The Story of How We Bought Our Farm || Business with Purpose Podcast EP #230

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The other day I was having a conversation with a friend, and I realized I’ve been doing this podcast for 4½ years. A couple years ago, around episode 100, I introduced solo shows every 10 episodes. So, here we are – episode 230. Today’s episode is about something personal to me. 

0:39 – We bought a farm!

• If you follow me on Instagram or read my blog, Still Being Molly, you know that my family and I recently bought a farm. I know that for a lot of people, people are probably thinking, “What? This is random!” 
• It’s something we’ve been dreaming and praying about for a really long time. Today, I’m going to tell you the story about how it all happened. 

4:11 – The lowest point in my life

• In fall 2010 I was at arguably the lowest point of my life. I was tens of thousands in credit card debt. I didn’t know many people where I lived and worked a bunch of jobs. I didn’t know the Lord. I was struggling with broken relationships. 
• In late 2010, I started dating my now husband, John, started attending church with him and was saved. 

6:06 – Talking about hopes and dreams

• John and I began talking about our dream of owning a farm. When we got engaged, we dreamed about what our life would look like. One of the things we talked about regularly was buying land, building a house and being more self-sustainable. 
• I was working hard to pay off my debt.

8:37 – Serious conversations about money

• As a young married couple, John and I had a lot of conversations about money. John didn’t struggle with money, but I did, so we wanted to have clear communication. We have a joint budget and track every dollar that comes in and goes out.
• We started to put money away for a big expense down the road like land or a house. 

11:00 – Our little garden

• We started with a garden in our backyard, and it started with one little garden bed, and it was a giant fail. I had this dream of having this massive garden.  
• The only food we were able to grow was cucumbers, and they took over and grew through the fence. 
• As the years went on, we got better at gardening. After five years, we had a truly, truly successful garden. 

13:32 – Getting aggressive about savings

• About two to three years ago, we really started being very aggressive in our savings towards land. We hustled and we worked really hard. 
• At the end of 2019, we began to realize this could become a reality sooner rather than later. We began looking at land and had many contracts fall through.  

18:20 – Pursuing houses on land

• We finally decided to pursue houses on land instead of building a house. We looked at upwards of 15 houses and put in offers but kept getting rejected or outbid. 
• John came home one night frustrated about the home-buying process. We had been praying. Later that night, three hours later, a house came on the market. We both looked at it, we looked at each other and said, “I think this is it.”
• We went to see the house that weekend and finally got the house. 

21:52 – A dream come true

• We aren’t living there yet. We are doing renovations, but we are just so, so thankful. It is a dream come true. In a lot of ways I still feel like I’m dreaming. 
• I share this whole story because, for nearly a decade, this was something that John and I had talked about and dreamed about and prayed about and saved for. I want to encourage you, if you have a dream, make little steps each day. 
• We want to be able to serve others with this home. 

FEATURED QUOTES

“My family and I recently bought a farm … People are probably thinking, ‘What? This is random!’ … It’s something that we have been dreaming about and praying about for a really long time.” 

“A house came on the market … We both looked at it, we looked at each other and I said, ‘I think this is it.’”

“We are just so, so thankful. It is a dream come true.”

“I share this whole story because, for nearly a decade, this was something that John and I had talked about and dreamed about and prayed about and saved for.”

“We want to be able to serve others with this home.”

Thank you to our partners of the show:

Ammas Umma 

Did you know I have an ethical brand directory? That’s what Chelsea used to start finding products for her boutique almost four years ago! Now, Amma’s Umma carries over 50 intentionally sourced brands and is the perfect one stop shop for all your gift giving needs. As a thank you to the Still Being Molly community, she is offering 20% off with code SHOPWITHMOLLY. Head to shopwithmolly.com for all the details.

GOEX

At GOEX, we believe in the power of purchase. We use a simple t-shirt to connect our customers with their apparel makers. GOEX customers sustain fair wage jobs that liberate workers from poverty and empower them in their families and communities. We are proud to be a verified member of the Fair Trade Federation. Shop sustainable, eco-friendly t-shirts and sweatshirts with purpose today at goexapparel.com.

Simple Switch

I want to introduce you all to a company I believe in that helps you more conveniently purchase with purpose, SimpleSwitch.org

Simple Switch is an online marketplace for ethical and impactful shopping. They let you shop online for more than 3,000 products ranging from everyday essentials like toilet paper and hand sanitizer, to special gifts like journals or jewelry. Every product has a positive environmental or social impact, like planting trees or fighting human trafficking.

Simple Switch is offering a discount exclusively for our listeners. Check out the marketplace on simpleswitch.org and get 20% off your first order with code PURCHASEWITHPURPOSE at checkout!

The Lemonade Boutique 

This episode is sponsored by The Lemonade Boutique, a women’s clothing with a cause store. Featuring ethically made and fair trade items from over 10 countries, every item is made by women facing extreme challenges such as trafficking, poverty, and more. Your purchase empowers women to take life’s lemons and make lemonade.  Shop at THELemonadeBoutique.com. Listeners of the Business with Purpose Podcast can save 15% by using code PURPOSE15 at checkout.

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