Wether you’re a millennial, or like myself, born in that weird 90’s but don’t consider yourself a millennial era, you need to consider homesteading. I’m going to go through the many reasons why picking up even a few good homesteading skills can be beneficial to you!
I’m gonna be the first one to point out to you that I’m not a self sufficient homesteading guru. No, in fact, I’m completely new at this. I have a long way to go to be completely self sufficient and much more learning to do.
Honestly, I’m not even sure I’m 100% sure I care to be COMPLETELY self sufficient. That’s asking a lot for someone that’s as lazy as me.
However, I do want to try and become as self sufficient as I can be without going completely off the map. I personally like people knowing where I am and what I’m doing, hence why I started a blog.
This is where I convince you to become a homesteader. Even if you’re only 25% homesteader.
What the heck is Homesteading?
Homesteading is away of life in which your household becomes more self sufficient.
Ways your household can become more self sufficient include: food preservation, gardening (also called subsistence agriculture- growing enough food for your family to eat), crafting and sewing for your household.
1.Being self sufficient can help save you money!
We live in a world that is riddled with debt for whatever reason. Some say millennials have no idea how to budget but have they looked at college tuition rates these days? WHEW! I’m not saying there aren’t many who have no idea how to budget, but there is a lot to pay for!
It’s hard to keep up with the Jones’ when you’re too busy eating from a can to to pay for that mandatory laptop, that’s you’re currently using as a $2K T.V. tray.
Truth is: It’s rare to come out of college without some kind of debt. It’s totally unfortunate but that’s life. Even if you aren’t suffering the college debt life, or in debt from other things, it’s so expensive to be an adult!
How homesteading can help!
If you’re looking for a way to become debt free, then start by trying to grow some of your own things at your house. It may only be cents saved, but they say that a penny saved is a penny earned right?
Whether it’s growing your own herbs or a couple of your own veggies, try saving yourself some money by growing some of the things you use often.
P.S. You don’t have to have LAND to grow your own veggies. Keep Reading!
2. Homesteading Can Be Therapeutic
We are all way too attached to our screens. Let’s be real, I have been binge watching Hulu and surfing Pinterest so much lately that I get annoyed just looking at my computer.
But then of course I pick it up and begin surfing once again! WHHHHHY??
Because I’m addicted, just like most everyone else.
Not only do we a technology addiction, but we are having a huge mental health crisis! Having a sense of purpose is something so many of us long for! Why not find a hobby in which something is relying on you, or that you are creating? It can help!
There is nothing like fresh air and feeling productive. There is a sense of pride and accomplishment that comes with watching something you planted, watered, and nurtured, bloom or produce a vegetable like it was supposed to do.
Even if you aren’t into planting things, you can learn to bake things from scratch, (like my homemade oat flour in this blueberry loaf recipe), learn to sew (something I haven’t mastered), or secretly raise chickens in your apartment!
To have something depend on you for growth and life gives you a sense of purpose and can provide awesome piece of mind. Again, you don’t have to have land to have a plant, or bake from scratch, or sew, or can shizz for your pantry (like this awesome plum jam)!
3. We can’t let these old skills die!
Our ancestors didn’t have the technology we had. They had to spend time putting effort into their food and therefore they typically had a fairly broad set of skills! How cool is that? If we don’t start learning these skills, We are going to lose those old recipes, and gardening skills, and canning skills, and sewing skills! Broaden your skill set, you won’t regret it!
Even if you don’t do the lavish gardens and butcher your own livestock, how about just seeing how to make your own bread?
When you have everything given to you, it can be really easy to forget the effort that was once put into these things. We can’t let the skills of our ancestors die people!!
4. We live in an ever growing health conscious world
Organic food is expensive, and produce goes bad pretty fast!
If you’re interested in keeping yourself healthy, or make your babies eat an all organic diet, then you need to be taking an interest in how your food is made. What better way to do that then trying to make it yourself?
If you are worried about preservatives then don’t add them to your food when you make it with your own two hands. #BOOM Worried about that red whatever dye? Don’t add it!
Don’t have time? Use a slow cooker!
We appreciate things more when we have to do them ourselves!
I’m not saying you can never go out to eat again. I love other people preparing my food! I’m just saying that if the zombies are staring at me from my fence and I can’t leave my house, then I wanna know how to make my own cookies.
5. You don’t have to have land to Homestead, or skills!
Isn’t that the best news you have heard so far? There are plenty of people who do homesteading from their apartments, or do garden sharing! You don’t have to wear a bonnet, wear long dresses, or have overalls and some straw hanging out of your mouth in order for you to be a homesteader.
You also have to LEARN these skills. That’s part of the beauty of homesteading. Also, if you have someone in your life that knows how to do these things, ask them to teach you!
Pinterest has a ton of ideas on how city folk are homesteading! Get on the homesteading band wagon!
