3 Essential Tips for Starting a Homestead

Here are three things to remember when you're starting a homestead: 

1. Don't try to do everything at once.

The vast majority of beginning homesteaders burn out and quit after less than 5 years, and the biggest reason for it is getting in over their head.

Add one thing to your homestead at a time and don't move on to the next thing until you're comfortable with the system you have in place.

"Better leads to growth. Bigger leads to bloat." - Alex Hormozi

1. Start with something simple.
2. Optimize it. 
3. Let your success drive your growth.

A few good places to start might be: 

• A small vegetable garden
• A few laying hens
• A breeding pair of meat rabbits
• A small flock of sheep (if you have enough land; do your homework
  

Taking time to optimize one system at a time is worth it in the long run. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.

And just in case you're wondering, yes, chickens are a great place to start. 😉 

2. You will pay with either your time or your money.

This principle applies in general for your homestead but also for each individual piece of your homestead. You have to decide which currency is best for each piece . . . for you. 

Sometimes you can do it cheaper yourself, and sometimes you just need to get the right tool. 

Don't be ashamed of your choice, and don't judge others who pay for their solutions with a different currency. Everybody's situation is different and there are multiple right ways of doing this. 

And as you get into it, your situation may change and you can make different choices. Once you've been homesteading for a year or two, you will almost certainly have acquired either more cash or more skills (hopefully both) which will affect your decision-making process. Again, adapt to your current situation, and keep rolling. 

Sometimes you can do it cheaper yourself, and sometimes you just need to get the right tool. 
Everybody's situation is different and there are multiple right ways of doing this. 

3. Local community > Online Community. 

Don't rely on FB groups or forums to get you through the hard times. 

Don't get me wrong, you can glean a ton of great information online, and I have definitely learned a lot from content creators and educators on the internet, but your local community is where the real wealth lies.

Because we can learn from influential voices online, it can be easy to convince ourselves that we know them or have a personal connection with them. The truth is, no matter how much you interact with someone (or merely their content) online, you can't replace real in-person neighborly relationships. 

These are the people that will be there for you when you really need help. Investing in those relationships will pay off big time in the long run.

A second danger of relying too heavily on homesteading content creators is that it can give you an inaccurate picture of what homesteading life is like. 

Some homesteading content creators are brutally honest about their struggles and failures, but remember that you're generally only seeing the nicest most exciting parts of their journey. 

Resist the urge to compare your homesteading efforts to those of content creators. You will always get discouraged. 

Local community will help keep you grounded in reality.

If you're just embarking on your homesteading journey, take courage.

It's a challenging lifestyle, but it's deeply rewarding. 

1. Take it slow and focus on better rather than bigger. 
2. Make wise choices with your money and your time. 
3. Invest in deep relationships with those around you.