£15/hour

[trigger_andy]

Just now, eggsarascal said:

This is where it goes wrong trig, why would they be squatters, why wouldn't they have electricity and water?

 

 

It was a question not a statement. 

[eggsarascal]

Just now, trigger_andy said:

It was a question not a statement. 

I know.

 

[trigger_andy]

Just now, eggsarascal said:

I know.

 

So as Im interested I asked.  

 

Im not entirely new to hippy communes my old man moved in those kinds of circles and had friends up in Findhorn but my mum banned me from ever going up to visit. That really peeved me off when Mike Scott from the Waterboys lived there and some of my old mans hippy buddys invited us up. Was still a no from my Mum.  

[trigger_andy]

34 minutes ago, muttley9050 said:

The 18 acres is owned by the housing co op. The co op is owned by the members.
Like I say its fully mutual.
No owner. No landlord. No trustees. No group sex.

 ''Everyone pays a monthly rent to the co-op. Rents are kept low because members put in two days per week work.''

 

Is this still the case? 'Low rent' and slave labour? Two days a week? Both you and the missus? That sounds like extremely high rent to me. At a tenner an hour your missus pays the equivalent of £640 a month rent and I'll guess you'd earn far more than that an hour. But jut say you're both worth just a tenner an hour each you're paying 'low rent' and at least £1200 a month (equivalent) for what I can only guess is a couple of rooms in an old mansion. 

 

Its certainly an interesting life style, but I do feel you're somewhat in denial. 

 

 

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

It’s definitely an interesting scenario. 
 

Im all for non-cash transactions. 
 

I take your point about days ‘work’ v potential earning capacity for the same amount of ‘time’ but I rather doubt it’s the sort of ‘work’ that is being exchanged for rent that one might ‘normally’ associate with income earning work. 
 

I suspect a days ‘work’ might actually be clearing a drain, weeding the veg plot, fixing a fence - you know, the sort of thing any homeowner might do for their self anyway and so you might be over estimating the ‘value’ of a days work in your work v rent comparison Andy. 
 

That whole woofing thing is popular up the road here. Transients exchange a bit of graft for food and shelter but it’s not really graft - it’s more like dicking around, ½ stoned ½ pissed, tossing your life away avoiding council tax and bumming state benefits. 

[muttley9050]

 ''Everyone pays a monthly rent to the co-op. Rents are kept low because members put in two days per week work.''

 

Is this still the case? 'Low rent' and slave labour? Two days a week? Both you and the missus? That sounds like extremely high rent to me. At a tenner an hour your missus pays the equivalent of £640 a month rent and I'll guess you'd earn far more than that an hour. But jut say you're both worth just a tenner an hour each you're paying 'low rent' and at least £1200 a month (equivalent) for what I can only guess is a couple of rooms in an old mansion. 

 

Its certainly an interesting life style, but I do feel you're somewhat in denial. 

 

 

The problem is you guess. Nothing like that at all. And no we are not squatters. We have mains electric and gas although most of our needs are dealt with through renewables.

I don't work for anybody here. I work for myself and no one is counting hours. I just didn't this afternoon cooking dinner. That's part of my hours. Do you consider cooking dinner work?

I spent this morning servicing the boiler and running a centeral heating test. Again not work. Just did needs doing. Later in the week I'll pop to the veg market. I some you go shopping and don't get paid for it?

The tractor needs a service. The lawn mower needs de commissioning for the winter. All things I assume you have to do.

Difference is I only cook dinner once a fortnight. When someone cooks dinner for me tomorrow I'll help wash up after. Again part of my hours. I have chickens to look after. Sheep and pigs is someone else. Logs to process, Veg to grow in the garden. If the roof needs repair I'll fix it. Etc etc. All things that benefit me with warmth, decent home grown food and meat

The work involved all is part of the 2 days. I assume you do alot of this stuff as part of keeping house.

For the record I split with the misses 4 years ago. My partner now lives an hour away. Which suits me..

I probably? have more private living space than you. Workshop's barns etc

No Denial here. Would rather put effort into a comfortable sustainable healthy life than work to pay the man

[trigger_andy]

3 minutes ago, kevinjohnsonmbe said:

It’s definitely an interesting scenario. 
 

Im all for non-cash transactions. 
 

I take your point about days ‘work’ v potential earning capacity for the same amount of ‘time’ but I rather doubt it’s the sort of ‘work’ that is being exchanged for rent that one might ‘normally’ associate with income earning work. 
 

I suspect a days ‘work’ might actually be clearing a drain, weeding the veg plot, fixing a fence - you know, the sort of thing any homeowner might do for their self anyway and so you might be over estimating the ‘value’ of a days work in your work v rent comparison Andy. 
 

That whole woofing thing is popular up the road here. Transients exchange a bit of graft for food and shelter but it’s not really graft - it’s more like dicking around, ½ stoned ½ pissed, tossing your life away avoiding council tax and bumming state benefits. 

Eggs might get upset if you say clearing a drain is not 'work'.  

 

Regardless, both spouses have lost two days earning potential a week. 16 days a month between them. But I get your point, as a home owner you have tasks to do to maintain your property, but no where near 16 days a month. Well, I do but I took on a fixer-upper.  The upside is whilst I enjoy what Im doing Im doing to my own home and although it seems to be a dirty work of late Im adding 'value' to my home. 

 

I also like to keep things cash free as much as possible. I swap a days milling for some nice Mill Logs, or Stup Grinder hire, or get a mates chipper in for a few days. 

 

Each to their own though and Im not really knocking the hippy lifestyle. The cost explanation seemed a little disingenuous to me though. 

[trigger_andy]

Do you consider cooking dinner work?

I would if it took me all afternoon and was for 10 adults and however many kids!

 

Evening meals are eaten together, and people sign up to cook. This means that you only have to cook about once a fortnight, but it takes all afternoon.

 

I don't work for anybody here.

Everyone pays a monthly rent to the co-op. Rents are kept low because members put in two days per week work – this could be in the gardens, working with the animals, splitting logs, maintaining the property, admin, cooking, cleaning etc. This means that members have paid work outside the community, but part-time.

 

I probably? have more private living space than you. Workshop's barns etc

No Denial here. Would rather put effort into a comfortable sustainable healthy life than work to pay the man

You might have more private living space than me, but is it a competition? I doubt you do though. [emoji3] 

 

Im sure its a rewarding lifestyle though, but certainly not for me. Im sure we like very much the same things in life, I just prefer that on my own terms and in privacy and seclusion. I have enough of living in a commune when working off-shore, I certainly do not need more unwashed hairy buggers around me when I come home too! 

 

This is my new wee workshop my brother and I are building. 4.7m x 4.7m ( guess how long my mill can currently cut? [emoji3] ) Will be for wood working only as I have a  Barn up on a local farm. Plus whisky drinking and looking out at the views. 

[Mike Hill]

20 minutes ago, kevinjohnsonmbe said:

 

 

That whole woofing thing is popular up the road here. Transients exchange a bit of graft for food and shelter but it’s not really graft - it’s more like dicking around, ½ stoned ½ pissed, tossing your life away avoiding council tax and bumming state benefits. 

Depends:

 

Woofers can be people employed in public service jobs who get long holidays but low wages. On their 6 week summer holiday they could doss about their flat,take a booze soaked package holiday to some sunny place or Woof across Canada for basically the cost of their plane tickets .

 

 

[muttley9050]

Depends:
 
Woofers can be people employed in public service jobs who get long holidays but low wages. On their 6 week summer holiday they could doss about their flat,take a booze soaked package holiday to some sunny place or Woof across Canada for basically the cost of their plane tickets .
 
 

Exactly. A cheap weekend away too and meet some interesting people.