Starting a Homestead ~ Learn to Live Simply
Next in our series on Starting a Homestead is something we can all do no matter where we live and what we do! I bet some of you are already doing this.
Learn to live simply, with contentment, for what you already have and what you can produce and find locally.
This falls right in line with a Homesteaders mindset. A true homesteader doesn’t go out and purchase things just because they can. They take inventory, first asking if they want or need this “thing”. And if they need it (or maybe really, really want it) they take stock of what they already have and/or what can be sourced locally from businesses around them.
Learn to live simply . . .
What can you do to simplify your way of living?
A few ways we have tried to simplify and live with more contentment that might work for you too . . .
Making repairs if it’s worth our time and the money spent. If it’s not a worthwhile use of our time and resources, can we buy it used? If not, then we purchase new.
Can we make whatever it is on our own with resources around us? Instead of purchasing trellises for the garden we made ours with fence posts we already owned and cattle panel from the local hardware store. It would have cost us a lot more to purchase a ready-made one from a gardening store.
Eating seasonally and using ingredients we can grow on our own or source locally has not only saved us money but has also simplified meal planning. There are less decisions to make when you’re limited on ingredients, and we’ve learned to be okay with that. Check out your local farmers market and get to know local farmers, ranchers and producers.
Using free/gently used items instead of purchasing new. We get free pallets from local stores and use those to build compost bins, animal shelters and items for the garden. Don’t be afraid to ask is you can have extra items local stores have hanging around like cardboard boxes and pallets. Chances are you will be saving them time by taking them off their hands. We’ve also been able to purchase some cool looking wood and tools from estate sales. When you look around you, you can find so much!
