Homesteading for beginners

Just so we are on the same page I just want to point out that I myself am a beginner. I have only been at this for a few years and am still learning. So my advice is very fresh if you know what I mean. Being that I am still a beginner myself I am just sharing what I have learned and am continuing to learn. I know some people will not share because they think they do not know enough and other people know more than them. But I figure that if we all do that then no one will share their expiernces and that is no help to anyone…

And if you think about it, it is most helpful learning for someone who is just a little farther ahead of you rather then someone who is a professional on the subject. If someone is to far ahead of you it can be intimidating and sometimes hard to learn because they are so much farther ahead. Does that make any sense? Anyway…

Just for a little background here is my story…

My Story

I grew up in the country and my mom had animals and a garden. I never really helped her much and really did not care for it at all, I was to cool for that, ya know what I mean? For the first few years of my marriage, I lived in the city. It was then that I realized I hated the city and could not wait to move back to the country. Not that I was ever one of those kids that had to get out of the country life but I just did not realize how much I missed it until I was gone. It sounds silly but I felt so suffocated in the city and got this feeling that I could not breathe. The country is so open and refreshing.

Anyway…

…finally, my little family and I moved back to the country and got our own house. It only has 2 acres, but we love it. We actually never planned to start a homestead it just kind of happened. My husband was into prepping and I personally did not want to prep and save a bunch of stuff that would just go bad. When I was little we had a scare called Y2K, my parents got all these buckets full of food and of course, nothing happened and we had all this food that we could not even eat through. So as I started thinking about it I decided that it made much more sense to become as self-sufficient as possible. I wanted to have animals and produce for us and that would continue to sustain us. That way we can take care of ourselves if something big happened and if nothing happens nothing is going to go to waste and we will still use all the things we grow and raise.

We started small…

and continue to add things to our homestead each year. My husband works outside of the home so we can’t get too big to fast because he is not around to do it full time. I have been amazed at what we have been able to do in such a short time and never dreamed we would be able to do so much on our own. I thought to homestead and become self-sufficient would be so hard and time-consuming. But I have been really surprised at what we have done for way less work then I thought. As far as finances, we have taken it slow and do what we can afford. The great thing is that if you do things yourself it is very affordable. If you are interested in learning more about the finances of a homestead check out my post here.

As I said I never thought I liked being in the garden or raising animals that much. I never cared about it growing up and actually hated the fact that my mom made me work on a farm. But the crazy thing is I have come to love all of it. I find it really relaxing to take care of my garden and be outside. Spring has just sprung for us here and I am so happy to be outside getting my garden going again. It is extremely rewarding to grow and raise my own food and I love that I can feed my family with such good healthy food. I feel that our culture had gotten away from hard work and the fulfillment of working for ourselves. I want to bring that back not only for myself but really for my kids.

My goal…

of homesteading is obviously becoming self-sufficient but also I want to raise kids that know how to take care of themselves, have a great work ethic and know where their food comes from. I want to raise kids that are not entitled and that can fend for themselves. But enough of my story I want to help YOU start a homestead from scratch. Below are my tips for you as you begin to convert your family to a better and healthier lifestyle. It is hard at times but I promise you will not regret it.

What is the definition of homesteaders?

Good question. A lot of people think of homesteading and think of people who got free land from the government or are old farmers living off-grid someplace. From the research, I have done modern homesteading is kinda more about becoming self-sufficient and taking care of the environment. You can really start homesteading anywhere you are. To me, the pressure is off and you are free to do what you want and are able to. 

When I think of modern homesteading I think of smaller scale gardens, preserving food, feeding our families well, and doing all that we can on our own. I do what I can but I don’t pressure myself to be 100% self-sufficient. I realize that there are still things I need to buy and that’s okay. Each year I am learning more and understanding how to take care of my family more and more on my own.

Modern homesteading is going to look different for everyone. I personally am taking it slow and adding a few things each year. My husband works full time and I have my kids who I homeschool. So we don’t have the time to go for it full force. But some of you may have more time and can add things in at a faster pace, and that is awesome!

How to start homesteading from scratch?

Budget

First of all, you need to think about what you want on your homestead and compare that with your family budget. If you can’t do everything the first year don’t worry. Take your time and add things in slowly. Look at your list and see what things you want or need to do first and go with that. For example, having a garden is very cheap and can make a huge impact.

You can preserve so many things for the next year from your garden and this will help your budget immensely. If you need help planning a garden for canning check out my post.

I am a budget person and love putting ours together. I blame that on my parents who both are accountants and love math. Don’t be overwhelmed by a budget it really is not that hard and we have so many great resources now thanks to the internet. If you need a little help in the budget area I got you covered. I explain it a little more in-depth here.

Check the laws

Depending on your area there might be laws pertaining to starting a homestead. I would look into them so that you are not surprised when you are in the middle of starting your homestead.

It’s a bummer when you start a project and run into problems down the road. Most likely if you are out in the country you should be fine. But you never want to assume. So it is always safe to just look into it.

Plan

Now that you know what you can afford to do that year you can begin to plan. If you decided to start with a garden then you can go ahead and plan out your garden on paper. Draw up where you want your plants and so forth. I like to just draw up a little blueprint for my garden. If you like to just wing it that’s fine too. I have totally done that before. I have just bought the seeds and planted them from there.

If you decided to start with animals start doing your research on what you will all need to do to get prepared for them. For example, with chickens, I would be preparing a couple months ahead of time. You will need a little more for them then you would a garden so I would start researching and seeing exactly what you will need.

Make Connections

I would strongly recommend that you make connections with local farmers and other homesteaders. They will be a great resource for you as you begin your journey. They will be able to answer questions and might even be able to help you with where and how to get the things you will need to begin.

My favorite thing to do is make connections with older farmers. They are a wealth of knowledge and so interesting to spend time with.

Don’t get overwhelmed

Do your best to not get stressed out. The point of the homestead is to simplify your life. If it is causing you to be stressed out, you are causing the opposite effect of what you were going for. That is part of the reason we started small. If I would have done everything the first year I would be losing my marbles. I am so thankful for how we did it. This way I can learn slowly and enjoy the process.

Google it

We have this great thing called the internet. I promise it will be your best friend. If you have any questions along the way I am sure you can find the answer online. If I can’t figure something out that is my go-to!

Listen

I have a tendency to do things my own way even when I am told differently. I would suggest that you don’t do that. Here is a good example… When it comes to raising chickens each chicken needs a certain amount of space. I thought that I could cram 65 chickens in a space that was only big enough for 25. How did that work? Well, I ended up with meat chickens that weighed 2 lbs…

…Yeah. Turns out people know what they’re talking about. When people have done something before and have been successful it turns out it is for your good to listen to them. Common sense huh?

Get Started

Once you have figured out what you are ready for……. DO IT! You won’t learn until you start doing. When the season comes around to get your animals, plant your garden Etc. If you keep putting it off you will just continue to put off your learning. You are going to make mistakes….and that is okay! That is how you learn. Stop making excuses and go for it. Like I said I don’t have much land but I am making the most out of what I have.

It is crazy what you can do on 2 acres of land. Just imagine how cool it would be if all of those who have just a few acres would use that land to feed their family.

Write things down

Try your best to keep track of what you are doing. Write down what you planted and what you want to plant again next year. Write down what things worked and what did not so that you don’t have to make the same mistakes twice. This is a downfall of mine and I need to get better at it, so I don’t keep repeating the same mistakes.

I used to be so organized. I need to get back to that. What you could do is get a binder and have a section for each thing you are doing. You can continue to add notes as you learn new things. Kind of make your own book. I am old fashioned and like seeing things on paper, but you can totally just keep it all in a folder on the computer as well.

Keep Learning

As I mentioned you will continue to learn each year as you make mistakes and as you do things the way you like. I personally love to learn from “doing”. But I would also recommend that you learn through books, videos, and other homesteaders. If you know anyone who has a farm or a homestead spend some time with them. Learn how they do things and if you could implement some of the same ideas. Use the internet to your advantage and search for anything you can’t figure out. The internet is such a great resource and it has never been easier for us to get answers. But books are not out of style. If you are working on a certain project I would suggest having the proper books as a reference point.

How to start a homestead with no money?

Well, it will be difficult to start a homestead for absolutely no money. But Below I have 3 ideas for things you can do for ALMOST nothing…

1. Canning

Let me warn you canning is addicting. Once you start you won’t stop. I LOVE IT! I used to only use the water method but in the last year have started pressure canning. Oh, my word it is awesome. You can preserve seriously anything. I have canned fruits, veggies, broth, meats, Jams, and my list keeps growing.

I used to freeze things but I have found that canning is so much better. First of all, you don’t have to thaw anything out. Plop it in the pot and you are good to go. Second You don’t have to use up the freezer space. Which is great because if you have a large family you are gonna need multiple freezers to store food for your family. Third, you can organize it better so that you know exactly what you have.

I’m sure most of you have heard of canning fruit and veggies that is a fairly normal practice. But I bet a majority of you saw the meat and got grossed out. And maybe even the broth. So let me expound on that a bit. Let me start by saying I am not making spam. I like good meat and there is no way I am eating that stuff. No, I am canning good quality meat. I have canned my husband’s venison, sausage, chicken, and beef.

When you are putting it through the canning process it is cooking the meat as you can. So basically you are making the meat for 8-10 meals all at once. It is a Godsend for a busy mom like myself. So just like you would plop your veggies in the pot to warm them up for dinner you are doing the same thing with the meat. A few things we have used the meat for would be

1. Tacos

2. Stroganoff

3. Fajitas

4. Swiss Steak

5. Soups/Stews

And it makes the meat so tender. Trust me once you start it you will want to can enough for every meal of the year! The other thing is broth. I have been making my own broth for a while now and will never go back. You will again save so much money and the health benefits are crazy good for you.

I know your probably thinking that making broth must be hard work. Well, would you believe me if I said all you have to do is throw leftover chicken bones in the crockpot and turn it on? I actually have a whole article written on it. Just giving a little more detail on the benefits of it and guiding you on using a pressure canner if you are nervous about that. If you want to check that out you can find that here.

Oh and Don’t let my crazy over excitement over meat and broth over shadow fruits and veggies. I am still totally in love with having all my tomato products ( pizza sauce, diced tomato, salsa etc.) green beans, Jams, Corn and such ready for the entire year. I love having a stocked pantry with all of my homegrown goods in it.

2. Gardening

Some might think that they have to have the perfect situation to garden. A big area of land, great soil Etc. Well, That is not the case! I was shocked that you really only need a small space to have a good sized garden. If you don’t have any room at all in your yard you can build raised beds and put them on your porch/deck. No matter what your situation is you can have a garden! If you need a little more details when it comes to gardening check out my article on how to plan a garden.

Another idea I wanted to mention is planting fruit…

We sometimes only think about veggies when it comes to gardening but you can plant fruit and in turn, save yourself a ton of money. strawberries and raspberries are probably the easiest things to start with. I mean once you plant them you don’t have to do a thing. You can try to keep the rows cleaned up but if not they will just keep multiplying and you will get more and more berries.

You can then make jams, jellies, pie filling, fruit syrups and freeze the berries for smoothies and shakes. Fruit can cost so much at the store and if you have space it is so worth doing on your own. You can also plant apple and pear trees and make lots of yummy applesauce. Or Pear/ applesauce, which is amazing by the way. Or your own homemade apple cider Etc. You can plant peach trees, blueberry plants and so on.  I am a huge fruit lover and could go broke buying it from the store!

3. Hunting and Fishing

This is something you can do if you have your own property but also if you don’t have land you can look into hunting on state land or maybe a friends land. When it comes to fishing look into the rivers around you and the laws. Most likely you can find areas to fish close to your house.

I personally don’t hunt or fish I leave that up to my husband but I love the benefits of it. I mean you can buy a license and potentially get 3 deer a year. If I remember correctly we have to pay about $80 for the license here in MI. But if you get 3 deer it comes to $26 a deer. If your deer weighs in at 75 Lbs you are looking at $.35 an lb. That is unheard of! You can’t get good organic meat like that in the store for less than $5 an lb.

The same goes for fishing. I won’t do the math for you but you can see from my venison example that when you do the work yourself you can save so much money. And from what I hear hunting and fishing is very relaxing. So I would encourage you to check it out.

Also…

One of the biggest ways to cut down on spending is to do absolutely anything you can yourself. Labor cost is crazy high and if you can get away with just buying the materials and doing the project yourself you will save lots. Some examples of doing things yourself would be…

• Building projects

Such as building your own animal cages, feeders, storage units Etc.

• Maintenance

Taking care of things such as oil changes and cleaning your machines on your own.

• Butchering

Butcher as many of your animals that you can on your own. For example, if you pay to have your chickens butchered it could cost you hundreds of dollars just for that one job. And doing it yourself is really not that hard. Check out my post about raising chickens for the quick run down.

• Yard work

Do as much of your work around the homestead yourself. I know this is common sense but I just thought I should mention it.

Common Sense Homesteading

I just wanted to take a minute and just talk about common sense homesteading. When you are beginning your homestead just remember to use common sense. It really is not that difficult and when you use common sense you can generally figure things out pretty quickly. Don’t overthink everything and just go for it. If you get stuck look online and most of the time you can find an answer.

As always I love to hear from you and would love to see the things you are trying on your homestead.

Happy Homesteading!

~Courtney