Anyone else?

[tabbidawn15]

I'm twenty. I started out trying to "homestead" The DAY I turned 18. Seriously.
It's been over two years and I just now feel like I'm getting somewhere.
Sometimes I feel very discouraged and overwhelmed. I feel like I'm giving 110% and getting back very little.
I don't own any property of my own yet, and while I would like to one day, Trying to save and live this lifestyle can be very difficult.
It's taken every day of this past two years to win my other half over into taking a sincere interest in what I'm trying to accomplish. Finally he has found his "thing" and is very excited about it all. It's like he just woke up to what i've been doing all along.
I don't live in the "country" so to speak, and so far I have yet to find another individual close by that shares this interest and is within ten years of my age!

So, I guess I want to know, Does anyone have these problems? How do you deal with them?

[Ross]

Sounds like you're making good progress and learning much. How to deal with not seeing that, is to make a working plan, set some goals and treat every effort as a learning experience. 2 years isn't long at anything, its just a start, so if you have had some successes relish in them and move ahead. As far as networking with other like minded people (I'm sure there are young people here too!) the internet is terrific and I don't think there's anywhere better than HT. Welcome

[RomeGrower]

Patience will be your great friend. After 22.5 years of marriage DW and I have discovered a shared great passion for homesteading that we only had a sparking interest in early in life. When it is shared it is really good. I was pushy about my dreams as a young husband and it did us no good.

[Taylor R.]

My husband still thinks I'm a little nuts, and just about everyone else we know thinks the same. I'm fairly young, too, and we're also working on saving for our very own piece of land. Remember to use this time to learn. Learn to garden, find a local dairy and learn to milk and care for dairy animals, learn soapmaking, learn to sew. There is soooo much to learn, and while we can't have our own homestead right now, we can make sure the learning curve is a little less sharp when we do get there.

[bluefish]

Don't think of it as a destination, but a journey. I sort of grew up that way. We didn't have any animals, but we always had a garden and canned and all that. I left home, got married at 19 and have been working on it ever since. We've moved several times, so have started over several times. That's the way it goes. I have dairy goats, chickens, turkeys, a couple steers, the beginnings of a garden and I'm still working on it. I have several projects that I really want to further the independence/homesteading thing. Probably always will. I can't ever see 'being there'. I will always be 'getting there'. Really, that's half the fun.

We lived in town when we first got married and I only had space for a small herb garden. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I took full advantage of the farmers markets, though. Later we moved to a bit of bare acreage. Hard, rocky, volcanic area. Starting from scratch is a lot of work. We moved a couple years later to Wyoming. Had a little rental where I could have a tiny garden and some rabbits. Enjoyed that. Moved to a bigger rental that allowed us to have a bigger garden, the rabbits, some chickens and a couple goats. Had to move a couple years later when the rental sold. Had to start from scratch on an alkali flat, although we owned it this time. The garden was a lost cause, but did ok with the goats, chickens and rabbits. Threw in a couple bum lambs once or twice. Finally got to get out of there. Been here 3 year now and have a good bit of acreage, but it needs fencing. That's expensive. We've gotten some done, but do not have full use of the place yet because of that. The garden is slowly coming along. Has to be raised beds because I have no tiller and have to fight quack grass. No place to buy fill dirt, so the beds get filled as I have enough compost to fill them. Unfortunately, the animals cannot poop enough to keep up with what I'd like to do. We'll get there one of these days. On the bright side, my barn designs keep getting better and better with every one we've had to build.

Along the way, I learned to make soap, cheesemaking, learned about herbs, homeschooling, homebirth, etc. Still learning, still making the journey. Enjoy the ride.

That, and I'd say giving 110% for little return is par for the course with some of this stuff.

[Chief Cook]

Sounds like you are on the right track, so don't give up! It is the journey, not the destination that will keep you going. Try to relax and enjoy the trip. You have come to a great site, full of wonderful, giving people. I have learned so much from all of them and have come to trust their advice. Glad to have you here with us!

[Xplorer]

I started planning when I was 14 yrs old and now at 55 I am still learning new things. If we had the internet and resources back then, I might be living permently on my 22 acres instead of visiting it. Enjoy this site & it's information.

[airotciv]

This is what this life style is all about, being discouraged and overwhelmed. But, I can't think of any other life I would want. We seem to forget all the good things that come from living this way and dwell on the problems. Just like this morrning, DH calls to tell me we have a dead duck in the driveway (preditor) and that MY goats have broken down part of the fence. It never ends and I never know what is going to happen next.

Now to going to find people within your age group, just remember that older people have the answers to your questions. I remember our 1st property, the neighbor was 76 years old and was a God send to us. I still have fond memories of him coming to the fence and LOL at me or DH and saying "Your not doing that right." I learned so much from this person.

[Fire-Man]

Remember its "Your" dream not your Partners dream. Do not take your eye off your dream, keep going at it---your partner might come around, might not. Do not get discouraged if he does notjust keep on doing what you Love.

I went through several GF's before God Sent Me The One I Got. She can clean a chicken in a flash and takes care of all the picking and processing of our garden. I Plant it, hoe it and pick some of it that does not require alot of bending....When it gets to the House She takes care of it. I dress out the rabbits and hand them to her at the back door and She takes care of the rest. A Good Partner is A GOOD Thing, but I have never taken my eyes off my dream even before she showed up.

[highlands]

It needs to be both your dream. That isn't to say you'll both have the same skills or do the same things in it all, but you need to both be headed along the same path.

It takes a lot of time to learn the skills, practice them and build up the infrastructure and soils. It helps a lot if you have a team effort, if you and your partner are both pulling together.

I picked my wife based on our having the same dream. We've been together about 25 years. Each day, each week, each month, each year we make progress.

Rinse and repeat to get good at things. Never let maintenance take over your life or you can't keep innovating. It takes a lot of patience and balancing. Keep at it!

Cheers,

-Walter Jeffries
Sugar Mountain Farm
Pastured Pigs, Sheep & Kids
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/

[Vosey]

I work with a woman who's 23, makes her own bread, laundry detergent, yogurt, has chickens, lives on a ranch with her husband in the middle of nowhere. And she is not a "hippie", for lack of better description. I think there are a number of young people interested or just living a homesteading "lifestyle" (hate that word too). They want to get out of the rat race and back to a simpler life.

As for age, I'm 46, my best friends are 35 and 58. My 35 year old friend's best friend is 60! A crazy 60 year old who is still going on adventures all over the world! All people we met at work or school with common interests. I think the common interests are all that really matter.

I wish you the best, hope your SO comes along with your dreams.

[Taylor R.]

It's funny you mention the word hippie, Vosey. Making a go of this homesteading thing in the middle of town makes me feel like a hippie. For some reason I have it in my head that I'll just be a farmer when we finally get our own little homestead. My neighbor came over yesterday and asked what flowers we were putting in the beds that we were prepping. I politely explained that we don't plant flowers, just food. She gave me the funniest look.

[Vosey]

Originally Posted by Taylor R.

It's funny you mention the word hippie, Vosey. Making a go of this homesteading thing in the middle of town makes me feel like a hippie. For some reason I have it in my head that I'll just be a farmer when we finally get our own little homestead. My neighbor came over yesterday and asked what flowers we were putting in the beds that we were prepping. I politely explained that we don't plant flowers, just food. She gave me the funniest look.

LOL.There was a good thread a few months back where someone was upset at being called a hippie. I think it was the thread where I realized my husband is a Rippie (redneck hippie). I do get a little frustrated when I get called a hippie just because I don't dye my grey hair and have a garden and chickens! But it's just not worth explaining. There are many of us who don't fit in any molds!

Sorry to hijack your thread OP!

[tabbidawn15]

Not at all. I love hearing about other peoples stories/ experiences.
I'm not entirely sure what (if any) mold I fit into.
I guess thats what really confuses people, I can't really give them an answer that they understand as to why I live this way.
I'm not the "prepper" type.
I didn't start doing this to help save the planet, or for health benefits (even though those things are important)
People usually assume I do it for some kind of financial gain... hahahaha.
I do it because it gives me peace of mind, it gives me purpose, it gives me happiness.
Even when I get bummed out from time to time, I love what I do. I wouldn't change it.
However, buying chickens and seeds instead of an iphone does seem to isolate me from my peers. Just a bit.
Oh well.

[jwal10]

I have been called a hippie but I am from that generation. My DS is 25 and some people cosider him a hippie too. He has really suprised me, he grew up doing this and enjoying it but has taken it farther than DW and I have. He loves his work but the "farm" is where his heart is. He loves his little piece of land and his animals. He has planted his orchard and getting his gardens put in. Other kids he grew up with come out and enjoy it too, although they live in the big city and think he is different. DS knows he is different but it is what he enjoys....James

[countryfam06]

Yes I too am living in the city and get a lot of greif for living the life that we do. I do agree you need to put more time in before you can reap the benifits of it. When first starting out there is so much expense that the expence and time parts seems to out weigh the benefits. Dont get me wrong there are always some expence but a lot of it is to build up your tools and supplies and most of all your trial and error, finding out what works best for your climate, what your soil is like and so on and so forth. We also make our own laundry soap and stuff like that as well and yes it makes you feel kinda of like a hippy and some people may tell you that. I just simply tell them no im not, I look at it as getting back to simpler times and cutting out a lot of the un needed necessities. Today is all about convenience and how to make things more quicker. I dont need things that make my clothes dry in a third of the time, my clothes line is fast enough for me as well as the cost, free. But hang in there it only gets better. Best of luck and hang in there! And im 28 and my husband is 32. We have been at this since early 2000.

[rockhound]

Friends are not friends if they put you down. Simple. Avoid those people and spend more time with others that garden or keep bees or do any type hand-work in wood, pottery, stone mason or anything where you might barter later on down the line. Good luck to you and please- DO stick around. Some of the stuff you've learned in the last 2 years might help someone here.

[Laura Zone 10]

Originally Posted by tabbidawn15

I'm twenty. I started out trying to "homestead" The DAY I turned 18. Seriously.
It's been over two years and I just now feel like I'm getting somewhere.
Sometimes I feel very discouraged and overwhelmed. I feel like I'm giving 110% and getting back very little.
I don't own any property of my own yet, and while I would like to one day, Trying to save and live this lifestyle can be very difficult.
It's taken every day of this past two years to win my other half over into taking a sincere interest in what I'm trying to accomplish. Finally he has found his "thing" and is very excited about it all. It's like he just woke up to what i've been doing all along.
I don't live in the "country" so to speak, and so far I have yet to find another individual close by that shares this interest and is within ten years of my age!

So, I guess I want to know, Does anyone have these problems? How do you deal with them?

Volunteer at your local 4-H.
You will meet folks closer to your age that may be interested in this lifestyle.

The biggest obstacle in my life, is me.
I put too much 'stock' in having a 'life partner' in this thing called 'homesteading'.
That, was a mistake.
My mindset must change.
I highly encourage you to love what you do, and do what you love.
If your 'other half' is not convinced / or needs convinced to play along?
You may want to keep your options open on a 'life mate'.......

[Txsteader]

Originally Posted by tabbidawn15

People usually assume I do it for some kind of financial gain... hahahaha.
I do it because it gives me peace of mind, it gives me purpose, it gives me happiness.

And that's as good a reason as any.

I agree that it's a journey. You'll experience setbacks and victories, joys and disappointments.....much like the journey of life itself. The fact that it gives you peace of mind and fulfillment tells you you're on the right path.

Have fun and enjoy the journey!

[Vosey]

Originally Posted by tabbidawn15

I do it because it gives me peace of mind, it gives me purpose, it gives me happiness.

Exactly! And that is all that matters. And discovering this early in life is a gift, some spend their wholes lives searching for that feeling.