I am a huge fan of simple living and of the do-it-yourself ethic. It’s no surprise then that I am fascinated by homesteading, the lifestyle of “agrarian self-sufficiency”. This article was written for Get Rich Slowly by Phelan, host of A Homesteading Neophyte, a blog about learning to homestead. Phelan is a regular commenter to this site.
Modern homesteading is a great way to save some of your hard-earned cash. That is if you are not afraid of a little hard work and waking before the rooster. The fast-paced convenient world of today can and will lead you down the path to debt. Four years ago I found myself in a terrible situation: How does one go about feeding a family of four on one hundred dollars for two weeks? Did we have enough money to buy gasoline just to get to work? It was scary not knowing where my family was going. Yet when I planted my first tomato, a thought sprouted in my mind.
My first homesteading goals were just to preserve my garden for the winter, insuring that there was always something to eat. But as my garden grew, so did my ideas.
There are initial costs when it comes to living a self-sufficient life. But all of the things that must be purchased will pay for themselves — the time that takes depends on how you manage them. We purchase our items slowly. Big items come with our tax returns, and only after any outstanding bills are paid. Smaller items are bought on an individual basis, depending what we can afford at the time, usually when we are out buying feed for our livestock. Because of the way we have built our homestead piece-by-piece, and the manner in which we have preserved our foodstuffs, we have money left unspent. Four years ago we would have never have believed this possible.
Homesteading isn’t something that can be done only in rural areas; even urban dwellers can benefit from simple self-sufficient activities:
- Buy food stuff in bulk or on sale and preserve them by canning, freezing or drying.
- Purchase a layer (standard-size chicken or bantam) for eggs and/or meat. Many cities allow you to have a chicken or two.
- Container garden and create a neighborhood co-op, bartering different vegetables with one another.
Some of our start-up costs have been purchasing chickens, seeds, canning jars and equipment. My hot water bath and pressure canner came from someone that was no longer using them. The best advice I can give when it comes to your planning stage, is to talk openly about what you are wanting to do. You might be surprised on what some people have stashed in their attic and are willing to give freely. Check freecycle, your local paper, rural estate sales, garage sales and even try placing an ad in a free, or cheaply-priced paper for your wants/needs.
Once your chickens and seeds are purchased, your only costs will be feed and water (if you are not on a well). Seed saving will insure your next year’s garden. Allowing your hens to hatch eggs will replenish your stock. Be creative when it comes to reusing materials. We use our un-repairable refrigerator to store our feed, a broken fan stand for a sprinkler stand, and cracked hoses for deep soak waters. Save your glass jars to store dried goods in, and milk cartons to start seedlings. Just remember: it’s not white trash, it’s imaginative, frugal and eco-friendly.
My family might be an extreme when it comes to simple living. We are building a new home, a green shelter. Using only locally produced and recycled construction materials and building it ourselves will save us more than half the cost of paying someone else to build it. With a fire place, underground water cooling systems (air-conditioning) and going solar powered, our out of pocket expenses will drop dramatically.
Some other things to reduce expenses are:
- Raiding a wood lot and building a wattle fence
- Buy fruits and vegetables from a “U-Pick” farm
- Making your own pasta, juices, vinegars, wine and dyes
- Creating wooden toys
- Make your own soap
- Making your own yogurt and cheeses
These things do take time and dedication, but just the act of making your own dinners from scratch will save you money. Using flour, eggs, and water to manufacture your own noodles will cost you less than buying the same amount in the pre-made versions. This can be said about most things that you can create from scratch, the base components while at first seem more expensive, are cheaper when compared to their convenient counterparts.
While homesteading can seem daunting at times, it will save you money as well as bring your family closer together. At home, self induced family entertainment, is another benefit of living simply. It also comes with free educational experiences that are rarely taught in a public school system. Check in with your local extension office for free or inexpensive classes for you and your children. Take a drive in the country and look for hand made signs boasting of wares for sale, they can lead you to a wealth of knowledge and new friendships.
Modern homesteading is not for everyone. Yet taking a few of these suggestions and applying them to your own life will make a significant difference on the way you view the world, and the impact on your wallet.
You can read more about Phelan’s adventures in homesteading at her blog, A Homesteading Neophyte. She has also written articles for other publications:
If you’d like to read more along the same lines, I also recommend Pocket Farm, a weblog from a couple looking to achieve Voluntary Simplicity on a farm in Maine. You might also like homestead.org or the forums at Homesteading Today.
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I spend 40 to 50 hours a week sitting in front of a PC earning a living. I would much rather spend 40 to 50 hours a week at home being self sufficient.
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Hi, I’ve been interested in canning for a while now because I live in a country where the power isn’t dependable. We have the start of a small farm where we are raising some pigs. The problem is we may butcher a pig and have 80Kg of meat which needs to be frozen, big problem when we have a typhoon and the power is out for 3 days. Also when the veggies are harvested? I wondering has anyone canned an entire pig? How many jars do you pro canners keep in a pantry? I find this all very interesting. Thanks for any info.
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Mike, if you are looking for a way to keep pork without freezing, look into dry curing. Sorry to outlink JD.
http://www.all-foods-natural.com/articles/feeling-a-little-hammy.html
I can’t really tell you how many cans I keep, we add more every year, depending on harvest.
It has been a year since I first wrote this. I have learned so many new things in that time.
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Thanks I will. Also sorry to outlink JD. When I read about him spending so much time on the computer it made me think of my old life in the states where I worked for 70 to 80 hours a week at 2 jobs on the computer building robots. My caffeine intake was out of control, 6 cups of coffee and 1 gallon of Pepsi everyday. I got so burned out. I went on vacation to some property I have in the Philippines and just never went back. So I became so inspired when I read about JD working with computers and being able to homestead. I thought maybe I can do it to. I was thinking a person would have to be a member of FFA from birth and have 3 generations of farmers behind them to do such a thing.
Ok. What are some easy things to plant for starters? The water buffalos are plowing the land as we speak? Thanks everyone.
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Sorry Mike, I won’t be able to help you on that one. We live in two very different places. Your best bet is to do a little research of the area, talk to others, to find out what grows best. I would start with what you like to eat, then slowly expand it to other food stuff, that you only “kinda” like. Sometimes your tastes can change when you grow it yourself. Good luck and feel free to drop by my blog with any questions as well.
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I just spent the last 20 years supporting myself by working for accounting, then law firms. As a result of the 50-65 hour weeks I worked, I had to pay someone else to clean my house, cook my food (Takeout Queen) and clean and press my clothes. Otherwise all of my free time would have been spent doing these things and not being with friends.
So one day in May I just up and quit my job as a fancy city lawyer. I was depressed (to the point of therapy and medication), overweight, stressed out, and completely disillusioned with my life.
I spent three months thinking about what I wanted to do with my life. I thought of the purposeful life my grandparents lived on their farm. They grew their own vegetables, hunted their meat, and took vacations by camping. My grandfather supplemented their needs by working part-time at a pharmacy. My grandfather lived to be 83 (lung cancer from earlier smoking) and my grandmother lived to be 97 (just wore out–never sick with any disease). They were physically active by doing their farm chores, and the food was fresh and organic (before that was popular). Their portion sizes were the correct amount, not like today’s glutinous portions. And they were relaxed and knew how to have fun doing the simple stuff like fishing and playing board games.
In 4 weeks, I am leaving the city and moving to my sister’s 40-acre farm. She and her husband have lived there a year and are amateur farmers–a few laying hens, pigs and cows, and a kitchen garden. She doesn’t know it yet, but I’m planning to turn their property into a homestead (for them and me). I don’t want to go back to work in an office again!
So if you LIKE your job and don’t mind eating store-bought foods and living the typical American lifestyle, then, fine–to each his own. But understand that many folks (and one day, maybe you, too!) have become disillusioned with the consumer-oriented lifestyle and need to get back to the earth for both their physical and mental health.
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I moved out of the city a couple of years ago and now live on a small farm where I grow my own food as well as raise chickens & geese for eggs. I don’t buy canned vegetables or tv dinners because I don’t believe these contain much nutritional value or unique nutrients.
I get my daily workout on the farm — not a gym.
The one thing I love about living in the country is being far enough away from processed foods and traffic noise. After reading a couple of books on body language, the authors point out the fact that having enough ‘space’ enhances our well being.
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My husband and I currently live in the country and are starting to prepare to add to our family. Saving money has always been important and I have always been around farming. I guess my biggest question for everyone who is currently doing this is – where do you start? What are the basics that my husband and I should start with and build from there? Any help that you have would be great and very much appreciated. Thanks!
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Jess & Rob,
Gardening and raising chickens are the easiest, or so I am still discovering. Those two items are what I started with. From there my garden grew larger and so did my goals. Now we have milking cows and will have bees shortly.
Reading everything you get your hands on is important. The books and blogs can help you understand some of the things that go into each project.
Try to go slowly, baby steps if you will. Each new project will be time intensive, until you get it down. You don’t want to get overwhelmed with too many things. Sit down and discuss what your long terms goal is, then your short goals that can help you get there. Try to stick with those plans, but don’t pass up good deals if you happen to stumble upon them, just be sure to rearrange your goals.
Adding children into the mix is a whole new experince. With infants you have to learn to rearange your day around them and your livestock. If you don’t have any yet, then chickens or other poultry will be the simplest with infants. As your children get older, more things can happen.
I have no idea if I answered your question. Feel free to continue to ask questions here or on my blog. I will do my best to help. And congrats on your family addition.
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I am very interested in some of the aspects of homesteading. If I were younger I would go for it 100 percent. But I’ve waited to long. I do have a garden planted this year and will learn how to can my own vegetables.
The homesteading lifestyle is one that a person has to choose. No one is forcing it on anyone else. I don’t understand the disagreements. If it’s not for you then don’t do it. Personally, this lifestyle has always appealed to me but I let convenience get in the way of my true feelings many years ago. I will go as far as I can with it.
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I would would just like to say THANKYOU. I’ve got some of the best advice of my life about a year ago from someone on this site. I Am a US citizen and live in the Philippines. I have a small farm in the mountains, very hilly. My question to the site was (what should I plant to make some money. The answer I got was (check with your neighbors and ask whats good). So I did. Come to find out my farm is located in one of the few areas that has the special soil needed to grow loya (ginger). It produces about 20,000 lbs an acre and sells for $.60 a pound. I still cant believe it. Thanks again for the advice.
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Thank you for sharing a bit of your lifestyle. It’s disappointing to read the comments from those who look for a monetary justification for these activities.
If you’re safe and spending time learning and working with your family and friends to produce healthy foods for the future, and you’re mentally figuring your $avings/hour worked, then I think you need to re-evaluate.
I played some touch football with my friends last weekend … had a great time … our team made four touchdowns! …but I don’t understand it … my return on investment was negative. How can that be?
On the other hand, if you need money for your mother’s surgery, making your own pasta is probably not the way to go
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This article was written in 2006….fast forward two years. My question for the critics of Phelan’s article, “Is homesteading more of an economic choice now that food has risen 22% in the past year?” While we will always be interdependent of others for some things, there is no reason why we can’t be more independent in producing our own food. Gardening and Livestock just might be more fun than you think! I agree in 2006, we could have saved money by buying all at the store. But between fuel and rising food prices, in 2008, we figure to save $100 per family member by growing our own.
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I love what you said about urban homesteading. My husband and I were urban homesteaders for years before we finally got our five acres. It is definitely more a frame of mind rather than the amount of space you own.
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I have been interested in the homesteading idea for about 5 years now. I have read every book available. what needs to be understood here about doing things yourself is this.
1. Doing things yourself is a life long learning experience. learning new things not only makes you more marketable for future employment, but learning new things creats new nerve endings in your brain which help fight Altzhimers and mental degeneration.
2.being free to depend on yourself and not others for your food, clothing, and home repair is a good feeling and can save alot of money or actually put more money in your pocket. by selling items you have produced.
3. just because you are homesteading dose not mean you need to live in “poverty”. the really wealth in this world live at or below their means. they don’t use credit cards unless they have the cash already. plus there are alot of things people can do without and would actually be better for it if they did.
3 what are your priorities in life. I like to do things worth while or read instead of watching TV, playing video games, surfing the net, or buying things that I am challenged to make myself.
There are things you should just buy instead of making yourself. and budget your time to things that really save you money or make you money. spend time making money on your homestead and items that are easy for you to do should be done and buy the rest. Time is short live life and enjoy it.
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I can’t believe this topic is 2 years old and it’s still going!
Shows how popular homesteading can be. I am a farmer’s daughter – and proud as heck of my little plot of land. First things first – there’s the garden, then the chickens, the goats, a pig for the freezer, and a cow or two to raise for the market. Starting in the spring, when the prices go back up, at the going rate, 10 calves in 6 months will net you – eh, I mean me – around $5000 after feed & milk replacer. With twice a day feeding for 3 weeks, and then letting them graze for 6 months, I think I’ll make my money back then some – and have more than what I spend in a year on household living expenses.
Mother Earth News has some great articles on homesteading and even better articles on gardening without working yourself to death – try row crop covers to protect your gardens. Just make sure you uncover your plants when the bees are pollinating.
Canning – keep your glass jars, use them and paraffin wax for sealing jelly.
Find a farmer if you’re looking for advice. They are a fount of knowledge, and you should take advantage of it. They can tell you the growing dates for the vegetables you plant.
Find a freecycle group. More than likely, you will eventually find someone who will be glad to part with stuff you need or want.
See you at the livestock auction!
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My husband and I would love to be Homesteading but instead we are stuck paying off our cars and mortgage right now. I am amused that there are those that think canning and gardening aren’t “worth the time”. My mother said the same thing for years now she hits me up for canned veggies. fruit and meats.
I started canning a few years ago and while we do not have much of a yard we are able to do “square foot gardening” and have quite a haul to process for the shelves and freezer. Canning is more than just saving a buck or two it is about growing healthy foods that you know have been grown to your standards.
We live in town and have a 13 year old daughter. While she doesn’t like to garden herself, but does help, she tastes the difference between what we eat and what she eats at her friends houses. We also hunt and fish and never have a shotr supply of healthy foods that just can’t be bought without paying a huge price at the grocery.
I purchased some of my canning jars new and some at yard sales. The seals are the only thing I buy new. It costs me less than a dollar to make fresh jams and jellies verses over three dollars to buy at the store. That is a big savings for us. Sauces, wow! I save a bundle each year.
What do I do for a living? I am a photographer and I schedule my gardening around my work and other household chores. I am not “crafty” but I do recycle and use what we have to redecorate. We tend to refurbish a lot. I guess that there are those that will always be content to live in big cities but I have done that. I’ve lived all over the world and was happiest in places that were rural. We will get our land in the next few years, How? By living our homesteading lifestyle in the city and putting our money into land and being good fruigle. Don’t get me wrong, there are somethings that we will splurge on but it usually comes from a really good sale or it might be second hand.
In a nation driven by consumerism we really need to take a step back and realize what we are teaching our children. We need to be more healthy and we need to be able to sustain.
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[...] An introduction to homesteading, a guest post from Phelan of A Homesteading Neophyte [...]
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The things you listed about urban homesteading are spot on. There are a lot of urban homesteaders in my area. It is impressive what can be grown in a small area. We do raised beds and container planting. My elderly neighbor taught me how to can and make jam. It is a lot of work but I am hooked. I love the reward of eating something I grew and preserved. It tastes better than the store bought can. This year we plan to get chickens as it is allowed in our city. We thought we would be the only ones to have them but it turns out that the homesteading movement is catching on with folks. Our local farm market is also expanding this year because the demand has skyrocketed for local and organically grown foods. Yes, it takes up a bit of our time but we have gained so much. We learned we can do more for ourselves and that the things we used to fill our time with were not as productive or meaningful. We have also met more people in our community because of our new found interests. It has brought people in our community closer together. We started by simply trying save some money but we have ended up with a richer quality of life.
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Are you trading in your cul-de-sac for a cabin? Or just tossing the kids’ toys as you plan to downsize from a McMansion to a city-based rowhome? A prominent television production company is developing a series profiling families opting to trade in their status quo lifestyles for something more intentional and/or unusual. If you fit this bill, we’d love to hear from you.
http://www.lifeunplugged.net/submit-letter-of-interest.aspx
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http://roostershamblin.wordpress.com/ please take a few minutes of your time and read my chicken blog. I have been raising 50 breeds of chickens for 40 years.
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I like the wooden toys suggestion. . . I read elsewhere that a 2×4 cut up and sanded down can entertain a small child to no end.
I live in the Bronx and rent from a family member who has a backyard. Last year she dug up the lawn for 2 years planted vegetables and a fruit tree.
It was great exercise and stress reduction for a working retiree. Add to that she was able to have an organic salad pretty much any time she liked. I hope to introduce her to canning so she can preserve things for the winter.
Creating community gardens out of vacant lots is a project our Parks Department has been working on. That means people who don’t have backyards can still benefit from a garden. This is a wonderful thing especially in food deserts. It’s easy to assume everyone can drive/ride to a store and pick up some organic produce. The reality is that many people in my city cannot afford the transportation on a regular basis to places where those products are sold(far beyond their neighborhoods). Furthermore, some companies(like Fresh Direct) just will not deliver to certain areas. Finally, what is available in some stores in poorer areas looks barely good enough to sell. This is a more frightening prospect in some places. Ever heard of exploding watermelons in China? Some Chinese people have turned to CSAs because they feel they cannot trust the agricultural industry to put quality over quantity.
To me, homesteading is an opportunity for us to take control and make better foods and products available for ourselves rather than rely on what others think is good enough.
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