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I was on my own at age 19. My parents were divorced and there was no money to send me off to college. I went to the local community college and moved into an an older farmhouse with friends and later worked to put myself through a small private college.  My husband put himself through U C Berkeley and lived off campus with roommates.  It was a fabulously fun time (1970s) to be a student living on one's own.

Fast forward, we have a 23-year-old son who attended a few community college classes, and then decided college was not for him. While pleasant and bright, he struggled to find an entry level job in the current economic climate. He seemed to flounder.  We couldn't understand the lack of motivation.  Many of our friends have found the same situation - their kids are quite happy to continue to live at home.  Our son finally took himself off to Job Corps, recognizing that time was passing and he needed to get moving on marketable job skills. 

On the other hand other cultures live quite happily with adult children continuing to live in the same home as the parents.  It just puzzles me as I could not wait to get out on my own. 

posted 2 years, 4 months ago
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We had been a two-income couple that went to one-income when we had our two children. I stayed home for 10 years. We had to restructure our thinking from wants to  needs. 

 Much of what people think they need is just in their minds. We babyboomers and our children have grown up feeling very entitled. I think we all complain far too much stemming from that attitude of entitlement.

My parents grew up in the Depression and also in WWII London. Times were tougher than they are now. My mother had to leave school and work at age 14 yet they survived.  My dad used to say "the world does not owe you a living."  Very appropo these days.  

My husband and I did trade some harsh words about each other's spending habits but we did get on the same page, after all, no one was going to bail us out - we were adults and expected to behave so.  We determined a weekly grocery spending list. I took only cash and a calculator with me. Once I got to within $5 of my limit I checked out.   We chose to go to cash or debit card basis only to keep better track of spending. No more writing checks and the one credit card was locked away, to be used only when travelling.

We whittled down our "hobbies" spending by buying only what would benefit the whole family:  we outfitted the house w/computers from Goodwill. I purchased plants and gardening supplies on clearance. We bought secondhand on most everything else.  To this day I refuse to pay full retail unless I know I cannot get an item anywhere else for less.

We chose to live beneath our means with  house and cars. Banks kept telling us we could buy bigger but we stuck with WWII era house in a cozy neighborhood and older cars.  We don't need all the bells & whistles.  We are able to go out to eat, attend a concert and do fun things. While we are mindful we aren't necessarily spendthrifts.  We just refuse to become a slave to debt. It's a liberating thing.

I really enjoyed watching our debts be paid off: smaller ones first than the larger ones. We are pretty much debt-free except for a modest house payment and car payment.  We pay cash as we go for kids' college courses and other expenses.

I am holding my breath with anticipation with the available income we'll have once these kids finally leave home.

posted 3 years, 6 months ago
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How do we do it?

We caught ourselves using credit cards a little too much so we locked the cards in the safe and we now pay cash for just about everything.  If we can't pay cash for something we don't buy it.  Only exception was house and car.  We do use a gas card and pay that off in full each month.

Also took the Financial Peace University course which really helps one adopt a disciplined look at one's finances.

posted 3 years, 6 months ago
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I was faced with this choice in 1989 when we moved up from Oakland CA to Vancouver WA.  It was tempting to buy acreage in Battleground or in the Cascade foothills but the reality was that we wanted to be near services for our young and growing family. My husband did not relish driving on icy mountain roads to his Portland job in the winter and I wanted to be able to walk  to schools and shops and live in "Mr Roger's Neighborhood."

So, we chose to live on the west side of Vancouver, in the older section, where we bought an older fixer upper for a song. We joined a food co-op and also grew some of our own vegetables. We got involved in our neighborhood association and community.

We are still near downtown Vancouver on a larger lot, growing vegetables and chickens and we have access to all the amenities Portland has to offer.  We have a fabulous Farmer's Market and now there are CSA groups. I CAN have my (organic) cake and eat it too.

posted 3 years, 6 months ago
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Our family live near downtown Vancouver WA on a half-acre lot in an older neighborhood (i.e. no McMansions). We are just outside the city limits so county rules apply to us.  From what I have read the City of Vancouver allows hens but no roosters. I have not seen a limit on the number of hensbut imagine good sense would prevail.  In Clark County WA we are allowed hens and roosters but we have chosen to have only a small manageable flock of 5 hens on our lot.

Chickens are not political or "trendy." They are economic.  I wanted to make efficient use of my current 1/2-acre lot and get fresh eggs. One must provide adequate housing, fencing, and feed, however, one can build a coop or retrofit existing hutches and structures to accomodate the needs of chickens.

I can understand that some rules need to apply. I wouldn't want to live next door to a "cat person" with unlimited numbers of cats, or dogs for that matter.  I believe that 3-5 hens are a reasonable amount for those who live on a standard city lot (50'x50'?). 

Chickens do need proper care and tending and there are a number of places now teaching how to care for chickens. The Urban Farm Store in Portland (Morrison St.) is but one place offering classes.

Some of my neighbors have dogs which roam so we do not let our hens free range and our runs are made with hardware cloth to prevent predators from getting in.  Speaking of dogs, and I have two dogs myself, I find that some dog owners break the animal ordinances by allowing their dogs to roam around. I would hazard a wild guess that this is more of a problem than any roaming urban hens. Hens don't bite.

In addition to getting fresh eggs and being amused by my hens,  we have found our garbage waste has decreased alot. What the chickens cannot eat goes into a compost pile. We now have only one can of garbage  a month of rubbish that is picked up.

I really don't see what the big fuss is about permitting urban chickens.  My mother and grandmother kept chickens in London during WWII. It was one way around rationing and was promoted along with victory gardens. It can be done in a clean and aesthetic manner...the Portland Tour de Coop last July offered up a number of backyard chicken coops and henhouses that were very low impact to the neighors.

posted 3 years, 6 months ago
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