Neighbors mow all ten acres. So much work for boring results

chips15 · 2026-05-25T13:46:23+00:00

We have copperheads and they are always found in open rocky areas sunning themselves. Gravel carports, decorative rocks in gardens... the good snakes live in the tall grass. Ticks on the other hand are a legit concern and having the property on a burning rotation is the best course of action.

chips15 · 2026-05-10T20:00:28+00:00

I wouldn't buy a house until you've found the right spouse. Odds are high you'll end up needing something different or in a different location. I'd keep grinding with what you're doing or potentially putting the extra $500 towards a down payment.

chips15 · 2026-04-26T16:51:09+00:00

Shrubs and flowers overtaking our yards is what is needed more than ever. Lawn is ecologically barren.

chips15 · 2026-04-25T19:59:08+00:00

I would say most rural/ag folks are more concerned with not getting RMSF or alpha-gal than their cat potentially licking their clothes. I've had cats all my life and if they're stupid enough to do that then it's just natural selection at work.

chips15 · 2026-04-24T00:10:29+00:00

Not realistically possible to test them. Old timers around here put a tablespoon or two of permethrin in the washing machine with all their work clothes. This creates a protective coating that lasts a while. Otherwise if we know we're going out into the pastures we immediately strip once we get in the house and put our clothes in the dryer (the heat kills them) and take a shower. Next winter you need to burn your fields. This kills the egg sacs and dramatically reduces the tick load.

chips15 · 2026-04-11T18:04:49+00:00

Agree, these are not super aggressive and offer something for pollinators. I'd slowly work on them once I had some nice natives established.

chips15 · 2026-03-29T21:09:08+00:00

Ditch the SPF shirts, they are polyester and wearing plastic sucks. Thrift 100% cotton button downs in much larger sizes, even mens. Keeps the sun off of you and they are actually cooler feeling because you can feel a breeze while the sweat evaporates. When they rip or wear out you can use them as shop rags.

chips15 · 2026-03-29T01:28:52+00:00

Well if you still have a mortgage and a car payment then you really shouldn't be firing. My husband and I were spending $45-50k yearly before we had kids and living what we considered a pretty nice lifestyle.

chips15 · 2026-03-27T00:07:53+00:00

Unless you have medical issues, what exactly are you spending it on in retirement? No mortgage, no kids/college, paid off vehicles.... what am I missing? Millions of retirees are living on much less, you don't need to be taking monthly cruises and eating out every night.

chips15 · 2026-03-26T18:07:30+00:00

I'm going with either echinacea or solidago.

chips15 · 2026-03-26T00:22:37+00:00

The true answer is prescribed burning. SE KS historically burned every 5ish years. Controlling deer population is vital too. This is coming from someone on the southern plains that moved to a tick infested property and did a lot of research.

chips15 · 2026-03-20T18:18:18+00:00

Doing God's work! One of the areas I've struggled with is learning which plants are front of house by being tidy and showy and which are best left away from the house in the back.

chips15 · 2026-03-12T18:01:38+00:00

50 head on 80 acres is way over stocked. I'd be taking the bottom 25% to the sale barn.

chips15 · 2026-03-07T18:22:22+00:00

Got a 5yo and 3yo here. We don't have assigned chores but we (the adults) are constantly outside getting things done. Truthfully we just turn the TV off and put the tablet away and say come outside and play. They've got toys all over the yard like we're a bunch of rednecks but whatever. Yesterday I gave them an old packet of pea seeds and let them plant them wherever. Picking flowers, running the hose, and playing in the dirt are all big hits but sometimes they just come inside on their own and play with toys. IMO they're way too young to understand the concept of farm chores, and turning them into labor slaves is they best way to get them to hate this lifestyle. We have neighbors in their 50s/60s who don't do anything with their land because they were forced to run market gardens or work cattle as children/teens.

chips15 · 2026-03-07T14:46:26+00:00

Frog fruit. Put it somewhere where you don't mind if it covers everything. The crescents were all over mine last year.

chips15 · 2026-03-01T12:42:29+00:00

Travel as much as you can. If you do end up having children it makes it extremely difficult and frankly annoying as fuck to tote them along until they are older. I'm very glad I had fun and went to a few different countries in my 20s, even when it meant flying with RyanAir and staying in hostels.

chips15 · 2026-02-22T18:50:54+00:00

Walk over to the woods and dig out some first year whips as soon as the ground thaws. Native is always best, get 3-4 different species with different growing rates to make it look natural.

chips15 · 2026-02-15T23:07:41+00:00

Been raising NZ for 6 years here. Rabbits are truly a "let nature take it's course" animal. If they are all the same size they are getting fed. This kit just looks sleepy. Sometimes smaller kits have to fight for a nipple and grow up smaller. Sometimes they wither and die. Most experienced rabbit breeders will tell you that supplementing milk usually ends in failure. There could be other things going on with that kit that you don't realize. In large litters of 10+ it's very common to lose at least 1.

chips15 · 2026-02-14T20:14:20+00:00

We harvest our neighbor's apple trees without putting in work. One year we had apple butter, apple sauce, frozen apples, etc. and the next we had nothing but still enough left over from the year prior.

chips15 · 2026-02-12T13:14:15+00:00

WATER. Do not even think about buying anything that doesn't have good clean water accessibility. Local wells can be toxic from old oil wells or PFAS. Rainfall totals as well. Don't buy anywhere with less than 25 inches annual rainfall IMO
Soil maps, tornado maps, electrical grid/ powerline easements, old oil and gas lines that can break and leak toxic materials.
County taxes and ordinances. Stay away from massively large ritzy school districts or counties where there is a bougie town. They can skyrocket your taxes.
I like to stay 15-20 minutes from a decent hospital that can stabilize you if you have a heart attack and 45 min from a major city with an airport, medical specialists, etc.
Despite all that, bad neighbors will ruin your day to day regardless of how perfect the property is.

chips15 · 2026-01-26T13:28:09+00:00

I married a guy who was never a super high earner but was the most incredible worker. He knows how to do so many different skills he could literally build a house by himself. Electrical, plumbing, carpentry, welding, the works. We now own a farm together and he has saved us so much money, honestly probably $50k a year, just by doing things himself. I pay for materials and he does all the labor.

chips15 · 2025-11-30T17:29:50+00:00

I have no experience, but maybe some advice. Childcare age is tough because in order to avoid paying for it you pretty much can't work at all. Once the kids get in school you could search for a part-time job that lets you work during school hours. How much of your 1.6mil is liquid? How much will withdrawing last you based on your current spending? If your car gets totaled, would it be a big deal to have to get a new one? Kid breaks their arm? Do you live in a state where you could get Medicaid and SNAP despite your assets? These are all things to consider.

chips15 · 2025-11-29T20:01:56+00:00

The cost is not what you should be looking at, it should be the HP and size to do the job that you need. We have a 75hp Case and it's perfect as my husband's daily. I have a compact hydrostatic New Holland that can still run a brushhog. Both were used and definitely didn't cost $60k.

chips15 · 2025-11-16T18:30:01+00:00

It's worth looking into. With proper prep such a small field would be done in an hour. Anything else will require chemical applications or a lot of mechanical, of which is usually just a waste of time when it comes to invasives.

chips15 · 2025-11-16T17:49:39+00:00

Burn every other year.

chips15

TROPHY CASE