Homesteading for Self Sufficiency A Way of Life Toward Food Security

What is Homesteading for Self Sufficiency?

Homesteading for self sufficiency is a way of life that seeks control over your food sources, in other words food security.  Homesteading allows you to prioritize family and self sufficiency.

The term Homestead may take your thoughts to out west in days gone by. Actually, it’s a movement going on right now!

Tumultuous times seem the norm lately.  While some things are definitely out of our control, let’s focus on what we can control.  How do we become self sufficient?

How to become self sufficient?

1.  Educate yourself about the Homestead lifestyle through books, online classes, blogs and video.
2. You can ensure your family has nutritious food to eat by gardening.
3. Homesteading is not for the faint of heart.  There is a lot of manual labor! With that said, exercise would be a benefit if homesteading is on your radar.
4. Just do it!  Take the Leap

Let’s look at these closer!

Homestead Education

Ask yourself what you want out of your homestead.  Do you want to make an income from your homestead?  If so, you can research what to grow/raise in your area to ensure you meet your goal.

Do you want bees?  Take a beginning bee keeper class online.  Educate yourself now for your homestead adventures.  Learn while you wait.

Chickens are known as the gateway animal to homesteading!  They are a cheap start up and low maintenance.  You can buy baby chicks for a few dollars per bird, $15 for adult birds.  They are a great animal to get your feet wet in homesteading.

If you see chickens in your homesteading future, check out this information about keeping chickens:

Ordering Chicks from a Hatchery

Chicken Maintenance Keeping Your Flock Healthy

Predator Proof Your Chickens

Gardening on the homestead

One of the easiest ways to get started homesteading is to garden.  Buy your seeds in January or in the Fall of the year to ensure you have the seeds you want.

I was recently frustrated because my favorite seed companies are either selling out of seeds or so swamped with orders they shut down their site!  As soon as Shaun saw the seed rack at our local store, he grabbed most of what we needed.  We plant heirloom because we want to save seeds…to ensure self sufficiency.

Gardening empowers you over your food sources.  Knowing where your food comes from and what went into growing it is a privilege that most people in America never experience.  I must say, “There’s nothing like gathering food from your own yard.”

You might enjoy:

5 Ways to Get Planting – Food Security Series

Build Your Physical Shape

Exercise regularly to stay in shape.  With the physical labor involved in homesteading, exercise will help ensure you don’t hurt yourself  doing daily chores.  Endurance is a sweet commodity on long homestead days.

Taking the Leap

We would encourage you to make strides to move toward homesteading as soon as possible.  Mostly, because we took the leap and have never regretted it.  We have went through some hard times and we hope our strides at homesteading will ensure self sufficiency.  Pray and take that  leap of faith.

In closing, homesteading will always pose challenges which are the birth of opportunities to learn new skills or hone in on more seasoned skills.  Read, watch, and do as much as you can now…right where you are.

Thanks for stopping by,

Alisha