Homesteading. Such a novel concept. And if Instagram is to be believed, it’s as simple as buying some land, planting a garden, buying a few chickens and poof. Your homesteading dreams all come true.
But is homesteading really that easy? Feeding those chickens in frigid wintry weather through inches (or feet) of snow says otherwise.
Social media is fake
Homesteading is a lot of work. So, while you might have fallen in love with the idea of homesteading through the lens of social media, it’s not that way. At least most of the time.
People will spend hours trying to make that perfect shot. Their farmhouse kitchen looks great through the camera. Yet what is often on the other side is mess and confusion.
What we see is far from reality. Because let’s face it, who wants to show off their messy house?
There is a big movement on social media of people showing off the real life of homesteading. The dirt and mud. And before you commit to the homesteading life, I would encourage you to look at the real-life photos.
Homesteading is messy
Everyone wants the perfect property. And you might be able to get there with enough money. However, I don’t think by the time you make it “perfect” you will be homesteading anymore.
If dirt is not your thing, then homesteading is not for you. A dirty home will happen. The kids will come in with mud on their boots and walk from the front door to the back just to get a drink.
Animals are messy. I don’t care how many times you have seen people giving their chickens a regular bath. That’s not reality. Reality is learning to live with the dirt. Embracing it and feeling comfort in the dirt.
If you choose a homesteading life, you are choosing a messy life. And that’s okay. The rest of the homesteading community is not going to judge you for it.
I will caution you though. Messy is not a lack of effort. Just because homesteading is messy, does not mean we can in turn live like the pigs outside. That’s just asking for problems.
Homesteading is work
You won’t find many homesteaders with both adults working a 9-5 and only running the homestead on the weekend.
Because homesteading requires daily effort. If you don’t feed your animals each day, soon you won’t have any. Gardens require tending.
There are only so many hours in a day. If you spend each day working an outside job and come home to piles of chores, you are going to burn out. And the first thing to get rid of will be your homestead.
Plan on spending time working in your homestead. Notice, I said IN. You will need to devote time to making those projects happen. Your daily effort is what turns your property into a homestead. Being gone all day gives you no IN time.
It’s unlikely the goat is going to give birth on the perfect day when it’s 70 degrees in a bed of fresh rose petals. Sorry, it won’t work that way. Instead, it’s all but inevitable they will have their babies in the middle of the night, when it’s freezing, and you need to be up early to handle something else the next day.
That’s homesteading life.
I also wrote an article on homesteading with a disability that you might want to check out.
Homesteading costs money
Yes, someday you might create enough to sustain your family. But you likely won’t start out there.
Property costs money. Tools cost money. Materials to build the chicken coop or put up fencing cost money. Even working dirt to grow a garden costs money in seeds and such.
If you are not prepared to spend the upfront cash to get what you are after, be prepared to spend time and make tons of connections to find the right free things. Trading is always an option. And people throw away plenty of good items you might be able to repurpose. But under everything, there will still be money.
If you don’t have all the money right now, that’s fine too. You can always start small. Buy a little here and a little there. Set a good budget, don’t go overboard, and work on it through time.
Don’t be discouraged when it takes way longer than you expected. Because it probably will.
Dreaming shouldn’t stop when it gets tough
Life does not work the same way anymore. People are city animals. Or suburbs. And they get the “bug” and decide one day to homestead.
Yet the “bug” won’t keep you going for long when reality sets in.
You need grit and determination to press on when the going gets tough. And believe me, it does A LOT.
Set yourself some goals and keep looking towards the future as you work toward them. Use the ideal homestead goal you set to guide your course and keep you pointed true.
Yes, there will be detours along the way. And sometimes those detours will be better than the plan you had. Others will feel like a brick wall you can never get past. I promise if you keep pressing on, you will make it eventually.
Our life has had so many ups, downs, and sideways that it’s hard to keep track of it all. Some days we feel like we will never reach our goals. Sometimes the rug feels like it gets pulled out from under us in a unique way each week (or day).
But we won’t give up. And maybe that makes us crazy. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.
That’s what it takes to grow a homestead.
Share your journey
While Instagram is full of fake photos and realities, there are places to go that will support you.
Find a local Facebook group of homesteaders. Go to meet-ups. Share your journey with others and ask for advice.
Recently a friend of ours was talking about his journey in different gardening efforts. And he said, “Sure I read the books and then I decided my random way was better. And after years of fighting, I went and followed the book, and it finally worked.” It’s likely someone else has already been there and can give you advice, saving time and effort.
It’s important to share with others regularly, not just the good times. Share the downs and take courage from the support that grows around you to press on. For every one person who tries to put you down, there will be many who try to build you up. Let them.
Homesteading is more than a farm
You can start a homestead from anywhere.
Homesteading is a way of life. Yes, it commonly ends in a full farm for your family. But you could start with simple things like canning your food or cooking from scratch.
Make your clothing, buy from local farms instead of the store, and complete tasks using traditional tools over the latest tech inventions. Learn to cultivate better health through natural living.
In my mind, these skills are all a form of homesteading. And well worth pursuing no matter who you are. Gateway skills to the homestead farm as it were.
Maybe you don’t want animals but love to garden. That can be a homestead. Maybe you are stuck in an apartment in this phase of your life. You can grow a homestead there too. Simply choose the aspects that you can do.
Homesteading is an insanely broad topic. People from all walks of life, intent on making a better more self-sufficient life for themselves, can create a homestead. It’s about a concept and a dream.
So, is homesteading for everyone?
No, I would say homesteading is not for everyone. Even if you cut out all the farming aspects, it’s still not for everyone.
If you want to enjoy the convenience of walking through a store and buying everything you ever need, don’t go for homesteading. If you want minimal yard work and simple animals, please don’t try to homestead.
If you are not in this 100%, then don’t try it. There is no sense in fighting if you don’t want to give your all. And any lifeforms that you add to your homestead be it animal or plant will thank you for not killing them when you don’t want to get up at 5 am to stoke the fire to keep them warm. To give you an idea of the work needed to get ready for cold weather, look over our tips on preparing a homestead for winter.
Making as much as you can from scratch, choosing to avoid the “normal” lifestyle and 9-5 job is not for everyone.
It’s a hard life.
Homesteading is more than farming and animals; it’s embracing being different. And embracing the lack of time, energy, and convenience that everyday life has to offer.
But if you are ready to commit, then jump in with both hands.
If you need to, start small. Work your way up. Maybe you feel you want to give it a go. And if you start small and it does not work out, then you learn a valuable lesson. Plus, now you know that you might want to become great friends with a local farmer 😉
But wait there’s more…
Just like the infomercial of yesterday, “if you call now…” But really, there is so much good that comes from homesteading.
There is nothing quite like waking up and seeing the view of the land (or garden) that you have worked so hard to tend. A special kind of joy exists while doing chores and feeling blessed over the things that God has poured out on you.
It’s a life of hard labor, but when crap hits the fan, you can be certain of where your eggs are. While the store shelves are empty, you can share a satisfying meal with family and friends.
While it won’t happen in a snap of the fingers, you will feel excited about the things that you managed to accomplish with your hands.
The good days far outweigh the bad if you let them.
So, if you are ready, start homesteading.
