Homesteading is not for the faint of heart. It is a lifestyle full of mistakes, trial and error, and perseverance. As I look back on our own homesteading journey, there is so much I wish I would’ve been able to tell myself when I was just starting out. I wanted to take that even further, so I asked over 200 other homesteaders what they wish they would’ve known when they started homesteading. Their answers might surprise you.
The thing that most homesteaders noted most often that they wish they had known before they started homesteading was that preparedness and flexibility play the biggest role in success. Focusing your mindset for flexibility, setting up your infrastructure, researching before starting, and being patient were the top given answers by these homesteaders.
What homesteaders wish they knew: Categories that came up most often
There were so many wonderful answers given to this question, and I’m so excited to share all of these with you! If you are someone who is just starting out with life on a homestead or someone who is planning to start a homestead sometime in your future, this advice is absolutely a priceless gift. If you’re already on your homesteading journey, I think you’ll find yourself shaking your head in agreement as you read through what other homesteaders have to say. Wherever you are in the journey, this article is sure to provide you with something valuable.
As I analyzed the answers from my question, there were four distinct categories that people identified as things they wish they would’ve known before they started homesteading. Those categories were:
- Projects
- Process and Mindset
- Animals and Infrastructure
- Cost
As you can see from the pie chart, most of the advice homesteaders wish they had known falls beneath the “Process and Mindset” category. I think this just reiterates that homesteading truly is a mindset more than anything else, and beginning to actually achieve that mindset might be the hardest part of the whole journey.
Let’s dive into each of these categories a little deeper to find out exactly what advice these homesteaders had to give.
1. What homesteaders wish they would’ve known about the process and mindset part of homesteading
Homesteading is a complete mindset game, and those who are experienced in the homesteading world will tell you that this is one of the hardest parts to homesteading. Here is what some of them had to say specifically about mindset:
Worrying is a waste of energy. Most of what I plan to do tomorrow changes. It’s either because Mother Nature changes my plans or or an opportunity arises. Always be flexible to avoid disappointment.
Mistakes will be made; you’re learning. Don’t beat yourself up and always look for ways to make things a little bit better.
If you can master the mindset needed to go along with homesteading, you’re going to be just fine. Recognize that things can and will go wrong. You will need to be open minded enough to realize that it is your reaction that makes the ultimate difference in whether or not your homestead will be successful.
Start Small
Many homesteaders shared the sentiment of starting small. When you’re excited about something, it can be easy to try to do everything at once so that you can get to where you want to be more quickly. On a homestead, however, this might not always be the best idea, as echoed by these homesteaders:
Start small, small garden, small flock of chickens. Once you’re 100% confident with those, add something else, but only one, two things tops. Adding slowly not only makes it to where you won’t get overwhelmed and in over your head, but it lessens the chance that you’ll have livestock die on you because you weren’t prepared or hadn’t researched enough.
Make small goals and big goals. Each step reevaluate. Don’t go faster than what brings you joy. (Keep it manageable.) Let time pass without expanding sometimes so you can be thoughtful and take time to enjoy the experience.
Start slow and add into the mix a little at a time. I would have kept a journal to help remember all I learned and go back to see my failures, so as not repeat. Add weather conditions, which can be a factor to look back on.
Don’t add lots of different animals, too much garden…to keep from being overwhelmed with endless chores and no time to spare….once a routine is established, then add as your time allows.
Though it may be tempting to jump in and add everything all at once to your newly formed homestead, the wise thing to do is to start small. Adding everything at once can run the risk of failure on a homestead. You’re going to be more likely to lose animals, more likely to burn out, and more likely to quit than if you had taken the time to add things slowly.
Taking the time to learn something thoroughly, then moving on to something else, is the wisest way to go about adding to and building up a a homestead. I know it’s not fun to be patient and to wait for something you’re really excited about, but if you take the chance and go big or go home- you might be risking losing your homesteading dream altogether.
Homesteading is a game of trial and error
Plan on everything going bad and have some sort of plan for that or replacement parts. Collect everything you can, some day you will need it.
Mistakes are important. Making mistakes are opportunities to learn. It is the only way you’re going to really, truly learn what works and what doesn’t for your homestead. Making mistakes are an important part of the growing process, and those who have been homesteading for a while know this.
Be flexible. Recognize that even the best laid plans have the opportunity to go wrong. You need to be able to adapt and change with the homestead so that you can keep moving forward.
Find a partner who is like minded
Make sure your partner, if you have one, is totally, completely on board. You can’t teach work ethic, common sense, or willingness to make do/reuse/do without if necessary, to anyone. If any of these 3 components are missing, you’re in for a world of frustration and failure.
Having a partner who is going to support you and be on the same page when it comes to homesteading is key. If one partner isn’t on board, you’re going to struggle with building up a homestead. Make sure the whole family is ready and willing to live this lifestyle before you jump in.
Homesteading will change your life
[I wish I would’ve known] that homesteading would bring so much peace of mind, happiness, satisfaction and fun into my life – and that I would meet so many wonderful people and make so many new honest, hardworking, like minded friends through homesteading.
Grocery store food won’t taste the same after this. You can’t just go back because your taste buds have made you a snob. Now if you don’t produce your own you will go out of your way to find fresh locally grown food.
Living this lifestyle and completely changing your mindset to live this way will ultimately change your life. Before you start homesteading, be prepared for some major life changes as a result of this new lifestyle shift.
2. What homesteaders wish they would’ve known about animals and infrastructure
The second most common piece of advice came in the category of animals and infrastructure. Getting your land set up and ready for animals and projects before beginning your homestead was one of the most noted pieces of advice mentioned.
About the land you choose to homestead
What are homesteaders wishing they would’ve known about the land before they purchased it? Here’s what they have to say:
Buy the proper piece of land. Make sure it’s enough for anything you may want in the future. To do it over again, personally, I would want nothing less than 50 acres. Half wooded half open. A year around stream close to house. A pond. Good soil. Good woods for firewood and lumber. Neighbors not too close. Definitely not very close to town. I have all of this now except for the running stream. I often think of everything I could do with a free running water source.
I convinced my husband to move out of the suburbs and buy land 2 years ago and we compromised on 8 acres of mountain side. I wished we’d settled on something a little flatter and larger but it’s better than where we were!
If we look at these quotes, one thing is clear. Don’t rush to buy a piece of land just because you’re eager to start your homesteading journey. Though you’re exciting, and it might be tempting to just purchase the first piece of land that becomes available, make sure you’re really imagining what your homestead could look like here. Go through the logistics of the land, put aside your excitement, and really decide if the land can work for you.
Here’s what you need to know before bringing home animals to your homestead
Homesteaders were really quick to start talking about raising animals, and for good reason. Raising an animal takes a lot of work, and not knowing what you’re getting into before you bring the animal home can put the animal’s life at stake. Here’s what homesteaders had to say:
Never impulse buy. Always study up at least 1 month before doing anything. Do not buy animals unless you’ve studied up on them thoroughly first. Then make sure you have everything set up and ready before you bring it home. The “learn as you go” works for tasks that don’t put living creatures at risk. Plenty of stuff to learn as you go with homesteading, but when I comes to the lives of animals we must all be well informed on each individual breed and species before we take on that responsibility. Animals will teach you many things and you’ll learn many things, but how to keep them healthy and safe should be known before they arrive.
When you first move, don’t get any animals right away… wait a while… Get to know your land and new place…
Have the habitat ready before the animal arrives. Have the habitat ready before the animal arrives. Have the habitat ready before the animal arrives.
The biggest take away from these quotes is to be prepared before you bring home any animal to your homestead. Some of the biggest things to remember are:
- Research and read up on the animal before you attempt to raise them yourself.
- Have the fencing and shelter ready before you bring the animal home.
- Find a mentor who can help guide you and answer questions as you start out with a new animal
Animals require a lot of maintenance
When you own animals, they’re going to take a lot of time and effort. You’re going to need to feed them every day, multiple times per day. If you have a family milk cow, you’re going to need to plan for milking. This means you’re going to have to be really dedicated to your homestead life, and make a commitment to taking care of these animals.
Ensure you have good neighbors who can help you and vice versa…You’ll want trustworthy folks to watch your animals should an emergency (or vacation) occur and be willing to assist them also.
This one is really important. Enjoy taking overnight vacations? You’re going to need a plan for your animals before you can go. No more spontaneous road trips when you have animals back home that need tending to.
When you have livestock you will have to deal with dead stock
Be prepared to deal with loss of animals on your homestead. It’s a harsh reality, but it is a reality of homestead life. And, when something does die, what plans do you have in place to deal with it physically, financially, and mentally?
Take caution while buying animals or accepting free animals
There were enough quotes from commenters regarding purchasing and obtaining free animals that this is worth mentioning. If you’re going to be purchasing animals or you’ve found an opportunity to get an animal for free, know that it comes at a risk.
If you purchase large livestock, testing, testing, testing! Don’t trust the word of anyone, get paperwork!
Buy the best breeding stock you can afford. Learn everything about raising said animal.
Free animals are not worth it. Do not cheat yourself on cheap breeding animals. You will be fighting up hill with bad genetics.
Asking the right questions when purchasing an animal can save you a lot of trouble down the road. Acquiring free animals or purchasing animals without having the full story about the animal can be a large investment with a disappointing ending. Take the time to research the animals, ask the right questions, and make sure you know exactly what you’re getting when you purchase. If you are someone in the market for a family milk cow, then you’ll want to take with you this list of questions to ask the seller when it comes time to buying your cow.
3. What homesteaders wish they would’ve known about the cost of homesteading
It might be surprising that living simply does not mean living cheaply. The cost of raising animals can be surprisingly high, and it might not be something you know already when you’re just getting started on a homestead. Here’s some things that homesteaders wish they would’ve known about the cost of homesteading:
It’s not cheap to feed all of these animals.
I wish I would have known not to expect a profit. Anytime we come out on the up side…something is always needing to be fixed or bought.
[I wish I would’ve known] just how expensive it really can be.
The cost of feed, equipment, and repairs can take start to add up in time. However, it’s also important not to get sucked into “the next best thing”, as many people will lead you to believe you need certain items to homestead, when you really don’t. After all, homesteaders of the 1800s lived, survived, and even thrived with a lot less than what we have today. This homesteader warns of believing false promises of things you need in the homesteading world:
[I wish I would’ve known] how easy it is to listen to the people that tell you ” you need a chainsaw… A four wheeler… A tiller… A tractor…” You can do it with your hands. All of it. Use manual tools. Get strong. Take time to do things with your muscle and brain.
Homesteading can be extremely expensive and cost consuming if you buy into all of the gizmos and gadgets that people say are needed. Keep your mind completely focused on minimalism and “make-do or do without”. Recognize that there may be ways to make life easier, but also recognize that those things will come at a cost. And after all, you probably didn’t get into homesteading to start with because you wanted an “easy” life. You’ll need to weigh out what items are going to be truly worth it (and the price), and what items aren’t needed to really keep your expenses in check.
4. What homesteaders wish they would’ve known about projects
Ah…projects. These are the things you need to get done on the homestead. They might be repairs to a chicken coop, adding onto the garden, building a fence…whatever they may be, the list is going to be long and there will never be enough time to get them all done. As these homesteaders note, projects are going to consume most of your time, and they’ll never end once they start.
Every project creates a project. They never end.
There’s never enough time to get all your projects done and there is ALWAYS a project.
Sometimes you have to complete 10 of those projects before you can do the actual project you want/need to do…
I think the overall message we can take away from these comments is that you’re going to always have something to do while living on a homestead. There is never going to be a time when you can sit down and have absolutely nothing to do.
Why is there so much work on a homestead?
The main reasons homesteaders always find themselves with an infinite amount of work are usually because:
- Upkeeping a homestead takes work. It takes work to provide food for your animals and keep them well taken care of. There is a lot of work involved in growing and preserving your own food. To be as self-sufficient as you can is going to require you to put in effort and work, and that means projects will arise.
- They are always trying to improve their practice and homestead. They always know that they can get better.
- They are dealing with animals, and animals require a lot of effort in order to fence them, feed them, and shelter them.
- They’ve taken things slowly, per the advice given by so many homesteaders. There is always another project because they are always working on completing one project well before moving on to the next thing.
Conclusion: What do homesteaders really wish they’d have known?
In the end, we all can give our past beginner selves advice. The main thing to remember is that you’re going to make mistakes, you’re going to learn from them, and to keep trudging forward. Homesteading is an amazing opportunity that pushes people to see how strong they really are. If you can push through the hardships, learn to appreciate the work, and find value in the tasks of daily living, you’re going to be just fine living the homestead life.
If you learned something from this article, be sure to pin it on Pinterest!
If you’re just starting out your homestead, what are you most nervous about? Let us know in the comments below! I’d love to support you!
Looking for more on starting a homestead?
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