Just remember that there is no rule book for simplifying, homesteading, or frugal living. The decisions you make about the actions you take are yours and your husbands. I'm especially thinking of the knickknacks. If some or all give you pleasure, there is no virtue in getting rid of them. If you hate them and the nuisance they are to you, get rid of them. If they are gifts that are special, but you are tired of dusting them, pack them away, and if someone asks, tell them that you like to rotate your things to keep life interestiing. Keeping things for your own pleasure is as important as any of the other things you are doing. Pleasant surroundings will go a long way in creating a calm ambience for you and your family. Too much clutter will make you all crazy!
I highly approve the things you can do in the kitchen, garden and chicken coop. These add income (at least make it last longer!), as well as bring pleasure and satisfaction. I don't know how much land you have, but you can grow a lot of food on a city lot! There is a book from the 70's called something like Integral Urban House of Berkeley. It's long out of print, but if you can find it, it would give you many fine ideas. There is another guy who had two adjacent lots that grew salad greens and made $250,000 in his second or third year. (probably not possible today, but you get the idea.)
Make sure that the things you want to give up make really good sense for you and yours. I know that if I had to read by lamplight, or sew, or needlepoint, I'd be blind. I now use Ott-lites all over my living quarters. You lose light gathering ability with every year you live, and by age 60 have lost about 75% of it. I would spend more time researching solar and wind power, and, if you are lucky, stream power to live a modern life without drawing on the non-renewable resources. Some of those modern conveniences really are convenient. Only you can tell what works for you.
As I said earlier: there is no rule book. Don't let anyone else tell you what to do to qualify as a "homesteader", simple liver (leave that alone, you guys :no
or whatever. Build your life as YOU want it. This doesn't mean you can't gather ideas from others with more experience. No sense re-inventing the wheel. Just keep in mind that this is for YOU and your family. You are on a good start! I wish I had gotten started on knowing what is important in my life when I was 27.
