So, I did my penultimate workday on-site yesterday. With one day left to go, I’m ready to let work go and settle in at home. What will that look like? I’ll let you know in a few days.
In the meantime, as I look back on my lost summer, one thing comes clearly to mind: I needed this. As much as it wasn’t what I wanted or expected, I needed it. As hard as it was, I needed it. And as grateful as I am that it’s nearly over, I needed it.
For a long time, I struggled with the idea that I wasn’t going to be working. We liked the money I made and I wasn’t completely sure that I would know how to define myself if I wasn’t working. It felt like a fantasy and not reality to call it a career. Then, I recognized what was happening. Work was becoming harder and harder to find and I wasn’t willing to do all of the excess hustle it would take to get the good projects. I was reaching my expiration date.
At the same time, home was calling. I had decided earlier in the summer to give the kitties outdoor time everyday and that was soaking up more and more time as they need to be heavily supervised outside. Then, there is our lawn, which takes a tremendous amount of work in summer. I also wanted to be more of a partner in our garden and not just swoop in for the glory parts of digging potatoes. Finally, we both noticed how well home and life functions when I make our home a calm, soft place to land at the end of the day. That requires planning, aforethought and consistent work.
The pathway that was once so unthinkable now seemed reasonable. One big question remained, however. Could we really have it all?
I’m blessed that my husband easily earns enough to fund our life. We had decided months ago that my work would pay for the many extras we enjoyed – from travel to bourbon. Nothing has really changed there. I would like to earn enough to pay for those things as well as our garage. But without my steady income, that means that we won’t have as much elastic income on a regular basis.
But here’s where effective homemaking comes in. First, we don’t eat out often. Honestly, I enjoy the process of cooking at home and our meals are much better – leaner, healthier and more relaxed – when I cook at home. Second, we have a well-stocked bourbon cabinet. One can always get more but that’s a little bit of the old “unicorn hunting” philosophy. If we had allocated money for a starter bourbon cabinet, it has been spent and we are in good shape. Third, we grow food. I haven’t purchased onions, garlic, oregano, dill, basil, sage or thyme in years. I only make homemade marinara. I rarely have to purchase sweet potatoes or beets. In mid-summer, I will end up purchasing regular potatoes again as our last crop runs out and our next crop is still growing in the field. Only carrots and cucumbers get purchased on any recurring basis and that’s because they don’t always store well.
Perhaps even further, effective homemaking is about utilizing purchasing strategies and aforethought that lower our operating costs while providing us with the same lifestyle. Long ago, I learned to purchase t-shirts and shorts on sale in September and sweaters, jeans and coats in April. The same holds true today. I also sew and mend clothes. With two freezers in the basement, we take advantage of our local grocery store’s “buy one-get one” sales on meat, the largest of our grocery expenses (and a fairly often occurrence with this particular store). Otherwise, I know what supplies I have and by utilizing weekly menus, I can easily manage our shelves to make sure we have good, quality ingredients for the meals we want to make. I’ve long since eliminated a big pantry full of canned grocery store items. Cooking mostly from scratch, I got a little tired of watching cans of good food expire.
With solar and geothermal, our operating costs are also low. We also use our wood fireplace in winter to offset heating needs and provide a warm, cozy spot to relax with a glass of wine. I make my own laundry soap, which is better than what I can buy in a store, and I preserve as much of nature’s bounty as I can. Finally, we have largely prepaid all of our upcoming trips, including next year’s July trip. What’s left to pay is already saved and accounted for. I’ve also created mini-escrow accounts for our taxes, insurances, health-related expenses and car/house expenses. Therefore, payment for those expenses comes out of those accounts, minimizing the impact on our daily operating cash.
The result? Again, I’ll let you know – this time, in a few months. But this is the real experiment, right? Can we really, really live the same on less just by spending more wisely, utilizing discounted prices and thoughtfully saving smaller amounts against big purchases in advance.
My true belief is that we can. More than that, I believe we can live better. Without my work stress, we will have one partner dedicated to making home safe and calm. That alone will lead to less excess spending as we won’t have to pay for “escapes” or start throwing money at the problem because we don’t have time or the patience to fix it.
Largely, though, I’m going to need a year. What happens then? Well, in a year, I’d like to have saved enough in extra cash and my little bit of work to pay for our garage. That and ultimately replacing our two vehicles are the last of the big expenses we have on the horizon. If I can do that, this little home-and-family challenge will have been a resounding success. Even if I get halfway there, I’m going to call is a clear victory because in that year we will also have had time for my husband to train for an Ironman, my kitties to enjoy hours and hours of outdoor time and for our lives to have run incredibly smoothly.
Minutes, hours, days. They used to be the bane of my existence. I fought against time all of the time. Now? I genuinely hope days go by without that same angst and stress I’ve come to expect. Again, I’ll let you know.
The Yuppie Homesteader 