Stop Making Excuses About Why You Haven’t Started Homesteading

I think many people feel they need a ton of land and chickens and a farmhouse to be a homesteader. But the truth is that you might already be a homesteader and you just don't know it. 

In this episode, you will be able to figure out if you are a homesteader already or not.

Transcript

Season 2 Episode 3 PP

Stop Making Excuses About Why You Haven’t Started Homesteading

“I really want to start homesteading, but I don’t know where to start.” Does that sound like you? Well, stop it. You may not realize it but I’ll bet ya one dollar that you already started and just don’t realize it!

Stay tuned because we are going to break you out of that “I wanna” stage and get you started homesteading today. Or maybe you may just see that you already started. Here we go…

Hi, and welcome back to The Prepping Positively Podcast. I’m Annie. Today we are going to talk about why you haven’t started homesteading yet, or I am going to help you figure out if maybe you already started and just didn’t know it.

So many times I get responses from my readers and listeners telling me that they really want to start homesteading. When I ask them why they haven’t, I get a myriad of excuses. 

From, “I don’t know where to start” to “I am waiting to buy land first”, I have heard them all. 

However, when the conversation continues, I ask them questions like “Do you ever cook a meal from scratch?” Or “Do you grow any vegetables or herbs at all?” Or  “Do you keep a food pantry?” 

Most often, I get at least one “yes” answer. My next comment is, “Well you already started then!”

You see, homesteading doesn’t necessarily mean you live on a farm. Some homesteaders live in apartments, residential houses, even in a travel trailer. 

And being a homesteader doesn’t mean you have acres and acres of fields with food growing on them. You can have a simple backyard garden, a container garden on your porch, or an indoor garden. Some people don’t grow any of their food.

And homesteaders don’t always make every meal from scratch. We do order out once in a while! I love a good pizza every now and then. And even though I love making my own bread, I don’t always have the time and I love those $1.00 loaves of unsliced bread from my local Walmart.

Instead, homesteading is a lifestyle. And that lifestyle is what you choose for it to be. It is custom made, just for you, by you.

So where do you start you may be wondering. Well, that’s easy…start where you are!

Do you want to grow food? There are so many ways to do so, in a garden plot, in containers, in raised beds, and indoors are all options. Figure out which one is best for your situation. 

Do you want to start cooking from scratch? Look up some simple recipes. Try them on a weekend and see how it goes. If you don’t want to make a whole meal from scratch, start cooking simple things like soups and casseroles that require less effort. 

Research freezer cooking and meal planning. Don’t be afraid to order out once in a while.

No matter where you live you can learn how to can and/or dehydrate. Then learn how to save some of your preserved food for later. Eventually you can build a prepping pantry and have enough food on hand for a year.

Try making your own cleaners! It is so easy to make cleaners for your home without all of those nasty chemicals that you find in store-bought products. And you may be even more surprised at how much money you save too!

While you’re making cleaners, try your hand at DIY Laundry soap, softener, and wool dryer sheets too.

Many homesteaders hang their laundry on a clothesline instead of using a dryer. You can do that too.

Take a class and learn how to sew, crochet, knit, latch hook, even weaving. Then you can start mending your clothes, knitting a scarf, or making a rag rug for your home. Who knows, maybe you get so good at sewing you can offer alterations and even make some extra income.

All of these simple things are some of the things many homesteaders do. Everything I mentioned so far can be done in an apartment. 

So you see, if you do any of these things now…guess what? You’re already a homesteader! 

Don’t let not owning land, or living in an apartment, stop you from being a homesteader. It’s okay to want a large piece of land. It’s ok to wish for an old restored farmhouse and animals running everywhere. The dream of a large farm or homestead is a good starting point because everything that comes to reality starts with a dream.

But don’t let the fact that you haven’t achieved your dream be the reason you think you are not a homesteader. Start where you are. Start with what you have and what you already do and then start building more skills one at a time. 

You can find everything we talked about here today on my website. Just go to https://roadtoreliance.com and type the topic in the search bar. I am sure you will find something to learn and build upon.

So, I have one last question for you. Now when I ask you “Are you a homesteader?” I expect your answer to be a very proud “YES!”

I hope you enjoyed today’s podcast and I will talk with you again next Monday! Happy homesteading!