Homesteading is a way of life and a thought process. It is not characterized by how much land you have, or how big your farm is. It is a way of living that makes use of the land around you, makes the most sense economically and environmentally, and involves a “back to basics” lifestyle that means doing a lot more for yourself.
For the past few years I’ve been learning as much as I can about self sufficiency and homesteading. Part of my learning is to prepare us for when we do eventually get a plot of land or an already established farm so that we CAN be self sufficient by raising our own meats, growing our vegetables, using alternative energy, making money from the homestead, preserving our food, and not having to depend on anyone. But a lot of what I’m learning, I can apply to my life no matter where I’m living. You don’t need a lot of space, or even a backyard, to do many of the things that will help you on your path to self sufficiency.
This is a growing and never complete list of the things we do to homestead despite our city environment. I believe any family, no matter what style of housing you live in, can pick up on a lot of (if not everything) on this list. Nearly everything I list here, we were doing in our two bedroom duplex when we were living in the country. Now we’re continuing them, plus more (because now we have a backyard and more living space).
- Baking Bread (you can even grow and grind your own grains for flour)
- Cooking from scratch (see also http://scratchcooking.wordpress.com for ‘from scratch’ recipes, and a monthly newsletter focused on a from scratch lifestyle.)
- Making your own ingredients, so you aren’t spending so much money at the store
- Rendering tallow or lard for cooking fat, soaps and candles
- Soapmaking
- Sewing clothing, crafts, household items and useful things
- Candlemaking
- Growing herbs for cooking, crafts and scents
- Growing your own kitchen garden (indoors and/or out, in containers or in the ground)
- Preserving fruits, vegetables, meats, soups, stocks
- Making your own cleaners
- Making your own craft supplies and touchyfeely stuff for the kids (glues, paints, chalk, dye, ink, paper, play-doh, clay, floam, silly putty, etc.)
- Reducing your waste by reusing what you can, recycling what you can’t, and composting.
There are more things I just can’t think about right now. It’s a lifestyle and parts of this lifestyle just become a daily habit that eventually you don’t see as any different!
2 responses so far ↓
Mary // August 21, 2008 at 2:41 pm |
I am really appreciating reading your blog. I found it through familyprep.blogspot.com. We’re a family of 8 living on one income. I homeschool three of six kiddies, with three currently in the local public school — although I pray that they won’t be there too long. Five of our six are adopted, with my almost 4 yo son being a huge surprise after all the adoptions were finalized! We miscarried last year, but I am praying that the Lord will bless us with one more!
I am praying that you are able to go far with your ministry. I have often wished that something like that were available for me — both when we were just starting out and even now. I don’t feel like I know enough, but feel like I need to and should have been preparing and homesteading in any way all along.
Hannah // January 29, 2009 at 5:12 pm |
Great list; a good reminder of all you can do even if you don’t have a plot of land out in the country.