Meet a Reader | Brandi from Montana
Hey there, everyone! We have a fresh meet-a-reader submission to enjoy today. 🙂 Brandi's ranch life is wonderfully different than mine in many ways, but we do have some similarities (she's a current college student too!)
Here's Brandi:
1. Tell us a little about yourself.
Hey! I'm Brandi, I am 42, I am married and we have two kids. My husband and I have been together for over 20 years, which blows my mind, darn near half of my life! It's been a trip full of really high highs and really low lows, which makes the middle feel just right.
We live in central Montana, where my husband is a surveyor and works construction for the State of MT, but only until next spring, and I am a stay-at-home mom/rancher/student.
We manage my family's ranch, where we run black angus cow/calf pairs and yearlings. We also sell, direct to consumer, grass fed & grass finished beef.
We do not have a website and can not ship, but if you're local let me know if you're interested!!
I attended Montana State University after HS and got my Masters of Architecture in 2005. I worked professionally at a firm in Billings, which is the largest city in the state, and the firm was one of the largest in the western US. I designed educational facilities: schools and libraries. It was the BEST job - designing for kids is so fun! However, I 'retired' from that career in late 2009, when I was 8 months pregnant with my daughter, Gracie.
I became a stay-at-home mom, probably the hardest thing I've ever done was to leave such a defining career, but as life and maturity has shown, being a SAHM was the best and most amazing move.
My son Gunner, our rainbow baby, was born in 2012.
I am the rancher as my husband works a full-time job, that simply means that I do the day-to-day work. Day-to-day work on the ranch includes: feeding cows in the winter (snowy months, generally November through April), calving heifers (aiding the 1st time mothers) and the older cows in the spring; irrigating our hay fields and pivot, branding calves and trailing cows to summer grass in the late spring, haying - this is a huge job and the whole family works hard at this.
In the summer, the work involves checking cows and water and hauling hay as well as preparing for and bringing cows home in the fall, then shipping the calves (the ranch's main income) in the late fall.
That is a very simplified list of tasks, but if you'd like more detail I can fill you in.
I need a creative outlet fairly often, so I also do a little freelance design work - generally private residences or small remodels. I also like to do little DIY projects, but sometimes I get stuck and then they sit... I really need to finish painting my kitchen cabinets! They are halfway done and it's been 4 years.
The kids work alongside us on the ranch (in their pockets of free time). We feel that there are so many benefits to this type of lifestyle, namely: being connected to the land and knowing where your food comes from and the value of hard work.
This lifestyle also offers understanding, in a very real way, life and death - the death of a baby calf can be gut-wrenching because while it is a lost adorable little sweet baby, it's also lost income; hard work - they have worked long 14+ hour days with us and they share in the profits.
Last but not least, this lifestyle teaches life skills - changing flat tires, adding/changing oil in pickups, driving tractors, backing up trailers, saving kittens, and so many more extraordinary opportunities. This type of lifestyle certainly isn't for everyone but we love it.
My husband will retire from his job in the spring of 2025, so I entered the collegial game in January of 2023 and am pursuing my second masters, MATES - Masters of Arts in Teaching, English Secondary. Student teaching starts in just a few weeks, and I'm hoping it will lead to a job locally. I do trust that God has put me here on this path and that He will provide when the time comes.
Other things to know about me... I share your (Kristen's) disgust for the purity movement from the 90s. I still have my 'True Love Waits' card in my Bible, and it's basically a trigger for uncertainty & fear. I have faced and attempted to work through that purity culture ideal many times and it has affected how I have addressed sex with my own children.
My two favorite people: Gracie, who is now 14.5, LOVES volleyball, and Gunner,12, is a huge NFL/NBA fan, he likes to play basketball. We spend an inordinate amount of time engaged in sports; driving to and from practice & games, and watching.
2. How long have you been reading The Frugal Girl?
I have been reading TFG for at least 14 years.
Right before I had Gracie I quit my job, and within a month the state legislature voted to cut overtime pay for state workers. So we went from a double income plus OT, to a single income in about 6 weeks. It was eye-opening to say the least.
I did manage to keep a fair standard of living and save up about $45,000 over 5-ish years to make a significant downpayment on a house when we moved to the ranch. My in-laws helped us out tremendously by allowing us to live in their rental property for $100 per month during those early years. That was the most significant assist to saving that much money.
My family has loved your pizza crust and chocolate pudding recipes for ages. There was a time when I had the pudding recipe memorized.
3. How did you get interested in saving money?
I have always been frugal - maybe a better word is cheap, I don't know. Even when I was a kid I would put things back and always want but would never ask for things and certainly not buy them! I have a fairly twisted relationship with money and I'm not entirely sure why. My family was quite comfortable when I was a kid, and I have never really 'wanted'.
But I have to be careful to not martyr myself when it comes to purchasing necessities and extras. I have worked quite hard to not pass that part of my personality on to my kids.
4. What's the "why" behind your money-saving efforts?
My 'why' has always been that I do not like debt.
Currently, the only debt that we have are our house and my new student loans, which I have worked to keep minimal.
Fortunately, we have very generous local scholarships for college students, even the very non-traditional ones. All of our vehicles were purchased with cash, they are all at least 12 years old but run great! We wouldn't have student loans but the economy is crushing our dollar and we can't cash flow as much as I'd like.
I also LOVE to be generous. Being able to give makes my heart so happy.
5. What's your best frugal win?
My best frugal win is probably just my family's lifestyle. We are quite rural, 80 miles to the nearest shopping options. Sure, Amazon still gets me sometimes, but just being away from impulse purchases is so good for saving money.
Also, we have to eat at home... there aren't any take-out places even remotely available.
Also, we do eat our own beef. I truly don't know how people make their food budgets work when they have to purchase meat at a grocery store, it is so expensive! But, I look at how much Kristin cooks, and I understand it's for her and her daughter (sometimes) and I think that my daughter could eat all of both of those helpings... so maybe my people just eat a lot!!
My husband is my other win - I can not imagine the daily strain of having to try to manage finances with someone who was completely counter or unwilling to communicate about money.
We don't communicate as much as we probably should because he truly trusts me when it comes to any financial decisions. He is more of a natural spender and I am a natural saver, so he does pull me out of my shell and encourage me to have more fun.
6. What's an embarrassing money mistake you've made?
Oh gosh, this is old.
When I was in college AOL would send out cds for internet service. You had to download the program off of the cd, then put in your debit card info and then you plugged into your phone jack and had internet.
Apparently, I did not fully understand the ramifications of putting my debit card info in because I ended up overdrafting my account and not even being able to use the internet because it was so slow.
I didn't know that it had overdrafted until I went to the ATM where I had a negative balance because it had been auto-drafting for a couple of months. I had to open an investigation and ended up getting all of the fees and such recouped. Such an embarrassing situation!
7. What's one thing you splurge on?
Fuel.
Our kids are in sports 6 days a week and we live 25 miles, one way, from the school. We drive a minimum of 50 miles per day, M - Thu, and Friday and Saturday are variable, could be practice, could be a home game, could be an away game, could be both of us driving different directions. Some of our away games are 3 hours away.
But, this is a short-term thing, we only have a little bit of time with our kids so we will do our best to make it amazing.
8. What's one thing you aren't remotely tempted to splurge on?
Anything aesthetic.
This is so contrary to where I was 20 years ago as a new designer (former architect). But now, nope. My house is a total mishmash of hand-me-down furniture and my clothes are very much geared towards my work.
I know the value in a dollar and it's not worth it to buy decor or items that are only going to be beautiful for a few seasons. Find the things that you love and speak to you. Curating that collection that represents YOU is hard and takes time and looks crazy when you're mid-process but when you look back - each item is special.
9. If $1000 was dropped into your lap today, what would you do with it?
I would put it on my school loans.
10. What's the easiest/hardest part of being frugal?
Sometimes I just want to go shopping. I just want to leave the money stress behind. I want to be irresponsible and crazy and make my (and my kids) wildest dreams come true.
11. Is there anything unique about frugal living in your area?
The rural nature of it.
12. What frugal tips have you tried and abandoned?
Ugghhh... like so many others, couponing. I used to print coupons and try to keep them organized, but then my printer got old, and it wouldn't print the barcode clearly enough to scan it.
So, now I use Ibotta. That's it, it's pretty easy. I 'save' at least $200 per year that I use towards Christmas gifts.
13. What single action or decision has saved you the most money over your life?
While it was not a decision that I knew I was making or consciously thought through... Not having to take out massive student loans the first time I went to college. I went to Montana State - go Bobcats! - where I spent 5 years and received my Masters of Architecture.
I received a full tuition waiver the first year, which was non-renewable (sadly), but I also received a few Pell grants and local scholarships in the preceding years.
The biggest key to my financial success during college was that my dad cash flowed 50% of my undergrad. I worked all through college as a hostess and waitress and paid for my lifestyle bills in undergrad, but he paid for my rent, books, and tuition.
I cash flowed a semester in Europe and laptop purchase including drafting software (which in the early 2000's, laptops were $$$) through selling some stock that my grandparents had set aside for me for the purpose of college expenses. I did have to pay my way through grad school and did take out a small $4,000 loan for that, which was one year.
I only remember calling my mom one time to ask for money. Otherwise, I went without or worked an extra shift. My mom did help me pay off that grad school student loan when I was just out of school. I was very fortunate that my parents were in a position to help me so much.
14. What is something you wish more people knew?
I wish more people knew where their food came from. We sell beef to locals and it is the best meat you can buy and it is cheap! It's a big financial commitment at the time and does require saving up, but on the whole it's cheaper to buy from a rancher/farmer than the store.
We sell whole, half or quarters of beef, all grass-fed and finished. Free range, cage-free (lol), sustainably raised, and no antibiotics. We welcome all of the people who purchase from us to come out to the ranch, see the calves, and spend some time seeing what we do and how we do it. I have even sent videos and pictures to purchasers saying 'Here's your steer, he's being turned out on green grass!'
Knowing where your food comes from, and the people who produce it is so powerful.
It may be difficult to find a local producer but I encourage you to do it. They are happy to meet you and answer questions. Facebook and Instagram are full of producers who will ship.
However, those small boxes are expensive. If you can try to save up some money and buy a quarter of a beef or half of a pig. You will be surprised at how much better the meat quality is, except for maybe bacon. IMHO, store-bought bacon is always better.
But seriously, try to find someone local, or a co-op that sells local products, you will not regret it!
15. How has reading the Frugal Girl changed you?
Like many others, I keep coming back for Kristen!!
Your willingness to be content has helped me to stay in that mindset as well. I recently, about 12 months ago, entered the world of Instagram, and man it is easy to want when that is what you're looking at.
But knowing that there are other like-minded people out there who know that things do not make you happy, helps me to tamp down those feelings of FOMO.
16. Which is your favorite type of post at the Frugal Girl and why?
Oh my gosh, I LOVED the StitchFix posts. Those were a bit ago, but I'll never forget the squirrel sweater.
I appreciate the 'day in the life' posts. It's interesting to see how time is spent, and hard to track my own terrible time management habits!
17. Did you ever receive any financial education in school or from your parents?
Not really. In 5th grade my teacher taught us about checkbooks, rent and such by creating little checkbooks for us and charging us rent for our desks. Now we hardly write checks!
My husband introduced me to Dave Ramsey, I still subscribe to many of those ideas. But I hardly listen to him anymore.
18. Do you have any tips for frugal travel or vacations?
We don't travel. My husband doesn't like to leave Central MT, and honestly, we can't afford it. We are a single-income family, my husband's income. The ranch income that we receive is minimal and quite sporadic - not monthly or even annual.
Well, there's a snapshot into Central Montana. This summer it's been quite dry and we've had terrible grasshoppers. Praying for a great fall and heavy calves. Thank you Kristen!
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Brandi, I really enjoyed reading about your Montana life. The skies you have out there are so beautiful! I love that your kids are learning such practical skills that will serve them throughout their lives.
I chuckled at your AOL disc story; I remember those days. And I smiled at your coupon answer too; so many of us here are used-to-be couponers!
I assume once you are working as a teacher, you'll have fewer hours to put in on the ranch, but your husband will have more. Will you guys sorta swap working roles at that point?
Lastly: you have such lovely eyes!
Brandi- I appreciate and agree with your stance on bacon. We have a local place that is known for their amazing meat, you can chat with the next round grazing next to the parking lot when you stop to shop.. Would buy their meat bundles but HATED the bacon... everyone else thought I was crazy... something I could never explain with their flavoring/texture...
@jes, yes! We have tried many local butchers and have found only one that makes amazing homemade bacon, but he sells it for $12 per lb... too pricey. Same with the texture/flavor/all of it... it's generally just not that great.
@Brandi, holy crap - $12/lb - where do you live??
@Selena, it was select, small batch, and hand made... it was delicious - one of the most amazing things I've ever eaten... but still not worth $12 per lb.
Brandi -- thank you for sharing your ranch and the work involved. I appreciate learning all about that.
Where we live, the meat market closest to us had to close down. I miss buying local meats and hopefully they will re-open some day.
@Maureen, that's too bad. I hope that an opportunity can find you, or you it 🙂
@Brandi,
You have motivated me to go to farmers market. There is a family that has a stall and I can buy from them. I live alone so I only need small amounts.
I loved hearing about your life.
@Kathy M, Wonderful!! You know where it comes from - powerful knowledge!
Such beautiful photos! I remember why Montana is called Big Sky Country. Thank you for sharing your life with us. I love reading about those that live differently than I do. The lives of Frugal Girl Readers are so varied, but some how similar.
I wish that I was nearby. I would love to buy your beef. In Florida, it is hard to find a farmer or rancher anymore. Pre-Disney, Florida was one of the largest cattle producers in the country. Now people live in those swampy cow pastures. So let us know if you ever start shipping.
Bee,
I found my farmers through the local farm tours, but not every place has those. Eatwild lists some of the farms that sell, but not all of them. I hope you find some!
@Bee, yes, FL was a major beef producer, and still is to some extent. I will definitly let you know if we ever ship. The skies here are beautiful. I always say that when I'm old I'll be painting by watercolor all of the pictures of clouds that I have on my phone.
@JD,
Thank you for this resource. I will check it out.
Hi Brandi! Reading this was like listening to my neighbors. 🙂 Except y'all have green grass, which . . . we usually don't. I suspect you carry way more cattle per acre than we do here in semi-arid New Mexico.
@kristin@going country, Oh, and my question! How big is your school? Our high school is tiny--about a dozen students from 7 through 12 grades--while our elementary school is slightly bigger at around 30 students from pre-K through 6th.
@kristin@going country, These pics were all from the last 12 months - and yes we had green grass up until July. Then it hit 100 and we had 20 mph wind for 3 weeks and it became barren and brown very quickly. What was left the grasshoppers shredded... we got 3.5" last week and suddenly hope springs eternal! haha
Last year we had 11 in the high school - a lone senior made the count quite low. This year we have 15, I think. And the elementary classes average 5 students, so 30ish in the elementary. Very similar to your school. How far away is your next neighboring school? Ours is 23 miles and is the school that we co-op with for sports: football, volleyball, cross country, basketball and track.
@Brandi, @kristin,
Hold up...your schools have HOW MANY kids??? How many teachers are there for such a small student body? Here I am on the east coast teaching 20 four year olds at a time and thinking, "damn...I need to move..."
@Becca, tiny!!!!! I am student teaching and will teach at a bigger school 50 miles from where my kids go to school. Those high school classes average 20 or so.
@Brandi, Same. We have a sports co-op with the only other school in our county, which is twenty miles away.
@Becca, We have a pre-K teacher, three elementary teachers (the grades are split K/1, 2/3, 4-6), and an overload of secondary teachers right now, with the expectation that a couple are retiring next year. There are currently five secondary teachers. There are so many this year that they got pulled into recess and lunch duty for the elementary. 🙂 It's a very integrated school between elementary and secondary when it's that small.
@Brandi, Yeah, the grasshoppers have been here for the past two years, too. It's ugly. We did get rain this year, also, however, thankfully after they had done their first attack on the pastures, and a lot of the grass grew back so my neighbors didn't have to start selling off in the middle of the summer.
@kristin@going country, drought and grass hoppers... FUN! We just got 3.5" of rain last week, a true godsend.
As far as teachers in my kids' school: EK/K/1-2/3-4/5-6 - so 5 elementary teachers. HS: English/History, Math, Science, Tech, PE (all grades), Special Education (all grades), Music (all grades) and Art (all grades) - so 8 all grade/JH & HS teachers. We have very good student to teacher ratios. And, I must say we are fortunate to offer art again, we didn't have it for a year or two and it was sad.
Hi, Brandi! I can't imagine a life more different from my own, but it's an amazing one, beautifully photographed here.
But we do have one thing in common: I too believe in buying beef from the producer. As I've often mentioned, DH and I--and now, just I--have bought a 1/4 steer from a friend who raises the animals for over 15 years now. I don't use as much of the beef myself because it *is* just me now, but that leaves more for me to share with friends and neighbors at my cost. I'm certainly not about to give up my place in the queue!
@A. Marie, thank you for the complement! How very generous of you to share at your cost. That is a wonderful way to introduce people to local meat.
I recently spent a few weeks traveling around the northern Great Plains and wondered where are the people? lol It made me very curious and you have given me a very nice insight into who lives in these vast open lands. Thank you! My grandfather was a rancher in Oklahoma and the grocery store, school, church, everything was just a few minutes down the road. So different. I am constantly amazed that no matter where we live we are shaped by the land itself and its history.
@Tiana,
Many years ago, we took an October road trip into Western Montana. It was extraordinarily beautiful, but we hardly saw another person. This is a strange experience for those of us who live on the East Coast.
@Bee,
Two years ago, my family and I took a road trip out West. While we didn't venture into Montana (we were further south), we drove through parts of Wyoming that were barely inhabited. We saw signs for tiny towns of only a few hundred people apiece....so not like where I live in Ohio. Beautiful country, though.
@Liz B., My younger son lived in Wyoming. It is also desolate, but as you have said beautiful. The town he lived in was large - 7500 people. When he needed to see an oral surgeon, he drove more than 3 hours and spent the night. He is now in a graduate program on the East Coast and complains about people and traffic. I’m sure he will head West again.
@Tiana, people are certainly sparse. But it's a wonderful place to be - the community is quite strong even if we are spread out 🙂
Hi! NE Washington here. Born and raised on a dairy, with an agriculture degree. We raise our own beef and I contributed to Meet a Reader a while back. I just finished a teaching degree, Secondary Science, so your post felt really relevant and relatable. We also live rural, and I understand the driving and driving for kid things.
I love it when I see fellow farmers here in this space.
Fun note: our oldest daughter is considering Montana State right now, but is leaning toward University of Idaho in Moscow. She wants to be an Ag Extension Agent.
Our neighbor girl just graduated as a Griz. She focused on Ag Law.
Loved this post from you. Thank you for sharing your life.
@Denise, Thank you! I can see Moscow being a win as it's closer to home and probably quite a bit cheaper to live. Bozeman is $$$.
Hi Brandi! Just curious why you didn't go back to your architectural job instead of new career/student loans etc..? The ranch is the best place to raise a family. Good job!
@Gineva, we have debated a return to architecture for years and it basically came down to a few different things. First being that I've been out of the corporate game for 15 years. The new drafting software would take me months to learn. A drafting job would be year round, and partially in an office (at the minimum). School here in Central MT is a 4 day a week gig, and summers start the end of May and last till late Aug. It was worth the student loans, which we'll get paid off in 24 months, to have the same schedule as my kids, availability to work on the ranch in the summer (haying), and not feel like a dinosaur try to learn all the new architectural tricks!
@Brandi, what a shame that your architectural skills and talents are sidelined due to computers. . . I'm glad to hear that you do freelance work, because that is a fantastic skill. Sounds as if the teaching decision is the right one for you now.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, I generally do a freelance project each year. There have been homes, remodels, additions etc... it's enough. I recently sat on the Board of our local community center - an alumni gave $5M to build it and I got to stretch out my architectural muscles; not just design but the entire construction administration process as well.
@Brandi,
Makes sense! Thanks for explaining. Good decision. (Were not far from Montana, just over the Canadian border!)
Hi Brandi, I enjoyed reading your post. I loved the picture of Sugar! We've never been to Montana but would love to visit the state someday.
@Beverly, Sugar is a sweetheart. She has a huge heifer (female) calf this year so we will keep her to make a cow out of her. Hopefully she's as sweet as her mama.
What an interesting interview- thanks for taking the time to do it. I particularly resonated with your comment about Kristin modeling contentment (especially in the midst of challenges). I think that is one of the reasons she has so many loyal followers.
I encourage you to check out PEO International to see if you qualify for a grant or loan. They are always looking to support women who are pursuing education, particularly after a break in education. I believe Kristin has been a recipient of one or more from PEO. Their loans are very reasonable (low interest, not predatory). If you qualify, a chapter can sponsor you and it can be done remotely. Please take a look at their website.
@Jean C, I second that! Specifically, look into the Program for Continuing Education -PCE.
@Jean C, Thank you for the information! I will look into it. I am starting my final term on Oct 1, just a few days away so I may be too far into my journey to qualify.
So nice to meet you. I have never been to Montana!
Loved the post.
@Stephanie, thank you - same 🙂
Montana is on my bucket list for travel, so thanks for a little virtual tour! You have a very busy life, very different from mine, so this was an interesting read. Thanks for contributing.
@Kris, Montana is vast and radically different from East to West and North to South. Make sure you explore all of it!
We just used the Basic Pizza recipe last night!
We have been buying chicken, eggs, and pork from a local farm for years. They are always inviting us out to see the animals (and even help in slaughtering) but I just can’t do it, as hypocritical as that may be.
Good luck with your degree!
@DCO, I understand that. It's an incredible cycle, we don't need to see all of it to know that it's good. Thank you!
I loved seeing your post. Yes to buying local meat! We found a local rancher during the pandemic and buy a quarter of a cow every year (There are only two of us.) Best meat ever and a good deal, too. We have also purchased chicken from a couple of different local people. And I laughed at your comment about bacon because, yeah, the one time we purchased it locally, we weren't impressed. Good luck with your teaching!
@Cindi, that is great! Now you just need some chickens! Thank you 🙂
I enjoyed reading about your life Brandi! I grew up on a small beef cattle farm, so many of the things you do were familiar to me. All through high school my summer job was in the hayfields.
Several years ago, my dad was seriously ill and I spent two weeks helping out while he recuperated. My mom took care of the cooking and I did all the outside farm work… I loved it!
@Addy, haying is one of my favorites. Its sort of isolating, but I swath (the giant lawn mower) and I think its the prettiest part. I get to see it all untouched and then neatly put into rows.
Hi Brandi, it's nice to meet you! You sound super busy with student life, parenting, and ranching. I so relate to your point about Instagram, it's refreshing to come to this little spot of the internet where there is almost no push to spend. I love that your ranch is hyper local. It's cool that you are feeding your community.
@Andrea G / Midwest Andrea, agree on this being a refreshing oasis in a sea of selling.
Brandi,
Thanks for a wonderful read. Meet the Reader posts are usually not my favorite, but yours was so very interesting. Great job!
My daughter is looking at architecture as a major in college, she's currently a HS junior. Do you have any resources you would recommend I direct her to? She really likes design.
Thanks again!
@Michelle, oh gosh, like I said earlier I've been out of the corporate game for 15 years. Things I would recommend: be open minded to different designers, really try to put your self in their mindset to understand why things are the way they are. Many, maybe most, people never realize the amount of intellectualization that has been applied to the spaces that they inhabit. But, size of the window, the color of the the tile, or change in wall texture happens for a reason. I would also become clear on if she wants to be an interior designer or an architect - major differences. When in school, travel. Get to Europe, go to Greece and Italy, stand in the ruins - its quite powerful. Prior to school I would just explore - find the things she likes and try to figure out why she likes them. Also, if she can get on a construction crew and learn some basic building techniques she'll be light years ahead when it comes to understanding how buildings go together.
@Brandi, thank you!
Hi, Brandi,
You've given me a craving to go to Montana - just not in the winter.
I found local farmers and buy their dairy, beef, pork and lamb, although I buy some in the stores, too. Coming from a farming background myself, I admire farmers and ranchers. That's one reason why I support the local farmers. The people who raise our food are special.
Most of our local farmers use a couple of local processors who produce their own sausage and bacon, and I'd stack their bacon against anyone's!
Your frugal mistake was funny, and you reminded me of when I was a young adult and ordered a cookbook without reading the fine print. Well - I got an auto order of cookbooks coming one at a time each month in the mail, much to my horror. The return window was so narrow I could never catch it, but I finally got the flow stopped. I did actually use them some, and many years later, I donated them to a school fundraising yard sale. The student to whom I donated them told me the entire set sold first thing and was his biggest ticket item, so that made me feel a little better.
Thanks for posting.
@JD, Great story - at least it had a happy ending! Someone really really wanted those cookbooks!
My wife and I lost three (two miscarriages and then born early and asleep) and in the end there was no rainbow baby for us so I am very happy that you got your rainbow after the storm and that you acknowledge him as such.
With that said, I totally get #10. My wife and I are finally at a place where we can say we are doing okay and while I can't give my family everything, there are times I just want to spend a little extra money outside of the budgets and go crazy spoiling my wife and daughter!
@Battra92, I am so sorry for your losses. Gunner is a tremendous treasure and the one we didn't know we needed.
#10 - YES! Wouldn't it be nice? But delaying gratification is a sure sign of maturity... haha
@Battra92, thank you for explaining about "rainbow" baby. I kept looking at Gunner's hair to see if it was dyed a bunch of colors.
Nebraska checking in. The bacon from my family farm is the thing dreams are made of. Paired with a peak season tomato on a sandwich is perfection.
@Walnut, I am jealous!!! I can't imagine how delicious that sandwich would be.
Thank you so much for sharing a really interesting life! My first thought was how lucky your kids are to grow up with something many kids don't have these days---the feeling of being essential to the functioning of a family, of being needed. I think true self-esteem is built on that, not on trophies for participation or parents saying "good job" endlessly. If you are of value to someone, you realize you have gifts and are competent and valuable. And I agree with Kristen, you have arresting eyes.
@Lindsey, Thank You! Yes, our kids are very aware of their value and are sometimes so confident and sure of themselves it's scary!
Being in the middle of no where sounds peaceful! I love the country. We actually have four rainbow grandchildren. I have never had a miscarriage, so thus it is a difficult thing to know how those feelings of grief are. I do know those babies are a definite blessing!
I too love to buy beef and pork from our local neighbor who feeds the animals the good stuff! The meat is awesome!
Best wishes in your future endeavors!
@joy in NW Iowa, thank you!
I just can't wrap my head around the idea of your state legislature voting to OT pay for workers. I'm a gov't worker myself and it's like... okay? So I don't work OT then? This isn't a charity? You don't work for free, why would I?
*shakes head* Politics, man. Sigh.
@Kate, Basically they cut the opportunity for OT, so he went from making 2x his salary (because of the OT) to making only his salary at the same time I quit my job. Yikes! So even if there was work to be done, the state employees couldn't do it. It was unfortunate and hard on many many people.
Brandi, thanks for sharing! My sisters in laws live outside of Bozeman on a monster piece of land, but they got rid of the cows a few years ago.
What do you do with the organ meat? Have you ever eaten it? Weird questions, I know. I've heard it's healthy, but I haven't dared to try.
Do you follow any architecture magazines or sites or trends or are you mentally retired from that as well?
Are you planning to teach high school?
@April, we give all of the organs to my dad's cousin, she grinds them up and makes dog treats! I have never tried organs, I think I'd have to be pretty desperate to do that.
I don't follow anything architectural in particular. I still engage intellectually when I'm in new spaces or particularly designed spaces. I have always been interested in textures, so building materials always catch my eye. Its kind of hit and miss though.
And, yes, JH and HS English.
@Brandi, I'm not a liver person, but I did have beef heart a few times, and it was amazing! If you haven't tried it, the way I had it prepared was that it was small bite size pieces skewered and grilled. It's tender like filet and super beefy, like a great ribeye.
@Heather, well I do like a ribeye... and if I didn't know what it was I'd probably be game for trying it!
Thanks for sharing your story, Brandi! I love all the diversity among the FG readers and hearing about everyone's interesting lives. I agree, your eyes are gorgeous 🙂 oh, and I hope your daughter enjoys volleyball for many years to come! I've played competitively for about 30 years (since middle school), and the sport continually brings me SO much joy!
@PD, the diversity is great! And mildly surprising I think.
I hope Gracie enjoys it for as long as she can. Personally I think she could play at many of our junior colleges, but we will see if she needs a break when college time rolls around.
Thanks for sharing, Brandi! I loved getting a glimpse into your life. My oldest kid is in 5th grade, so hearing about your sports life was encouraging to me.
I'm with you on the beef, but have to disagree on the bacon. We got a pig from my farmer cousins and it is hands-down the BEST bacon we've ever had. 😉
Thanks for sharing with us! I was so excited to see a new Meet a Reader post.
@Ruth T, I am jealous of your tasty bacon. Seriously!
Sports are just getting going for you, buckle in! It's going to be expensive and amazing at the same time 🙂
Hi Brandi - thanks for giving us a peek into your life! My husband and I were just wondering when our "break even" point was - the date we will have been with each other longer than we were apart. It's coming up, and as you said, it was a shock to realize that.
I imagine working in architecture could feel very impactful. When I worked in education research, I once studied a school that had been designed and built to facilitate particular aspects of their program (focusing on the school-to-work transition of the students). I loved how the building itself, instead of being standardized, was created to serve their programming! My niece has since gone into a program for interior architectural design, and I really enjoy hearing about the projects she designs.
Thanks for sharing pictures of you and your family; it feels even more like we're "meeting" you. (And Sugar the cow looks like she has a lot of personality too : )
@Suz, Yes!! intentional design can make everything more successful!
I like pictures of people too, so I was happy to include them.
Brandi,
If you get back to Frisco TX for another game, you should go see the public library. It's only 1/2 a mile south of Toyota Stadium and well worth a visit.
@Librarian, I went on a personalized tour of that library this past spring, and it really was amazing in so many ways!! 🙂 I bet Brandi, as a former architect, would appreciate the very cool re-purposed space.
Let me know if you're interested, Brandi, and I can hook you up with a tour!
@Brandi, @PD is right that not many libraries are built in a repurposed rocket parts factories and feature a 22' tall T-rex skeleton.
@Librarian, good to know!
@PD, I will let you know. My dad took Gunner down to visit my sister and her family for the football game. My sister lives in Southlake. I haven't had a chance to get down there yet. I love a repurposed space.
Nice learning a bit about you, Brandi!
Thanks for sharing a bit of your life with us, Brandi! It sounds like the ranching life is hard but rewarding.
Do other relatives help out as well? I might be reading into it, but it sounds like maybe the land has been in the family for a few generations.
We just started raising beef steer a little over a year ago, on a much smaller scale though. The quality can't be beat when you grow it yourself!
@JP, when I was a kid the ranch was much much bigger. It consisted of my grandparents, my 2 uncles and my dad, and of course everyone’s families, as well as two hired men. But, as the 3rd generation generally does, the ranch was divided so that each brother (my dad & his two brothers) each have their own ‘place’. My grandparents retired. I have two male cousins, with lovely families, who live within 5 miles and we work cooperatively, but we are not together. My little family of four make it happen on our chunk.
Brandi, it is a real treat to peek into your life. The diversity of readers here is fascinating.
A list of thoughts for you:
1. You are raising your kids so well—teaching self-sufficiency, delayed gratification, responsibility, and some great life skills. I am very impressed that you have made the decision to do whatever driving is necessary in this short window of their lives.
2. I love your photos (those skies! Gunner and Chad!), and have loved all the parts of Montana that I have seen. (Too bad so much of it has been discovered by celebrities. . . sigh.)
3. I bet your husband is dying to retire and be self-employed; I hope his insurance comes with retirement for you all.
4. Ask your kids to finish painting the kitchen cabinets!
5. I'm with you on wishing more people knew where their food comes from. My farmer dad (died in 2000) used to say (sarcastically), "What do we need farmers for? We have grocery stores!"
6. Do you read The Pioneer Woman https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/confessions/? Seems as if parts of her life (the normal non-glamorous parts) would resonate with you.
7. I just started reading "American Harvest: God, Country, and Farming in the Heartland" by Marie Matsuki Mockett. You probably don't have a lot of time for reading right now, but you might want to put this on your To-Be-Read list. Excellent book so far.
Thank you for letting us into your world.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, thank you for all of the comments!
1. The days & miles are long, but the years are short. I am already teary eyed and we have 3.5 more years with Gracie.
2. Yes, I love clouds. I have hundreds of cloud photos on my phone and I'll know when I'm old because I'll have time to try to recreate them with watercolors.
3. Literally dying... he can not wait.
4. Ha! I'm still a bit too much of a control freak for that!
5. Yes, general knowledge of our food production systems could be life changing for some people.
6. I do not, but I know who she is. She is a riot!
7. I wish I had time to read. I'll add it to my list. Thank you
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, I doubt if the confession goes into any detail as to how her husband's family got their money. Suffice it to say she's off my list.
Disgust doesn't begin to describe the "purity" movement. It is borderline incest IMHO.
I have to disagree with store bought bacon - local butcher shop, if there is one in your area, is the place to buy bacon as well as all of your meat. Growing up, my folks always purchased 1/2 beef (usually the liver was condemned).
I must have missed when the overseas college study became a thing. My kiddos did it but we told them we weren't paying for it. One kiddo's scholarship paid for most of that kid's but the other saved up money. We did pay for food, sundries (shampoo etc.), and public transportation. We also drew a hard line re: spring break. If you have money for spring break, that money is going to college expenses.
We also limited the number of extracurricular activities when they were in high school. Our travel distance was much shorter than yours (despite living out in the country). Working during the school year was prohibited. AP classes garnered far more than any during the school year job.
And I hope the state "cutting" OT pay meant no one worked OT. Otherwise pure wage theft but I suspect decent paying jobs in most parts of MT are hard to find.
COVID-19 threw a curve ball into the supply chain. May the country be better prepared come the next pandemic.
But I will say, no shrinkflation when comes to livestock. You might buy smaller cuts but the source doesn't get smaller.
@Selena, My college experience was pretty great. I did work the whole time, which I enjoyed. Architecture school can be completely consuming, meaning, your friends are in your classes, and at the desk next to you when you're in hall for 36 hours building models, and then you all live together because you honestly haven't met anyone from a different major. It was good to have that alternate location. I also traveled to Santa Barbara and San Antonio for Spring Breaks - to visit my HS BFFs, nothing too exciting there and pretty frugal trips.
I suppose I over simplified the OT cut. The state legislature voted to decrease funding for DOT salaries, so working OT was no longer an option, workers still earned their base rate hourly wages, but there was nothing for OT. Following that there was a decade of zero cost of living increases. All of it was a huge hit to our early years DINK budget.
I love the sheen on that calf's hair!
There are many options to buy local, grass fed beef where I live, one of the advantages of living in the country. The price is higher but fortunately we can afford, also as we are eating smaller meals now than we did in our forties. But I can recall it was quite a chunk from our budget when our kids were adolescents.
I am impressed with how you keep up with all those sports activities by the way! A lot if planning but especially - such a lot of travel!
@JNL, Interesting that the price is higher for locally raised meats. Our price is inline with store bought organic burger - and that's the price per pound on a hanging carcass so the purchaser gets steaks, roasts, briskets, etc... for the one price.
Who remembers the DOUBLE COUPON DAYS?? I did it back then but of course not now. We eat so fresh and simple nothign Ibuy is on a coupon, and Ibuuy store brandstoo.
It is interesting to get a glimpse inside the lives of readers who live so differently than I do.. always an eye opener.It’s fun to see how many different kinds of folks read this blog!!
@Madeline, Ibotta is amazing for dishwasher pods, coupons on shampoo/conditioner if you're not brand loyal, and Allegra products. My husband and son have terrible allergies so the $10 off coupon is awesome.
Brandi - thank you for promoting ranch life! My husband and I were raised on large grain farms and raised our 4 kids on the farm. They are all adults, but still involved in the family farm business. We do not have livestock, but have always gotten our meat from local farmers. Farm/ranch life is the BEST way to live. Thanks for sharing your life and your beautiful pictures of Montana.
@Ohio Farmwife, 100% agree! We love feeding America!
Your ranch is so beautiful!
Did you all go along with renting your desks in 5th grade?
My 7th grade math teacher tried to rent us our desks, too. He must’ve gone to some conference. He was always coming in all charged up with new ideas. As 13 year olds, it was pretty much our duty to rain on his parade. Anyhow, he drew up employment contracts and rental contracts and explained how learning was our job. It was a very elaborate system. As soon as he finished explaining it, we all got up and went and sat in the hallway. He was dumbfounded. We told him we weren’t interested in the job or the accommodations. Poor guy. I have a 7th grader of my own now and I feel like I ought to track him down and apologize.
@Tarynkay, This is the funniest story I have ever heard!! Yes, we did. We were 5th graders and not very wise yet!! I can't remember how we 'earned' but we paid rent on the desk as well as utilities and such. It was a great life skills exercise.
Thank you - yes I love it, it's stunning.
thanks for sharing. great post. this city girl can't even wrap her head around being so far from shopping. trader joe's is one block from my apt and target is a half block from my apt. popeye's and mcdonalds are two blocks away. i don't even own a car although my kids 16 and 13 know to buy a used one with cash. to park it will cost almost as much as our rent. good luck to you. your photos are FAB. i wish you all the best.
@Anita Isaac, Whoa! And I can't wrap my mind around paying for parking!! We have 5 vehicles for 2 licensed drivers... lol
Thank you!
Hi Brandi,
We just moved to western Montana from California this summer. I am a former Griz and always loved it here, so glad I finally got to bring my family here to love it as well. I would be very interested in finding out more about your meat sales and prices. We still aren't fully settled in yet (no freezer yet, among other things) so I wouldn't be able to purchase a half or quarter cow until next year, but would love to plan for it.
Thank you for sharing your life with us.
@Amy, Hi! When did you play for U0fM?? I know a few former players.
You can find me on Instgram @dbgg_lang, message me there and we'll try to get something figured out 🙂
@Brandi, I just followed you on Instagram @sun7flourkelley I don't post anything, just lurk (-; I wasn't an athlete, but I studied German and music from 92-96.
@Amy, I followed you back... I lurk a bit too, but try to share some fun ranchy stuff. Our next butcher date may be in the spring depending on some stuff, but we will definitely have a fall date so let me know.
Brandi -
Best meet a reader ever! I really enjoyed reading and seeing all the pics. Thank you for sharing.
@Tracy T, Awwwe, thanks!
This is my favorite meet the reader. (no offense to the others. 🙂 Maybe because we live similar lifestyles.
I recommend finding a local meat producer to buy from as well. My son and DIL raise all of our meat. Taste, quality, and price is so much better.
@Wendy G, the quality of locally grown beef, direct from the producer, is not even comparable. One year we ran out of beef before our butcher date and I had to buy burger from one of our local grocery stores. They purchase local critters and cut them themselves, but the burger so was so awful! It was so ground and mixed that it just cooked away into nothing and stayed in those weird little ground worm shapes. I have never run out of our meat again lol!
Thank you!!
Quite the story. Life in central Montana is hard but rewarding. Only those who live there will understand your existence. Few women could do it. You have had some financial help along the way, but made your way through hard work. This country needs more women like you and less "influencers". I wish your family prosperity; ranching is hard. I buy local beef in the Gallatin valley. Go Bobcats!
@Michael, wow! That is such a deep complement. Thank you.
I often look around my community and see the other moms who are the ranchers - there are a couple of us, and reflect on how this will affect our children. It makes me glad to have a daughter who is not only witnessing my involvement in the operation, but who is also involved in a very real way in the every day work. This will not only affect my daughter, but also my son, who will hopefully look for a partner who is a true partner, not a princess to be taken care of but someone who will roll up their sleeves and meet him in the 'work' of life. .
Go Cats!! My husband is originally from Melstone, so we cheer for the Grebe's extra loud 🙂
Kristin - Thanks for posting and hosting! This has been fun! I wasn't sure how rural America and my strong opinions would be received - but it is relieving to me that so many of your readers are already getting their meat from local producers. The diverse readership is also truly amazing - there are so many folks here who are like-minded and always have lovely comments and insight.
Have a great semester/term, I am starting mine today, with student teaching beginning on the 14th.