Getting Started

On this new adventure we will need more than just our own two hands. Luckily we are going in to this with a fair bit of experience! But we have none of the tools we need to get going.  This is something I did not account for.  I knew we would be spending money on our home, barn, fencing, and large equipment, but I forgot to add in the minor expenses that add up.  We are moving from a third floor condo…we don’t own the things you take for granted like a wheelbarrow, or a shovel. Hubster has a set of socket wrenches, a drill, and hammer. So we are pretty much a blank slate here. Much more so than I even originally thought.

So we needed a piece of large machinery to do the big heavy jobs around here. The item that immediately comes to mind is a tractor. But we decided to step sideways a bit from that.  We have a farmer down the road that has promised to help up plant our pastures, so our immediate need for a tractor has been resolved.  We ended up purchasing a second hand skid loader from an auction for $8,000. And on a whim, picked up a plow blade for it also (that was not authorized, but I am sure it will be handy to clear snow from our 1/3 of a mile driveway.  Here is a picture of Hubster and my father-in-law unloading it.

SIDE NOTE: for those of you that have thin wallet syndrome like us, buy all your *new* equipment used.  You DO NOT NEED the newest model, shiny and new off the showroom floor. I would even go so far as to say, don’t buy them from dealerships in general. Tractors and other farm equipment are not like cars. They don’t wear out as quickly so they are valuable way beyond their car counterparts.  And they are much more easy to service if and when they do break down. I know of many 1960-1980 models of tractors that are not only still going strong, but have many many ore useful years left in them. How many 1980 model cars are there still kicking around?

So off I go to our local Ace Hardware. I’m purchasing a wheelbarrow, pointed and flat headed shovel, rake, metal and plastic pitchfork, and various pliers and cutters needed for fencing. I am sure it will be one of many trips in the near future. Maybe I should start looking on Craigslist?

What have you all done to save on the essentials?

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