We have seen so many people longing to have a more simplistic and self-sufficient life in the last few years. We understand that longing intimately. A few years ago, we felt the call to start being more self-sustainable and longed for a day when we could grow our food and rely less on the conveniences of the modern world. Here are five reasons why you should step into the world of self-sustainability and homesteading in 2022!
It will cut down on your expenses (in the long run.)
After our first successful year with our garden, we realized that our grocery bill had gone way down! It was beautiful to see how much food we could produce in our four garden beds and various containers. It was an investment to get everything set up, but once we did, we knew these beds would last us for many years to come, so our investment was quickly paid off, but the amount of money we saved from not having to buy our fruits and vegetables. If you raise chickens for eggs, and animals for dairy or meat you will save even more.
It is a healthy way of life.
Now homesteading is hard work, but I found myself able to do more than I expected after a couple of years of homesteading. The food I was feeding my family was so much healthier because I knew exactly where it came from, my backyard! All of my heirloom and organically farmed fruits and vegetables were grown without worrying about GMOs or pesticides.
My kitchen became my happy place.
Now I am sure you are thinking how silly this must sound, but it really did. I have always enjoyed cooking, but when I started to grow my own food, food became more exciting to cook. I found joy in the money and time-saving weekly ritual of meal prepping and using all I had grown and raised. It was also a spiritual experience for me, connecting to the magick of all the herbs and items I had grown throughout the year. It was also a fun experience to teach my kids all about the ability to cook and bake foods from scratch.
Here is my favorite Dutch oven I use to make so many of my meals in our kitchen!
It is educational for you and your kids.
I have learned more in my years as a homesteader than I ever did before. I also found a love of learning through homesteading, as did my kids. My husband and son found a love a creating things, and my son is now quite the craftsman and has a deep love of construction. My daughter loves to grow things and learn all about cooking and permaculture. Each year on our homestead seems to be a new adventure of projects, things we want to try and learn about.
It is rewarding.
Homesteading is one of the most rewarding lifestyles. Like any lifestyle, it contains hard work, but it is full of benefits. When you pick that first ripe tomato or unearth that large carrot, you can feel the pride with the fact that you grew that! Or, when you get your first dozen eggs, you can be proud of yourself (and your chickens) for not having to buy them. I love that each year is a new adventure.
Now you have five reasons to start following those homesteading dreams. Not sure where to start? Start small! Homesteading is a marathon, not a sprint. Start with one project, maybe a small garden, then add to your dreams each year.