I went to college in the '70s because I had scholarships, use them or lose them. I didn't know what I wanted to "be." I ended up with a B.A. in teaching, but soon found I didn't enjoy teaching at all. When I got married, I "retired" from my brief career and became a full time home-maker. And discovered that's what I really wanted to do! I taught my children at home, and we always had a big garden, and sometimes we raised chickens. I had grown up in a family of limited means, so making do with limited finances was not new to me. I don't regret those decisions at all. My children are grown now, and I am ready to scale back the gardening and the DIY approach to life, but that's ok. We don't have to keep on doing the same things forever. If "homesteading" became a necessity for survival some day, at least my kids and husband and I know how to manage!