Who's changed the course of their life for permaculture?

[labradel]

yes Ludi I believe that this discussion could be of great value i myself am a motor mechanic who has gone from std full time work to only 3 days a week with the produce from my place we dont see much drop in real income my partner works as a phsyc. nurse the ongoing off farm income is the reason we have been able to turn a barron crop paddock into reasonable production, it allows this to happen more quickly than might be possible without the income. both of us are in our late 50's and this extra growth speed is of value if we are to see the end results (it has been 15 years in making so far)

[Ludi]

I want to read more stories like that about people who are able to reduce their living expenses and work for pay requirements by implementing permaculture. I think this is so important especially in this changing economy (in the US the economy is still doing poorly) and as we age. I would like to get our place set up to support us in food and some energy production by the time my husband is of retirement age and can (maybe) collect his pension (if it still exists ). I think it is important for us to discuss how we can economically set up our permaculture systems which in the near future might help reduce expenses and enable increased quality of life as we age.

[labradel]

my main theory is we will probably NEVER be rich in our retirement but we will be warm and NOT hungry (we grow food and fire wood)

[Ludi]

we will be warm and NOT hungry (we grow food and fire wood)

That's my goal as well.

[sammyjopeters]

Consider doing a 'time audit' and become aware of where your time is going.

A very valid point, I'm ashamed to admit - I think too many things leech time from my day and I agree that I'd suddenly find room for much more. A classic teenager thing I'm still shaking off, I guess.

I'm picking up some teaching work - short term, part time contracts; some consultancy work - again part time; and working on finding the balance point of enough income vs enough time to do what I want to do.

Do you think you've found it yet? Or a long way to go, you think?

i also feel more discussion as to how to afford the changes required during a permaculture conversion is invaluable and a good start is to understand how other people have structured their finances and where they have come from.

Touché. I'm actually very (very?) early on in my career, and that's a bittersweet thing. While I haven't got "roots" (if you'll pardon the pun) holding me down at the moment, not many financial burdens, I am however short on life savings. I've only just begun really.

So I've come somewhat to a fork in the road. Yes, Permaculture helps you save; yes, you get lots of satisfaction, yes you feel better for having made a sea-change: but will it make a difference in 10 years time, or will I experience a severely degraded way of life?

And I don't mean this in the "Oh, I can't get a 60 inch plasma anymore" kind of degraded, the kind of degraded where I can't afford to replace my house after a fire - or I can't afford health insurance if I get bitten by - erm - a brown snake or something.

I'm only in my early twenties, and I can already see that the office slog is going to hurt. I don't know, it could be escapism or something.

But I'm painfully aware of the risks of jumping out this early, and the fact they could impact me long term.

Lazy teens and all that.

[eco4560]

Do you think you've found it yet? Or a long way to go, you think?

I think it is like having a vege patch - it's never finished, and just when you think it is in balance something comes to the end of it's natural life and if you don't actively plan for it it gets replaced by weeds. This week I'm on top of it. Next week? I'll tell you then!

Don't get too caught up on the 1001 reasons why you can't do permaculture. All of us can pull them out of thin air. If you have no savings you have no assets to lose!

[Pakanohida]

my main theory is we will probably NEVER be rich in our retirement but we will be warm and NOT hungry (we grow food and fire wood)

This is pretty much everyone's goal with Permaculture and zone 0 isn't it? I would like to add I am learning to grow my own mulch as well.

[labradel]

yes pak being warm and fed well in retirement is not a new concept but i once worked with a fellow who at about a year before his impending retirement he began to worry to a very large extent about how he was going to be able to pay for food rent etc, having never bought a house or having never saved any money to live on in retirement. there is a lot to be said for good life decisions made early enough to be able to do something about them. I reckon that if i dont need to spend too much buying food or paying rent then the pension ( if it still exists ) will go much further and allow a better std of living not mention i will be able to eat GOOD food.

[Spidermonkey]

I would love to move to the country and have a few acres of land. Unfortunately we have a mortgage; also my wife enjoys the 9-5 working lifestyle. What I am doing is practising my Permaculture skills on a smaller scale and learning how to grow my fruit and veg before I become reliant on them. When the mortgage is paid we will look for a semi rural lifestyle that will still allow my wife to pursue her career while I spend more time on the property.

I am going on the PDC course in April and while I can't take ten weeks - six months to do internships and overseas projects I will be trying to get on some projects as a volunteer and do additional courses to build on my experience.

[purplepear]

@ spider monkey - there is so much that can be done and that needs doing in a suburban setting that moving to a few acres is for most a backward step. You can grow food for your family in such a small space and unless your passion is for hard work I would think seriously about staying where you are.
just saying