# Acreage living ... on the cheap?



## mind_business (Sep 24, 2011)

Can it be done? If it can, I haven't figured out how yet.

Since moving onto our acreage in 2013, we have had to upgrade ALL of our 1970's mechanical equipment. This includes the water softener, iron filter, pressure tank, hot water tank, septic system (the entire system ... not just the tank), all of the swimming pool mechanical equipment (filter, gas heater and pump), and next week we're getting the furnace replaced. Ugh!!! After the furnace we'll have spent approx $67K to replace all the equipment. Moving into our house, and yes we got a House Inspection done ... not worth the paper it was written on, I expected to have to replace the furnace, hot water tank, and the water softener ... with a likelihood of having to do 'something' with the septic system in the next 10 years or so. EVERY piece of equipment above, with the exception of the furnace, actually had something major go wrong with it. This wasn't us spending money for the sake of spending money. Oh, and did I mention that our fridge died as well.

OK, so now I have to figure out how to tighten the budget significantly to squeeze out some savings. I'm still trying to achieve FI by age 55 ... in 4 years. So I have to put the pedal to the metal. 

Right now I have some low hanging fruit ... two vehicles where we only need one (2005 Toyota Matrix and a 2013 Ford F150). Thinking of ditching the Matrix. We have way too much 'stuff' that we want to start drastically getting rid of. Hoping to have a major garage sale in the spring. I went through my 20's and some of my 30's trying to accumulate as much stuff as I possibly could afford. I wish I could go back and kick myself in the butt.

I don't have my budget sheet updated just yet, but I should be the end of this weekend. But in the meantime, do you guys have any tips specific to acreage living? I'm willing to look at almost anything, aside from reusing toilet paper :tongue:


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## Just a Guy (Mar 27, 2012)

Well, I don't know about you, but having more than one vehicle is fairly important on an acreage...especially if one breaks. We use a car to commute, a truck to haul, and a minivan to haul the family. I've had many times when one or more vehicles has died, even if I do the repairs myself I'd need a vehicle to go and get the parts.

There's nothing cheap about acreage living that I've found. Even producing your own food costs more than buying in a lot of cases when you consider acquisition costs, feed costs, shelter costs, equipment costs and time costs. Of course I still prefer fresh eggs, honey and fruit, but it certainly isn't cheap.

Of course, over the years I've learned how to fix, replace or rebuild most things...cheaper than paying someone else, but not really cheap.

I buy my wood, nails, supplies, etc. In bulk, again, not really saving since a lift of wood costs a lot more than a few boards, but it is cheaper by the piece. 

If you like animals, like horses, owning your own acreage saves you board costs, but then again you had to pay more for the acreage in the first place...

Even going off the grid will cost you more to set up than you'd probably save...

Nope, nothing cheap about living in the country.


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## mind_business (Sep 24, 2011)

Well, that was a depressing last line in your post LOL. I love living on an acreage compared to all the years of city-dwelling. There's just something fantastic about quiet solitude, and not being able to see any neighbours. So the extra costs are more than worth it to us. 

One area that we are able to take advantage of to lower expenses is growing a larger garden. We have a 50' x 50' garden which allows us to freeze veggies for our winter supply. Actually, it probably represents a significant savings on our overall grocery bill.

I agree with you on having a second vehicle being nice, but to be honest, we never use it. If our truck broke down, I'd just get it hauled into town with CAA, then take a cab into town. We're about a 20 minute drive to the city.


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## mind_business (Sep 24, 2011)

Oh, and I've started to harvest my own firewood. Bought a chainsaw and a good axe. Great way to relieve stress after a work day


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## birdman (Feb 12, 2013)

Not sure where you live but we live in Kelowna and RV storage is a big issue. My buddy has a couple of acreas where he used to raise a few sheep and cut the hay but he quit this recently. Now he and most of his neighbour have trailers stored on the property at 50. to 75.00 PM. I think he has 40 of them. They don't need the money but the $2,000.k or so extra income is always welcome. Unfortunately, as the land is agricultural it is not zoned for this and after about 2 years I expect he will see it come to an end ;in the next while. Maybe you could get away with 2 or 3 of them?? Just a thought.


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## mind_business (Sep 24, 2011)

I might consider doing that if our acreage was suited to it. We live on a 3 acre property, where at least 50% is old growth forest. Leaving enough space for some grass, garden and pool.


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## 1980z28 (Mar 4, 2010)

I am moving to 26 acres,own another 100 acres trees 

spent 8 years to get things ready to move to for retirement in april 2017,i will be 56

will be cheap after the move,,as i will used the land to live from,plus it is on the ocean for fishing

not cheap for the last 8 years,all is paid with no debt what so ever

So it will be cheap,,,one problem is my taxes have increase about 200% in 8 years,,but still a lot less than where i live now in ontario


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## tygrus (Mar 13, 2012)

Most people I know who have tried to move to an acreage are looking for cheap living but are unprepared for the work and expense for keeping up a home and out buildings which are fully exposed to the elements. Hence they stop taking care of the place and it looks like sh*t after a few years.

Taxes are expensive but remember you get sewer, water, snow removal, power etc. Plus police, close health care, city services etc.

I own 1000 acres but still would chose to live in a city.


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## 1980z28 (Mar 4, 2010)

tygrus said:


> Most people I know who have tried to move to an acreage are looking for cheap living but are unprepared for the work and expense for keeping up a home and out buildings which are fully exposed to the elements. Hence they stop taking care of the place and it looks like sh*t after a few years.
> 
> Taxes are expensive but remember you get sewer, water, snow removal, power etc. Plus police, close health care, city services etc.
> 
> I own 1000 acres but still would chose to live in a city.



I lucked out with my own septic and overflow well,,,new just installed,house and garage plus out buildings all new except two story garage is 4 or 5 years old,,,funny the hydro i had to install 9 hydro poles to get electric power to house and stuff,two services house and garage,,,have a stream river beside house building a small water wheel and wind turbine for hydro to cut cost,,,wood cutting to heat garage,,,,taxes when I purchased land was 150 per year now after 8 years it is now a little over 450 per year,,,,but I was told that this 2017 it will go up lots,,,could triple


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## Just a Guy (Mar 27, 2012)

I've lived in both cities and rural, both have their benefits and drawbacks. I do know that when I lived in the city, I certainly looked forward to getting out of town for the weekend and going up to the lake...something I find I don't need as much living in the country. 

Also, seeing the haze above the skyline of the city when I drive in doesn't make me miss it much. My kids seem to prefer it as well. They get to have dune buggies, quads and other such toys that they can actually use whenever they want.


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

My buddy said it took his family 24 hours collectively per week to cut the grass, trim the edging, and work the flower beds on his 5 acres.

Each fall there were the wood cutting weekends to fill up the storage bins. You can burn a lot of wood over a winter and someone has to be home 24 hours a day to mind the stove.

And there was the leaf raking and burning weekends.

And there was the snow removal....he owned an enclosed tractor for that.

He didn't mind because he had a stay at home wife and 3 kids to do a lot of the work. 

When his kids all left home.....he moved up north where there is no landscaping.

I don't think there are many opportunities to earn money from a small rural property, unless there are fruit trees or vines etc.

If a person is the kind that love the work and the outdoors........that is their reward, I guess.


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## Just a Guy (Mar 27, 2012)

sags said:


> I don't think there are many opportunities to earn money from a small rural property, unless there are fruit trees or vines etc.


Maybe it gets you more inspired to learn about passive income. P-)

With bigger properties, you definitely need bigger tools. I spend a lot less time shovelling walks, in a lot more comfort, with an 8 foot bucket and a heated cab than I did in the city with a shovel.

Cutting lawn with a 60" lawnmower goes quite quickly too.

Kids love the leaf pile they can play in, but truth be told I rarely bother to rake them. 

It is a lot easier though when you have a big family. 

There are also a lot of opportunities to generate income on properties that you can't do in the city. I know hay farmers, cattle guys, farmers, equestrian facilities, shops, rv storage, lumber, tree farms, greenhouses, and all manor of small businesses.

You have to look at the world for opportunities if you want to find them. As I said, each has their own benefits and drawbacks...I'd live in either place personally.


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

If a person owns enough land they can develop it into something for sure.

I remember when this park first started. The owner had some forested land around abandoned gravel pits.

Our team held one of the first tournaments there, when there was nothing but 3 ball diamonds, a small shed and porta-potties.

We rented the diamonds, set up a 32 team tournament and sold beer out of the shed. We made about $3000 for our team.

I bought the beer and liquor ......around 100 cases of beer if I remember right, and we didn't have a licence or anything. Somebody reported me and the police showed up at my door only days before the tournament. They wanted to know what I was doing with all that beer and I told them I was having a party in a couple of weeks.

They sat in the parking lot for a couple of days thinking I was bootlegging alcohol. 

We had underground parking, so we transferred the beer into friends cars who went in and out.

We used to swim in the gravel pits when I was a kid. They were abandoned and nobody wanted them.

When I drive by the area now, there are McMansions lining the shores of the private "lakes" (gravel pits) of clean spring fed water.

Anyways..........Look at the set up today. The guy had vision.

http://slopitchcity.ca/


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## tygrus (Mar 13, 2012)

The other thing to think about is security. My farm is close to a city and although I dont live on it, we have lots of weirdos touring around all the time. Wouldn't want my wife and kids left alone out there.


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

It would be a concern.

My wife's parents owned a calf and grain farm in Saskatchewan. Back in the old days, families lived on the farms and they had neighbors.

Today, most of the farmers live in town and drive out to the land. They may keep the homestead for a place to eat lunch or have a nap.

On our last trips out west, the neighbors had all moved and her parents were alone on the road. Her father kept a shotgun and shells handy.

The wife inherited 640 acres of prairie pasture land, and unfortunately there isn't much anyone can do with it other than graze cattle.

We sold it a few years ago for less than $50,000. That is a lot of land for that price......but living thousands of miles away we didn't know what else to do with it. The buyer didn't actually want the pasture land, but it was included in the sale of the grain lands.

Renting it out to pasture isn't worth much and there is too much liability involved in case of an accident or something on our land.

Liability insurance would be a concern if renting out space for RVs etc as well. What if someone does damage to the units ?

The cost of liability insurance is so high that it puts a damper on a lot of ideas to make some money from the land.


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## mind_business (Sep 24, 2011)

sags said:


> My buddy said it took his family 24 hours collectively per week to cut the grass, trim the edging, and work the flower beds on his 5 acres.
> 
> Each fall there were the wood cutting weekends to fill up the storage bins. You can burn a lot of wood over a winter and someone has to be home 24 hours a day to mind the stove.
> 
> ...


Luckily, the reward for me is definitely worth it. My regular job is in an office, so I really enjoy the time mowing, snow removal (covered garden tractor with snowblower attachment), chopping wood, etc. I use that time to unwind and relax. 

I think when I retire or semi-retire, I'll start to look for ways to make money on the acreage. For now, I'll stick to finding ways to reduce our overall cost.


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## mind_business (Sep 24, 2011)

tygrus said:


> The other thing to think about is security. My farm is close to a city and although I dont live on it, we have lots of weirdos touring around all the time. Wouldn't want my wife and kids left alone out there.


We live in an acreage sub-division close to Edmonton. It's a tight-knit community where everyone looks out for each other. Having said that, there was a car stolen from a property about a mile from our place. The guy installed a front gate ... which we're considering doing as well.


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

I prefer country living partly because of low cost. My house with 3.5 acres cost a fraction of what a similar house in the city on a postage stamp lot would cost. Taxes are lower. Mortgage payment lower. I do need a car, and prefer to have 2 vehicles in case of a breakdown. Fresh air, peace and quiet are nice too.

I suppose it all depends on what you prefer. I know you have spent a lot more than you expected but those expenses should not recur now for another 20 years. PS now you know why the seller wanted out. Hope you took the run down condition into account and didn't pay too much.


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

Rusty O'Toole said:


> I prefer country living partly because of low cost. My house with 3.5 acres cost a fraction of what a similar house in the city on a postage stamp lot would cost. Taxes are lower. Mortgage payment lower. I do need a car, and prefer to have 2 vehicles in case of a breakdown. Fresh air, peace and quiet are nice too.
> 
> I suppose it all depends on what you prefer. I know you have spent a lot more than you expected but those expenses should not recur now for another 20 years. PS now you know why the seller wanted out. Hope you took the run down condition into account and didn't pay too much.


Peace and quiet is worth a lot for sure.

I posted in another thread about how relaxing it was to stand on a road in the country and hear nothing.

We don't realize how assaulted we are with sound in the city. Always sounds........firetruck, ambulance, garbage guys, snow removal, buses.....I noticed it a lot when we moved in but am now used to it mostly. What I notice is when there is no noise at all.


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## Just a Guy (Mar 27, 2012)

The country isn't quiet, just a different kind of noise. The Wild animals can actually get quite loud. Frogs, birds, coyotes, even swarms of bees in the trees, just to name a few.

Never realized how noisy it is for birds to fly until a flock of birds flew over...

Now, I'm not complaining, I prefer it to city noise, but it's cetainly isn't quiet.


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## DigginDoc (Sep 17, 2015)

I traded down 2 years ago from 2.5 acres and a big house in Penticton to a nice townhouse in Langley. I have to say, I miss the view, the grapes, gardens, fruit trees and even the coyotes at night. At the age of 70 now and a health issue, the work just got harder. Retired at 56 so the time was well spent. The traffic is impossible now. Nice to be closer to the GKids though. Good luck to you acreage folks and enjoy it.
Cheers
Doc


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## Richy (Nov 12, 2016)

I sold my apartment and bought an land when I was 32. It was just the time I realized that I can manage my life in country-side and city takes too much monety and time. Now, I live there for 10 years and can't be happier!


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