You might need it someday.

That hang on to it, depression baby thinking can fly in the face of those who subscribe to the travel light. If it doesn’t fit in the back pack you carry, it is too much and just bogging you down. Where do you weigh in?

In small rural Maine, when you are in business, or make your living off the land, from the woods, there are steep spikes up and then down.

Break even years are considered some of the best ones because you keep going. Get to tear off another December from the calendar that seems to flip and fly off faster.

Falling back on what you saved up.

You might need it some day. And getting rid of stuff at the transfer station is harder and expensive. But that piece of angle iron, that just right length board or left over bracket from some door yard mechanics or carpentry. It could make the difference. If you remember where you stashed it.

Always impressed with the workshop where in a row of Gerber’s baby food jars, there are brads, nails, fasteners of all types. The small glass re-purposed jar lids one by one screwed to an overhead board to quickly twist, tilt, shake, pour out what you need for the job.

Tools where you can find them and the repair nerve center of the family home is ready to serve and protect the small household, farmstead way of life. Next year’s pile of wood for burning cut, split and air drying. While this winter’s BTU generator is all set.

The five hardwood cords or more and a a big pile of softwood fire starting kindling is high and dry. In the cellar along with the shelf after shelf of canned preserves, other home grown provisions socked away neatly in the impressively stocked root cellar.

The family is not going to be cold, not going hungry and the HBO channel is outdoors, unplugged and ready to tap into when chores are done. We make our own outdoor four season fun.

Take what you need and pass along the rest.

Gratitude is riches and not falling into the trap of enough is never enough. Boundaries, limits, moderation. Again. Repeat. And do more than survive but savor all that life offers if you are not too busy. To anxious or nervous or just full of a feeling that something is missing.

In my real day job for the past 36 years listing and peddling properties, it seems to be a common theme. Heard louder by someone who has been living in the city and road weary from protect your self and your property from crime.

Personal injury from gangs, senseless drive by shootings and locking everything up tighter than a drum is not something you worry about in small population, vast expanse of land Maine.

Money is not the end all and resourcefulness rides herd, tugs the reins on the day to day approach to living.

If it is to be it is up to me and not thinking someone will catch me, help me, take care of the small stuff. Independence feels good and living without debt is like removing a ball and chain.

Many we talk to have had the merry go round of mountains of debt and just want to carve out a simple life. To buy a simple home, a modest priced chunk of land to create what they have dreamed about for decades or even since childhood.

Often they remember grandparents who lived in small town USA and want to stand next to that fire.

To warm their bones, to soothe their soul. To take a break and have more control over their own life. Rather than too many someone elses running the show in the Candy Land game.

But even in small Maine towns, over spending and not pulling back on the expenditures to work on centralizing services, automation and creative new ways to live within your means threaten the small population clusters. Small town Maine pride can be a wonderful and at the same time destructive blinding light.

Trust fun babies, where the adult kid attends a two hour share holder’s meeting once a month to receive the $50,000 stipend.

And try to make that corporate allowance stretch while you scheme for ways to break the chains of the trust. That is ruling you from the grave and protecting yourself from yourself. There is nothing like making it on your own, living within your means and managing your resources. Teaching your kids the same approach to life where you pull yourself up by the bootstraps.

Over indulgence, spending high wide and handsome and trying to avoid the easy does it, keep it simple approach to living is not rural small town Maine living. That trust fund baby if not a self starter and motivated to channel the inheritance into improving the area around them, volunteering financial and time resources is missing out.

On the richness of the unspoiled, not store bought but pure and natural four season surroundings Maine offers.

Exploitation has missed the hidden communities where there are not enough people to deem it worth while trying to take economic advantage of the sparse population.

Be yourself, walk in nature, reduce stress, do what you love and the rest of the fifteen ways to live a happy life  To smile more, really enjoy life more on a daily basis. That makes Maine one classic location to achieve happiness.

Simple living in Maine.

Explore the nooks and crannies, meet the down to Earth people of Maine. Are you over due for a visit and have you make the leap to beyond just a yearly three day or week long vacation? To full time, dig in and become connected to a small Maine town?

I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker

207.532.6573 | info@mooersrealty.com |  

MOOERS REALTY 69 North Street Houlton Maine 04730