Here we are, in the third year of the pandemic now, and more and more people are turning to homesteading. This is a great thing! I see posts on social media every day from people looking to get out of where they are, get a patch of land, raise animals and grow veggies, and try to live a more self-sustainable lifestyle. While this has meant that rural land prices are higher than ever, it does mean that more people are getting serious about changing their lifestyle for the better.
I often see people asking what they need to do or how they need to start when looking to homestead, and as always, I have a few thoughts. First of all, homesteading is a mindset and lifestyle that can be lived anywhere, urban, suburban, or rural. You don't need 40 acres and 100 chickens to be a homesteader. Homesteading is, by definition, subsistence farming, or the way many millions of people around the world still live. It is about using the resources you have, starting with what is closest to you, to provide for yourself and your family. That can be done anywhere, even in an apartment. Changing that mindset is the best place to start. Homesteaders make do or do without, as my grandparents and parents emphasized when I was a kid. In other words, homesteaders eat fresh in season and preserve for out of season, mend and repair their belongings and tools until there is no other option but to buy new, care for the land by composting and conserving water, and so much more. Granted, not all homesteaders do all of it, but the mindset is there: make do or do without. Once you decide to change your mindset, start by looking around your home. What do you have that you don't need that you can give away or sell, what do you still need that you have to save up for, what resources do you have available that could help your family live better? Do you have a patch of land close by you could put a garden in? If not, do you have a window or two you could grow herbs in? If not, do you have a CSA or farm nearby you could barter work for produce or meat? What do you want to do, and what do you already have to make that happen? A big limiting factor is always the budget. Changing your mindset from a consumer-based one to a homesteader-based one can be very difficult, but it sure can help the budget. If you are dealing with debt, starting there and digging out of debt is often a huge part of a homestead's success. Starting with the mindset change and then working on getting your budget under control are the best ways to start. The next thing I always recommend is learning the skills long before you move out onto the many acres or go off grid. Start by learning how to cook. I mean, really cook. You should be able to make good meals out of any fruit or vegetable you grow or any animal you raise for food. You also need to know what to do about leftovers, making them into the next meal or incorporating them so they don't all go in the compost. Cooking leads to baking and canning and preserving food. Making your own bread, jams, canned soups, all of it is so very rewarding, and if you're using foods you have grown or raised yourself, it's even better. I'm not saying you can never eat out again, but start by cutting down how often you do and replacing that meal with one you have made from scratch. Look for old cookbooks with good recipes that don't depend on specific grocery store items. Learn how to make your own from scratch, starting simple and adding on from there. The more skills you have in the kitchen, the easier homesteading becomes. Side note: Before getting any animals, please, please, please read up on them beforehand and make sure that you have a safe, secure space for them and know what and how much to feed them and how to handle illnesses and predators. Every spring, people head to farm stores to get cute little chicks and ducklings only to end up killing them due to neglect or abuse or, just as bad, dumping them by lakes and streams or local farms when they get big and start eating too much. Any animal in your care is your responsibility, and even if you are raising that animal for food, it is your job to make sure that animal lives the best life possible. Stressed animals do not make for good food, and diseased animals cannot be used for food. Animals dying before their time, when it was preventable and your responsibility, is a horrible, sad waste of that animal's life that was in your care, not to mention your time, efforts, and money. Do not depend on the people working in the farm stores to tell you everything you need to know, as they often really don't know much. Get books, read blogs and websites, join groups online, and learn as much as you can and have a plan and resources in place, with backup plans, before that animal comes home with you. Other than kitchen skills, there is so much more to learn and practice before heading out to the big new homestead. Learn how to garden, at least on a basic level, as gardens every year are experiments. Learn how to start seeds and actually keep them alive after planting (those always seem to be two different things to me). Weeding is a skill, a highly needed one, especially efficient weeding and mulching that also feed your soil. Start reading up now on the various gardening methods, take a class, follow gardeners on YouTube, and see what you can learn. You might be surprised what your local county extension office offers. Learning how to reuse items, mend and make clothing, fix cars and other things with engines, build needed structures, stay in a budget--all of these are critical skills for any homesteader. For example, my husband fixed our furnace last night for free. He figured out the part that was needed, already had one on hand in his boxes of various parts he's collected, looked up some stuff, and replaced it, saving us so very much money. That helped us have heat, stay in budget, and so much more. He's also in charge of fixing our cars, and it's amazing to me what-all he can do and has learned how to do from watching YouTube. If he can do that, you can, too. Start with the skills and the mindset, and the move to the homestead will be so much easier for everyone.
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CarinaI'm a 40s something disabled mom living the life on our small urban farm. Archives
April 2022
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