Do You Need Money To Start Homesteading?

Imagine I am screaming from the top of the cow barn NO!!!! It does not take money to start homesteading. Homesteading, self sufficiency, prepping is a mind set and a way of life. Sure it takes money to add to your homestead. If you are adding chickens for the first time it will take some money to get it started. However that is when you make a plan on how you can make them pay for themselves. Over a period of time and with good management you will be able to do that. Homesteading is not a new concept, it’s been THE way of life since the beginning of time. This is why it strikes me so odd when I have people ask me. Do you need money to start homesteading??

It truly is just changing your mind set from a consumer to a producer. When you are in the consumer mind set. You are buying everything, therefore your cost of living is more. But when you have the producer (Homesteading) mind set you will be producing as much as you can. Therefore your cost of living will go down.

Lets go over some examples of small things you can start learning and producing instead of buying. No matter where you live!

1. Baking your own bread
2. Making your own tortillas
3. Making tortilla chips
4. Homemade Croutons
5. Homemade Chicken Stock
6. Rendering your own fats such as Beef Tallow
7. Making soap from such Beef Tallow
8. Composting your waste
9. Homemade salad dressings
10. Learning to Can (This will help you save so much money)
11. Cooking from scratch
12. Foraging
13. Homemade chapsticks
14. Homemade Salves
15. Herbal Medicine

Most of these examples will cost you little to no money to start. I would say learning to can may be the most expensive thing on the list but it doesn’t have to be. I always recommend buying a new Presto Canner like this one but I also know it is possible to thrift one as well.

I have been canning for about 8 years now and I never buy new jars! They all either come from the thrift store or have been given to me from family and friends.

The only items I have to purchase are new lids and occasionally rings. The only other items I would recommend you spend money on would be the Complete Ball Canning Book and maybe finding you some canning classes to go to. However if you check with your local extension office they may even have one for free there!

You see starting homesteading doesn’t have to cost you lots of money. You just have to take things slow and learn it one project at a time.

Lets say you have got all your canning items gathered. Your walking through your local grocery store and you see they have mushrooms on clearance! It’s a good price too, one your excited about. Most people would buy 2 or 3 and try to cook them all that week, but not you because you know how to can. You buy a whole flat of them and take them home to can. After you have them canned you get to stand back and admire what your have done. You have spent a few extra dollars now and been able to stock up on mushrooms for the future. You now wont be buying them for awhile because you got them when they were cheaper. Saving you more money in the long run.

Before you know it you will be comfortable with canning. That is when you can take it to the next step whatever that may be for you. Maybe you are ready to start gardening now since you know how to can and preserve your garden harvest.

You can take the same approach to starting a garden as you did learning to can. Just take it one step at a time, buy as much as you can second hand. Get connected with local like minded people in your area. You may even have a seed swap in your area were you can get free seeds.

You see it doesn’t take lots of money to start homesteading. You just have to start somewhere and take it slow. Please don’t go get in debt for your chicken coop. Our grandmothers have raised many chickens in a homemade chicken coop.

Now don’t get me wrong those little coops at the local feed store are adorable. However they are super small and they cost $500 to $800. Ya’ll! You can build an amazing coop for that. Especially if you find some crap building material. You could end up building one much cheaper than that. Plus it will be 10 times bigger and stronger.

I know there are people in the world who can afford to just buy everything their homestead needs brand new and right away. In our area I have seen people move in from far away and have a whole brand new homestead with a new two story barn, large hard wall green house and exotic animals in their first year!

But that’s not most people. That’s not me and if your reading this its probably not you and that’s okay. We should be happy those people can afford to build their dream so fast but that does NOT mean you can’t do the same! It may take us longer but it’s not a race. Don’t ever let the success of other people make you believe you can’t have the same.

At this time I would love to recommend a YouTube channel to you. We have been homesteading for about 7 to 8 years now. I have been watching Appalachia’s Homestead with Patera the whole time. I have learned so much from her and I know you will too. She made a video on this exact subject not long ago and I really recommend you check it out. This link will take you to the video.

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