10 Signs That You Are Ready to Start a Homestead

Ever wondered if you’re truly ready to kickstart a homestead? Homesteading is more than just a dream —it’s a meaningful lifestyle!

I always had a feeling of doubt before I stepped into this. I had beautiful childhood memories of the countryside at my grandpa’s homestead during the summer holidays, though.

Finally, I am successfully running a small homestead. If you’re in this situation to test your interest, check the following signs.

1. You Crave a Simpler, More Self-Sufficient Life

Due to globalization, our lives have become easy and with additional facilities, especially in urban areas.

This has made individuals dependent on others, especially factories, markets, and time for their needs. So, if you feel this reliance needs to be fixed, you’re going to support homesteading.

The moment you decide to change your mindset from convenience to self-reliance, you become ready to kickstart a new journey.

The journey that leads you to connect with nature and help develop your survival skills.

Back then, our ancestors could only afford basic needs. Still, they’re on their own, keeping all their tasks without worrying about conducting a trend for petty necessities on social media.

2. You Have a Passion for Growing Your Own Food

Are you overwhelmed by modern consumerism and wish to grow your own food?

Now, people are aware of the negative impact on health by consuming processed meat and pasta or long-preserved foods.

You can still buy some fresh veggies in the market, though.

But a few folks are there who want to grow their own food in their very own garden. They wish to have organic greens, veggies, fruits, and roots without using chemicals.

So, if you already have gardening experience or dream of owning a vegetable patch, it’s time to expand your horizons.

But you must learn some small-scale farming craftworks or skills before diving into full homesteading. But don’t worry; there are several peer homesteaders online, including me, to help with backyard farming for free.

3. You Enjoy DIY Projects and Hands-On Work

If you ask me what excites me the most, I would say animal raising and DIY projects.

I love making candles and creams and dyeing furniture and fibers. I can do these activities all day without complaining.

It’s not necessary for you to do these only. There are hundreds of DIY tasks on the homestead you can do based on your needs and skills.

Basically, homesteading requires skills in carpentry, building, repairs, and crafting.

Everyone loves creativity, and those who want to make objects with creativity fit the homesteader’s community.

Also, people who like DIYs are those who love fixing, building, or making things from scratch.

4. You Are Comfortable Living with Less and Reducing Waste

If you live a glamorous life and want more to spend on things, sorry, you’re already out of this league.

Homesteaders live a frugal life, using money and resources wisely. They practice minimalism, spending less and consuming with limitations.

In other words, they adopt sustainable living, supporting a green environment.

You need to manage and reduce waste as much as you can. For example, using eco-friendly alternatives to household items and composting.

This way, you can reduce single-use plastics.

5. You Have Basic Animal Care Knowledge or Interest

I love this part as I enjoy keeping and raising animals. Not wild animals, though!

I have been around several homestead animals ranging from two-legged chickens, and ducks to four-legged goats, cows, and other livestock.

So, you don’t lack milf, meat, and eggs at the homestead.

Besides, animals can give you fine wool, manure and others for different purposes. They also make good draft animals and pets so you won’t feel lonely.

But for all this, you need some knowledge about handling birds and animals.

They require treatments like food, care, and protection.

So, ask yourself, are you interested in animal husbandry?

6. You Are Financially Prepared for the Transition

It’s possible to begin homesteading with little or no money if you’ve some skills or worked some time on a farmstead.

Experienced individuals can source the required materials from scraps or waste and can homestead from scratch.

But those who live in the city and aren’t familiar with countryside living or lack the confidence to build on their own need to hire professionals even to set up chicken coops.

And this requires investment. So, you need nothing but some money to start your journey.

You must have some savings or planned an income source for your homestead.

This includes initial costs, maintenance expenses, and additional money to make your homesteading financially sustainable.

7. You Have Researched Land and Know What to Look For

Are you searching for land or already own property?

It’s always wise to select a homesteading place where the neighborhood doesn’t get affected. Also, residential area has high risk of rejecting your application for homesteading.

The countryside or rural regions are the best destinations for raising animals and living connected to nature.

Anyway, you own land and want it to be repurposed for something other than cooperative purposes. Then, you have a base and strong privilege to start homesteading.

But if you don’t, you need to consider the soil quality, water source, climate, and zoning laws while buying land.

I know people who haven’t enough money but still lease land in rural areas and make out of it.

8. You Enjoy Learning New Skills and Problem-Solving

Homesteading is a complete way of life where you can learn and develop several skills, one after another.

The essential skills, ranging from food preservation and permaculture to carpentry, everything come to a a lifelong learning journey.

Check if you enjoy scrolling gardening, animal raising, and other homesteading activities on your phone. Or have you recently joined the online groups that promote such activities?

Many love reading books and even taking workshops.

At the homestead, everything follows in a cycle. For example, you’re required to seed first, then you have to grow the seedling into a mature plant and harvest the produce.

That’s not the end. You need to learn the storage skills in the pantry and again restart with seeds next season.

The same happens with other projects, including animal raising, building backyard BBQ places, etc.

9. You Are Mentally and Physically Ready for Hard Work

Oh come on. You cannot just sit on the chair and order others to do tasks for you.

That’s not homesteading actually. It’s self reliance game where you have to do everything on your own. You can take help from others but they cannot help with everything.

You have to make toil and have your hands dirty with earth.

Handing and taking care of animals requires great effort and patience, so you need to understand that homesteading is not easy, and you have to be ready for challenges.

Not once, but every day!

Homesteaders enjoy working hard daily, from morning to evening. You need to visit frequently your backyard garden to check the crops.

The more birds and animals, the more labor is needed. Also, individuals need mental resilience in handling setbacks.

It’s not only working hard every time. You can also have free time to enjoy and celebrate nature.

10. You Have Support from Family or a Like-Minded Community

See, living alone and completely cut off from the world is not appreciated.

Homesteading encourages everyone to live in a family or group to share emotions and bond instead. The family is on the board where members exchange their experiences and shape their relationships.

It helps traditional skills and values transfer from one generation to another.

If not, have a network of fellow homesteaders. Building a community is crucial for first-hand knowledge-sharing and motivation.

The members can also barter the homestead products if needed and help each other in building, repairing structures, or growing and breeding animals and crops.