Why Homesteading?
In January of 2008, my husband and I came to the conclusion that if we wanted to ensure that we ate safe food, had clean water, and stop sending wealth to countries that are not friendly to the United States in exchange for cheaply made goods, then we needed to take matters into our own hands. Debt-free homesteading emerged as the only viable way to secure our family’s future. We bought some land, are building our own home, are paying down the few remaining debts and learning important skills before we move. I’ve created this site to help others do the same.
How many times have you wished you could spend more time at home? How many times have you heard people say that, in today’s world, both parents have to work outside the home because you need to have two incomes to make ends meet? Have you ever wondered how you would support your family if you got laid off? With today’s economic instability, pesticide-laden GMO foods, foreclosures, and schools caring only about standardized test scores instead of instilling a lifelong love of learning, it’s time to admit that the way we do things as a culture, and as a nation, isn’t working.
It’s time to slow down, cook a meal from real food picked from a backyard garden, relax with some homebrew, and sleep under a quilt sewn by hand or treadle, stitch by stitch. It’s time to stop running up debt! Pay it off, quit seeking for validation through materialism and consumerism, and create our own joy by developing skills and crafts. It’s time to stop playing Farmville and plant a real garden. It’s time to stop playing Guitar Hero and learn to play a real guitar. It’s time to spark some curiousity in our children and expect that they have more than a combination of a a fourth-grade vocabulary plus slang. It’s time to ditch the manicure and get a little dirt under those nails!
Homesteading means living off the land; free and independent By doing more for yourself. By growing fruits and vegetables, by raising your own grass-fed meats, by providing your own water from your own well, by providing your own heat from wood, by providing your own electricity (even if it is only a portion of it) and reducing your electrical usage by doing more things by hand, you reduce your expenses, as well as dependence on high-priced convenience items and utility/safety systems that can easily fail with the next economic or natural disaster.
While most homesteaders gravitate to the country, you can create an urban or suburban homestead if that suits your needs. You can also learn homesteading skills while living in a city apartment in preparation for moving to the country. Homesteading can be for everyone who wants more control over the stability and quality of life.