Video: Budget-Saving Tips for New Homesteaders

This short video offers a number of helpful tips for beginning homesteaders - particularly ways to save money when you are starting out, as well as some tips for making sure you are focusing on the areas of homesteading that you enjoy and can be successful at.

We hope you've enjoyed our series on beginning homesteading! For more helpful green living resources, be sure to visit our website, and also "Like" us on Facebook for weekly green living tips.

Check out the video below, and for more great homesteading resources, also see Self-Sufficient-Life.com.

How to start homesteading (the smart way)
Homesteading can be so exciting at first that you can get ahead of yourself. Here are a few tips to help you save money, energy, time, and sanity.

3 Steps Every Homesteader Must Take Before they Get Started

Before you start digging in your yard or shopping for chickens, stop. Take a step back and put down the shovel. There are three important steps to take before you dive into homesteading. These three steps will help you create the homesteading lifestyle you desire.

1. Set Priorities

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What are your homesteading priorities? Do you want to conserve energy, produce most of your vegetables, or raise animals? Make a list of all of the homesteading projects you’re interested in and why you’re interested in them. For example, maybe you’re interested in raising goats because they’re adorable and you would like goat milk and goat cheese. Or maybe you’re interested in growing all of your own vegetables so you can raise a healthier family. Establish your priorities. When you get started with homesteading you can start with the most important item on your list first and go from there.

2. Make A Plan

Once you’ve established your priorities, the next step is to create a plan. This plan can and should include everything from materials to systems and a timeline. For example, if you’re going to start raising chickens then how and when are you going to build a coop? Where will you buy your chickens from and what type of chickens are you going to buy? Plan ahead so you don’t miss any steps.

3. Assess Your Space

The final component of your new homesteading lifestyle is to identify the place and space. For example, if you’re going to build a chicken coop where are you going to put it? Is that the best place for a coop and do you have enough space? Also, if you build the coop and you want to build a garden next year, do you have the space for them both? Thinking about these considerations beforehand will save you costly mistakes down the road.

Homesteading is a rewarding and fun lifestyle. It’s not an easy lifestyle but for tens of thousands of people, it’s a lifestyle they wouldn’t change for anything. The homesteading movement is growing in popularity and it might just be the best change you can make for yourself if this is something you're interested in pursuing.

More more helpful information on getting started with homesteading, check out the excellent resources at Self-Sufficient-Life. 

Fun Ways to Improve Your Homesteading Skills

Homesteading is a lot of work. It’s a lot of fun too so it’s more than worth the effort. However, at a certain point you may feel a bit overwhelmed. You might not know where to start or how to approach homesteading without making costly mistakes. When you’re dealing with animals and expansive gardens, mistakes can sometimes be devastating. One of the wonderful aspects of homesteading is the community that it creates. Take advantage of that community and leverage it to improve your homesteading skills.

1. Take classes

Check with your community center and recreation facilities. There are likely some basic and intermediate homesteading classes. Local farms and fellow homesteaders may also offer the occasional class. These can be fantastic opportunities to learn more about homesteading, ask questions from experienced homesteaders, and meet more people in your community.

2. Volunteer

Volunteer in a community garden. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Another option to learn more about homesteading and improve your skills is to volunteer. You may have some community organized gardens and community organized homesteads. Consider reaching out to these organizations to find out if they have volunteer opportunities. It’s a great way to learn and give back at the same time.

3. Attend workshops

Many farms and community homesteads offer homesteading workshops. These workshops are often a few days in length and they can be an excellent opportunity to gain hands on learning as they’re often hosted at a farm. You can choose from basic homesteading workshops to specific workshops on more technical projects like aquaponics or installing a solar panel system.

When it comes to homesteading there is certainly room to learn as you go. However, some projects require a bit more technical knowledge and sometimes it’s just good to gain an education before you start a new project. Learn about homesteading by connecting with your community. Take classes, volunteer, and attend workshops on a wide variety of homesteading topics. Next time we’ll take a look at the three steps every new homesteader must take before they get started.