They knew
it was only a matter of time before they would both be unemployed. Marie and
her husband could see how the construction industries they worked in were
winding down and decided that they had to get serious about preparing for a
less-than-certain financial future. They started by expanding the gardens they
already had, putting money and food away and paying down their debt.
While Marie says she was always interested in sustainable living, having grown up on a small farm, knowing how to do things for herself, and the financial rewards that come from having a willingness to give do it yourself a shot, took on real importance when she and her husband both became unemployed about three years ago.
“On September 11, 2008, we found ourselves unemployed,” she says. “Until September of 2010, we remained unemployed surviving solely on unemployment payments. We not only survived the ordeal but we thrived during it and were able to cut enough out of our life to be able to put money back in case of tougher times.”
With their fairly extensive knowledge of practical skills, Marie and her husband thrived in a situation that has tested hundreds of thousands of other North Americans and their ability to ‘get by’ on a lot less than they’ve been accustomed to.
Marie, also known as Lil Farm Chic on the You Tube channel where she regularly posts videos, says that at their house, nestled just on the outskirts of Ellijay, a small community in Georgia, there’s always a new do it yourself project underway.
Marie and her husband have been building, growing and raising basically everything one needs to survive, and when you visit her You Tube channel for a peak at their homestead or to witness their do it yourself projects in action, any doubts you had about sustainable living with regards to how plausible it is today, will be cast aside.
From a quick
walk around their property you will see the fruits of much of their labour; a
log cabin that they built with wood from their land; a number of sheds and
outbuildings made from recycled materials; a sweat lodge and outdoor kitchen; wood
fired and cob ovens; goats, rabbits and chickens m
ake up the livestock they’re
raising right now; gardens; a root cellar and a smoker. Marie says she’s also
dabbled in herbalism and foraging for edibles in the wild.
It really is a frugal living enthusiast’s dream to see someone being able to live so independently in a world where so many rely on others for everything.
I confess that when I watch Marie’s videos, I often find myself wondering if I fell asleep in the class where they taught us how to build root cellars or log cabins but, the truth is, the skills that Marie and her husband have been putting to the test weren’t learned in a classroom—sadly, few practical skills are taught in classrooms, these days. Marie says a lot of reading and trial and error have been the ticket to learning their many skills.
“Every book out there is someone else’s experience; yours will not be the same,” Marie says. “Doing things the wrong way is the best teacher in my opinion and the way in which one gains the most hands-on learning. Unfortunately, it is also the way that most lose their ambition too. There are some things we have built or done that have been ‘redone’ (i.e. the root cellar) at least once, but it is all a learning experience and generally costs us nothing but our time to fix. There is nothing like the feeling of failure when you see the entire front of a structure collapse that you thought you had done a good job on.”
And, let’s face it, in addition to the research there’s also a lot of hard work involved in every project Marie takes on. To really succeed in frugal living, you’ve got to be willing to put in the time.
“There is always something to do around the homestead,” Marie says. “Whether it be grinding grains, shelling beans, hauling water or firewood (all heat and all cooking is done with wood) or the various garden activities required when you garden year round, there is always something to do. We once had a visitor say, ‘if a person gets bored here, they do not belong here.’”
Yet, for Marie, the financial rewards are worth each and every hour they’ve spent building and re-building and tending to their projects. Probably one of the most important things, when it comes to their ability to save money, is that Marie and her husband have mastered simple living and when you don’t require thousands of dollars a year to maintain a lifestyle that’s complicated with excess and useless ‘stuff,’ you can live on a lot less.
“Gardening
by far has saved us the most money,” she explains. “If w
e had to, we could eat
entirely from the gardens and be able to survive. We may get bored of it and they
may not be our favorite foods but we surely wouldn’t starve. Knowing easy,
home, herbal remedies has saved us a boat load of money. We have had no doctor
visits in five years or so with the exception of a dental call and a stitch up.
While I would like to say the ability to work on vehicles has saved us a lot of
money, in reality it has saved us only a bit. We drive so little that very
little needs fixing but being able to do your own maintenance does help. I
would also like to say doing our own basic home repairs has saved us plenty too
but when you go back to the basics in living, there is very little that needs
maintaining or repairing. Anything that a person can accomplish for themselves
is going to save them money.”
I’m sure the peace of mind you get from knowing that should you wind up jobless or worse you will have the know-how to survive and even thrive, like Marie and her husband did, is worth more than any amount of money saved. From Marie’s story, I gather that the key to their success has been having a lifestyle that’s actually sustainable.
“Knowing that about 90 per cent of the food I eat is grown by us is probably the most rewarding,” she says. “I like knowing I can heat my house or that I always have safe and healthy food in the gardens to pick so I will never go hungry. I like knowing that if something devastating was to occur in the world that I can continue living in the means that I am accustomed to already, without having to make any major changes and without having to rely upon others to take care of my basic needs.”
It’s hard to imagine where most people would be if they suddenly fell on tough financial times and had to try and maintain a lifestyle that was heavily dependent on others, with nightly dinners out, luxury vehicles that run on premium gas and have hundreds of gadgets that are just waiting to break, or a house that cost more than they could really afford even when the going was good. Imagine how good it would feel to serve your family a meal made entirely from ingredients that you grew or raised. When was the last time you did that? If you had to, could you do it?
Marie knows the benefits of living the way she does and the rewards are obviously significant because she and her husband have continued to live this way, largely independent, even after he found employment again. Marie, however, openly acknowledges that there are challenges to simple living and that overcoming her impatience, a tendency that’s so pervasive in our society today, can be a difficult thing to do.
“Often times, living within your means is slow going because of monetary reasons alone but also because much of what is done when working toward sustainability is preparing for a later time,” says Marie. “We have become a world of people who like to see and feel instant gratification. Even today, I cannot stand spending an entire day planting in the gardens only to see an empty field for another week or two after. Then again, there is nothing like waking up one morning to see row upon row of sprouted vegetable babies or, a few months later, harvesting those same rows.”
While practical skills might be in short supply these days, Marie is optimistic that current events (like oil prices and the recession) have at least made some people wake up and realize that they have to learn to do more for themselves.
“I find it
completely appalling and really feel sorry for the majority of our populace if
something ever happens and they are faced with having to provide for themselves
for any length of time,” Marie says. “In general, we have allowed ourselves to
become separated from our roots and nothing survives without them as they are
the giver of life. On the positive side, I think people, out of necessity and
concern, are beginning to see how backward and dependent we have become and are
relearning these skills.”
I encourage you to visit the Lil Farm Chic channel on You Tube. Nobody says you have to learn all of the practical skills that Marie and her husband have, but it wouldn’t hurt you to make it your goal to learn and use even one or two of those skills this year. Learn a new skill as a family and teach your kids how to be more independent. What are you waiting for?
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