Try It - You'll Like

When it comes to homesteading, the sky is truly the limit.  Establishing a homestead involves so much creativity.  Some ideas are real keepers and others, not so much.  There is so much more information available now than there was a decade ago, and that's exciting.  I'm a pretty creative, crafty sort of individual, so I'm not given so much to replicating ideas, but once an idea strikes, me, I'm certainly not against looking for instructions and plans.

I'm doing this one idea at a time for financial and energy reasons, so I didn't just step onto an acreage and start implementing.  I had to live while I was doing it, and I had to maintain an income while I'm doing it.  I'll be talking about genuine needed income on The Other 1 Percent this week, but back to practicality.  I'll be honest.

I like electricity, I like some of the things that use electricity, like a well pump, kitchen appliances, and this computer; not to mention my house is all electric.  Instantly off the grid was not going to work without a major cash layout.  I can do it a few hundred dollars at a time, which is what I've done.  Now, I can operate the well pump and the computer with solar and wind.  The kitchen appliances are one at a time at best, so I'm not going to get crazy.  I'm going to enjoy the conveniences while I can, and if some day that isn't an option, I'm set to improvise.

If you are considering become a little less dependent on the social systems, I have some advice.  Don't make it more difficult than need be, to start.  See what you enjoy and what you don't.  I was gardening in town, just a small garden, and raising raspberries.  I had a couple of milk goats when I was a kid, so I knew I wanted goats.  I tried raising sheep when I first started homesteading.  I actually had quite a menagerie at one time but that just wasn't where I wanted to spend my energy, so I've downsized to goats, chickens, cats, dogs, and a burro, but I also expanded to raising my own beef. This has been nearly a decade now, determining what is best for me, my energy level, and my priorities.

I'd made some personal changes at the onset of my journey toward this lifestyle and it began spiritually.  I had gotten rid of the TV long before I headed to the country, and I found a "style" although many would disagree that it is style, but I found a style that worked for me for comfort, modesty, and practicality.  My point is, I was heading toward holy and the homestead, long before I got to the homestead, and both holy and the homestead are a work in progress!  With every season, comes a new thought or conviction of implementation, both spiritually and naturally.  The ones from G-d work every time!