Homesteading vs Prepping.
Emergency Preparedness vs Homesteaders.
Self-sufficient vs Prepared.
Terms you see thrown around all the time. And they often have distinct groups of people who go down these paths. It’s possible they might be just labels and totally interchangeable.
From the outside, someone could look at both activities as one and the same. However, there are some key differences between the two that lie under the surface.
Yet in the end, they can complement each other towards a similar goal of long-term self-sufficiency and survival.
What is homesteading?
According to Merriam-Webster, homesteading is defined as “the act or practice of living frugally or self-sufficiently (as on a homestead), especially by growing and preserving food”.
Generally, this means working towards living off the land you have. Raising animals, gardening, and avoiding the grocery store all count as homesteading. Learning to collect water and other resources also counts as homesteading.
I believe that you can homestead no matter where you are. Sure, you might not be able to raise animals or grow a large garden while living in an apartment. But you can certainly work towards growing some food and preserving what you can, even if it’s purchased at the store.
What is prepping?
Prepping, short for preparing is defined in the dictionary as “to make ready beforehand for some purpose, use, or activity” and “to work out the details of; plan in advance”.
Of course, in modern-day terms, this comes with images of people stock-piling guns, ammo, freeze-dried rations, and building underground shelters. A die-hard prepper focuses on the key things they feel will be needed to survive when the world collapses.
Most preppers are not out to showcase their stores to just anyone. If everyone knows what they have, then the security they have built for themselves if compromised.
Key differences
While by no means everyone, most preppers tend to think in terms of the end. They have a plan in place so if their regular life is interrupted they can focus solely on living through a disaster. Homesteaders on the other hand are out to become self-sufficient today and into the future.
While someone homesteading will plan, those plans are often focused on the here and now as well. Grow a garden vs purchase ready-made food. Using radio as a hobby to communicate with friends and build community vs radios to maintain communications through the end. For preppers, this may even include protecting their equipment from threats, such as theft and EMPs.
Can you be both?
Of course. Being a homesteader naturally involves some preparedness factors. Plans for animals and family in case of wildfires. Stocking up food so you don’t need to go shopping as often. And odds out, you probably own at least one gun to hunt or protect your livestock.
And certainly, some aspects of the preparedness life can apply to homesteading, such as creating a community before something major happens.
In my opinion, they both complement each other. You can totally be a homesteader and be considered a prepper. The divide comes from the activities you choose to engage in.
You might not be enough of a prepper to be in certain circles if you are not all about creating a hidden store of things. But those jars are the shelves are just as good as the freeze-dried stocks most preppers like to hoard. Sure, their food might last a little longer, but it’s likely yours will taste better. And you can stock your food back up for a relatively low cost.
Prepping and Homesteading are relative
In any given circle, you will run into people who feel you are not enough of one or the other. Some feel it’s an all-or-nothing proposition.
You can’t be a homesteader if you don’t have lots of land, animals, and a garden that always feeds your whole family. You can’t be a prepper if you have not stocked 100 guns and have an underground shelter in the woods.
There will always be extremes. You don’t have to go to the extreme.
You can simply do what you can as a homesteader and enjoy doing things that qualify as preparedness. Simple tasks like having a 72-hour kit ready to go. Or getting your HAM radio license.
You are likely already doing many tasks that fit under both. You might as well just wear both hats and participate in the areas that you find enjoyable. Find groups and events that you enjoy going to.
Don’t shoe-horn yourself into a single term. And certainly, don’t feel like you need to be all in to fit in.
Just be a prepared homesteader.
