I will admit that my first reaction to this article was not positive. I read the article and I felt discouraged. You see, prior to us really giving farmsteading a go, I was working two full time 24 hr shift jobs. I worked 48 hours on and 24 hours off. I did that for 2 years. And I was wore out. Farmsteading had been something that I wanted to do on different levels for many, many years. So we decided one day that the passion we felt was actually a desire instilled by God to do just that. To scale back on the work he had originally called me to do in EMS, and to spend more time as a family, instilling important values and biblical principles in our children and family as we became more self sufficient. So you can see why, when I first read this article discussing how expensive homesteading can be, I was discouraged. But then I began to think about our experiences so far and exactly what this article was saying. And I think that it has some merit. Yes it has cost us some money, but by shifting money from some areas of our life that are no longer significant, and moving them into areas that are, we have found that we are able to accomplish our goals. I think that one of the most important things to make homesteading possible financially, is recognizing that you can not do it all at once. If that is to be your only income, expect a significant investment upfront. For us, we are easing into it. As I mentioned, we felt called for me to scale back, but we did not feel that God was completely calling me away from EMS yet. That day may come, and I don’t know when, but when it does I am sure he will open the doors we need. In the meantime we will continue to work toward a goal of self sufficiency as we can. We started with nothing but our rental property approximately a year ago and today we have our expanding herd of goats, expanding flock of chickens, a greenhouse, a garden, and grand plans. So please read this article but don’t be discouraged. Take it a step at a time. Set goals and work toward them. Self sufficiency doesn’t happen overnight. Understand that there is an investment in homesteading, but if it is your goal, passion, or dream than go for it! Check out what Montana Homesteader has to say. Have a great day and God bless!
About Brandon
Author of Lone Star Farmstead, Brandon is a full time paramedic who, along with his family, is working toward a goal of increasing self-sustainability. He writes in the hope of helping others through information and encouragement along their own journey.