Im sure that everyone has ‘rough’ patches that they go through. Everyone suffers one way or another. Im no different. My life has changed so much in the past 6 months. New property, eldest daughter moved away, new job, actually just job. I have been a stay at home mum for the past 20 years. doing what i felt was the best thing for my kids. It probably was the best thing for them, but not for me, as i have recently found out. It was my decision though and i still feel like it was the right one. Having to get out and get a job to earn money to live has been a huge hurdle for me.
Financially things have been Ok for me. I have gotten by, never been extravagant in what i bought. The kids were well dressed and fed, that was the main thing. Then i found out that my ‘income’ will cease at the end of the year. Talk about a shock, understatement really. I fell into a deep, deep hole and l felt like someone was filling it in on me. Not a good feeling. I had gotten my job milking cows so that l could afford the things we could never afford, travel more, stuff like that. To make things ‘easier’. Hahaha, wrong. Now that job will keep food on the table, and everyone looked after. There will be no little luxuries, time away. Just work.
I am still trying to dig myself out of the hole i had fallen into. Some days Im fine, others not so. I know i will get by. I always have, always will. One good thing has come out of it all. My realisation that l must become self sufficient, not just talk about it. I have the land and the stock to make it happen. I also realised that i must cut costs in the family home. Mobile phones, power usage, just general running costs. It is possible to cut back if needed. The unneeded mobile has gone! Next on the list…..
I have always wanted to be self sufficient but just played around with the idea, never really got stuck into it so to speak. I have always produced our own meat but there is so much more that can be done. I have plans to extend our vegie garden. At the moment it is only a small one but it has supplied us with, potatoes, cauliflower, cabbage, leek to name a few. Until you grow your own , you dont really realise the money that you can save by doing this. So, extending is a must. Its just finding a good day to get stuck into the fencing. Winter in Tasmania is just that, winter in Tasmania. Wet, wet, wet, dank, no sun, snow, frost, cold, the list goes on and on.
Trouble is i also have a list of other jobs that have to be done. Just have to figure out the most important and get stuck into it. I have almost finished the dog pens, well they are finished, l just want to put a roof up and more protection from the winter weather. Also a shed for the sheep who have foot rot. This has been such a pain in the arse. I trim and dip every week, but still l cant get rid of it. I hate to see the sheep suffer but i am determined to see it gone. I have been using zinc sulphate as a dip, but i have also been reading some of my old sheep management books and they all say to use copper sulphate, no zinc mentioned. In Pat Colebys book she also says copper sulphate for a dip and she the sheep to eat if they need it. So tomorrow i am heading into Devonport to buy the ingredients that i need to create Pats mineral lick. Fingers crossed that it works.
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