markw97

Ok Grass fed beef $3 Lb cut and wrapped hung as long as you like. Assumes buying a side.
Outdoor raised Heritage pork (Berkshire) $3 Lb. Smoked Hams/cured Bacon Extra.
Home raised Chicken and Turkey $3 Lb
Not sure about Lamb as ive met few canadians who actually eat it allthough i was in a pub last week and had a local butcher literally begging me to expand my lamb raising as he's struggling to get hold of a regular supply.
None of above is government inspected but slaughtered in an on farm meat shop whos cleanliness and facilities rivals the best ive seen.(next door neighours)

dbd33

<fetches price list from fridge>

Ducks $3.19, Turkeys $2.35, Geese $3.99, Chickens $2.69 Pork $2.69-$3.29.

You're way ahead on beef, the rest not so much.

AlexInBC

Sounds like yours is (unfortunately) a complete lemon Our ancient CRV with 340k on the clock hasn't given us a day of trouble since we bought it second hand 3.5 years ago (servicing? what's that? ) and neither did the Civic or the Prelude we owned for many years, back in the UK.

christmasoompa

Who said anything about cities?!? I simply suggested the OP look at all the threads about the cost of groceries (of which there are many including NS prices) for a comparison, and to realise that some things are cheaper but others are more expensive. Inner London, Bucks, or Cumbria have nothing to do with it. The OP is in rural Wales now so I just think it's wise if she does her research into the cost of living in NS (although I'm sure she already has, but it was just a suggestion just in case) as she's not going to be moving from inner London!

I'm slightly at a loss as to how you live like you do considering the number of post I've seen from people in NS who have said they're considering returning home because of the cost of living there - how is their experience so different from yours? I guess that bartering and 'trading skills' (sounds like a fun way to live btw...... must be a large part of it? How much do you estimate you save by doing things for neighbours and getting stuff in return?

I'm also intrigued to know how you'll cope when you're elderly and can't get out and about as much, or do jobs for neighbours in exchange for food? What's the plan for then?

Sorry to hijack the OP's post but I'm genuinely intrigued by your way of life. It's not a way I could live, but I'd love to know how it works and what your plans for the future are.

nikki dreaming

This is exactly what my OH would like to do too, we will have to wait and see

Some really great info come from this thread, thanks

Souvenir

Why?

markw97

Now heres the rub there is a hidden secret to this way of life that is rarely understood by the majority who know the cost of everything but the value of nothing.
What is the cost saving in sitting down with your family for a home cooked meal EVERY night for upwards of an hour where you can really talk to your wife and kids about life/love and just stuff.
What is the cost saving in being able to walk your kids to the bus stop and meeting them EVERY day and being around for the 14 snow days we had this year.
What is the cost saving in building a swim hole/camping/fishing/canoeing/woodcraft/snowfort building/skiing every day in winter/ice skating/teaching your kids real skills like making a fire/building dens/science/astronomy/gardening/cooking etc etc etc i could go on and on.
What is the cost saving in being there to clear off 1 ft of snow from your wifes car, clearing the drive warming up the car every am in the winter to make it easier for the missus.
What is the cost saving in being around to spend 100% devoted quality time with your kids doing what THEY want to do.
What is the cost saving in being fitter healthier and stronger.
What is the cost saving from being 100% stress free. Yes i do mean that.
What is the cost saving in seeing your wife do a career she loves which adds genuine value to the world. (cancer nurse)
What is the cost saving from feeling good about having the time to help out an elderly neighbour.
What is the cost saving from being around to bake,cook do the housework do handyman stuff.

In summary i believe i could be here all morning writing the above list. If you were to ask my wife and kids what they thought about dad going back to work and swapping simple living for the new house/car/playstation/jewelry etc i honestly think they would just burst into tears.

markw97

Probaby because theyve made the classic mistake of swapping their life in the UK with a life in NS however they've just supersized everything.
In comes the new car or 2,the big house,the ATV, the buy everything new, the pool, the "we must have a new kitchen" mentality and why do they do this. Because thats how they lived in the UK in an age when increased house equity became a second income stream and remortgaging to bail yourself out became a way of life. However, Jobs arent as secure in the maritimes, salaries and benefits are generally less your seemingly good salary can soon be swamped with "interest free car payments" and mortgage costs. If you are not careful you could be like many nova scotians i see who are a couple of paycheques away from poverty. If you havnt got a years salary in the bank as a cushion buy nothing until you have then you'll be fine.

chumley

wonderful totally agree

some folk just dont get it do they!

sad for them really

the best things in life are not things

this kind of lifestyle cannot be had in most places fortunatly it can be had in Rural NS

although I dont know why I keep harping on about it because one of the most wonderful things about being here is the lack of Brits( and other nationaliaities) with their obsesion with money and things and not having a clue

and of course the very low population and the rewards that brings.

so for all you who moan about NS and think we are all batty thats just fine stay just where you are or go live in Toroto,Vancouver, Halifax or wherever

dbd33

All of that seems horribly terribly touchy/feely. Each to their own I suppose but I'd rather bond through facebook and cell phones.

That would not be at all a stress free life for me because:

- it's been important to me to be able to finance my children's education. I don't think people should leave university with debt. That meant generating a level of income incompatible with homesteading. Even now I'd like to be able to help them with their second round of degrees so as to justify my vicarous pleasure in their success.

- I'm too restless. We started with a few chickens so as to have eggs at home, now I know that Michael Schmidt can get six bucks for his eggs I want to corner the market at five. That means more hens, more coops, a better distribution mechanism. If I was home all day I'd be driven mad by the number of improvements to be made, to the house, to the barn, to everything and the lack of funds to do it all.

- having displaced the children from their extended families and cultural heritage it seemed important to us that they spend at least the summers in Europe. That again takes cash money.

Apart from these day-to-day stresses of rural living, it's also a high risk way of life. All that use of knives and axes and machinery carries a chance of injury and an injury, or just decline through age, could make that life unsustainable. I'd worry about that.

chumley

christmas re when we are old and doddery
which aint that far off( well the old bit)

we are not young whippersnappers we have worked for what feels like centuries between us for the UK government so a fair few big fat pensions and have been earned plus inheritances of course so really not an issue for us!

if we can comfortably live on Army pesnion alone now we shall be laughing in the future

those without a pension due before retirement age who sold property at the right time in the UK might also have a giant nest egg to see them through.

Nice abode in the southern US to winter in for our twilight years perhaps

yes not everyone has served king and country but there are a huge amount of retired forces on BE who want to come to Canada BATUS has a lot to answer for.

Forces folk generally cope well with immigration having coped all their lives in foreign parts etc

screene

What a great thread this has turned into, I hope it has informed the OP.

markw97 your post on quality of life sums it up perfectly for me. dbd33's response is excellent too I think, because it's all about finding the balance that's right for you and your family.

I am very much looking forward to moving to Annapolis County next year, starting a new business, making a life and making a difference, and I find the very thoughtful comments here helpful.

chumley

huge luck you will love it! are you coming community idetified??

screene

Thanks chumley. Yes we are coming CI route, have received our nomination from the province and are currently awaiting police certs prior to applying for PR. Hopefully everything will be sorted within a few months, but house sale hassles and consideration of our children's education mean we probably won't make the move until July/Aug 2010.

chumley

the PR bit is rapid
total processing time from date started processing receipt to med requests was just 9 days

huge luck with meds ours were a disaster but 99.9% are fine:curse:

good luck with the house sale