So, you have always dreamed of being self-sufficient, yes? Well, homesteading may be the perfect option for you. When you are a homesteader, you will produce most of your daily requirements (e.g. food) in the comfort of your own home. Homesteading comes with a wealth of benefits on top of that too. Luckily for you, our website is the perfect place to ‘get started’ if you want to learn more about the amazing world of homesteading.
What is Homesteading?
Homesteading has taken on a number of different definitions over the years. Nowadays, it is mostly a term to define those who move to a plot of land and produce their own crops and raise animals for food. For homesteaders, it is all about self-sufficiency and being able to live off the land, and requiring very little in the world of ‘external’ resources. Some people will also take this to the next level and produce their own energy, and even dig their own wells. However, you can take homesteading as far as you are comfortable with.
The Advantages of Homesteading
Where do we begin?
- The major benefit is that you will be producing your own food. There is no need to rely on external sources for your food. When you are in control of your own supply, you end up with better tasting food that is free from all the hideousness that commercial food producers add to their food.
- Many people also find that the homesteading lifestyle is a lot cheaper, but do bear in mind that in order to achieve this, you will need to put in a lot of hard work for that. However, if you are willing to put in the work, then homesteading is an affordable way of living.
- We won’t lie. Homesteading is going to be ridiculously hard work. However, people often find that homesteading often gives them a greater work ethic. In fact, this is one of the main reasons why many people recommend that you homestead with your family. It is important to give your children a work ethic like this. It will stick with them for the rest of their lives.
The Advantages of Living in the Country
It is well-known that cleaner air is healthier for the body. People who live in the country tend to live longer, happier lives. This is perhaps one of the main reasons why people move into the country, homesteading or not. You will just feel ‘better’.
Land in the country tends to be a lot cheaper than it would in a bustling town or city either, particularly in the United States. So, if you want a far more affordable lifestyle, without all the stress of living in a city, then living in the country is going to be for you.
Obviously, there are some disadvantages to living in the country. However, a lot of them may not be applicable if you are homesteading e.g. you are further away from work opportunities and the like. You will miss out on access to certain amenities, but you will end up with a far greater appreciation for life.
A rise in the number of homesteaders
It is pretty tough to gain accurate statistics on the number of people who have started to homestead. This is because a lot of people who do end up homesteading will be living ‘off the grid’, or they are simply not stating that they are homesteading.
What we have seen in recent years, however, is a sharp rise in the number of people who are learning to be a bit more self-sufficient in terms of the food that they are producing, and many rural properties are being snapped up rather quickly.
This isn’t a trend that we see slowing down any time soon either, plus the EU is incliding more projects and programs to promote development of rural areas. Homesteading is immensely popular nowadays, and you only have to spend a short amount of time browsing social media sites and YouTube to see just how many people are diving into this fantastic way of life.
Starting Homesteading
Before you start homesteading, it is important that you have at least some idea about what you want to do. A lot of this will, of course, be based upon the amount of land that you will have available to you. However, you will also need to consider about what the needs of you and your family are.
Your main priority, for the most part, will be to set yourself up with a vegetable garden. Once you can start to make your own produce, you are well on your way towards becoming a proper homesteader. Make sure that you set yourself out a nice part of your garden where you can plant crops. The larger and flatter the area, the better.
Our recommendation is that you stick with crops that you know you will enjoy at the start. Most of the kitchen staples (cucumbers, lettuce, potatoes, etc.) should be fairly easy to grow. Stick with those for a while. Get a routine in place, and then you can expand the number of crops you are growing.
Once you have your vegetable garden ‘up and running’, then you can start to introduce livestock into the mix. Easy livestock to raise include chickens, ducks, and rabbits. All of these are productive animals, while at the same time requiring very little care outside of ensuring that they are fed, watered, and have somewhere to roam about.
Other people may also introduce larger animals into the mix. This includes cows and goats, but due to the higher space requirements for these animals, as well as a greater care requirement, it isn’t something that we would recommend at the start.
Remember: no matter what route you choose to go down, it is important that you keep things nice and simple at the start. One of the biggest issues with new homesteaders is that they tend to go big too fast. This causes problems. It will be difficult to manage your homestead. You will need to ensure that you get a routine in place for a small homestead before you expand your operations.