If you dream of sitting on a porch with a tea in hand watching your kids play in the yard, with sounds of a rooster and maybe a few spoiled goats in the background then chances are you are a homesteader, or an aspiring one.
As many a homestead dreamer can testify to, finding or building the simple life, is not always so simple. Homesteaders today come from all walks of life. Many come from cities or towns with nothing other than a dream of the peaceful life in hand. My hope for you is that you never limit goal setting to just New Years. If you do want to set new goals on the homestead front here are a few New Years resolutions for the Homesteader.
A dream written down with a date becomes a goal. A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan. A plan backed by action makes your dreams come true. -Greg Reid
1. Start a garden
The garden is a very easy step to take for any new or aspiring homesteader. Heck just about everyone can take this step no matter where you live. There are solutions for everyone from the country farmhouse to the apartment dweller.
2. Get chickens, ducks or turkeys
Chickens can be a great start for any urban or country homestead. There is nothing like knowing your girls (and by that I mean hens) are keeping you in a full stock of eggs. Seriously, after a while of farm-fresh eggs you start to turn your nose up at store-bought eggs.
3. Get goats
Goats I admit take a bit more time and planning (and patience), but if home dairy is somewhere in your homesteading dreams, then goats are great. Turning unwanted weeds into goats milk ice cream, do homestead dreams get any cooler than that?
4. Get a greenhouse
Go big, so small or go all DIY and build a greenhouse. The greenhouse can be a food-producing machine, and a little piece of sunny heaven in the cold wintertime!
5. Collect rainwater
Collecting rainwater in many areas can be a great way to save water and maybe even water bills. Why not water that garden with free rainwater?
6. Add some permacultureÂ
Permaculture is like having a tailwind in your Homestead endeavors. Whether it be aquaponics, food forests or no-till gardening, permaculture is not just the better for earth thing to do, it also makes all your homestead efforts easier.
7. Plant herbs for medicinal purposes
Salves, tinctures, lotions & potions, herbs do it all. Thyme to echinacea, garden herbs can be your doctor, and save you some serious dollars.
8. Learn companion planting
Companion planting can be the gardeners best friend. Learn how to use nature and all the benefits of different plants to your advantage to do everything from increase garden yields to reduce or eliminate pests.Â
9. Make your own cure-all antibioticsÂ
Who said that antibiotics only came with a prescription and a trip to the doctor. Home grown or home made antibiotics can kick the pants off anything your doctor can give you (not to mention save you a boatload on doctor bills too!)
10. Go green in the home
Save your wallet, health and the environment. Make or switch home cleaners to green or better yet homemade home cleaning products.
11. Start making kombucha
Kombucha popularity is on the rise, not just for the fact that it is super healthy but because it is delicious too. Yes you can buy it for $3-$5 a bottle or…. save all that money and make your own. Drink a bottle a day keeps the doctors away (wink wink, I made that up but I’m sure it’s still true).
12. Start fermenting veggies
Although it may sound complicated and scary at first (it’t not I promise). Fermented veggies are super healthy and delicious and believe it or not my kids love them.
13. Start making sourdough bread
Well and to be real honest it doesn’t have to stop at bread. Once you learn bread you can tackle pizza crusts, biscuits, cakes, cookies and so much more.
Become a sourdough ninja, it’s the next cool thing, I think…
14. Learn to can
Maybe your grandma could can, maybe she showed you or maybe she didn’t. Plant a few okra plants and trust me you will be canning pickled okra for days… If you grow it and then you can it, that food is like gold.
Homestead dreams don’t always have to be way out at the end of a dirt road, maybe your dreams are of your urban homestead, or a small town lot or cabin deep in the woods. That simple life that you want is out there, out there waiting to be discovered, built, forged or crafted by you. Like the quote by Greg Reid, put the dream to paper, you have a goal, break your goal down into steps, that’s your plan, turn that plan into actions and you will find yourself in the middle of your simple life. On the porch with the tea in hand, the meaningful simple life, the destination is worth the journey my friends ♡♡♡
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From our family to yours, thanks for stopping by
Beth is a mother of 6 living on a handful of acres in an old farmhouse in central Kansas. Beth has a background in the military and health and fitness however her passions come from her homestead life. Beth is an enthusiastic homeschooling mom, avid organic gardener, chicken & goat wrangler, who is obsessed with herbs and natural remedies and maintaining an all-around Do-It-Yourself lifestyle. Beth loves to share all she has learned about and sustainable living. While striving for a healthy, natural life, family-centered life.