[WinslowPorker]

After a few years of living in the home counties rat race, has the time eventually come to sell up and make the move to a smallholding? Easy answer is yes, go down to Cornwall and find a nice smallhold with some potential and try and be self sufficient. but there is never an easy answer, you have all these potential stepping stones such as leaving friends, family etc and then there is the education to think of for teh kids, is it right to move them when they are settled etc etc etc.

Come on guys what do we reckon

I am never going to run my own very succesful business as its not me, likewise i will never commit career suicide by going on the apprentice with the bearded one, because again if you have to be that much of a backstabbing, spineless waste of blood and oxygen, then its not for me. So here we are working socks off while the bosses get richer, or do i stop and work hard but with my wife and kids so we are all together.

perhaps there is more wealth than just financial wealth.............................

God what have these 6 pigs done to me 

[HappyHippy]

It sounds to me like the light's gone on for you 
Financially I'm skint - no savings, no high paying job but in terms of how rich my life is - I'm LOADED  We've got our pigs and chickens, we live in beautiful contryside and are lucky to be able to bring our kids up in a healthy, safe environment - one that teaches them about where there food comes from and how to respect animals, people and their environment. Would I trade it all for a high powered job and countless pairs of Jimmy Choo's ? Nope, no way - gimmie muck, wellies and pigs anyday  You only get one shot at it - make it enjoyable
But on a realistic note - you'll struggle to support yourself completely from smallholding, some form of income from a part time or homebased job is neccessary.

[JulieS]

I completely agree with Karen 

It's a great way of life, and I wouldn't change it for the world........and Karen is right, you definitely need some form of income too.

[doganjo]

Whatever you decide to do just remember that this is not the dress rehearsal, it is the performance - so ensure you know your lines and the music score.
I have had two husbands who left this world too young - neither picked up any of the pension that they ahd paid into all their years, although admittiedly I get some of it, so my advice is to look very carefully at your necessary expenses, be able to cover them from paid emplyment of some sort, then go for it!  Without wanting to seem morose none of us know what is around the corner (just as well too  )  so make the absoute best of what you do now.

[Jackie]

Im with everyone else on this, go for it now!

Now while the kids are young enough to settle with you, now while you have the energy. Now while you still dream.
You will learn what is essential for life and what you just want but most of all you will be with your family 24/7. 

In the uk no one starves, if you cant manage to make ends meet then the social does help. 

[egglady]

oh such a great question and so many brilliant answers.  our story is this.......... both hubby and i had decent jobs and kids went to the local school.  life was very busy and hardly any time to sit and relax.

spent many years looking (half heartedly) for a place, believing we could never afford one, and they completely unexpectedly we came across here - 5.5 acres with a couple of outbuildings and a run down cottage.  big decision as we had a 10 year old and an 8 year old who were used to being 'townies'.

anyway after much soul searching we moved here and like everyone else, we have never been more skint...but never, ever been happier or richer in the things that are REALLY important.  we have chickens, horses, sheep, pigs, meat birds and ducklings and grow mostly our own veg.  i've learnt for the first time how to make jams, chutneys, wine, make a few veg feed 4 of us.......and we are all well fed and watered as a result.

would i go back to my suits and exec lounge access?  not a chance!  in fact, the very idea of wearing a business suit again makes my blood run cold!

yes, you do need some kind of income, but work out what you need to survive (with a wee bit left over for emergencies); learn as much as you can before you start (courses, books, internet, people who have been there) and you'll be well set up.

it's a great life and so, so rewarding

[bazzais]

Your right there is more to wealth than financial wealth  -  but unfortunately you have to be realistic, or at least one person in the family has to be.

One thing is for sure though, you'll never know until you try plus there is always the fact that you could go back to getting a job in the city if it doesn't work.

As has been said you do have to have a sideline to be self sufficient, either that or you have to go into it headlong and become a full time farmer with a farming business to boot.  If you do go into farming, working a 9 - 5 job will seem like dream hours.  Farming is very long hours, lots of paperwork and running your own business with accounts and legal forms can seem like half the job you do and fills your spare time with all the boring stuff youd normally find in working for yourself in any industry.  That said at the end of the night - all you've done all day has been for yourself and will benefit your family which does give you a 'feelgood' factor.

I for one could never afford to giveup my sideline in affiliate marketing in order to go completely 'self sufficient' here on the yard.  I have been on my farm for just over a year now and its been a total loss making adventure financially, but its been amazing for me personally.

Nobody minds making little profit in return for a good lifestyle, but you do need to be making enough money to survive otherwise savings gradually get eaten up and you will find yourself in financial ruin with more problems than you've ever had.

Personally before taking on any 'lifestyle' change like this I would make sure that I had enough to cover all my bills for a year without an income, giving a buffer in order to get established, find work on the side and settle in to it all.

I'd go for it though, there is nothing more demoralising than after coming to the decision you dont like your city life and working for 'the man' but still having to get up every morning and carry on as if nothing is going to ever change.

Ta

Baz

[sheila]

Oh I wish we had done it when we were young enough. It's too late now to do more then play at it. Good luck to you and your family whatever you decide.

[Wizard]

Hello all W.P. I am all for the good life but you must have money you cannot manage without it.The council will persue you to the ends of the earth for your community charge payment.The GAS, ELECTRIC and WATER Company's also want paying.It is a good plan to put a stamp on your card as this affects your state pension.You may not run foul of Inland Revenue but they don't give any leaway.So I hear you say I'll have a windmill for my electric are they free to have then,I will have a bore hole for my water.No you wont if the water authority finds out you need a licence to extract water I am not near a gas line So I will have a multi fuel stove cooker They were four pence halfpenny each last time I had a dream.In reality a nice Iron heart is a good bet so you have bags of cash have a S type AGA only about £10-15G So we will have solar heating OK for bath water not much use on a snowy winters day.OK so we will have a heat pump and use the bore hole (well ) as a heat source cost?I'm am not trying to deter you but you need a source of money be it a part time job or your lotto winnings

[WinslowPorker]

Thanks all it is much appreciated and without trying to wear rose tinted glasses, this is how is i see it:

I need a 3 bed house as a minimum but any more is appreacited

Somewhere in the region of 3 acres? only because my friend who owns the small hold where we have our pigs said anything bigger, and you will need a tractor with roller/topper etc and the land does not look after itself as much.

Now this is the confusing bit, i think a selection of outbuildings with potential to creat an annexe/holiday cottage or an already established one so we can generate some income. I appreciate that this may take some time to get your name known before the bookings come in or do i need to offer extra things to entice people, such as more land and dig a big lake for fishing? or can you try and put a camping field in?? i was also thinking about farm shops etc and polytunnels.

The danger is my mind running away but yes i know an income will be needed to sustain the life, the other option for year one is that i live up here with mum & dad and travel down at weekends or perhaps even as my boss if i can work from home on Mondays/Friday as i am only cold calling anyway.?

The reality is my wife (40) and I (35) have been talking about this for many years and i think the next stage is to actually go and do some viewings on some properties and just see for ourselves, I have been looking on PrimeLocation website and there is a good selection down in the SOuthWest so perhaps need to arrange some viewings amnd go from there.

[JulieS]

I know when we were looking for somewhere we thought we had worked out exactly what we wanted, and what we would do there.  In reality it really depends on what you find and where it is. 

Definitely start looking and then for each place you see and like, you can decide what would work there.

Even after finding this place we had ideas that we thought would work, but changed our minds and are going in a slightly different direction. 

As well as the websites.....Primelocation, Right Move etc... it is worth contacting the local Estate Agents of the areas you prefer so that you can get details of everything you are looking for, they sometimes have details of places that the owners don't want to advertise publicly.

With the holiday cottage I would recommend being with an Agency to start with.  It seems like a lot of commission to pay, but in my experience they've got the bookings.....Ours was taking bookings even before we'd finished the refurbishment, and we've only had 5 weeks empty since we opened at the end of June last year.  And we're booked until October this year so far.  I'd never have been able to do that without them.

You seem to have thought of different ways of doing this.....So, get some property details and get booking those viewings.   

[HappyHippy]

There's a rise in the amount of people who want to take a farm holiday and get back to nature - they pay you for the privilage of helping feed your stock, learning how to look after them etc while you provide them with lovely home produced food and somewhere nice to stay. PP for campsites is fairly difficult to get and the stuff required to cater for them would eat into a lot of your 3 acres. Personally, I'd look for a cottage/annex/disused stable block or stading instead and as much land as you can afford. You'll probably find that even with 3 acres you'll be looking at getting a quad with trailer or some kind of vehicle to move stuff around - so don't let the thought of buying a tractor put you off - you get some really dinky tractors For real self sufficiency you'd need a minimum of 5 acres to allow you to get a cow for milk and cheese etc. You could always rent the extra land to make an income or do a landshare type thing to get some produce in exchange so don't ever worry about having too much land - almost everyone ends up wishing they had more 

[doganjo]

I think you need to do what I did when I was going to build a house.  Make a 'wish list'  Then when you go to view properties, check it off on your list, and the nearer you get to fulfilling all your wishes - or even changing your mind about wanting them, the better, and that is the property for you.  But be aware that it may not always be the right property.  Everything changes, and you might find your needs change enough to sell up and buy something different.  Don't be afraid to do that either.

[WinslowPorker]

I am going to have a look round different websites and speak to some agenst this weekend, think there may be a tour coming up in the next couple of weeks to do a few viewings.

Its exciting but i have butterflies, perhaps its just the fear of change and moving from what you know...........

[doganjo]

Yes, it probably is.  I moved 150 miles out of Aberdeenshire where I had lived all my life. (moved to be nearer my children)  But I wanted to make the move while I was still young enough to take up new activities and make new friends - I've done just that!  Good luck1  You could put your wish list on here and we can advise on pros and cons?