Let’s just say, completely hypothetically, that you’re unsure about homesteading. Or, maybe you do want to start homesteading, but you’re procrastinat— I mean, waiting until the perfect time to start.
I get it. Change is hard. But let me tell you something from someone who has experienced BIG changes on numerous experiences, change IS hard, but something better is always on the other side if that’s what you’re working towards.
So let me try and motivate you to start your homestead today because I really believe it is something more of us should do. So without further adieu, let’s get into it.
5 Reasons To Start Homesteading Today
5. To get out of the ‘work-to-live- mindset
A while ago I saw a short video with an inspirational message that went something like:
Most of us work 8 hours a day at a job we hate to support the family we love,
the family we only get to spend quality time with on the weekends.
Then, we work longer hours to afford a nice house for the family we love.
But, we only spend a few hours a day in the house,
because we are working so much to pay for the house and our nice new car
– which we use to commute to the job we hate.
While this may not ring true for everyone, it does sum up the rat race pretty well. The idea that the purpose of our lives is just to work to pay the bills is one of the perspectives that homesteading completely smashes.
This shift in perspective from ‘paying the bills’ as a main goal, to ‘sustainability and producing for my family’s needs’ is really empowering. I can’t think of a better way to get out of the rat race and the crippling mindset than by living off your land and disconnecting from the grid.
4. Live A Life That Makes A Better World For The Next Generation
The modern world we’ve designed for ourselves has not made us happier. Instead, we’re socially & environmentally isolated. The environment has been destroyed in the name of profit and we work as cogs in that machine, knowing what we do is wrong but choosing to turn a blind eye. What kind of world is that that we want to bring our kids into it?
Starting a homestead allows us to escape that matrix.
You can choose to live a life that has less impact on the world. Produce what you can, to provide for your own needs and that of your community. Your work can have a positive effect on the environment, where you restore degraded places to abundance.
You accomplish these things on a homestead by:
Recycling waste with Greywater Systems & Compost Toilets
Take care of your soil with a Compost Pile
Harvest Rainwater
Growing your own food
And guess what? You can do those things from wherever you are. You don’t have to “go off grid.”
You can show your children a different way to live, now! This simple act will have a profound effect on the future of our planet.
3. Growing Your Own Food Leads To Better Health
Growing your own food has so many benefits! Not only does it taste better, but it’s better for you, too.
- It tastes better
I promise; food you grow in your backyard or greenhouse will always taste better and fresher than something you pick up at a supermarket where the produce is sprayed with chemicals to make it ripen quickly, then sprayed again to keep it from going bad too fast.
- You have control.
You decide what (if any) pesticides to use, or if you want to grow entirely organic. You get to decide even what seeds to use! (heirloom or hybrid varieties). This is ultimately healthier for your body, too. - It is cheaper (and could possibly be a side income, too!)
Having a garden certainly saves on my grocery bill, but even more – I often have excess bananas, avocados, and fresh garden greens to sell or trade with too.
- Promotes sustainability
Instead of making multiple trips a month to the supermarket, I walk out to my garden and harvest what is fresh. Not only does it mean that I save on fuel, but I’m not supporting the expensive exportation of products from one location to another when I can grow them in my own backyard.
- It is more ethical
There’s no question, animals raised on small farms and homesteads are treated better and than those raised in big, commercial operations where sometimes the animals never get to see the sun or touch the grass.
Where you notice a difference in the flavor of free-range eggs or grass-fed goats (I do), either way, your conscience will be clear knowing the animals had a decent quality of life.
2. The pride of DIY
Whether you keep your current job or go 100% full-time on the homestead, you are going to be working for yourself in some capacity.
Maybe you’re building your own home or setting up gutters for your rainwater collection system. You’ll probably prepare the land, plant the trees and raise your own food. Whether that’s raising chickens or learning how to milk goats, you’re going to be doing things yourself.
Let me tell you, the sense of pride that comes from working your own property, building things with your hands and growing enough food to feed yourself and your family for months ahead is awesome.
If you have kids, then you also have the benefit of teaching them about hard work and how to live sustainably, too.
There is no better feeling than that.
1. Homesteading Allows For More Freedom
If you have shifted from the ‘work-to-live’ mindset, then you can really enjoy this benefit of homesteading: the extra freedom.
Now, there is a lot of responsibility with homesteading, especially if you have animals to care for. But, there is also so much you can do once you step out of the ‘rat race’ and focus on what makes you happy.
Sure, there are busy periods in the life of a homesteader (planting season, certain harvesting times), the majority of the time YOU decide your schedule. You can choose how you spend your time, which is so freeing.
Time to do the things you enjoy
Like hiking or surfing.
More time for creative hobbies
Like baking or painting.
More time outdoors
Which is mentally and physically good for you.
More time with your favorite people, making memories.
If you’re still on the fence about homesteading, look back over these 5 reasons to start homesteading today. All-in-all homesteading gives you more control over your time and your food, and it leaves you with a massive sense of pride in completing something by yourself, for yourself.