Country Downshifting - a word of warning....

[Ireland-or-bust]

Hello All.

Forgive me newsthread for it had been 6 months since my last posting..

I moved to ireland 2 years ago, and worked my way out to the country by way of a village life got a year first. See there is structure.

However...

I moved to Co Wexford in Ireland.
About as rural as it gets.
Houses are not a bad price and its generally a good place.
But If you dont work in retail,pubs,cleaning, farming or hotels then you
will be stuffed, unless you have a speciality or a trade.
John Major told me i should study IT so i did, and it turned out to
pay less than plumbing and be half as usfull.

I bought back in feb a 17th century farm house.
Well, 4 walls.

Its about done now, its had a roof, a floor (was dirt), a first floor,
plumbing, wiring, drainage, a well, a septic tank and everything else i
forgot. It came to about 75k euro.

I have been scratching a living here since i came, last few months
i have been haing stuff out of skips and selling it on.

But just when i decided to come back to blighty i got a job.
Its only retail but its a managers job at least.
So here i am in dublin , eating as much as i can in a hotel
cos work is paying for it , horay!

Also, just for those who remember me, i have completed the following
greenish-countryish persuits...

Have 11 chickens.
Hatched about 30, cat killed all but 4
Killed one cat
Killed several dozen rats
Fattened and eated one lamb
Learned to drive a 5 ton dumper and a steam roller
Installed eco friendly-er wood stove system
wind mill is first months wages gone.
had and given away 2 geese (bloody usless orniments.)
been up to knees in mud digging ditches

the list goes on daily.

so its not all bad, but it is very hard and very time consuming.
i just hope i will have time to manage it all now i'm working.
If i dont , i'll quit an get a part time crappy job cos the last thing
i want is to get back in the rat race. ive been in the city for 10 hours and
ive already had enough for life.

that is all.
i still dont have a phone so i only have internet for another 3 days in the hotel but ill be around until thursday night.

mark.

[bwaymark]

Hiya,

Thanks for the post! Its interesting to hear other people's stories. I agree with you said about doing IT. I've ten+ years of IT, both network management, web develop, databases and programmers. I've worked for the BBC and ITV. I now Freelance as a web developer, in partnership with my wife (who is a web designer) and while we are making a living at it, its a lot of hustling, a lot of grovelling, and a lot of ****ing hard work and the competition in new media is fierce. You are fighting against people with big budgets, rich friends, and London offices or with huge foriegn workforces that will work for peanuts!

I reckon that I'd make more as a plumber, or electrician, and also work less. Also, while its theoretically possible to get a job working from home doing IT, there isn't a hell of lot out there for people who want to work at home, and less you are ready to hustle and work for yourself, or hustle to be really really good, its not going to be easy!

-Ben.

[Muddypause]

Hello Mark, and welcome back.

Sound like you're having an adventure one way or another. And €75k makes it sound especially interesting. I'd like to do something similar to you (particularly the steam roller driving bit), but UK prices have seen me off so far. Never been to Ireland, but maybe it has its attractions. Does it ever stop raining there?

[bwaymark]

Oh ya, but for all the hustle, I'd much rather by busting my arse working for myself, from home, hanging out with kids and dog and chickens and ducks for peanuts rather than working in the city, living in commuting hell, and never seeing my kids!

[PurpleDragon]

Hiya Mark - newbie here so you won't recognise me :)

It is so frustrating that, to live 'the dream' you have to be either worth a small fortune, or not have the 'benefits' the rat-racers do (clean running water springs to mind).

Good for you for keeping the faith.

[Stonehead]

It is so frustrating that, to live 'the dream' you have to be either worth a small fortune, or not have the 'benefits' the rat-racers do (clean running water springs to mind).

Ah, but it wouldn't be the dream if you had a small fortune and could just buy it. What would you rather have - the tradesman built place in the country with perfect fences, stables and Country Homes house, all paid for by absent hubbie/wife's mega-salary? Or the ramshackle place where every single thing has a story that you and the family can recall, and where everything is soaked in your blood, sweat and tears?

[shiney]

We scratch along and have a quality life. We both work for ourselves, not easy but better than licking someone elses bum to make a buck!

The only dream I have is to actually OWN the place I live in and have a bigger bit of land/garden. Also, not to be in the middle of a town, all be it a very picturesque one, but one of the most polluted places in Britain as far as car fumes goes.

[Wombat]

We scratch along and have a quality life. We both work for ourselves, not easy but better than licking someone elses bum to make a buck!.

Eww, Shiney! there is a visual I could live without!

Welcome back Mark, nice to hear how you're getting on.

Nev

[shiney]

If you know what I mean Nev? I hate having to be nice to bosses who don't deserve it. Done it plenty in the past!

[Ireland-or-bust]

Morning All,

Thanks to everyone from replying to my last (almost final post.)

I was writing from a Hotel in Dublin.
I had been offered a job running a carpet warehouse store.
I lasted approx 48 hours. Which i thought was quite good.

No way in a million years do i want to ever work there.
Or anywhere simlilar.

I have been working on the house (which is now almost complete.)
Just needs painting and carpeting.

I got a job as an estate agent in the end, but its only temp work
but who knows. I have since removed the option of moving back to
blighty as an option at all. I don't think i could possibly give up when i have done so far.

If anyone is interested i have two more buildings i haven't touched yet.
Would make great cottages.

This season i am going to work on the land and get the veg done.
I missed last year. This summer i Ar be mostly driving a tractor.
I havea buyer for all my excess veg so its not going to be so sad
to over produce.

My chicken levels have peaked at 17.
I did have 21 but one moved in to the freezer and i gave three away.
All my own hatchlings.

I ditched the geese as they loked nice but were ultimately pointless.
They did eat apple cores tho... And attack crows and magpies.
Oh and sheep dogs.

I had a lamb but hes shacked up with the chicken in the freezer now.

I don't do much work in this job so i'll bring some development tools
to work and make an (yet another) info site.

Its funny that a poster up the thread said he would earn more as a plumber or an electrician. Because, i did actually do some electricians work and it was much better paid that anything else i've done.
Horrid job tho, LOFT INSULATION..Say no more.

Where next....

Well i think its self employment.
I'm thinking of running specialist tours to Co Wexford/Ireland.
Birdwatching/ Astronomy/ Fishing etc.
If i can raise some cash i'll renauvate one of my stone barns to
room accomodation. But i either need to sell one, or earn more..

Back to the house.
I Installed a multi fuel stove, as heating oil is going to be prohibitively expensive in the near fuuture.

[Millymollymandy]

Hi there! Interesting to hear what you have been up to. I missed your last posting because I was in England at the time.

Good luck with whatever you do!

[paddy]

Morning All,

Thanks to everyone from replying to my last (almost final post.)

I was writing from a Hotel in Dublin.
I had been offered a job running a carpet warehouse store.
I lasted approx 48 hours. Which i thought was quite good.

No way in a million years do i want to ever work there.
Or anywhere simlilar.

I have been working on the house (which is now almost complete.)
Just needs painting and carpeting.

I got a job as an estate agent in the end, but its only temp work
but who knows. I have since removed the option of moving back to
blighty as an option at all. I don't think i could possibly give up when i have done so far.

If anyone is interested i have two more buildings i haven't touched yet.
Would make great cottages.

This season i am going to work on the land and get the veg done.
I missed last year. This summer i Ar be mostly driving a tractor.
I havea buyer for all my excess veg so its not going to be so sad
to over produce.

My chicken levels have peaked at 17.
I did have 21 but one moved in to the freezer and i gave three away.
All my own hatchlings.

I ditched the geese as they loked nice but were ultimately pointless.
They did eat apple cores tho... And attack crows and magpies.
Oh and sheep dogs.

I had a lamb but hes shacked up with the chicken in the freezer now.

I don't do much work in this job so i'll bring some development tools
to work and make an (yet another) info site.

Its funny that a poster up the thread said he would earn more as a plumber or an electrician. Because, i did actually do some electricians work and it was much better paid that anything else i've done.
Horrid job tho, LOFT INSULATION..Say no more.

Where next....

Well i think its self employment.
I'm thinking of running specialist tours to Co Wexford/Ireland.
Birdwatching/ Astronomy/ Fishing etc.
If i can raise some cash i'll renauvate one of my stone barns to
room accomodation. But i either need to sell one, or earn more..

Back to the house.
I Installed a multi fuel stove, as heating oil is going to be prohibitively expensive in the near fuuture.

Dont give up mate it takes time to adjust, they say at least 3 years and you will have highs and you will have lows but if you chicken out you will always regret it.

I have been here a lot longer and no way would i go back to blighty, somewhere else if i had to but to " go back " whereever that is is just admitting you didnt have the b**l's to make it work.

[Cassiepod]

Wow, all very inspiring stuff. But I have two practical qestions from a young ish person wanting to live the life:
How do you tell you rmother that you dont' want a 'career' and you don't want to be full time house wife?!
How do you go self sufficient when you do not have the captial to buy property outright
Very different questions but both extrememly difficult?

Or do you have to start with the baby steps and move on?

[Thomzo]

Wow, all very inspiring stuff. But I have two practical qestions from a young ish person wanting to live the life:
How do you tell you rmother that you dont' want a 'career' and you don't want to be full time house wife?!
How do you go self sufficient when you do not have the captial to buy property outright
Very different questions but both extrememly difficult?

Or do you have to start with the baby steps and move on?

Hi Cassiepod.
That is still my dilemma and I'm hardly young any more. I can only afford my quarter of an acre by working 9 hours a day. At least I get to surf the net from work so there is a small upside.

I live only 10 minutes from the office so that is a help but this time of year is the worst. You want to make the most of any dry weather as there is so much to do in the garden but you are never home in daylight. Things look up after Sunday though when the clocks go forward.

My grand plan is to get myself into a financial position where I only need to work 6 months of the year. That way I can work over the winter and spend the summer in the garden with the chooks.

The other alternative is to find a job where you can work from home and suit the hours to yourself. Job work when it's dark/wet and selfsufficientish work when you can get outside. That's easier said than done though.

As for telling your mother - well that I can't help with I'm afraid. You could try telling her that you are filming the next series of "It's not easy being green".

Cheers
Zoe

[paddy]

Wow, all very inspiring stuff. But I have two practical qestions from a young ish person wanting to live the life:
How do you tell you rmother that you dont' want a 'career' and you don't want to be full time house wife?!
How do you go self sufficient when you do not have the captial to buy property outright
Very different questions but both extrememly difficult?

Or do you have to start with the baby steps and move on?

Or find a Farmer

On a serious point though i have come across many ads in magazines looking for people to share the experience or live the life in exchange for help on the Organic Farm or even as part of a group who are living that life.

Unfortunately i dont think those mags are around now but i bet similar ones are, i remember the places were in Ireland and the Orkney Isles.