The 7 Easy Steps to Start Building Your Homestead Now
You can do this. And I'm here to help.
Hi! I’m Kristin, Mama in Charge here at Little Stewards Farm. We started building our homestead in 2020 and fell in love with the freedom, fresh produce, and delicious meat that comes with this lifestyle. Since then, we’ve learned a few things about the ins and outs of starting a homestead. I’d love to share with you some easy ways to start yours!
How I got here
“What if we buy raw land?” We were in the middle of house hunting, losing hope by the minute that we would never find the right one for our family, when my husband, Justin, dropped this question on me. “What??” I asked, as if that was the most absurd question ever.
As it turns out, it was exactly the right question. No, we didn’t buy raw land, but his question led to us reevaluate our priorities. We quickly realized that we’ve been craving more space, a healthier lifestyle, and more time together as a family.
So here we are, three years later, enjoying the fruits of our garden, raising our meat and veggies, and watching our kids grow with a much deeper knowledge about our land and food, and we are all the better for it.
My 7 Best Tips
Okay, now with that out of the way, I’m super excited to share the top 7 steps we discovered on our path to starting a homestead without feeling overwhelmed.
TIP: I created an Action Plan worksheet to help you stay on track as you start your homestead. It’s yours to download for free!
Step #1: Put your ideas down on paper.
Or on a whiteboard, post-it notes, or on a note-taking app on your phone. The point is, pulling your thoughts out and writing them down will help declutter your thoughts, ideas, and questions about starting your homestead. This is not the time to assess your ideas. This is the time to just let them flow out.
DO THIS: Decide where you are going to write down your thoughts, ideas, and action items to start your homestead journey.
Step #2: Define your WHY
Why do you want to homestead in the first place? Many people romanticize the idea of homesteading--being self-sufficient, growing your food and preserving them, cooking from scratch, having fresh eggs, and living off the land, all while slowing down from the busy hustle and bustle of life.
Homesteading is HARD WORK. It’s important to know your WHY so you have something to fall back on when burn out starts to creep in.
Are you wanting to:
Grow your food?
Be more self-sufficient?
Teach your kids about responsibility, discipline, and patience?
There are many more reasons to homestead and you can have more than one why. The important thing is to define what it is.
DO THIS: In your notebook, write down why you want to start homesteading.
Step #3: Define where you're at
Are you currently in an apartment and just renewed your lease? Do you live in a neighborhood with an HOA? Or are you in the middle of packing and looking for a new place?
Do you have young children? How do your finances look?
Before continuing on to the next step, you need to define your current state of living. A lot of times, we like to look ahead and make plans, but forget to take stock of where we're currently at. This is a crucial step in order to follow through with the next steps.
DO THIS: Briefly assess your current living situation, finances, family lifestyle, and schedule. Write down a list of restrictions and freedoms that you currently have.
Step #4: What’s your goal?
Now that you've defined why you want to homestead and what your current living situation is, take a look at your ideas from Step 1 and ask yourself two questions:
What can I realistically achieve in the next 1-2 years?
What can I realistically achieve in the next 1-2 months?
The word realistically is key here. You're not crossing out any goals or dreams.
You're just prioritizing what you can work on now vs what you need to work on later.
If you're currently living in an apartment, but want fresh eggs and veggies now, it's better to start a container garden rather than shop for chickens (in the meantime, you can visit the farmer's market for pastured eggs and support a small local farm instead).
No matter what your goals are, it's important to be realistic about what you want to achieve and the timeline you want to achieve it.
DO THIS: Refer back to the ideas you wrote earlier. Make two lists titled "Now" and "Later."
Step #5: Start small
Now that you have distinguished which items you can work on now, it's time to start putting your plan together. Look at your "Now" goals and decide what you can work on today. A homestead takes time to build and hard work to maintain. There is no such thing as overnight success. It's important to start small so you can ease into the process and avoid overwhelm.
Here are some things you can do to get started:
Start a compost bin
Start a container garden
Visit your local farmer's market
Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)
Make one recipe from scratch per week
Shop from a local farm
DO THIS: Pick one goal you can start working on TODAY and DO IT. Under your "Now" category, rank your other goals in order of importance and prioritize one goal at a time.
Step #6: Make friends
If you're just starting out, homesteading can be isolating. Take any opportunity you get to talk to people who are also on the same journey. Introduce yourself to small farm owners at your local CSA and farmer's market, join a FB homesteading group, or even invite your friends and family to join you in starting a homestead.
There are many resources online and in person for homesteaders now. Utilize these to your advantage!
DO THIS: Join a local homesteading group or find an online community of like-minded people.
Step #7: Get comfortable learning new things
As soon as you start taking action, you are going to be a forever homesteading student.
Every seasoned homesteader will tell you that even after years of gardening, animal husbandry, or preserving food, there is always something new to learn. Just when you think you have chickens down, a new bug will show up and eat your squash or strip your tomatoes. The great advantage of homesteaders now is the abundance of resources online, in books, and in person.
The best way to get comfortable with learning new skills is to just jump in and do it. If you're feeling lost, seek out a helpful book, look for a YouTube tutorial, or ask a more experienced homesteader for advice (which they will happily share).
DO THIS: Research one new thing you want to learn about homesteading. Check out books from your local library or look for helpful
Bonus step: Have fun!
Besides the long days and hard work, homesteading is truly enjoyable and rewarding. I mean how amazing is it to raise and grow your own food and know exactly how it was nourished because you were there and you did it!
Take the time to appreciate your homestead, the mistakes you've made, and all the skills you've learned. Remember to give yourself some grace and have fun!
DO THIS: Celebrate each accomplishment, no matter how small. Congratulate yourself on taking the first step in starting your homesteading journey!
