Homesteading Considerations

Before jumping in, there are many homesteading considerations you should look at.  First, what are your homestead goals, what are you really trying to accomplish by doing it?

Personal Goals

Your goals will affect everything else you are going to do and the scope of you project. Try to be as specific as possible in stating your goals for homesteading.

Lifestyle Choices

Next consider how you want to live as a homesteader. Are you able to be onsite all the time or will you be working away from home? Imagine the ideal situation for you and your family (if you are living with another person or persons)?  You should give thought to every aspect of the life you want to have: how much food you want to grow, the type of house you want to live in, if you will raise animals for food or not, where you will get water and power, and how you will handle waste/trash from human and animal activities.

Location

It is also important to decide on the kind of environment where you want to live: urban, suburban, rural and where it would be located. This step can take some time but it’s better to do a thorough assessment instead of rushing through it. If you find you need to rewrite your goal, that’s okay. Make sure these two steps fit together.

Other Considerations

The next step would be to look at the optimum situation you have envisioned and name out what you want for each area:
    1) Work – if you will be on site, are there skills or products you can provide others that you can sell? If possible, is there something you really enjoy doing for which you could be paid?
    2) Food – what kinds of food do you eat and how much of it do you want to grow or raise yourself?
    3) Energy – are there any alternative energy sources that you could use and what percent of your power needs can they cover?
    4) Water – will you have water piped to you, a well, or another source?
    5) Housing – will you use an existing house or build a new one?
    6) Land – do you have enough space, or will you need more to get started?
    7) Expenses – do you have enough money each month to create your ideal situation?
    8) Time – do you have time to work on your homestead?

Skills

If you look at everything you plan to do, do you have the skills to do them? If not, your plans should include how you will gain the skills you need. The internet has videos for almost any skill or information you may need. It’s valuable to check out these resources and learn about a skill if it appeals to you. With online videos you can learn things at your own pace and when you have the time. It’s especially good to see what other homesteaders are doing and know what problems you may face.

Move Forward

If you have done the above, then you should have some concrete ideas about homesteading. Find something on the list that you can do right now to get started. If you are feeling particularly energetic, work out a few steps and the order to do them. Then start making your goals happen!