I was recently talking to moms at our homeschool co-op. A topic that kept coming up was homesteading. The thing that kept coming up was "I keep wanting to get into homesteading, but I don't know where to start"...then when they realize that my family is homesteading without owning our own land, the questions really start to flood in.
So, just how do you get started homesteading? Well, for my family it has been anything but "normal". Just like everyone else, we imagined we would first own our own land. But instead, we started with 12 possibly pregnant meat goats and 2 great pyrenees dogs. How? Well, there are actually a few ways to make this work.
1) if you know someone with a lot of unused land, they may let you use it to get started on.
2) look around your area and keep an eye out for large areas of land that need to be maintained. Find out who owns the land and see if they would be willing to let you lease it for your livestock. (you might be surprised at how well this can work!)
3) quickly purchase some land!
We are currently doing #1 but also looking into option #2 so that we can expand faster. Yes, we still want our own land. But with the economy like it is right now, it just isn't a good time to be buying land. And we certainly don't want to keep waiting to see our dreams come true.
Even if you aren't ready to jump into livestock. There are still some ways you can get started homesteading. Here's a short list of things you can do to help work your way into being a homesteading family. And you don't have to own your own land for these!
- backyard chickens (I'm setting these aside from livestock b/c they can be done right in town with minimal space)
- start a compost
- grow your own food (indoor and outdoors!)
- preserve your harvest (canning, dehydrating, freezing)
- save your seeds!
- bake bread
- have a sourdough starter
- make your own bone broth
- make granola for cereal or as a topping (I love this recipe!)
- make/use reusable paper towels (aka unpaper towels)
- make your own cleaners
- get into herbalism (even better if you grow your own herbs!)
- make your food from scratch
- make your own spice mixes, sauces, etc
- make your own fermented drinks (like Kombucha!)
- make your own dairy products (like yogurt!)
- buy meat, eggs, and milk from a local rancher
Learn from others (youtube, social media, books, etc). There are So many great homesteaders who started from the ground up. And chances are, they didn't all start out the same way. You are bound to find one you can relate to who you can learn from and follow.
Here are a few that I like to follow:
In addition to this I'd like to add that downsizing your home is a huge plus in homesteading. Let's face it, homesteading is a full-time, 24/7 "job". It will keep you super busy! So the less you have to do around the home (cleaning, organizing, digging for things you can't find), the better!
If you'd like some help in downsizing, I can certainly help you in the kitchen! Only keep what you need and organize it to best suit your needs...I can help you with that!
If you need help coming up with a plan on how you can get started homesteading now (regardless of your skills or amount of land), I can help with that too!!
Just contact me and we'll develop a plan for you that works!
But if you are looking to downsize your entire home, honestly, I'm still working on that. But I do have a great recommendation for someone who can help you!
Join our HomeGrown Homestead community—a place where we learn, grow, and share our homesteading journey together, fostering a bond of shared wisdom and experience. (everyone is welcome!)
Step into Lavender & Coffee: A Sip of Serenity, a haven for moms seeking support and community on their journey to fulfilling their roles as wives and mothers with grace and purpose.(for moms only)
I have been a homemaker for over 20 years now. I haven't worked outside the home since I was pregnant with my oldest, who will turn 21 this year. The idea of doing so now is a scary thought for me.
Every child has a dream of what they want to be when they grow up. For me it was a wife and a mother...mission accomplished! And I have no desire of changing that dream now, even though my kids are quickly all becoming young adults. But that doesn't mean that I won't be working at all...far from it!
With the times we are in, it seems even more important to be a diligent homemaker and saving money where we can as a family. As my sons have gotten older, they have both expressed a desire to live off the land, grow our own food, and care for livestock. My daughter is happy to be the recipient, lol. And my husband is thrilled with the idea of being able to work the land with our sons.
We have slowly worked towards this goal over the years. I do my best to preserve our harvest from our small garden each year. I support local friends and purchase meats and produce from them as often as I can. Our dream is to own acres of land and be able to grow our own food for our family (and if we are blessed enough, to share our bounty with others too).
My youngest has wanted goats for a few years now, both meat and milk. He worked with goats as a young teen and the desire never left him. Fastforward a couple of years...and we find ourselves with 12 soon-to-be momma goats, meat goats!
Having goats also means that we need a good livestock guardian dog (LGD) or two. Luckily we have a friend who was needing to rehome a couple of Great Pyrenees pups. My boys and I spent some time over the past week getting to know them so that they will trust us and have an easier transition when we move them to start caring for the goats. We have made some great progress, so moving day for the pups is coming soon!
However, we do not currently own our home or any land. So, just how are we going to manage becoming a homestead when we own nothing?
Follow us on our journey and you'll see! If you find yourself in a similar situation where you long to provide for your family but, like us, do not own your home or land, you will find some great tips in following our journey.
I will be sharing updates on my blog, in my Facebook Group and, eventually hope to add a YouTube channel. If you would like to receive updates, please click here to be added to the list.
Join our HomeGrown Homestead community—a place where we learn, grow, and share our homesteading journey together, fostering a bond of shared wisdom and experience. (everyone is welcome!)
Step into Lavender & Coffee: A Sip of Serenity, a haven for moms seeking support and community on their journey to fulfilling their roles as wives and mothers with grace and purpose.(for moms only)
