell of the forest floor and all its inhabitants. I missed all the lovely small farm animals, geese, ducks, chickens, rabbits. Less is more>> you HAVE IT ALL Jaime. You and Jeremy can barter, sell, work part-time if necessary and think smart about how you guys want to achieve your dream. There's this saying, that" "No one ever changes unless they are SUFFICIENTLY motivated..."
I could not agree with you more. The more money I made the more unhappy I was. I see that the more I make the more the government took away from me it felt like being punished for every check you earned. Then the time you cannot get back it's gone no taking it back. Every day I wake up I realize I was killing myself for a job that does not care if I fell out on the ground they are ungrateful. But, I grew up low income no government Assistance when we were starvin the government turned us away saying we made too much money when in reality we didn't make hardly anything but I grew up a life of just taking what you had to make a livin if you didn't grow it or raise it chances are you wasn't gonna eat it and looking back I did the same thing chasing the Almighty dollar and realize the more I made the more unhappy I was. I prefer being at home working gardens, raising chickens and hopefully soon getting 2 goats.
Father knows best. The older I get the wiser my father is.
So true!
Guess you guys rebounded fairly after getting rid of the animals.????
You are an excellent storyteller. Love these sessions with you. Really liking your channel. God bless.
+Brooklyngirl In The Caribbean Thanks for watching!
Jeremy and Jamie, I don't know how I stumbled onto your channel because I was viewing motorcycle videos but there it was and so I clicked on it and cannot get enough now. I am pushing 60 years and am so sick of the daily grind of my career and I too have climbed the corporate ladder but there is no happiness with that. Yes it is nice to have the extra money but is it making me happy? Not at all. That coupled with the fact I live in the most crowded state in the country, I can't even take a motorcycle ride down the road without first checking the traffic map. I flippin hate living where I do. Perhaps that is why I can't get enough of your videos as I have often contemplated leaving everything and moving someplace less traveled. Thanks so much.
Do it man. Life’s too short.
What an amazing story! You sure are awakened and understand the true meaning of happiness is being happy within and not chasing the mighty dollar and having no time for yourself, family and friends. Your brave for taking the leap of faith and following your heart! Living simply is ideal! Instead of this crazy world that people compare themselves to each other( best antidote for misery) and think “ things” make will make them happy, when its just that. Things. love and happiness come from within ourselves. Others add to it. All i wanted to do was help others and encourage and uplift, especially for the youth who were lost. so i finally listened to my calling, and went to working weekends only, and being a single parent of 4 teens and young adults, and went to college and did a consolated 3 year program into 2years, and got on the deans list. I was very proud! Then i got into a car accident and sustained alot of injuries, especially to my back and shoulder and have had to put my dreams on hold. All i think about now is living in the country with some land, growing vegetables, canning, and living simply. Where my future will go i dont know, i hope one day i can help even the homeless and create an outreach for shelter and cooking, since not to boast im a fabulous Italian cook and love it and being being creative. Koodos to you, you have a beautiful soul, and i wish you happiness love peace and health! love your videos. God bless
I love your delivery tone. Please keep it up! You are inspiring to me. THX.
Ditto.
No disrespect intended on my comment about how beautiful you are. Your husband is a lucky man and I hope he can appreciate a comment such as this. Again much respect to him and you. Thanks again on the videos
You literally brought tears to this old man’s eyes. You were so blessed to grow up with a father that cared enough to include you in his life. We learn over the years that if dad is doing what he loves, his happiness will flow directly to those he cares for. Thanks for your channel.
Do what you can where you are, you are building important skills to use on your next homestead.
Good for you! :-) I'm headed in the same direction. I'm a city slicker, but, when I visited my grandaunt's farm when I was a child, I vowed to one day live like that. My goal is to accomplish this in a few more years. Thanks for sharing.
So far it has been the most rewarding path we have started and we still have quite a ways to go! Best of luck on your transition.
Really great video.
Thank you for sharing your story.
We just found you on RUclips, and we have subscribed. We will be "catching up" on your vlogs now and want to keep in touch. Have you heard of "Appalachian Homesteading with Patara"? She is very nice and maybe can give you guys some information on homesteading. Talk more later. Bill & Mary Benway-Watertown, NY
Yes! We love Patara! Welcome to the channel!
Sounds like an idyllic childhood. That's how I feel about living by the ocean. It's too bad we didn't have the ACA back then, it would have eased the financial burden of health ins. I'm sure your dad is proud of you. I found your channel because I'm getting chickens soon (no, not because of the pandemic or quarantines. I've always wanted them and finally have a big enough yard. I also grow a huge vegetable garden and can etc. Not a homesteader but I do love the outdoors and fishing (never catch a fish 🙄) thanks for your channel
I am going through the same journey right now. We started homesteading about a year ago. Still looking for our little farm but I am so much happier.
My upbringing was not homesteading but I don’t think I bought a vegetable until after I moved out on my own during college. My grandfather built his family home (where my family lived with them the first 10 years.) He made furniture, machinery, kept animals (before I arrived) and he and my grandmother could grow, preserve and keep anything we needed on one suburban acre. I GET it. But I didn’t have the same career you did. I made it to 6 figures but I was already well damaged by Rheumatoid Arthritis and didn’t have long at that salary. You realize you can only do the homesteading now, to the level you want to, is most likely BECAUSE you had the big job with the big salary. A person loving check to check can’t just go buy a goat let alone get an acre in suburbia with all the raw material and free time to learn and build an off-grid life. At least one that’s comfortable and not cramming 4 people in a VW pop up camper. You’re still experiencing luxury it’s just the luxury of CHOICE rather than COACH. And now you earn money just filming your everyday chores. Kinda the easiest “job” in existence and probably even MORE profitable than any corporate job you ever had. So like I said earlier. I UNDERSTAND the desire to do exactly what you’re doing but it’s just not reasonable unless you’ve built a generous nest egg FIRST. Which you cannot do selling eggs. (I’m still staying a subscriber.) 😉
Awesome story!! I loved listening to you talk about your childhood! I’m sorry about your animals, I know that really stinks. Don’t worry, this kinda life style and your love of the wilderness will follow you through your life!
Great video. I feel the same way. It does not matter how much money one makes, we are always in debt and that is one thing I hate, debt. I can pass the mortgage, but credit cards, car loans, school loans, the ridiculous amounts of money gone to health care, etc. I can't stand any of those.
I am starting to learn a lot more about homesteading and will make some changes as I gradually learn. Thanks for sharing this videos with all of us who are looking to live a simpler life.
Beautiful and touching to listen to your past and your reasoning for your homesteading lifestyle with your family. Inspirational? YES! Reading the sincerity in your face... just AWESOME! and seemingly quite a rare thing now days! Thank you very much Jamie
thank you so much for this video we are also just starting our homesteading in the south of france i have a youtube channel called building our good life dream. we chose also to leave the rat race behind and live a simpler life i do not want to be a weekend dad or work every hour to make money for someone else and pay stupid high bills just because so many other people do i admire what your doing and wish you all the best
Just found your channel and LOVE it. Susan and I are moving in the same direction hopefully by 2019. GREAT JOB Paul & Susan North Georgia
+Paul Pritchard Welcome to the channel and good luck!
First, let me thank you for your story. Wait, let me thank you for all of your videos. I always enjoy them all and gain something from each one. We found ourselves forced into unemployment, for various reasons, (believe me, I deleted the War & Peace story I started typing) and an adult son having to move home due to complications from Diabetes. Like you, I learned volumes from my mother, who grew up during the depression with little to nothing. No running water, no electricity, growing everything they ate..or they didn't eat..even down to making toothbrushes from Sweetgum trees. Her story, like your own, taught me that we can make it! Numerous friends have left us by the wayside since we can't go to dinner 2-3 times a week, go out drinking or to concerts. You know what? They weren't friends! We are in our first year of, what might be, homesteading. I have a small garden which I hope grows in size by leaps and bounds. Large trees shade most of our property, but I'm creative where I plant. I am attempting to sprout seeds for several types of fruit trees, planning more garden space, already knew how to can (thanks to Momma) and am saving for a freezer since our 25-year-old one decided to croak. (It's still War & Peace, huh?) You know something? I like my husband more, you and I must have worked for the same extremely high-stress company, and we are eating much healthier! There are hurdles, sure. We can't raise chickens or have goats, we live in Florida where the growing seasons are bizarre or simply too hot to grow many things, but ya know what(?) I'm happier than I've been in decades and I am able to make sure my son gets the care and nutrition he needs. I walk around our property barefoot and have my morning coffee beside my garden. Ok, I'll hush....just thank you again for your videos and all of the knowledge you provide within them. ps...I love your chickens also.
+S Suiter Your story made me smile Susie. Through it all, you are happier. I wish you the best of luck going forward with all you do! Thanks for hanging out with us and sharing your story!
Very cool story. I to left the corporate world my 120k job. Left the rat race and moved to the north west in Oregon. After a career in the Army infantry and two wars I noticed that the world I was fighting for was changing. My kids were attached to there cell phone to much. So I took everyone to the place I grew up. Like you in the mountains, 40 miles back. No cell service what so ever. We detoxification took a year but we survived started a garden, hunted, and grew as a family.
We prepped and still do. I trained my kids on the evil black rifles, trained them on pistols also. So we now live the homestead that has been in our family since 1889. We still have my retirement and to be honest will never go back to our past life as we are a family that talks and laughs now.
Thank for the video and your thoughts.
+Pathfinder georgia Sound like you have your priorities in order. I hope I can move back to the mountains again soon. It will take time. Congrats on the big and successful change
You are incredibly inspiring. There is a great human spirit involved with self reliance. And I admire you very much for sharing your story. I'm 42 and just beginning in very VERY :) small ways to make my life...simpler. Which is a terrible word because there is actually a lot of work involved in that lol. What you do is amazing and relatable and definitely inspiring. Thanks for sharing. (Hoping you have a hair cutting video in there somewhere lol, so if you don't, please consider haha!) Rock on!
I find your channel so informative and inspirational and I really enjoy watching. I'm in Australia and prepping and homesteading doesn't seem to be as big down under so there's not a lot of information. I was never taught anything on homesteading as a child and at 35 I'm just starting my journey, I have some health problems that mean I won't be able to go back to work once my kids are in school, so I'm doing this so my husband doesn't burn out being the sole provider until retirement and so he doesn't have to chase money, he'll eventually be able to slow down and cut back. We moved out of the city to a small country town, bought a small house with a big yard :) and now we're just working at lowering our outgoings and becoming more self sustainable.
That's the way to do it! Just take it slow. You also may want to check out She's a Bottler channel. She's has some great info on several sites and is in Australia: ruclips.net/channel/UCuE-OdyXCunN6IdpN70aUPwabout
Thank you for sharing this. I feel the same way as you. I am on my last leg in finishing my degree, and a part of me is drawn more towards a complete life. A healthy life with balance. I am on the cross roads of making this change. I need to get my finances set before I make the dive into living this way.
I see where our country is going, how society is currently, and I just cannot live like my peers do. Where I am stressed, dying from high blood pressure, and sacraficing time with my children to work in a job that does not benefit me in no other way then a paycheck.
Thank you for sharing this.
Getting finances straightened out will make everything much easier, no matter what you decide. Best of luck to you!
Jamie, the money is not important, happiness is important. The more you make the more you spend. I enjoy our life on our small farm in The Philippines. Great video!! God bless America.
Thank you for exposing yourself that way. I have been watching some of your videos but wanted to start from the beginning. I am glad I did. I don't know if I want to homestead but I have a strong desire for skills and simplicity. Thank you again. Good luck.
What a great video. I'm considering homesteading and/or permaculture farming. But I'm by myself, so it seems a little more daunting. I quit the rat race in Sept of 2013. I hated my consulting job, and I broke up with my boyfriend, so I traveled for a year, then worked overseas. I got ill, came back, and settled into a cubicle. Once you leave, it's hard to go back to a cubicle. So I'm thinking about how I want to proceed. But I've given myself a cut-off date for this cube. Your story inspired me, so thank you for sharing.
It is hard, if not impossible to go back to the cubicle life - unless it is to help you get to the life you want faster. Which it sounds like that is where you are at now. There is a whole other mindset when you know what you want and are using the cube life to get there. Best of luck to you!
***** Many thanks! OMG, it's so hard. And I can't talk to anyone about it, because it's considered a "good job." I just try to be thankful that it's helping me to achieve my goals and mentally put an expiration date on it. Thanks for your great video, which was more confirmation.
I just discovered your channel and completely enjoy the videos and the stories! keep up the great content!! Cheers -Ben
+Nikolai Welcome Ben
Thanks for sharing with such clarity and genuine process. You made me drift back to my childhood and how simple, natural, and unfettered with the trappings of life that most families are trapped into. I too, didn't realize just how special, how beautiful and how greatly my childhood was positively impacted by our life in a super small town. Dad was a logger and he ran 3 camps on different timber rights. He did well but there was always machinery that was expensive to maintain and then a seasonality that came with it. However, the lake was full of wild fish and every year Dad was first out of 1,300 population to get his moose on the river. He loved it. So now Dad is gone for 2+ yrs I've had time to reflect on what a wonderful childhood he provided. I'm not homesteading, but I try to get out of the city asap whenever possible. Mountain climbing, camping, canoeing, and just anything in mother nature.... it's the right medicine for our mojo.
Sometimes it may take a few years to find your place in live. My parents grew up during the Great Depression, they knew what it was like to have just enough of anything and survive. They brought these lessons learned in their childhood to our family later in life. My parents weren't preppers, off the grid farmers or homesteaders. But we learned from their experiences on Gardening, canning, raising livestock, learning a trade in that could be used with other aspects of life. I'm not a so called dooms day prepper, but I have always believed having a plan B, C, D or E if something ever goes wrong. Sometimes the littlest and simplest things in life can either be the most pleasing or complicated items. Good luck on your journey.
At this point I am not able to have a homestead because of family obligations. In the future when my obligations are met I would like to homestead. Honestly, I am getting sick of the rat race, having to have more and more stuff. A couple of years ago I went to Costa Rica on a mission trip and I saw the poverty. Another thing I noticed because of the poverty there wasn't pressure for more things. They had make do with what they had. I thought that I would like to move there because of that reason. Now I know that I don't have to move to a foreign country to get out of the rat race. I have made plans to do that. I am starting with making my own personal care products and soaps so I can pay off my debt. My ultimate goal is to be completely debt free and to live and work full time on my homestead. Thank you for sharing your story.
+M Mueller Becoming debt free is the most important step. You are doing it right. Good luck!
YES, thank you for sharing. I did not have that kind of relationship with my parents so I competed for and won a scholarship to study in Germany in 1961 and left home between my junior and senior years of high school not to return. Returning to the US I entered university and graduated with a double major with the help of several people who mentored me and opened employment opportunities. The first real opportunity out of university was with a Fortune 25 company where I stayed 20 years and became an officer of six subsidiaries, one of which four of us built. Stress? NO!! Adventures! And I retired at 46 when the adventures ceased; I have always been a saver. That lasted 4 months until I came to Ohio to turn around (with many others) a foreign owned multi-national on the verge of bankruptcy. It took six years to fix it. And I retired t age 52 for a few months and started two businesses, one failed, one succeeded and I stuck with it for eight years until the adventure left. So I bought an interest in a troubled company in MI; my daughter became critically ill and I came back to OH and found another adventure for 10 years until I retired at 72. People ask me about my career; I answer that I never had one. I never set goals, just love solving problems.Your message, my message: Follow your passion and you will never work a day in your life! You will have untold opportunities to help others, grow your children, love your spouse. Money comes and goes and cannot buy happiness. Real friends and relationships last a lifetime. Keep your friends close and your family closer. And NEVER, NEVER forget tat it is all of God Who showers us with mercy and blessings.
+John Gritman Adventures for sure John!
making 10-30k a month right now.............. but money doesnt make happy........ saving it all for my homestead (and then quiting my job after 1-2 years). When I was a kid I already KNEW what made me happy. I wanted to live of the land since I was 7-8 years old.
You're very pretty btw and love your tattoos.
Mark here! My wife and I chose to sell the house in the city and start from scratch. We live in northern Idaho about 75 miles from a major city. It’s a dream come true and we love it. It is hard work but we’re not afraid to work. You are very honest and very intelligent. Those two things keep me listening to you. Thank you for sharing your story. 😎
Thank you for letting us know so much about yourself. I know your father is proud and happy for you.
Make more videos like this! It’s so therapeutic to me ! It lifts me up and gives me hope! All you talk about is true❤️ i wish you all the best with your house built and hope that soon all of your goals will be accomplished
I'm also interested in Homesteading.. actually we watch already about the chicken ! New friend here from Arkansas USA.
I just found your channel and think it is awesome. I'm jealous!! I love the videos.
Very moving story.... Our fathers shared similarities. We loved the picture at the end! Your husband and children are fortunate to have someone with your value system as a wife and mother.
Because most of us hate our 9-5 life lol
We are starting homesteading and i love it in the woods always have (even with a mosquito allergy.
I currently live with my husband in town and have a lot of limitations. I try to live as simply as possible. I have a great garden and preserve a lot. I did recently quit a job I held for 15 years where I was making good money with high stress. I currently hold a job that is somewhat less stressful, less money-I have the attitude that this isn't permanent. My goal is to buy land in my native Iowa, restore/repair the land, live off of it and just be able to take any job to pay for the bare necessities, insurance and taxes. I am currently taking Iowa Master Conservationist classes to learn to be a better steward of the Earth. I plan on volunteering for organizations that make this place better, and will make me feel good too. Thank you for sharing your story, I can definitely relate and hope some day my plan will come together, I'm sure glad yours did.
I'm presently watching your "how we started homesteading" video. Of all the homesteading channels that I subscribe to I find yours the most real and interesting. I find a it very inspiring. This is something I've always dreamed about doing and God willing I'll get there someday.
good video and you really are a good storyteller
Thank you :0)
Thank you for sharing
Thanks for telling your story I so understand where you are coming from - it also reminds me of the final words from “Citizen Kane” Rosebud -
Greetings from fellow homesteaders in New Hampshire! Keep up the good work!
Great video. I grow up on the family farm loving the life I lived. I grow up with second hand clothes and hand me downs. Being made fun of for wearing the same pants 4 to 5 days a week. I remember marking my pants with ink after the 3 day just so I could deny that they were the same pants. But I loved the farm I loved what my dad was doing. As I got older it was the same story chase the money. four years ago I gave up chasing so hard and quit my corporate job to build my farm and chase my dream, but to really have the things I wanted on my Homestead I had to go back to work to support my kids, as at that time I was a single father of 3 with 2 in college and one in junior high. Last year I fell and damaged four disc in my neck and my life was changed. I was out of work and at risk of losing my mind along with my homestead the things we did in the years prior are the only thing that has kept up from losing it all. Canning and preserving our live stock. Food prep kept fed for over the past year and kept our minds with something to hold on to. We are attempting to rebuild now basic starting over with very little materialistic its but a wealth of knowledge. So glad you all made it back to the woods.
+Diversified Acres Homestead Thanks for sharing your story. It is good to hear you had those skills to get you through. As for the woods - we aren't there yet but hopefully soon. Thanks for watching
Thanks for sharing your experience, it was engaging and encouraging to folks like me looking into homesteading. I grew up hunting, fishing, and camping all the time so I understand a little about living outdoors. I have never been happier when I am away from the cities and sitting next to a running stream or hunting a squirrel for dinner. Your experience resonates and I plan to live a homesteading life because it's in my DNA. Thanks for reminding me of that...
I love your story thank you for sharing such a private touching moment to tell ppl your life. 💜👍
Wishing you and your lovely family luck, health and happiness in your wonderful homesteading wherever is best for you. Watching your videos with joy, always learning something... I’m sure, your dad is watching over you, he is happy. Blessings to you and your family, from Istanbul, Turkey ♥️🌺
New sub
Love the story
Sounds a bit like me in some ways
Excited to watch you videos. Love and light!!!!
Just started to learn about canning and have a question. After the canning process is done, you have said to store the jars in a cool dry area. I live and travel on my sailboat in areas that are hot and steamy. How do I store my jars? I am processing all kinds of raw meat and have plenty of room to store the jars but it's not cool and there is plenty humidity . What do you suggest?
Thanks
Thank you for your videos. Just finished watching your latest (the dirt series/ update on where you are @ plannning/ building your new home) I spent my formative years growing up on a farm. Didn't realize until later how much it shaped me as a person as well. When our kids were in their teen years, we moved back to the country...small acreage with a 100 yr old farm house. My career path has been a lot like your dad's..self employed carpenter/ general contractor..sole source of income, paying our own health insurance, yada, yada... listening this morning, to both your thoughts, and your dad's choices, just reconfirms, and solidifies the choices we've made. I too am not chasing the almighty dollar...although, we do need $ don't we to pay for things. Watching this as I've had my 3rd cup of coffee before heading out the door to work, has been a treat. It grounds me. Your video series is a gift to the rest of us. Thank you. DM
Thank you for sharing your experiences, thoughts and ideas. This video has helped me greatly as I work through the process of moving towards a Homesteading life style. Thank you for your videos and I really enjoyed the canning videos as well.
Rob S. (Rockford MI)
Thank you for sharing, I too feel at home in the woods,working with my hands ( gardening, building, fixing stuff,etc.). I am working towards buying a property and living my dream of homesteading. Unfortunately I have a lot of resistance from my folks, my dad even went so far as to threaten to cut me from all family ties :( . I am struggling with how to deal with my parents and be true to myself and be happy for myself. Right now im renting a small apartment, not allowed pets, no garden, no place for a workshop, but a nice neighborhood close to nature. Anyways I just wanted to say I got a little inspired from your video " why we homestead" and am looking foward to watching many more. Thank you
I know this is an old video, but thank you so much for sharing it. It means so much to me as we are trying to to start our homestead from square one and raise our kids in that environment.