Homesteading is all about self sufficiency. If you think this process is totally based on spending lots of money and consuming lots of time, then you’re completely wrong. It might make you spend some amount of money to buy land, animals or food, but later you can stop spending too much money on things and save money.
Check out 10 simple steps that will help you start homesteading cheap, instead of expensive.
10 Steps To Start Homesteading On The Cheap:
1. Simplifies Your Life:
This is the first thing you need to know when it comes to homesteading. Many times we caught up thinking we can more, when in fact we can also survive with very less that we have.
If you are completely serious about homesteading then you must realize that you need time to commit to a particular thing. If you are assigned too many activities like volunteering in a library, going to the gym every day, member of a library, then you must cut off some activities so that you will not end up being in frustration.
2. Make New Friends In Homesteading:
Sometimes homesteading is fun when you have a person who always guides us. So, make new homesteading friends so that they can help you when you are in need. You can ask them about anything just to share their experience which will help you to get out of any problem easily.
And if you know that you are excellent in growing vegetables and fruits like eggplant, cabbages, potatoes, tomatoes, blueberries etc.. And your friend is good with laying too many laying chickens then there is no brainer right!
3. Always Plan Ahead:
Planning makes you worry less. Make a list of everything you want to do, draw out your own garden, plan your meals, and have a diary. Planning ahead will save your time as well as money in homesteading.
For example, if you have planned growing vegetables throughout the year then you need not to worry about the food. You should also know how to preserve your food in the best way which saves your money as well as time. I know it’s a huge example, but once you succeed you keep on producing more and more to make money.
4. Preserve Everything You Grow:
Preserving food is quite important when growing vegetables and fruits in your own garden. You should save food by using one of these methods called canning, freezing, dehydrating, and cold storage. You can use any of these methods which help your food to stay longer and healthier.
For canning, you must need canning jars for storing food, and if you don’t have one ask your homesteading friends. You can easily find a freezer and dehydrator easily by spending only a few dollars.
If you don’t have cold storage, simply dig a hole in the ground and store vegetables in it easily. That’s it.
5. Stop Buying Things You Can’t Afford:
Never be hurry to the things that you need in your homesteading, just because you couldn’t wait few months. You must think before you spend money on something or make a rule for yourself that you won’t buy things until unless you have money. This habit will not only help you to save lots of money, but also many things too.
6. Start Gardening:
To start gardening all you need is some soil, dirt, little amount of water and a handful of seeds. Many people think that vegetables can be grown almost in any soil, but it’s completely wrong. Always use well rich organic soil to grow healthy plants.
Don’t worry if you don’t have dirt, borrow little space of your friend’s garden to start yours. They will definitely help you if you assure them to take care of that piece of land thoroughly.
7. Prepare Your Own Compost:
Preparing your own compost is not so complicated like you think. All you need to do is to start throwing everything compostable into pile and water and spin it once in a while. Add some chicken poop to your pile which will return you some black gold.
8. Learn Few Things From Other People:
Growing is the best part when it comes to homesteading. It might be plants or animals, even though they cost money and you can multiply them within a short time. Try to ask your friends and people who already have experience in homesteading. Just to know what things work out to be best that is always keeps on producing more than they need.
9. Learn Sewing:
Sewing is one of the easiest homesteading skills you need to learn to earn money. So, learn basic skills of sewing and sew all your kid’s cloth to save your money, because everything counts. If you don’t have a sewing machine, that’s okay start with small things that require sew and thread.
10. Chickens Are Cheaper:
Chickens are easy to care for and grow animals when compared with others. The baby chick costs only $18 to 8 and its feed costs $10 it means you can have them in your yard by spending too little money.
Homesteading will help you to live a self-sufficient life. It means you can get rid of lots of stress scientifically and save lots of money.