I love the frugal life. It has given me the opportunity to care for my family with much greater ease than trying to do so while in the rat race. I still hold a full time job but I am working towards to dropping down to part time as soon as I can. I may get lucky and manage to become a full time homesteader one day. For now, I will just work on "working less". It may take 2-5 years but I will get there.
I have accomplished quite a bit in the beginning stages of homesteading by simply adding chickens for their meat, eggs and pest control. I also have goats for their milk and weed eating and brush clearing capabilities. I will soon add turkeys for meat and pigs for meat as well. A garden is also on the to do list for an unlimited supply of fresh non GMO produce. Raised beds are already being built.
Inside the home is where the homesteading continues. I make my own laundry soap. I will never have to buy it again. My washed clothes are hung outside to dry. This saves me a ton on my power alone. I have switched out all my light bulbs for the energy star brand and I still use lights sparingly.
I do a lot of batch cooking which means I will cook multiples of one particular meal, like spaghetti for example or buscits, and freeze it for future meals. I freeze everything! Double bagging foods in zip lock bags will keep foods fresh for a year or longer! I also use a composting toilet to cut down on water usage. I plan on drilling a well eventually, but until then, I practice other methods of saving money and living on less.
I currently live in a small older mobile home that sits on an acre and a half. I do not have much but its all I got until I can build a house one day. I do plan on building here on my land. The land is pretty pricey where I live but I could not pass up the payments. I pay $470 per month and that includes taxes and insurance total. However the total cost is gonna take time to pay off. I have close to 50K left, sigh.
I am single mother of 3 boys and I manage to handle my life on my own. I have the homesteading life to thank for it. My boys and I will never have to worry about being with out anything we need. If I had chosen to live in a rental somewhere in the city. I would be struggling to the point of possibly losing my boys. A 3 bedroom apartment here is around $700 to $800 per month, and some are much higher. Forget that! There is no way I could afford that and raise my children on one income. So homesteading is the life I chose for us and I am glad I did. I still have a long way to go before my homestead really kicks off and gets going good, but every decision I make now contributes to becoming more self sufficient and I believe that's the best way to live in today's world.
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What wonderful thing your doing for your family. Homesteading is definitely not easy, but sure is a wonderful and rewarding experience. :)
You seem determined to make this work, and I'm sure you will. There are a lot of health benefits to be derived from the lifestyle you've chosen.
I love the track you're on! Sell the meat instead of feeding it to your family! There are other ways to get protein, if you feel you need it.
Awesome. God bless you and your boys and your future garden. Homesteading is great. It's your own precious little eco-system. I'm proud of you for all the work and determination that this requires.
Please go easy on the meat - I can remember as a girl the boys would kill the chickens, we the girls would chase them down as they ran all over with their heads chopped off - pick them up and sling them into a pot of boiling water that daddy had fixed outside...then the dreadful fishing them out of the water with a snow shovel no less, only to pluck the feathers off. UGH! It still brings back ugly memories and makes me realize that becoming a vegetarian is really the best way to live BUT to each their own...I can promise you that IF you do do that with 'your chickens' you will think twice about saving money this way...AND wet feathers stink, stink, stink and the smell is very hard to come out of your nose...
A single parent with 3 children should be able to get Food Stamps - check into that PLEASE? A lady I worship with gets them and said that she gets nearly $200 per person in her family SO that means that you would get $800 a month in Food Stamps...
Keep us all up to date on how you and yours are doing honey and God be with you all.
Congratulations on your choice to live a homesteading lifestyle. I too, make my own cleaning products as well as body cream, lotions, lip balm, etc. I admire those willing to work hard for what they want and take chances.
If you can get on food stamps even for a little while you can buy plants for the garden, then can them for future use. You can grow potatoes in bags. Buy blueberry, strawberries fruiting trees that will continue to provide for years. If you buy fresh produce seed and save for growing season. Read, Read, Read!!! Try Mother earth news, Homesteaders have the boys read let them pick a project, make it fun. I just turned 56 and would love to go back to the times on my grandfolks farm all the elders are gone but the fun still remains in my head and I pass it on when I can. Also check into paying on the back end of you loan, you and the boys can make a game of collecting scrap metal and cans for selling to put toward it and a treat for the boys including a baby pig, more layers for extra eggs to sell to friends and neighbors, I'd rather pay 1.50 for fresh than 2 for store, helps you and me. Just make it fun and the boys will love it for years to come and they will see the effort you are putting into it and be so proud of you! God bless and good luck!
I'm guessing you bake your own bread, make homemade yogurt, homemade noodles for that chicken soup...yum, cooking from "scratch" is wonderful, healthier, and cheaper. May the LORD BLESS you and your family.
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