Vision # 5 - Independence Plan Basics

We need a 'roadmap' to layout how we are going to get from where we are now (totally dependent on a job at a large company) to where we want to be (independent, working for ourselves, more connected with the land, setting a great entrepreneurial and creative example to our children).  We have so many ideas, but also a lot of constraints - the age of the children, the size of the mortgage, availability of capital and so on.  The transition is going to have to be carefully managed and will take quite a few years.

My starting point for laying out the plan is simple - adding up all of our current income and calling it 100%.  I contribute to a work pension, and my employer also contributes, and this isn't taken into account in the 100%.

There are 4 points on the 'road', and effectively 3 'stages' on the route.  The four points are:

1. Dependence.  Where we are now.

2. Subsistence.  The next step, where it is possible to eliminate the main job, and replace it with a mixture of savings and new income streams, replace our current income to the value of 100% (i.e. same potential 'living standard' as today, but without making any pension provision for the future).

3. Sufficiency.  The step after subsistence, where approximately 110% of current income is achieved.  This means we have todays potential 'living standard' AND we're building a pension fund at the same rate as today.  At this stage it would be great for at least one of us to have totally eliminated 'outside' work, focussing 100% on Tymawr-Farm.

4. Abundance.  When income comfortably exceeds outgoings, say a minimum of 130% of current income, it should be possible to lead an enhanced, modern and generous lifestyle.  At this stage I see all 'outside' work being totally eliminated, and even to bring other partners, contractors or even employees into our business.

To be clear, when I use the term 'income' in all of the above, I don't mean to distinguish between making a cost saving and increasing income i.e. if we eliminated oil as a fuel to heat our home and saved an amount equivalent to 5% of our current income I would treat that as 5% additional income in my analysis.  In fact, cost saving ideas can be even more effective than income generating ideas as they are not subject to tax (i.e. for every extra £1 I earn I take home ~ £0.70, but for every £1 I save I REALLY benefit by the full £1).  However, as a wise man once said "No-one ever cost-reduced themselves to glory"!

Having made some basic definitions, the next part of the plan is to organise our ideas by stage (Dependence-Subsistence, Subsistence-Sufficiency, Sufficiency - Abundance), and then work out what is feasible / manageable in a given time scale.

Other key factors on the timeline are the ages of our children and our own ages: the former determines when nursery fees stop, and when days become more structured (school); the latter defines a 'latest feasible' point for the plan - I don't want to start working on the smallholding when I'm 65!

Going to go back to basics and put the above on paper (with a pen!) later, will scan and upload later this week.

Initial 'back of an envelope' scribblings suggest that it may be possible to 'go it alone' and at least start the Sufficiency-Abundance stage by 2020, which seems like a long way away right now.

Back to work tomorrow!

Pigs # 16 - New Pigs Nearly Here!

This weekend I arranged with James at Morris Free Range Meats & Horticulture in Coedypaen to have 2 more weaners (Welsh Pigs this time) in the next couple of weeks.  Exciting!  As we're getting them at a much more sensible age (about 10 weeks instead of 16 & 20 weeks last time) they are obviously going to be much smaller, and James had advised me to go around the boundary of their enclosure again with this in mind to make sure it's secure for 'little pigs'.



An extra 'little pig' strand above the bottom!

The fence posts in the photo above are Yew - homemade and hopefully indestructible!  Hope to be reporting on their good condition in 20 years!

Back fence - scene of the last escape!

The house is cleaned, the fence is in good condition, just need to mend the leak in their water trough now before we're ready for our new arrivals.  Really excited!

An interesting and natural environment!

Our plan for these 2 pigs is to try to sell them as 1/4 or 1/2 pigs - check out our SPECIAL OFFERS for full details - if you are in Usk or the surrounding area it would be brilliant to supply you with some wonderful free range pork!  We'll keep the pigs until they are around 30 weeks old, so they should be ready late January or early February - can't wait!