Monday, December 29, 2014

Homesteading takes time and money

Our homesteading life invariably comes up in conversation, both because people find it curious and it's an easy conversation topic for people with whom you might otherwise have little in common.

A common question or comment I hear is  something to the effect that we must save so much money by homesteading.  The truth is yes and no, but mostly no.  

Homesteading, particularly when you start from scratch with bare land, is very expensive and incredibly time consuming.  For me, it means that Saturdays and evening are spent doing chores, cutting or hauling wood, working in the garden, servicing equipment, etc., instead of, for example, spending more time practicing law.  Given the nature of my profession and what I'm capable of earning in the office, in many ways it would be more cost effective for me to live in a modest house in the city, buying organic meat and vegetables, and spending more time in my trade.

For me, though, homesteading is a way of life, not simply a money saving trick, and I do it for two key reasons.  First, my children benefit spending evening hours and weekends with me doing all the thing mentioned above.  Second, I'm helping, in our small way, to advance the ball down the field on the way to widespread social acceptance of the homesteading virtues of frugality and self reliance.  In essence, I hope I'm contributing to my grandchildren's future.

 

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