I guess we are a bit strange, because you don't hear that everyday! But Nath and I have been talking a lot lately about our goals and values, and what we want our lives and our children's lives to look like, and what our passions are, and what we would love to be doing with our lives if money and work wasn't a restricting factor.
We feel that the balance is wrong. Nath works five days a week, and is at home for two. I'm sure that to his line managers it may seem like sometimes life gets in the way of his work, but, to us, it sure feels like work gets in the way of our lives! Nath would love to be at home more, spending his days with the kids, in the garden, in the community. We don't want to be hermits. Far from it. We want to have the freedom to do things in our community that feed our souls, and other people's souls, and contribute to life in our area. It's very hard to do all of these things when you only have two days of 'free time'.
We also want to get to the point where we are growing, hunting for, foraging for or bartering most of our food. This would obviously mean that Nath wouldn't HAVE to work as much, but, to get there, one of the biggest resources we need is our time. It takes time to turn half an acre's worth of garden beds into food-producing spaces. It takes time to create new garden beds, and to plant, water, harvest, repeat. It takes time to develop hard gravelly clay into rich, fertile soil. It takes time to build chicken pens, sheds, repair things, make changes to things and learn the skills we will need to keep doing this. It takes time to meet local people, find like-minded neighbours, develop bartering/trading relationships, find places to hunt on, or forage for bush foods. These are all things we are squeezing into our weeks, sometimes to the detriment of family time.
So, our goal is to get to the point where we don't rely on most of our income. We are working towards reducing our outgoings to the bare minimum, so that, at some point, it will be completely viable for Nath to only work two days, three days max, per week. Obviously, we will need some income, and I don't plan on going back to work, but we are doing lots of thinking and talking around what Nath's 'work' (outside of the home) may look like over the next few years.
I'm pretty sure most of my readers are family (hi, family!), and we are raising up your little ones too. So we would love to hear your thoughts on this. Even if you are not family, drop us a line and tell us what you think. Is our plan doable, or totally insane? (Insane is ok.... sometimes I think we are at our best doing things that most people think are insane...) Do you have similar dreams? How is your work/home balance?
love this post nicole! people have started asking me when will i be returning to work, when i try to explain to them i value my time over money. they dont get it, the usual response is- so when the kids start school?? sigh...
ReplyDeleteLove that sentence - I value my time over money. I wonder if people actually realise we are selling our lives to our employers when we have a job! Hope you guys are well :)
ReplyDeleteWe have lived the live you're talking about. We're both on pensions now but before that Hanno gave up work and we started working at home to produce a lot of what we needed. I supported us on my writing just doing what I could in the time I had. Once you start cooking from scratch, producing food in the backyard and making your own cleaners, you don't need a lot at the supermarket. We barter for milk and cream - I make butter, cheese and yoghurt from it. I make soap, laundry liquid, bread and so many other things, it really cuts down the cost of living. I reckon you're on the right track. Good luck to you and Nath!
ReplyDeleteHi Rhonda,
DeleteYes, I agree, making from scratch is really our biggest tool as home budgeters, isn't it? I find our grocery bill is higher than I'd like due to buying organic foods wherever I can, but we are working on this. Thanks for your encouragement!
I love this post, it is exactly where we want to be headed. A life with less money, more time, more satisfaction. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHi Suburbandigs, thanks for dropping by. Off to check out your blog now :) Good luck with your journey, its so nice to 'meet' people going in the same direction!!
DeleteI also dream of one day being free of the rat race and working from home and growing most of my food. It has meant making a few big sacrifices in the short term- working 2 jobs (an 11 hour day!), giving up most of my hobbies and living 700 miles away from my fiancé for higher paying work. This is obviously the complete opposite of what I want long term, but in hopefully as little as 5 years I will be mortgage free, meaning I can work part time doing jobs I love such as animal care, gardening and painting without worrying about having to pay large monthly bills for a roof over my head and my spare time (which I will have a lot more of) can be spent growing, foraging, and generally living in tune with the earth.
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for dropping by! I know the feeling of having to make sacrifices in the short term for long term gain.... very necessary, but it can feel so frustrating, can't it?? Good luck with your journey, I'm off to check out your blog now :)
DeleteDo we have similar dreams? These ARE our dreams! Time vs. money. It's such a juggle but I hope it is doable because it's what we are aiming for too.
ReplyDeleteGood luck, Linda, with your journey. It's so good that the blogging world allows us to meet people that have similar goals, and can encourage us on our paths. Have a merry Christmas.
DeleteLove your blog, by the way xx
DeleteI think you are so right and heading in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteI live in a town and unfortunately we aren't lucky enough to have land or to be able to pay our morgage off, however, I have four allotments close by and I have been lucky enough to stay at home with my two daughters (now 13 and nearly 15 yrs) because we have been frugal. I had to learn my frugal, thrifty ways through necessity and the desire to make sure my family did not feel deprived in anyway and now I love this way of living and wouldn't change a thing.
I truly feel blessed to be able to live this way.
Good luck on your quest.
Hi notjustgreenfingers,
DeleteThanks for stopping by. I'd love to hear how your girls handle not having all the fandangled stuff 'all the other kids' have.... I think this may be the biggest challenge we face as our kids get older!
Peace to you and yours.
We used to buy toys etc when they were in sales after xmas or look out for bargains in charity shops (most toys just needed cleaning up). We never bought the 'must have toys' at xmas and they never seemed to mind. Now they are older clothes, ipads, lap tops and mobile phones are important to them....we have a laptop that they have learnt to share and mobiles were xmas/birthday presents (not just given to them for no reason). They have had to learn to look after the things they have. Recently we decided to give them a month budget, so they can buy all their own clothes, make up, shoes, school uniforms etc (you can read about it here: http://notjustgreenfingers.wordpress.com/category/budgeting-how-we-budget/teenage-budgeting/ This way they have to learn that money doesn't grow on trees and they can't run to the 'Bank of Mum & Dad' every time they want something.
DeleteThere has been times I could have cried when I couldn't afford to buy my daughters something other children had, but what I did give to them was something money can't buy: a stable, happy home, homecooked/homegrown meals etc but most of all 'time'.
Good luck with your quest.
thanks nic for your thoughts....
ReplyDeletehere are my thoughts on it:
we totally share your ideas around work, time and money, and have found that since we've had the kids neither of us have needed or desired to work full time.this is probably partly due to choosing not to have a big mortgage over our heads..we are proud "renters," and sold our flat 7 eyars ago to be rid of the heaviness of being enslaved to a bank (i know doesnt make sense to many people!!) i must confess to never having had a full time job in my life...(some might call that lazy, i think of it as liberated!)
Between me and bazz, we have generally had a three day a week income over the past 6 years, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less -it all depends on different seasons of life, and i like that we share that load so that neither feels alone in either the work/homemaking aspect of life...(maybe thats because im a hopelessly flawed "housewife" and couldnt bare to face that task on my own-or maybe its because bazz can't stand my attempts at doing the washing and feels the need to do it!!!!!!)
when we once had a fairly disposable income, our life was lived primarily as consumers. we wasted money on crap that didn't add to the richness of family life. disposable. replaceable. it was not valued. it is not what we hoped for and expected. well, thats how we felt the year bazz worked full time any way...it was just sort of....meh.
when we have less income, we rely less on money and "things" to get by,and more on the love, grace and creativness of ourselves and others. and there is a vulnerability in that which is very beautiful. i have found that when we can get to that place, a true sense of community (amongst our own family and hopefully friends)can be born. i think deep down, we all want to live life to the fullest, with all its richness and struggles, and connections to each other, neighbours, community, the earth and God. we dont know how to do it though, im the first to admit that i dont!! but i think id find it hard just even having a go if I was never at home, never in my community, which is how I see so many of my friends and neighbours live (sadly) as they drive off to work each day. but maybe they are fulfilled in that, who am i to judge!?
thanks for reminding me with your lovely writing just why it is that some of us choose to live the way we do..i hope that over the next few years you guys can make your dreams come true. i always love visiting your blog for some inspiration. sorry for my long ramble, i guess you just got me thinking...
love you. miss you xxx
Love you <3
Delete