So since my divorce/separation in 2019 ive lived on a family farm we inherited from my grandparents. Ive worked to pay down bills and have no secured assets if id have to quit work to avoid the jab for my sons and I.
A lot of people would probably say im in a great position but I dont like the area where i live in general because of crime in the nearby town and overcrowding of roads etc and liberalization of the state as a whole specifically this area due to transplants from a Blue state.
Also, I am used to being an adult, owning my own property, and generally being self-reliant so having to rely on the charity of my parents has been really depressing to me. They dont live with me or anything but they think its great i live on the farm nearby etc.
The farm is in a county trust since my grandparents did that to reduce taxes, which further sucks because it must "remain farmland" and so there are limited options for it which you have to run by the board. I dont farm it, it is farmed by a neighbor who pays for the use of the land, and honestly its not ENOUGH acres to justify spooling up to buy equipment etc and farm myself.
Our gov was one of the worst during the early part of all this and even tho hes done this fall i dont trust that we will right the ship...we are also one of the contested states from 2020.
That said there are rural areas in this state that are very depressed where houses can be had for $25-50k and im skilled and adaptable as jobs go so i can work anywhere that wont jab me.
That said, do you think in the next 1-5 years there will be a good time to get out of Dodge, or am i better off chilling here and waiting to see how this all shakes out.
My thoughts - The farm property is family owned and it is not 'charity' for a family member to live there and safe keep it. As a parent, it would give me great happiness if one of my kids lived on and cared for my deceased parent's family farm, if I could not do it. Additionally, they probably have designed for you to inherit it in the future, you know.
So, instead of feeling like a freeloader, take this time to save your $$$, and hedge your bets. Like another commenter said, if you are handy, pick up one of those run-down houses and fix and rent it to someone else to generate some positive cash flow. Do it more than once. Don't quit your day job. This is your side hustle.
Also, even though you are not currently farming on the property because the outlay of cash for tools and equipment does not seem justifiable, there is another way to do it if you have the interest.
You know how this 'aquaponics' craze hit a few years ago where we saw how we can actually grow many food crops without soil, and with very little water use? All kinds of DIY videos and instructionals were made to show us how to do it in the comfort of our laundry room, back patio, or spare yard space.
Then, clever people designed PVC pipe contraptions that you can buy or make yourself to essentially create a functional farm going vertically in 1/10th the space, utilizing the proper UV lights, nutrients, and good seeds to sprout hundreds of seedlings that grow and thrive in nutrient-rich water.
You could consider doing this in a small part of your property and provide much of the plant food you might need, and perhaps make extra to sell and provide for bartering for other things you need.