Friday, December 11, 2009

Get rid of it!!!

We have made our lists ... so now on to the next step ... getting rid of what we don't need or want to take with us. That's really not hard for me. Stuff is just that ... stuff! If we need it, we'll pack it up & take it with us (as long as it's not more expensive to haul than it would be to replace). We have 4 categories:
  • Take with
  • Give away
  • Sell
  • TRASH!!!
If I haven't used it in a while, it goes in one of the lower 3 categories. If I haven't used it but it's needed on our homestead, chances are we'll take it. I really look good to thinning out our stuff. Too much of anything causes chaos, stress & clutter ... not to mention bickering between the children.

Below is a repost from my Recording Artist blog. I'm sharing it because I think the part about gifts applies to every one. You have gifts ... and when you use them, you create more gifts ... for you and the recipients.

~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~

Wow ... the life of a songwriter can sure get crazy. It's so hard for me to put my pen down some times. It seems that lately, every where I look I find inspiration for one song or another. I have had sessions where the wave of creativity seems never ending ... but this time it's amazing, even to me. I guess that's what happens when you stir up the gifts God has given you. Speaking of gifts ... check out what I won by going to HOPE INK . The artist held a contest so I entered my name & commented on which print was my favorite. What a blessing it was to find out I won!!! The print is hanging right over my desk now, to remind me to use & be thankful for the gifts God gave me.

Check out this ARTICLE about me. I think it gives you a deeper look as to who I am and what as well as who inspires me. The author, Jan Hoadley has some other great articles too ... some of which may be an interest to you.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Basic/Starting Costs


We have been plugging along ... making plans, budgeting etc. We are starting with the bare necessities. Life in it's simplest terms is not only good ... but will leave us the ability to be less stressed, freer in our thoughts and more able in our planning. I have planned on the high side of costs simply because it's better to have more money in this situation than not enough. Here's what we have put together:


We may add to the above list as well as decide some items just aren't needed right away (all though I don't see *that* happening). We just want to be as prepared as possible. Fortunately we belong to a Yahoo group with people who either want the same life style that we do or are already living it & are more than happy to pass on their experiences. This is also a life style that we have thoroughly researched ... for at least half our marriage, if not longer. The first half we would talk & make plans not realizing that there were still people living the "old fashioned" ways.

Ever since revealing our move & plans, we've been told:
  • we're crazy
  • we're stupid
  • we aren't "allowed" to live off grid
I realize that most of these comments come from a lack of education on the topic & lifestyle ... to which I encourage people to educate themselves. I also know though that some of them come from people who are against living simply & to some extent think that living that way is less than acceptable in compared to today's standards. They feel like they would or could not live this way, so no one should.
I really believe that America is a spoiled country. There are others living with out electricity, and get along quite well. Yet we whine when the power goes out for an hour. The average home is 2,469 sq. ft. (according to Wiki Answers.Now ... put the average size family (3 because I'm not rounding people off to the 3.14 ... HOW do you get .14 of a person?) Any way, divide the amount of sq. footage by the number of people & you get 823 sq. ft. PER PERSON ... Now, I understand that there are people that prefer big homes with plenty of space. If that works, great! For us though, it's just not kool. All that empty space does nothing but accrue clutter & stuff that gets piled up and not used. We truly have no need for all that space & stuff. So, as much as you have a need to be respected for your choices ... we expect the same, even though they are far different from "typical."

I hope you come back & check on us!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

The Business Plan (mini version)

Executive Summary

Mission

The mission of The Maker’s Acres is to live as God has called us to; being as self sufficient as possible, not having to rely on companies for any utilities. We also aim to limit our dependency on outside sources such as grocery and non-food merchandise retailers. While learning, living and sharing our lifestyle we hope to glorify God and thank Him for all He does in our lives.

Farm

Owners; God, Patrick & Loretta Rizzo purchased December, 1, 2009 in Missouri. The 7 acre property is located in Douglas County.

Business Product / Service

The Maker’s Acres intends to grow all vegetables, fruits and livestock naturally both for our family and our community. We plan to provide a percentage of all products both on a giving and bartering level.

The Market

We intend to provide non-food items to people in our community via word of mouth, our local Farmer’s Market and any other avenues that may apply to our products as well as to customers over the internet.

Marketing Plan

The objective of all our promotions is to provide people with quality merchandise, spread our name to the public and build a good, solid reputation. Once our goals are established, we will offer more of a variety in our products.

Competition

The Maker’s Acres though not in competition with any one, will offer lowest possible prices on products, merchandise and animals as well as the great customer service in the business world.

Risk/Opportunity

The risk associated with homesteading. The greatest risk we will face in our business is establishing ourselves. We are confident we can overcome these risks through the establishment of a solid prayer life, quality merchandise and great customer service.

The opportunities before us are significant; we are looking for a sustainable use for our small farm that actually provides a good investment return and lessens most of our outgoing expenses. Vegetables, fruits and livestock are very well suited for our acreage and location. We have the opportunity to establish ourselves in the marketplace with the merchandise we will carry.

The Owners

The Maker’s Acres is owned and operated by Patrick and Loretta Rizzo.

Patrick Rizzo is currently employed through Walmart in their in-stock department. How ever, he has 15 years in the grocery retail industry and believes this will enable him to keep merchandise stock at a valuable level. Mr. Rizzo also holds 18 years in entrepreneurial skills including but not limited to sales, business management, customer relations, manufacturing and promotions.

Loretta Rizzo is an entrepreneur with 30 years experience in business management, merchandise creation, customer development, marketing, promotions and sales. All these skills will be assets to The Maker’s Acres in reaching and exceeding goals.

Mr. and Mrs. Rizzo also offer 18 years of home management, balancing budgets, problem solving and managing a “staff” of 7 other members. Their experiences will enable them to work as a team, lift each other up when times get hard, learn from mistakes and encourage all who join them in this endeavor.

Capital Requirements

We seek to raise $5,000.00 , which will enable us to purchase equipment necessary to build additions to homestead, add plumbing, bring solar power to the property and add livestock as the property is upgraded and prepared.

Exit

We expect to be able meet our financial needs with in 6 months, by selling our current inventory of merchandise, household items, clothing, novelty items and collectibles

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

We bought property!!!


Well howdy, neighbor. Welcome to "The Maker's Acres" I see ya made found the place. I hope we were easy to find.

I just thought I'd take a moment or three to sit in my swing and enjoy life. Maybe be struck with lyrics, by some beautiful butterfly, fluttering by. My children just love to run & play while I swing.

Go ahead & pull up to the house. I have tea on the table. We can chat for a while. Our schooling is done for the day, as are chores. I have a few minutes to chat before supper is started.


One of the kids will take the eggs out to your car as soon as they come down from the loft. I think they may be looking for their shoes (which they should have taken off at the door).


I have pizzas ready to go in the earth oven, over in the corner of the yard. There's plenty if you'd like to stay for dinner. We're serving salad with the pizza. Oh, by the way ... the pizza's are home made and have a mixture of toppings. One has turkey sausage and mushrooms, another has pineapple and the other has chicken with broccoli. What would you like to drink?

~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~

We have a "business plan" laid out ... it's like an outline of what we have to do, how much it will cost and what our goals are for our ranch/farm. For some reason I can't find the whole thing ... but I did find a list ... not really a budget, but things we needed, with prices we've found recently & we tallied it up to see how much we would have to come up with to have the basics that we feel we need (that being said, our "needs" may be different than yours). I'll post it tomorrow morning or afternoon, so please check back.