Getting started?

[RhiannonMackey]

Hello all. Im new, new to the forum and new to the idea of homesteading. I know that what Im looking at wanting to do is a lot of work, but what I want to know is how you got started? What made you decide to homestead. I want to because I want a "simpler" life style, and what not...Im sure Im going to catch some flame-age for this but oh well. My great grandmother was a homesteader in MT, I want to follow in those foot steps. Anyways thanks for any advise or information.

~Rhiannon~

[7thswan]

#1 thing for me, to be away from People and be independant. Was very independant as a child. From there I wanted to know how to do things,how they worked & Why. I think that was my first word. Gardened and canned with my mom. I guess you should do some reading and see what intrests you the most, that will be the best motovator. If its animals ,get some chicks ect. No-one is going to Flame you here. We are all cut from the same cloth, some of us are just worn thinner in spots. There is a Great Book- The encylopedia of Country Liveing. By Carla Emery. Best of Luck and Ask away!

[Home Harvest]

Welcome, Rhiannon.

You'll likely find that most of us got started with a desire for better food for our families. It starts with a garden, and you can do that anywhere. The rest builds slowly over time, with many false starts for most of us. It takes time, and none of us is finished, no matter how long we've been at it. It is a lifestyle, not a project.

Everyone starts thinking they want "simpler". No flames from me, but you need to begin with open eyes. Simple is a condo on the beach and a job that pays $100 grand a year. A corvette in the garage, and a Formula tied to the dock. That is a simple life. No maintenance, no animals running loose, no barns to paint, fences to fix. I love it when my wife refers to this as the "simple life".

Having said that, I wouldn't change a thing (well maybe the $100 grand job would be nice). I love my gardens and fruit trees. We have dairy goats, laying hens, meat rabbits, and honey bees. We are NEVER bored, or lacking for work to do. And remember, you'll likely still need a full time job for your income (I do). Now Eyes Wide Open, go get started. You won't regret it.

[Kris in MI]

What started it for me?

1. being an independent "why?" kind of kid
2. being interested in Amish & "old-fashioned" self-sufficient lifestyles
3. not really liking the idea of being reliant on anyone or any governmental system for my basic needs & livelihood.
4. finding out my son's skin & allergy problems were mostly caused by environmental things like chemicals--perfumes, additives, pesticides, artificial sweeteners, etc
5. seeing how good & cheap life can be by doing it myself rather than paying for pre-made, done by someone else foods, products & services.

[Parrothead]

I realized that I would never be happy living in the rat race. The city life was so empty for me. Too many people were focused on the superficial and material wealth. About the same time I read an article about the Dervaes family and that began my interest in homesteading. My belief is that we have sacrificed too much as a society for the sake of convenience and materialism.

I am still a newbie. Most of my information is gained through the local library. You have to understand how "city girl" I was. I had no idea how to cook or garden. I have learned that most people gain knowledge about how to homestead through baby steps and each person has their own definition of what it is to be a homesteader.

[ronbre]

well we got married and got a great deal on our home and land..we got 5 acres with a house for $8,000 in 1971 was a great price even then, the house needed a lot of work but we managed. We have been here 38 years in 3 weeks. We were "hippies" and most of our friends were actually living in a commune about 6 miles from us.

[Jennifer L.]

I got this way from my parents. They were farmers (as I am) and grew up as children of the depression where they lived without a lot of stuff, but never said they felt deprived. In the 1970's when I got home from college they were really getting back into the homesteading way of life themselves. It was something I treasure, having had that time with them in that way of life. After they died I never really got too far away from it, and in the last five or six years have swung back towards it more yet. Having the farm and always having lived on it, it was probably easier for me than a lot of people to live this lifestyle.

No one is going to flame you here! We embrace that kind of thinking.

Welcome to the Forums.

Jennifer

[Callieslamb]

Welcome to the forum!
First, we wanted to live without debt. The rest just came after that.

[Wolf mom]

Welcome!!

Simpler? Not for me. I work harder than ever. But my time is my time.

I started because I was tired of boarding my horses. I figured they were costing me a land payment.

Sorta evolved from there. And yes, if I knew then what I know now, I sure would have done a lot differently. But I'm happy & that beats all.

I thank this site daily for everything I've learned here and for the help that's quickly offered.

[RhiannonMackey]

Thanks everyone! Yeah. I really want to be out of the city and become a lot more self sufficient. I have a lot anxiety issues that make living in the city hell. I Love animals, and working in my (very small) garden, and I would just love to make that more of my life and just get away from the city and the rat race. My boyfriend is the same way. We have talked about owning land back in Alabama where hes from. We'll see how things turn out. ^_^ Right now Im working on learning all that I can.

[geo in mi]

I grew up on a farm in central Indiana where I learned the skills and work ethic(well, sort of), then put all that aside for 17 years after I graduated from college as I worked for a large industrial corporation and lived in a subdivision near town and work.

The large industrial corporation, in an economy move, relocated twelve families from our location in Indiana to Kalamazoo, Michigan. Ours was one of those families. A realtor brought down several grocery store real estate mags for us to look at, and I spied an ad for: picturesque old farmhouse on five acres, frontage on an all sports lake, garden space, woods with walking trails, small story and a half barn, basketball goal, fire pit on the beach, near Paw Paw, easy access to I-94.

Being from Indiana, the basketball goal in the driveway was a main attraction, but the lady's nine (9) cats, three(3) for each floor of the house was what kept it on the market--and the price low enough--so we could have a chance to bid on it. That was in 1982, and we've been here ever since. Not exactly homestead, not exactly farm, not exactly suburban, but just right for me. I call it home.

[Tricky Grama]

Welcome!
You're already started! The desire comes first then all else follows.
Might want to look for and...have some idea of what you want-build your own dwelling? Buy w/house on land? Live NOW like you want to when you homestead.

Hope you enjoy the site as much as the rest of us.

Patty

[emanuelcs34]

Loveland that's my home town. Me and the wife started with this life style when we looked in the freezer and it was empty. we have a half acre so we started looking into ways So that would never happen again. Obviously we have to keep it on a smaller scale and I stil have to work full time. but with construction the way it is right now It has diffidently helped. So now that your looking into decide what your end goals will be and go in that direction.

[GoldenCityMuse]

Glad to see you here.

Homesteading enables me to mostly work for myself, with the occasional work for someone else as a contractor to get cash flow.

No flames at all.

Frugal living is the best way to start, because you won't have that $100,000/yr job to make it easy as posted above.

[turtlehead]

We got started by brainstorming ideas of what we wanted in our "ideal" lifestyle. Once we settled on common goals, we laid out a rough plan of how to achieve those goals.

Knowing what you're looking for will help you pick the right parcel of land in the right climate/location.

Then you just start simple and build. The garden is usually an early effort. Then chickens or rabbits. Milking animals are for later, as they are time consuming and require a pretty fixed schedule plus the time and energy to do something with all the milk.

A lot of "homesteading" skills can be done anywhere. Gardening, canning, dehydrating, fixing things instead of buying new, sewing, knitting, wood working, raising rabbits, etc.

[geo in mi]

A couple of practical things come to mind. This is the time of the year for the county fairs, why not pick one out and go? See the exibits and smell the animals, etc. You might stop and talk to someone there, too, about how they do things--or just observe. Maybe you'll come away with a few ideas.

Another thing you could do is visit a local TSC (Tractor Supply Co) store. You'll see just about everything you'll need for a homesteading situation--albeit new, shiny, and maybe expensive--but you may get some ideas. Our TSC has racks of books for sale about gardening, raising animals, tractors, etc, etc. And somewhere near the front door they should have a supply of free catalogs--sort of a take home desk reference.

Another source is Mother Earth News, and GRIT magazines. Loaded with articles that will whet your appetite and maybe get you started. Lowe's also has a rack of books to browse--building, gardening, much more. And our forum members will certainly mention more, including "Homesteading Today"

Hope this helps.

[Nevada]

What started it for me was that three years ago I saw the economy in a state where depression was inevitable. I decided that they best hedge against homelessness was to live rent & mortgage free. About two years ago I saw an opportunity to pick-up 2 acres for a song, so I decided that I would build a cabin there out of pocket money. I've been living in that cabin for almost 2 years now.

[duckidaho]

I lived in a hippie commune when I when I was 18. I left the home and the city when I was 17 and moved to Wisconsin. I learned to garden, can, cook, maintain buildings, and all sorts of important things at that commune. As I grew older, I took full time jobs in cities, moved away from the homestead life, then back again, then away again. 2.5 years ago I moved from Chicago (yuck) to rural Idaho. I rent a farmhouse with an acre. We have chickens and a large garden. Help neighbors at butchering time to get a good deal on a side of beef. We hunt for a significant portion of our meat. We can a ton of food. I work part time as an educational consultant for homeschool families with special needs children. The state pays for this, and I make enough to live on. We sell eggs and will be starting to sell veggies and eggs at the farmers market next year. I don't miss working 60 hours a week at the public school. Baby steps. Learn as you go. Always take a leap of faith.