Most people use words like “different”, “weird” and sometimes “interesting” to describe how we live on our homestead. Not everybody thinks that homesteading is a normal way to live. So then, why would someone decide to homestead?
The easiest answer is FREEDOM! Independence from big government and big agriculture and even the supermarket moguls!
A more specific reason is the volatile food market. Something is always threatening our food supply: weather, disease and even fuel prices. If you learn to grow or raise your own food, then you have control over what you eat. You also know how it is raised and even how it is processed. A homesteader can incubate an egg, raise the chick and feed it. You can also monitor its growth and health closely and then process it in a humane and clean manner, unlike the chicken factories that currently supply our grocery stores. There are so many reasons within the current method of food production, that I will cover that in a whole other section.
Another reason is the unstable economy. There is something to be said about knowing what you can and can’t produce on your own. Here at the homestead we are constantly looking for new ways to produce more and reuse what we have. That can mean anything from food to power to water and EVERYTHING in between. But as we add more things to the list that we do not need to purchase, the unstable economy becomes less of a worry.
Which leads to the last reason: peace of mind. Although homesteading can be hard work, it is by far the best way to live. There can be hardships and disappointments, but you own each and every one of them. No one can take them away from you. Without all of those moments, I wouldn’t even be able to build this website. Homesteading is good for the mind, body and soul. It allows you to relax and appreciate all that is around you. It replace worry wrinkles with laughing and smiling wrinkles. It takes sore muscles and turns them into strength.
So when someone asks me why we homestead, I usually reply with, “Why aren’t you homesteading?”