So I'm on the phone with a city dweller. I love this person she has an incredible work ethic. She has worked 7 days a week multiple jobs for years. Definitely no slacker.
We talk about once a month I guess. She talks about how much she would like to have her freedom get out of the rat race. She can't drop one of her jobs or she can't pay her bills.
We have had the conversation before it always leads back to my lifestyle and how I can afford not to work. I always kinda dread it when it goes in that direction. We started talking about ways to cut back and things to do to save. The garden came up.
Y'all may have seen my post about breakfast from the yard
https://steemit.com/homesteading/@sugarcreek/breakfast-from-the-yard
I told her that one thing I do is instead of breakfast and lunch I do brunch. Let's face it we are a nation of over eaters anyway. So nobody will starve eating two meals a day! This summer to help save for our road I've been eating for my brunch ONLY what I grow. For awhile it was cucumber salad galore. But right now I have one last squash plant from the spring planting that just won't stop. That's it above and here are the blooms and squash from this morning!
My cherry tomatoes that I planted 3 years ago are cranking so I am flooded with squash, tomatoes and eggs. A few other things here and there.
I'm 5'5 look how tall my cherry tomatoes are and that's after the wind knocked em over
After I told her about my brunch plan she was quiet for a second. Then she asked, don't you get bored eating the same thing? Well, actually when I start to tire of a flavor something else will start to flourish and there have been black berries, blue berries and I'll have wild grapes soon. Foraging adds variety.
She said I see.
Then she talked about her breakfast and how she needed to eat with more variety. McDonalds gets boring so she mixes it up with the bakery and a couple other places, I can't remember the names of em.
We chatted about this and that and she wished me well on meeting our goal so we can move. She was gonna look at cutting her cable bill to help save a few bucks. I wished her well and asked she take care of herself.
I hung up the phone with a numb feeling. I've had hours of conversation with this person over the years. I've talked about the value of my chemical free food, she agrees, she knows it's healthier than McDonald's!
I've talked about living off grid and being free from utilities .... She agrees, hates paying all that money out.
I've talked about the benefits of my homestead lifestyle, she agrees, would love to have a garden and animals.
I've talked about her growing some food, she lives where she can grow year round, she might do that one of these days she loves plants.
I've talked about being debt free, she agrees that would be nice BUT just not possible in her situation.
I use to be one of those people working multiple jobs and paying all my money to utilities and the bank! But I really just want to shake her and say HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT?
Cause I'd rather eat squash 7 days a week 365 days a year than go back to that life.
Y'all my brunch from the yard is so healthy and delicious it's not like a real sacrifice. Lol
I guess when it becomes painful enough she will look for a way out of her situation. If you want change you have to make changes!
It took me years to. Once you do take that leap of faith you find it was so much easier than you had imagined. Not without challenges but they build character. You just have to put the fear out of your heart and step forward in faith.
If your reading this and your on the fence about living a more sustainable debt free lifestyle I hope you'll have faith and just jump. I believe you will be glad you did. Start cutting back on anything you can and don't wait to start!
I thought about not taking her calls, it's a hard decision, I know she wants to be free. I'll have to pray about it and in the meantime I continue to pray for my hardworking, loving,kind,giving friend that she will let her faith guide her.
This lifestyle isn't for everyone and it's hard to watch good people suffer but we all have our own journey to travel.
If your not living debt free I just have to ask how bad do YOU want it.
Thanks for stopping by the homestead!
@SugarCreek
You guessed it! Original photos taken by me on my cheap cell phone
