So your homestead sucks and you know it. Piles of this and that are all over the property. Your garden is doing ok, but not at all as well as you had thought it would. You don’t think you’ll be able to live off the canned and dehydrated foods in an SHTF situation for sure. Heck, you don’t even want to eat it today.
I get you. Boy, do I get you.
And I’ve got just the thing that will help you turn your homestead from sucky to lucky. You will be able to take the bull by the horns, so to speak, and make things happen on your homestead. The best thing is, you can start this week!
Our Story
I get you because I’ve been there. I’ve been homesteading to some capacity for over 10 years now. Back when I started, we were living on .18 of an acre in a nearby city, in a mobile home housing tract. Nobody was doing what I was doing, and being 5 minutes away from the grocery store made it easy to think I didn’t need to homestead hard. That and the fact that we had our home completely paid off.
Once we moved here 4 years ago, it all became real. After all, we did take out a loan in our late 40s to do this. We had to make it work. Taking out a large 30-year loan is a little risky when retirement is only 15 years away. It’s pretty imperative that we eat what we grow and raise, and try to save as much money as we can for the next 10 years so we can pay this loan off by retirement.
How is it for you? Why does your homestead suck right now? I have a few ideas that might help you figure that out. See if you can find yourself in one of these three points I’m making next.
You Haven’t Started Your Homestead Yet
Those homesteaders on Facebook post about their lovely lives and you love what you see, but you do don’t see how you could do it. You don’t have land or a lot of money. And you certainly don’t have any farming equipment. On top of that, it’s way easier to just get your food from the store, right?
Here’s the thing. You can gain homesteading skills wherever you live, starting today. I promise! You just need to decide which skills are most important for you to learn, and then learn them. The more you learn, the more of a homesteader you will be. You will learn to rely on your own skills to make and create the things your family needs.
There’s no need to be off-grid, own land, or even do all the homesteading things. All you need is the mindset of a homesteader, a desire to learn, and some time to give yourself to create the homesteading life you want to live.
You Don’t Manage Your Homestead Well
So you’ve started homesteading and got some skills under your belt. That’s awesome! However, the hit and miss stuff that’s happening on your homestead isn’t getting you any closer to living off your land. To do that, you’ll need to pull together a consistent plan for homestead management.
Winging it is ok for the seasoned homesteader, but for the beginner, not so much. The beginning homesteader needs a basic framework to work within every day until that framework becomes a set of solid habits. Those habits become autopilot, and those things you do on autopilot are what is going to feed you, make you money, or give you the life you want. (I talk about this more here in this post.)
You Don’t Have Long Term Goals
You’re doing alright and you have a lot of homesteading skills under your belt, and you are using them often. It’s time to take it to the next level and earn some money with what you produce. But you don’t seem to have enough time to do anything more than what you are already doing.
You need some long term goals. What do you want out of your homestead? What is important that you get from your homestead.
Is it healthy food?
Do you want an income?
Or do you simply want the tranquil life of a living in harmony with nature?
These are things you need to sit down and think about. And once you know, it’s time to set some goals. My “Jump Start to Homestead Planning” worksheets can help you with that. It’s in my free resource library, and you can get the password to that in the bottom of this post.
Turn Your Homestead from Sucky to Lucky
Ok, I’ll admit that luck doesn’t have a lot to do with your returns if you are working hard. However, the more you focus on making your homestead better, the better you will feel because you have a marvelous homestead. Things will really be happening for you and your homestead, and you will feel so lucky that you have such a wonderful place to live that provides for you and your family!
Isn’t it time to pull it together and start your homestead? Maybe your problem is managing it well. Every day you don’t manage it is time wasted because your efforts might likely be all for naught. Or how about long term goals, do you have any that will move the ball forward for your homestead? It’s time to get started!
Hi! I’m visiting from the homestead blog hop. You really hit the nail on the head… This year my focus is to make better use of our little half-acre weedpatch and get good at season extending. I also really struggle with time management and chasing squirrels (or sometimes children!).
Oh don’t I have the same issue! Those darn squirrels! Good luck on your goals, Magi!
I confess to being hit or miss on our own homestead lately. But I now have an opportunity to get it back in shape and move forward. Love the tip about long term goals. Although I have some, I am now going to beef up my Restructuring Plan!!
Good job, Julie! I’m glad you could use the information. The point is to get our homesteads to a place where, while we are working on them, they are working for us! Good luck!
You have some interesting points there and I can certainly see why you would want to pay your loan off early, I hear you on that one..
I am having a depth year.. I am not really wanting to learn any new skills per say, I am sure I will learn new things, I have a number of things I am attending and they are sure to have new information to me 🙂 but for myself, 2019 is all about working the skills I do have in a indepth way..
Putting in the miles so to speak.. I look forward to reading on how your coming year goes!
Hey Farmgal! You are definitely an exception to some of what I write, as you aren’t a beginning homesteader, or one who isn’t organized, I gather. As a seasoned homesteader, in-depth learning is always where it’s at when you’ve garnered all the homesteading skills you need!
Hi Kristi,
It certainly is hard to start over when you in middle aged and there are a lot of things to consider such as mortgage and when you want to retire. The important part is being happy with what you have chosen and it sounds like you are. Farming, homesteading or just having your own garden space is a good way of life.
It is hard. Thankfully we are young enough to still pay the mortgage off and work hard. We are very happy here and hope to make a partial living off our property in our later years.
Great post! We are in transition and I can’t wait to find our next homestead! I have a feeling it will be much smaller than our last home but your advice is still applicable!
Yes! Any size homestead should have a plan!
This is a great worksheet for beginners or those who have been homesteading for years.
Thanks Candy!
I love this post! Why? Well, we are retired homesteaders living in a rental property. We are limited to gardening now, but while here, we are learning skill sets to use once we purchase our homestead. You are so right in how to get the plans moving forward. Sometimes it takes a leap of faith as well. Our plans are on paper, which makes them more real, and we are working hard towards that goal of owning and living our lifestyle. Thank you for putting it in a post that challenges us all to accomplish our goals more fully!
Oh thank you so much for your kind comments, Jennifer! How exciting to be in the stage you are now, and you are on the right track with honing your homesteading skills right where you are! That will make for a successful homestead, I’m sure!
Kristi,
You’ve inspired me to do something about these 2 huge dirt piles in my yard. They have been there since we moved in. Time for them to go.
Oh, I have piles all over! And our yard is so overgrown with mallow plant, too! Believe me, I KNOW about piles! 😀 Glad you were inspired, Dianne!
Wow lots of info! Love it and yes I’m going from sucky to Lucky! My soil is awful not much grows well past 2 years so I have plans to do raised beds with good soil and more to can and dehydrate . I live in a river town with lots of sand and heat and only have a 20×25 space and a trial of perinnals and herbs but so excited to change it up after ready your site and others!! Thank You
Yay! I’m glad you are going from sucky to lucky! 🙂 Your raised beds will do a lot for your growing, despite the heat. Talk to people in your area and see what varieties grow well for them, that’s super helpful. Your 20×25 space is probably about as much garden area as I have, so you should be able to do a lot!
Hello,
I’m just starting out and trying to learn homesteading skills. I have preserved food in the past, so I guess I’m not a complete novice. Lol. I appreciate the information you share on your blog and the blog hops.
Thanks Terri! I’m so glad you could use the information! Just keep plugging away, mastering each skill as you go, and you will do just fine!
Boy, talk about hitting the nail on the head! I bet this designated with so many homesteaders! I loved that you didn’t sugarcoat what homesteading is and I love you basically say to just keep the mindset and plugging away at it! Great post!!
Thanks, my friend! It’s true, and I’m learning a lot of that discipline from you, girl! Thanks for your kind comments! 🙂