Weekend Helper

[Stubbornhillfarm]

Have any of you ever had someone to help out at your home, farm, homestead?

Hubby and I have just agreed to have a young man come and help us on Saturdays for a few hours every week. Please don't get me wrong, we are not loaded and it is really a step of faith to say that we are going to be able to "pay" him to do this. But, we just have more work and more work to do around the farm and we just can't work all week outside of the home and get caught up too.

This is really just new to us. I think of people that hire others to mow their lawns and such or house sit or pet sit. So I guess it really isn't that much different.

I am just hoping that it all works out for everyone and that this young man learns a bit about livestock, planting and hard work. (Believe me...I am a GREAT list maker!)

 

[catjac1975]

My husband occasionally hires help. There are 2 adult males that work like hell but are not always available. I think he pays them 15 an hour and they are worth it. He hires them for real hard work. He trades tutoring of a friends kids in math for back hoe work. They each keep track of the hours and then he comes when he is least busy. He traded time with a boy that he tutors when the family was having a hard financial time. This boy brought a fried who needed community service hours so he worked a few hours for free. Young teen boys seem to love doing yard work. He hires older boys when the work needs is a little harder. There are plenty of kids who need money. It's just sometimes hard to find them. If they don't know how to work you just don't ask them back.

 

[vfem]

We've thought about it. See we give so much of our garden goods away to people on a regular basis we've asked our friends if they would be willing to help out a bit a couple of hours a week, or send their kids over to help a bit to keep everything going. My husband works 60 hours a week right now, I work 25 at my job + whatever it takes me to work for my own business (depending on how busy it is, it could be 30 hours or 5 hours). Factor in keeping the house and chores up and the kid... well, I'm lucky with all these animals and this land I haven't fainted! I also have to enter in my health, I get sick 6-9 times a year which lays me out as useless on top of it. At my age I should be able to juggle all this easy, but there is always a wrench I tell ya!

I think its important to have help, you don't enjoy yourself if you are worn out. Trust me when I say, I am well worn... and its time for a few more hands to pitch in. I'm telling you, I give away $100's worth of produce all season, I think the people who get the most can help a bit now and then. If I didn't have that option, I think I'd hire someone now and then to come help. Even if it was like a few hours 1 weekend a month.

I'm fantasizing about help now!!! hahaha

 

[Southern Gardener]

I think its important to have help, you don't enjoy yourself if you are worn out.

That is exactly why we hire someone to mow our grass when the temps soar in the summer. I now refuse to mow grass and be totally exhaused on the weekend when I can spend time doing enjoyable things.

 

[ninnymary]

Stubbornhill, I don't know about your area but over here "internships" are very common everywhere. Alot of companies are getting free help and college students are acquiring skills and hoping to get a job there when an opening comes up. Alot of our small farms are also setting up internships. Young people are going to small organic farms and staying 6 months to learn as much as they can. They would like to someday get their own small plots and sell at farmer's markets or to restuarants.

Do you have a local college where you can advertise and get someone who has an idea what they are getting into?

Vfem, I think you should setup a bartering system where you work a couple hours a week in exchange for a box of produce, sort of like a CSA.
P.S. I always wished I lived close to you so that I could help you some! I have plenty of time.

Mary

 

[vfem]

Awww... Mary I wish you were closer too! Even if it just to sit on the porch and drink sweet tea!

Southern, I think its time I hired someone to do that too. We borrow a mower as it is, and my poor husband wastes 3 hours mowing and weed whacking every other Sunday when I rather we had together time. I think I'll look into that. I wonder how much an acre every other week would cost?

 

[Southern Gardener]

V, I pay a young fellow $50 every two weeks to mow and weed wack my one acre and it is totally worth it - I have a lot to mow and weedeat around and he does a great job.

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

Thanks all! I am feeling a bit better about this. I have a list of things a mile long that if we had a teenage son he would be helping with. But we don't...so I guess renting someone elses is the next best option!

And you are all right. We love our farm, we love what we do, and we have to work outside the home to make that all happen. I don't want to get to a point that it is more of a chore, then enjoyable.

Not sure ninnymary about interns. There are a few colleges around, but the two big agricultural colleges are too far away from us. One in NH about 1 1/2 hours away and the one in Maine is about 3 hours away. I think this young man is going to work out fine for us as long as I don't scare him away with my chore list!

 

[desertcat]

I'll rent a teenager for a lot of jobs, like painting barns and fences, but sometimes the supervision required outweighs the benefit.

One thing I have learned is to pay by the JOB not by the hour. Don't mind slow (heck, I'm slow), but this makes sure the project gets finished!

At one time in my life, my place was the local teen hangout and boy, did we get work done. In exchange for listening to all their problems, I had lots of strong backs and we did carpentry projects like crazy. They also learned valuable skills like laundry, house cleaning 101 and how to grill a burger!

 

[vfem]

V, I pay a young fellow $50 every two weeks to mow and weed wack my one acre and it is totally worth it - I have a lot to mow and weedeat around and he does a great job.

Thanks to this wonderful post, I'm calling around pricing out mowing/weed eating services. Those people aren't so quick to call back! I got 1 quote for $70 and we're right around 3/4 of an acre that actually needs mowing (maybe even less, you take off for the pond and the actual gardens I don't want them in). $70 is probably more then I can afford. I'm hoping for $50 bi-weekly though from someone. That I can pull a few more hours at work for during the summer months.

This is going to be a gift to my husband for father's day if I can work it out. Give him more of his Sunday time back for the good stuff. He deserves a break already working Mon-Sun.

So glad I read this post!