Now that I that I have started on to my first permanent job, I have also started on a very ambitious goal at the same time—to save at least 10% of my earnings.

Admittedly, I am not making a lot of money on my first job. There are plenty of good things that I could be spending my money on rather just putting it in the bank. Yet, I am committed to saving and not touching the money. This money will go into my 'farm fund'.

The 'farm fund' will be used for me eventually to invest in land that I will someday live on and hobby farm on. Depending on what I can afford and desire to have later on life, will ultimately decide whether or not I will use this land to build a truly eco-friendly house and farm on, or use an existing structure. Yet my goal is clear, to have acreage where I can live on, raise a family and livestock too.

Compared to most people who have just recently graduated from college I am relatively well off. I have no debt, and have some money from previous investments. I want to use as much as that money as possible to roll into the 'farm fund' in one way or another. This money will start out the farm fund, but additional money will be added with my aggressive saving plan.

People warn me that this plan with difficult to almost impossible to achieve. They say that 10% is a lot of money to take out of each paycheck, and that I will have bills and emergencies that will eat up that money. There will be desires for new toys that will seem more pressing my then long-term savings goals.

Yet, I believe I can overcome those things.

I have always lived a simple life. I don't think I will own a lot of toys or have lots of bills. My apartment will be simple, and I won't have cable television or internet at home. I have a fast laptop, running free software like Linux, a tough and safe case that protects it, and free Wi-Fi hotspots at the public library and other public places suit me well.

I plan to eat locally whenever possible, and avoid supermarkets and all the unhealthy and expensive-in-mass boondoggles they sell as cheap products. My pickup truck will hopefully last for several more years, particularly if I can live somewhere I don't have to drive it far everyday. I don't have to own the prettiest truck on the block if it gets me from place to place.

I also plan to put the money away safe from my own use. I am considering investing this money in certificate of deposits (CDs) or in bonds, where the money can not be touched for several years. There maybe emergencies in my life, but that does not mean have I have to be draining money from the 'farm fund'.

My current lifestyle suits me well for this kind of savings. I hope to be also participating in the state pension system or my employers' 401-K program to the maximum amount possible. This might make life difficult for me without all the toys of my friends, but I have learned to struggle in the past. After all this my life and my future.

At the end of the day, the 'farm fund' is not about farming and cows directly. It's about living a lifestyle minimally with a minimal impact on our earth. It's also about choosing a lifestyle is healthier for myself, and caring about my world tomorrow. It also is a good investment in my retirement, that will pay dividends long before I retire.