I think I have cheerleader tendencies…
No, not like a pom-pom carrying cheerleader, rather, I really, REALLY enjoy cheering others on in their homesteading pursuits. It makes me so stinkin’ happy.
(Side note: I wasn’t a cheerleader in high school… I was the awkward, weird girl in high school. Annnnddd, not much has changed.)
But even though I love encouraging everyone I know to get chickens, or milk a cow, or make their own sauerkraut, deep down, this old-fashioned lifestyle isn’t necessarily for everyone…
So I’m putting my cheerleader tendencies aside this week to help you dig deeper into figuring out if this lifestyle is for you (or not). Curious about the 4 questions you should ask yourself BEFORE moving to the country and starting that homestead? Watch now!
4 Questions to Ask Yourself BEFORE You Move to the Country and Start Your Homestead
Other Homestead 101 Posts:
- How to Start Homesteading When You Feel Overwhelmed
- How We Homestead on One Income
- How to Set Homestead Goals You’ll Actually Achieve
- The BIGGEST Homestead Mistakes We’ve Made (so far)
- How Two City Kids Became Homesteaders
- Does This Homesteading Thing Really Matter?
Great advice! I would add to start where you are now and see what you can grow and if you enjoy it. You may not need a big place to do homesteading or you may not want to continue when you see how much work is involved. Start small and see how you like it before committing to a big place.
1. Extrovert
2. Enjoy hard work
3. Didn’t have a lot of money when we started
4. Consistent
We’ve been on our property since 1999 and we still love it!
We moved with 6 children ages 2- 12. And many of them would like to live on property out of town. And one recently did move to acreage of their own!
Thanks for the inspiration. My husband and I just bought a house on 23 acres in Wyoming in the middle of October. We haven’t seen a spring here yet, and I have no idea where we’ll get cows from, but we have chick’s due in March and I’m super excited. So wish us luck please because come spring, it’s on ?
I have been reading your blog for a little while and want to ask about your dairy cows. I was curious why you choose brown swiss over say Jersey or Guernsey. Julie in Pennsylvania.
You can bet your bippy we had questions about what we were about to do- living on our little urban homestead was one thing, but expanding outwards to increase our food yields while helping the kids learn their way in the world on an off-grid homestead was another.
I suppose for us, we are open to new ideas and ways of doing things. It has to be that way. Between Wendie and myself, we seem to take a new project every other day or so. From making soap to tapping maple trees (soon, oh so very soon), there’s always something we are trying out to see if it fits into our homesteading life. If it does, we continue with it. If it doesn’t, well, we’ve learned something new.
The key for us is to do things one at a time. If we are bringing in new-to-us livestock to the fold, we do one type at a time. There was no rush to get all of the chickens, goats, pigs and bees all in at the same time. We owe it to ourselves and the animals that we know what we are doing, know how to care for and use them well, and not be bogged down in doing too much all at once.
Thanks for your article- it brought some good conversation to our breakfast table.
Cheers!
Thank you for you enlightning comments! It’s refreshing to get advice from folks “knee deep in it”! Your advice is well added to all the other great comments left by “hands on/in” homesteading folks here!
I think I am an introverted extrovert! LOL! I like interaction with friends and family and meeting new people, but I enjoy my quiet alone time with my animals equally as much if not more…. We live on a 770 acre cattle/horse ranch and I love it but, the “homestead” part is missing! I’m working on that… I am working on fencing an area around our house to have a garden, pens for chickens, goats and a couple of turkeys (I will keep them separate from the chickens). My own little piece of paradise in the middle of paradise, if you will…. It’s a work in progress but also a work of love! Thank you, Jill, for your beautiful spirit and your love for all of us wanna be’s!!
Really good advice! So easy to get taken away by the glamor of it. Its worth it , but lots more work than it may seem. Those rose colored glasses getting us all in trouble.
Extreme Introvert here. I do like people, once in a while, however I am content being home away from it all. We are in the planning stages and doing some of the things now, where we are. Learning and studying all that we can. It’s been a dream of mine all my life, living a simpler life(I have always said I was born at the wrong time). I am not afraid of hard work, it brings me joy. That feeling at the end of the day when you’ve worked hard and are exhausted but energized at the same time (crazy, I know). To keep moving in the direction of your dream. Seeing all the things take shape.
I agree and feel much the same way you do Donna ! We are far mor introverts than extroverts! Unfortunately my husband and I are both still working very full-time jobs away from the Homestead during the day. By the time we get home in the evening and tend to the few animals that we currently have & feed ourselves, it’s time to prep for the next day & wind down to get some sleep. So most of our homesteading chores are done on weekends which can be quite challenging to cram a weeks worth of projects into two days! And every now and then we need to get our people fix by visiting the kids/grandkids who live 3 hrs away! It has definitely been challenging but in two years when our place is paid for then we can quit or majorly reduce the amount of hours we work away and will have the majority of our time on the homestand to fulfilled our vision for it.
I’m right there with you! I enjoy being around people to a certain degree. But I can also be a major homebody!
Introvert here! I adore the peace of being amongst animals, even when they are causing chaos. We are still in the early stages, planning, planting trees, getting an old house into shape for when I “retire” in 18 months. Your advise has been helpful, giving me lots to think about and plan for and your blog allows me to live through your post until I can get there full time!
So glad you find the blog helpful and encouraging! And I’m right there with you–I find peace being “alone” with animals. There’s something about animals that make you feel fulfilled and satisfied when you’re around them!
Definitely a positive for 3 out of 4 – an introvert who enjoys the satisfaction of accomplishing things regardless of what it is and consistent – the more you work on something, the more likely you are to have success plus the sense of accomplishment is soooo satisfying regardless of how large or small the job is! I’m on my own now and finances are the obstacle…but as far as I’m concerned it’s a temporary one and I’m not quitting until I work it out!!
introvert
Introvert here.
Introvert who appears extroverted, I get my energy from reflection with one good friend or alone. I am a visionary so I always need an outlet for my great ideas (good thing I’m married to a realist)
I think I am a hard worker, I’ve always worked and had things I want to learn and try. The last 8 years of my life has been spent with 2 year olds and that kind of work is extremely wearing. Busy messy and fun.
We as a married couple have never been in debt and only saved, never had a mortgage, buy what we can afford outright-one step at a time. Neither one of us jump easily (except into marriage with another old soul it turns out haha)
Consistent no, we have moved around a lot for my husbands job which he consistently is good at and works very hard but we need a change, we want to raise our littles with some roots and close to the earth. We have been minimal and learned to live with less, but we want apple trees… (so I guess we need a garden and chickens too)
I think I would be lonely at times, I treasure my friends that I’ve made in all the seasons. I’m a little leary of feeling stuck- but oh I want my children to have animals and roots for once.