UJRefugees.net

So... some of you might remember.. I used to run a bicycle/outdoor business until I sold it and started working for my fiancee's family business a few years back... then she dipped out before the wedding and a few months later I quit the job.. So at any rate, I need some advice from you fine folks.

I bought an old 40 acre farm in the country about 2 years ago and paid it off in a little under 2 years.. was supposed to be a 15 year mortgage but I had some investments to liquidate and just didn't feel like paying the interest.. at any rate, I still have a decent savings and haven't had to work in over a year and a half.. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not FSF rich or anything but I have enough cash that I really don't need to work and at first, that was pretty fuckin great... but even though I enjoy my hobbies, I'm bored AF, especially this winter and I need to do something else.

My cash will inevitably run out in another few years so I will need to get back to work.. So what should I do?

Good one

captquint wrote: ↑Thu Feb 28, 2019 2:25 pm

All good suggestions Quint.. Thank you for your contribution.

Several years ago the wife and I had a 3.5 day weekend and the weather sucked so we stayed inside all weekend. That's when I knew, I needed a hobby or two before I hit retirement age. Go volunteer somewhere. Image if everyone gave a year of service to society instead of just bitching about shit.

My wife volunteers a lot. Committees. It gives you a sense of purpose.

beagleboy wrote: ↑Thu Feb 28, 2019 2:42 pm Several years ago the wife and I had a 3.5 day weekend and the weather sucked so we stayed inside all weekend. That's when I knew, I needed a hobby or two before I hit retirement age. Go volunteer somewhere. Image if everyone gave a year of service to society instead of just bitching about shit.

this is probably the right answer..

but where?

I’m thinking of volunteering to work at a retreat for wounded veterans and their families. But it sounds like maid work.

Go get a job as a car salesman, they generally hire anyone who walks in the door with a pulse. Won't be surprised if you quit 2 weeks later if it doesn't work out. On the plus side, you have an opportunity to make some serious coin for not a lot of effort. Especially if you sell something that sells itself, like a Toyota.

Don't feel bad. None of us are freakshow rich. Dudes got bank for miles.
Get a job asap. It would be incredibly foolish to burn through all of your savings.

I volunteered for years at a women's center helping them with job searches and writing resumes and filling out applications. Not something I'd want to do a lot but it was fine.

A popular thing in St Louis is to take a job as an usher or ticket taker at Busch stadium, for hockey games or local university cultural events. I know a pretty well to do guy who works for minimum wage as an usher at Busch stadium. When the company knows you are qualified to make far more - they'll bend over backwards to keep you happy. For example I know a lady who took a minimum wage job at a library in the same situation.

I had a client who wrote theater reviews both in print and on the radio as her retirement for about a decade. She'd go to about 100 performances a year (free tickets) and then spend about 10 hours a week writing. She didn't get paid but she got to do something she loved and said she was invited to massive numbers of parties within the theater community which made her feel important.

Knew a retired surgeon who spent years doing an after school reading program at an inner city school. It was a book club for 1st-5th graders. He said it was basically 1=2 hours per day after school.

My grandmother, mom and a friend's dad delivered Meals on Wheels for probably 20 years each.

Knew a sheet metal worker who volunteered at a group making ramps and retrofitting houses for disabled vets.

captquint wrote: ↑Thu Feb 28, 2019 3:12 pmEspecially if you sell something that sells itself, like a Toyota.

Coffee through my nose...

hawkfan8812 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 28, 2019 4:10 pm

captquint wrote: ↑Thu Feb 28, 2019 3:12 pmEspecially if you sell something that sells itself, like a Toyota.

Coffee through my nose...

People are insanely devoted to Toyota

hawkfan8812 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 28, 2019 4:10 pm

captquint wrote: ↑Thu Feb 28, 2019 3:12 pmEspecially if you sell something that sells itself, like a Toyota.

Coffee through my nose...

Still haven’t learned to drink?

Who wrote: ↑Thu Feb 28, 2019 4:22 pm

hawkfan8812 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 28, 2019 4:10 pm

captquint wrote: ↑Thu Feb 28, 2019 3:12 pmEspecially if you sell something that sells itself, like a Toyota.

Coffee through my nose...

Still haven’t learned to drink?

There's a career, teach Hawk to drink.

Get a beaten up old pickup truck and a good sized trailer and start running scrap. It pays cash and doesn't get reported to the IRS, and, if you do it right, can make a few hundred bucks a day plus whatever you may make from selling antiques you can find.

well, if the savings (money) runs out in 4 years, then volunteering is a stupid answer.

if you don't mind working for people, then get a job doing whatever it is you like doing. if you hate working for someone, then 4 years would be plenty of time to start a small business and get it profitable.

meanwhile, if your 40 acres is fenced, that's plenty enough room to put a few cows. you can rent a bull to service them. and then sell the calves.

Can we switch problems for a week?

Blast wrote: ↑Thu Feb 28, 2019 4:52 pm Get a beaten up old pickup truck and a good sized trailer and start running scrap. It pays cash and doesn't get reported to the IRS, and, if you do it right, can make a few hundred bucks a day plus whatever you may make from selling antiques you can find.

Can you explain what "running scrap" is?

Flumper wrote: ↑Thu Feb 28, 2019 4:52 pm well, if the savings (money) runs out in 4 years, then volunteering is a stupid answer.

if you don't mind working for people, then get a job doing whatever it is you like doing. if you hate working for someone, then 4 years would be plenty of time to start a small business and get it profitable.

meanwhile, if your 40 acres is fenced, that's plenty enough room to put a few cows. you can rent a bull to service them. and then sell the calves.

Yeah, working for people isn't really my thing.. I've considered the small business idea.. started my first one at 24 and ran it for almost 10 years.. It was fun and rewarding.. but felt like it was getting stale..

The previous owners of my farm raised cattle here for years. They also raised pigs. That was years ago though and the fencing would require a lot of work at this point. I've got a nice big open hillside that some have suggested I get into wine making and plant grapes.. I've never had a bottle of wine grown around here that didn't taste like kool-aid but some of these local wineries really do well anyway..

But.. I'm not sure I wanna stay here.. Pennsylvania winters are a long ass drag and I've been thinking a lot about moving south.

efman wrote: ↑Thu Feb 28, 2019 5:35 pm Can we switch problems for a week?

that depends... what problems do you have?

JackRabbit_Slim wrote: ↑Thu Feb 28, 2019 5:45 pm

Blast wrote: ↑Thu Feb 28, 2019 4:52 pm Get a beaten up old pickup truck and a good sized trailer and start running scrap. It pays cash and doesn't get reported to the IRS, and, if you do it right, can make a few hundred bucks a day plus whatever you may make from selling antiques you can find.

Can you explain what "running scrap" is?

Go out and collect any metal items that have been set out, water heaters, lawn mowers, ect. and bring it to a local junk yard to sell. Farmers usually have a good amount laying around and in some cases you can charge for the removal and get paid by the yard buying it. There are guys who will go out the day before or morning of trash pickup and run the neighborhoods grabbing stuff that's on the curb.

I have a couple of ideas. Contact the NWS and become a weather spotter. Contact and get involved in your local/ state Historical or Archeology Society's.

JackRabbit_Slim wrote: ↑Thu Feb 28, 2019 5:49 pm

Flumper wrote: ↑Thu Feb 28, 2019 4:52 pm well, if the savings (money) runs out in 4 years, then volunteering is a stupid answer.

if you don't mind working for people, then get a job doing whatever it is you like doing. if you hate working for someone, then 4 years would be plenty of time to start a small business and get it profitable.

meanwhile, if your 40 acres is fenced, that's plenty enough room to put a few cows. you can rent a bull to service them. and then sell the calves.

Yeah, working for people isn't really my thing.. I've considered the small business idea.. started my first one at 24 and ran it for almost 10 years.. It was fun and rewarding.. but felt like it was getting stale..

The previous owners of my farm raised cattle here for years. They also raised pigs. That was years ago though and the fencing would require a lot of work at this point. I've got a nice big open hillside that some have suggested I get into wine making and plant grapes.. I've never had a bottle of wine grown around here that didn't taste like kool-aid but some of these local wineries really do well anyway..

But.. I'm not sure I wanna stay here.. Pennsylvania winters are a long ass drag and I've been thinking a lot about moving south.

so, you are starting to narrow it down. you don't want to work for someone. i have found that most people have about a 7 year attention span with work, unless it is something that they are extremely passionate about. so, keep that in mind. growing grapes isn't something that happens over night.

If you fenced your entire place with new barbed wire fencing, it would cost somewhere around $15,000 or less. it wouldn't be a gold mine, but it wouldn't be boring. and if you moved the increased value to the property would probably reflect in the sales price.

I like to approach these situations with ideas that can be done quickly and with little down side.

JackRabbit_Slim wrote: ↑Thu Feb 28, 2019 5:49 pm

Flumper wrote: ↑Thu Feb 28, 2019 4:52 pm well, if the savings (money) runs out in 4 years, then volunteering is a stupid answer.

if you don't mind working for people, then get a job doing whatever it is you like doing. if you hate working for someone, then 4 years would be plenty of time to start a small business and get it profitable.

meanwhile, if your 40 acres is fenced, that's plenty enough room to put a few cows. you can rent a bull to service them. and then sell the calves.

Yeah, working for people isn't really my thing.. I've considered the small business idea.. started my first one at 24 and ran it for almost 10 years.. It was fun and rewarding.. but felt like it was getting stale..

The previous owners of my farm raised cattle here for years. They also raised pigs. That was years ago though and the fencing would require a lot of work at this point. I've got a nice big open hillside that some have suggested I get into wine making and plant grapes.. I've never had a bottle of wine grown around here that didn't taste like kool-aid but some of these local wineries really do well anyway..

But.. I'm not sure I wanna stay here.. Pennsylvania winters are a long ass drag and I've been thinking a lot about moving south.

Then here is your answer. Get yourself a pickup, move to myrtle beach, and start a pool cleaning business. Maybe work for someone first to get the basics if you need to. These guys make bank servicing pools for vacation rentals. They’re from all over the country. You pick up customers as you go, can even sell your business when you get tired of it. These polls are tiny, btw. V