What is Homesteading?
Everyone knows what homesteaders look like. They live like Robinson Crusoe, out in the boonies, surviving off the land and populating their homes with all sorts of strange farm-like creatures and contraptions ...right? No, wait, they turn their urban homes into micro gardens and create sustainable energy from rooftop solar panels. Yeah, that’s it. Hold on...
What is homesteading exactly?
If you’re considering homesteading or even just sitting around talking about that old classmate that posts their homesteading ideas on social media all day long, you may be wondering just what the term actually means.
Fortunately, we’re here to help.
Homesteading definition
The truth is, “homesteading” is a term that wears a lot of hats. It’s also a difficult word to unpack because every homestead looks different. However, in order to give us something to work with, we present to you the official Homestead or Dead definition of homesteading:
Homesteading is adopting a self-sufficient lifestyle.
Ah, so simple. So sweet. So elegant. So that’s it then. We’re done here, right? Except, what does a “self-sufficient lifestyle” look like?
Let’s break it down a bit, shall we?
The many facets of the homesteader movement
Rather than asking what homesteading looks like, perhaps the better question is what the homesteader lifestyle can look like. Homesteading takes a variety of different forms and can be adopted by those living in urban, suburban, and rural areas alike.
In other words, it’s not a geographically-based occupation or hobby, but rather a lifestyle choice — see how we worked the self-sufficient lifestyle bit back in there?
Even then, though, those who adopt a homesteader lifestyle often have extremely different motivations for doing so. Some are motivated by self-sufficiency for self-sufficiency’s sake. Others want to live off the grid or to avoid being overly dependent on a consumer-driven, materialistic mindset.
Even the wealth factor fails to provide a distinct category for homesteaders. Many self-sufficient homeowners establish lavish homesteads backed by shiny, top-of-the-line equipment and plenty of tools, space, and overall funding. On the flip side, some embrace the lifestyle as a necessity due to economic hardship. Others get in on those homesteading vibes because they’re in search of a more natural, organic, crunchy way to source their food, while still others establish homesteads due to the environmentally friendly lifestyle that it can enable them to live.
The point is, homesteading truly is a self-sufficient lifestyle — everyone can pretty easily get behind that notion. But beyond that, it’s difficult to categorize those who live the homesteading life in anything resembling a predictable formula.
Perhaps the best bet to find some kind of homesteading normalcy is to trace the whole concept right back to its roots.
Homesteading Origins
The actual verb homestead basically means “to acquire or occupy as a homestead.” Pretty straightforward, right? This concept dates back to the 19th century when Americans settled on new lands and formed largely independent, self-sustaining homesteads — think Little House on the Prairie kind of stuff.
Homesteading laws, originating with the Homestead Act of 1862, typically allowed new settlers to claim fairly large plots of land — originally the number was 160 acres — as long as they improved the land within a certain amount of time and turned it into a viable home for themselves and their dependents. This may sound like a bargain, but this aboriginal homesteading life was actually really, really tough and a lot of the homesteaders never closed the deal.
Modern homesteading
While the early Americans may have focused on a “survival at all costs” homesteading model out of necessity, many modern homesteaders adopt the mindset in smaller ways. Rather than moving out into the middle of nowhere and trying to survive with next to nothing, most modern homesteaders take up specific homesteading behaviors that they can easily execute depending on their own unique scenarios. These activities can — but don’t have to — include the following:
Practicing subsistence agriculture.
Composting.
Setting up urban gardens.
Raising their own livestock.
Collecting their own solar, wind, or water energy.
Gathering rainwater.
Raising chickens.
Crafting.
Making clothes.
Hunting.
Preserving, freezing, and dehydrating their own food.
Wood burning for heat.
Ditching money and living by the barter system.
These are just a few of the most common ways that modern homesteaders live out their adventurous lifestyle.
How to Start Homesteading
While it’s impossible to have a one-size-fits-all “homesteading for beginners” course — hopefully we’ve made that painfully clear by now — here are a few tips and suggestions to help you figure out how to start homesteading today:
Consider your homesteading motivations
If you don’t truly care about your homesteading efforts and goals, you’ll quickly run out of steam and end up with half-finished projects that do little more than waste your resources. Make sure your heart and mind are in the right place before you dive into a new lifestyle that is this demanding.
Add up your resources for homesteading
While you can begin homesteading with little to nothing, it’s important to be aware of your limitations. Anyone with a little cash to spend can set up a coop and get some backyard chickens. However, if you want to install solar panels and get a tractor, you’ll need some significant funding.
Set up initial homesteading goals
Look over the list of homesteading activities above and consider what items you truly want to take on and what ones don’t interest you at the moment. If you can pinpoint the homesteading activities that really get you going, you’ll have an easier time establishing your new on-the-way-to-self-sustaining estate.
Take things one step at a time
Finally, once you have your list of initial homesteading items, prioritize them and tackle the first one on the list. Don’t try to launch three or four projects at once or you’ll quickly be overwhelmed. Take each task head-on, get comfortable with it, and then move on to the next one.
As you flex your homesteading muscles, you’ll naturally gain more confidence. You’ll also find opportunities to develop the soft and hard skills needed to fully transform your home and your life into a self-sufficient paradise.
Truly understanding homesteading today
There are many different homesteader definitions out there, but the truth is, only those who are actually living out the homesteading life can genuinely understand what it means to “homestead.” Only those who are sold out enough to take the dive and figure out how to take care of themselves and those they love can truly claim to be knowledgeable on the subject.
Fortunately, it doesn’t take much to make the shift and launch into a homesteading lifestyle. Something as simple as learning how to sew or chopping your own firewood can be all it takes to catch the homesteading bug, and from there, it’s off to the races.