Step 1 - Getting out of Debt, or curing the "I owe my soul to the company store" syndrome

The first, foremost, and ONLY (in my opinion) real barrier to getting out of the city is - DEBT.

If you owe money on credit cards or consumer purchases, that right there is the biggest and least justifiable expense in your entire household.  Credit cards are evil.  They are EVIL.  Repeat after me, "Credit cards are EVIL!  Get thee behind me, VISA!"

There is no excuse for having credit card debt.  If you are the least bit serious about living a self-sufficient lifestyle, the very first thing you are going to have to do is learn to live without credit cards.  I have been credit card free for 7 or 8 years now, and it hasn't killed me yet.  Getting rid of your credit cards is only the first step in becoming debt-free, and moving closer to your own homestead.

Get rid of your credit cards.  Yes, I'm serious.  Cut them up.  If you have allowed a balance to run up on your credit card(s), the only safe thing for you to do is to get rid of them.  Otherwise they will be a constant temptation and a continuous drain on your resources.  Get rid of them.  Remember, credit cards are inventions of the devil.  They are inherently evil.  In the bad old days, the company bosses ran the company towns, and the workers "owed their souls to the company store".  Well, the bosses own the credit card companies and the banks now, and too many of us owe our souls to the new company stores - with the help of Mastercard and Visa.  Break the cycle.  Get rid of the cards.

Understand that as long as you owe anyone any money, there is no such thing as a windfall or extra money left over at the end of the month.  Any so-called extra money needs to be immediately put towards paying off your consumer debt.  Which, by the way, you are not adding to because you have CUT UP YOUR CREDIT CARDS!  Seriously, if you get any extra money at all, put it towards paying off a debt.

Pay off your current debts and do NOT incur any more.  There are two ways to pay off debt - the more practical way is to pay off the debt(s) with the highest interest rate first, so you cut your total monthly credit expense as quickly as possible.  The other way is to pay off the debt with the smallest balance first, thus giving yourself some positive results (and encouragement) to see as quickly as possible.  Then take the payment you were making on that loan and add it to the next smallest debt's monthly payment.  Keep doing this until you have paid off all your debts.  Now take the sum total of money you used to put on monthly consumer debts and start saving it.  Do NOT spend it.  Bank the money.  You are saving for your land.

Remember: 16 tons, whaddya get?

                   Another day older and deeper in debt

                   St. Peter doncha call me cause I can't go
                   I OWE MY SOUL TO THE COMPANY STORE!

© Copyright 1996-1999. All rights reserved. 

Last Updated: August 18, 1999

These pages are all about small farms, rural living, cottage farming, homesteading, building barns, sheds, a masonry stove, poultry processing, livestock, raising your own food, being self-sufficient, alternative farming practices, organic gardening, composting, aquaculture, and other types of alternative agriculture.  The Unofficial, Totally Unauthorized, but Very Very Enthusiastic Gene Logsdon Fan Club Home Page is part of this site as well.