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3 reasons not to start a homestead

You might be thinking “Why are you going to tell me 3 reasons NOT to start a homestead?”. I’ve been thinking a lot about how great this lifestyle is for me. I’ve also been thinking of how not-so-great this lifestyle would be for some people. By saying that, I thought I’d touch on a few different things you should think about before starting your homestead.

3 reasons not to start a homestead

Here are 3 reasons you should not start a homestead and also ways to get around them so you can!

In no way are my intentions to sway you away from homesteading. What I do want to do is fully prepare you for what this lifestyle is and can be.

It’s not always roses here on my homestead and sometimes I deal with heartache. But overall, at the end of the day, I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

Do not start a homestead if you really hate a daily routine

If you hate doing the same thing every day you should not start a homestead. Why? Every morning I wake up and feed my two pups (Hank and Loretta) and our cat Pete. I look for duck eggs in the yard, feed the ducks and go to the “slop shed”.

Next, I fill a bucket full of chicken feed and fodder; give that feed to the chickens, and walk back to the shed. Then I drain my soaked fodder seed and add it to a new tray. The trays are misted and a new batch of fodder seed is prepared to soak. I feed and water the rabbits and then water and weed all 17 gardens.

Every evening as the sun begins to fall I feed Hank, Loretta, and Pete dinner. I swing by the slop shed again for an evening treat of mixed seed for the chooks and quackers. Off to the hen house to feed said seed to my feathered friends and pick up the chicken eggs! I return the mixed seed scoop back to the shed and mist the barley fodder and stir the fermented feed.

This routine takes around an hour and a half and I really enjoy it. Nothing changes, though, and that’s why this is 2 of 3 reasons not to start a homestead. You could get around this if you have a spouse or partner that would switch off with you.

Older children could help, too! You could also rotate which animals you feed first. Although my chickens would be absolutely horrified if they saw me feeding the rabbits before them.

Can you not stay put?

If you’re constantly leaving on a jet plane, starting a homestead might not really be for you. If you’re wanting to take off multiple times a month, that may be difficult when starting a homestead.

The only way you could is by having a willing individual, funds for a sitter or you co-own a homestead. Co-owning a homestead can also fix your routine-phobia. It isn’t a horrible setup if you have a good partner in mind.

I heard a podcaster’s guest talk on how she wanted a cow but didn’t want to be so tied down. A neighbor of hers shared the cost and work of the cow and split the benefits! Win-win!

Do you love to eat out?

This is a personal opinion – I don’t see the point in homesteading if you’re choosing to eat out most nights of the week. Homesteading is mostly all about getting back to a more simple way of living and becoming self-sufficient. The definition of self-sufficient is

needing no outside help in satisfying one’s basic needs, especially with regard to the production of food“.

I’m not saying that you should deprive yourself of a good night out but maybe cut down if it’s a regular occurrence.

A way to get around this is to raise your crops and meat with the goal to profit from local farm-to-table restaurants, friends, family, and neighbors. In turn, you could start a homestead and relax at your favorite eatery in the evening. This could also be paired with co-homesteading.

Just do it!

I’ve said it before, but I really think this lifestyle is in the top 3 lifestyles to live, even if your friends don’t think so. There are so many simple ways to homestead without land or homestead with land with help from others. You don’t have to do it alone if you want to do it!

But also, if this lifestyle really isn’t for you, that’s okay. Simply supporting your local farmers, growers, homesteaders is enough to be a part of this beautiful ride.

3 reasons you should not start a homestead

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