Stability Through the Ancestral Manor

The price of everything has drastically escalated in the past few years beyond what frugal penny pinching can account for. Many are wondering what they can do to gain some financial stability in these challenging times.


I would propose we are asking the wrong question. When we look at finances alone we are missing the larger picture that our ancestors saw quite clearly.


In today’s world we rely on cash money for nearly everything we do. Certainly it’s not our fault. We don’t live in feudal England. We don’t have the bartering opportunities they did. We must operate within the system which currently exists around us. But is there a trick we can find to ease the current burdens we face?


I would suggest yes. One answer to our current woes is to see cash money as only one leg of the table of our general stability. A stable life is truly supported by four things: good relationships, spiritual grounding, housing and utilities, and food and materials needed to sustain life.


Anyone who attends an Ivy League college will tell you that their career, and therefore their income, is less dependent on what they directly learned at the school but rather who they met. Their social connections more likely got them their employment and elevated their status after college than whatever the books actually taught them.


So we “peasants” should be applying a similar principle to our lives - do we get along with people? Can we build lasting relationships and friendships which are mutually beneficial to our stability?


In the past, most of our ancestors would have lived on an estate. A manor. These estates were nearly entirely self-sufficient and depended on a variety of people such as gardeners, cooks, carpenters and masons, to keep the manor functioning and everyone taken care of. There was little room for drama. By necessity you had to get along with your family and with your neighbors and co-workers.


I think this lack of attention to a healthy, stable, social life harms us financially in ways we may not see. We miss tremendous opportunities to work WITH others to accomplish the goals of keeping our basic needs met.


In short, network. Treat everyone you meet with kindness and generosity. Don’t burn bridges with people you don’t care for - just politely make different choices. Don’t embarrass, argue with or heatedly debate your family, friends, fellow parishioners or colleagues. Don’t make slanderous posts online about people you feel have wronged you. Even if you’re right about them, it harms your reputation in the eyes of others.


Taking this a step further: If you have the opportunity to share land, housing, a business or resources with others, this will greatly improve your overall stability.


When my husband and I were a young couple with two small children ages 4 and 1, we rented a farm house for a time with another couple who had a young daughter. We literally divided the 4 bedroom house in two and shared the kitchen.


The arrangement was quite easy so long as we didn’t allow ourselves to be irritated by the small issues like dishes left in the sink or a crying child. This gave both families a larger spring board from which to plan our lives. We had access to greater gardening space, better homeschooling opportunities and overall more leisure time because we were paying what we might have paid for an apartment but we got a large farm house on rural property.


Both families were able to save money during this period and share resources and babysitting, making our lives much easier and giving us better opportunities when we parted ways. Both couples also grew better standing within our social community because it doubled our social circle overnight, leading to better job prospects for both husbands.


None of this could have been accomplished if we allowed ourselves to become upset about what food each other cooked, what messes they left or priorities they had which felt unnecessary to us. Had we gossiped about one another it would not only have not expanded our social circle and hence our financial opportunities but would have harmed and limited them.


Get along with people. It’s really that simple.


One of the best social opportunities today remains your local church - which brings me to the next pillar of stability - being spiritually grounded. Ancestral estates have always included a chapel, parish or church where those who live there can gather and worship.


Church wasn’t simply a place to meet people - for our ancestors it was a weekly or monthly reminder of what truly matters. It’s easy to get caught up in attaining more stuff, but are you regularly dedicating time and space to ponder why? Most of us aren't.


We all need a regular break and a check-in. What is this all about? What are our earthly goals? Why are those our goals? How are we achieving those goals? How are we treating others in that pursuit? What would God think of our efforts, or lack thereof?


To achieve a stable life we must have our spiritual pillar firmly rooted. That isn’t to say that attending church once a week will magically answer all of the above questions but it does mean you are working out your salvation with fear and trembling, and that will always lead to the best possible outcome God has for you.


Okay, so we have a network, and we are praying. But hey, we need food and a roof over our heads, right? Aren't those are some pretty fundamental basics of a stable life?


Of course! We must be producing something either on our own or with others. If we have the start-up funds we could actually buy an estate with tenant housing and form a straight up old fashioned ancestral manor, but most of us can’t begin that way. So what can we do?


As mentioned before, we can share housing. We could allow our grown children to stay at home longer while they get established in life. We can let our single sister or brother live with us in exchange for business or personal help.


We can begin a business with friends or family. Back in the day, a manor might have produced crops, textiles, wood or pottery. Some of us might be able to do that today and sell our goods at a Farmers Market. But most cannot. So what are the things we can produce that are actually valuable resources that could provide some cash stability to add to our lives?


Some “modern manor” ideas might be; opening a deli, bakery or food truck, lawn care, concrete, construction, carpentry, plumbing, handy man or other services through a small business. You can also make baked goods or home care products for sale like lotion or all natural cleaners. You could buy and sell antiques, sew or knit clothing, make furniture or wooden goods like toys or brooms, etc.


These sorts of independent businesses aren’t known for raking in billions of dollars, but they provide basic goods and services that hold up well in a variety of economies. They give you direct and total control over your finances, how much you work and who you work with. They have nearly unlimited expansion opportunities based on your work and availability. Pair these with a more traditional living situation and networks of good people working together in your life, and these businesses become a viable way for you to support yourself.

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Despite our modern system, the basics of how a human being survives has actually changed little. It's just that we’ve overwhelmingly forgotten that. We are bombarded by the idea that we have needs we don’t really have.


Do we need preschool, or do we need a grandma or big sister? Do we need a grocery store trip every week, or do we need to grow some potatoes and turnips in the front yard to mitigate that expense? Do we need our own home or can we share at least for a while?


Do we need to do life all alone and buy everything to supplement what our ancestors naturally had through a shared system with others? Obviously I would say no. So pinch those pennies and keep saving for that down payment, but in the meantime, maybe cut some big corners by taking a few lessons from our great great great grandparents who lived on an ancestral manor.