Is homesteading worth it? It definitely takes a lot of work, time, and effort. Here’s my honest opinion on if this lifestyle is actually worth the hype.
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Is Homesteading Worth It? Pondering the Cost
I recently shared with someone my desire to get a milk cow someday. I explained what I had learned about the care that would be required. Even with my limited knowledge, the list was extensive. My friend’s response, “Is it really worth all of the effort? That seems like a lot of work for milk.”
I was defensive at first, but then I realized that there are times when I ask myself the same thing about this lifestyle.
After spending hours starting seeds, watering them for weeks, only to lose all of them my first year. Is it worth it?
Spending hours and hours preparing to leave for trips, hiring help, and leaving detailed notes for animal and garden care when we used to be able to just get up and leave. Is it really worth it?
Spending nearly every moment of my free time fighting against the relentless weeds in my garden when I could just go and get the produce from the grocery store.
When I’m sick from pregnancy, exhausted and overwhelmed. When weeks of unexpected travel happen during the middle of spring. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that there are times I have wanted to throw in the towel.
In seasons, like the one I am currently in, it can be hard to stay motivated and to remember why I started homesteading in the first place.
Lessons I Have Learned from Homesteading
But friends, homesteading has given me so much more than a few fresh veggies and a handful of old-fashioned hobbies. If that was all of the benefit, I would have quit after the first few months.
No, homesteading and embracing a slower way of life have taught me so much about God, nature, teamwork, myself.
Is Homesteading Worth It? Consider The Value of Food
It’s easy to see food as dispensable when you can have access to pretty much anything at your fingertips. Between grocery stores and fast food, eating in-season and elaborate feasts that took days to prepare are things of the past.
But growing our own food has taught me to appreciate my food so much more. When you spend hours, days, and months cultivating a seed to plant to harvest, you learn to value it.
Instead of throwing out extra produce, I work to use or preserve what I grew. I now know there is nothing like in-season berries. I appreciate the eggs my chickens lay because I raised them from just a day old. Furthermore, I truly savor and appreciate sourdough because I understand the process and hours it took to ferment.
Family Teams
A few years ago, my husband and I read the book Take Back Your Family by Jefferson Bethke. It talked about viewing your family as a team—learning to work together by bringing each individuals strengths to the table.
Homesteading has brought us together. We have spent hours outside planting trees, laying drip lines, chasing chickens, harvesting produce. We have a lot of work to get done and it has brought us together as a family—replacing hours of screen time with time spent outdoors together.
Even my young children are able to participate and help. My babies are learning the names of plants and what they need to thrive as I myself am learning. They love to collect chicken eggs and cook them for breakfast. We want to give them opportunities to learn and to feel valued as part of our family team, even at a young age.
I truly believe the best toys for children are dirt, rocks, sticks, and flowers. It gives them a chance to be creative and to let their imaginations run wild. Time spent working outdoors is far from a waste. It has the potential to bring people together and to learn to work together as a team.
Is Homesteading Worth It? Consider Holistic Health
Homesteading has benefited my health in more ways than one. There is nothing like organic, homegrown produce and the benefits it has on health. Gardening and homesteading chores also require an active lifestyle.
However, gardening has also been beneficial for my mental health, too. I often struggle with anxiety and ruminating on what I can’t control, but it is much less when I am able to spend time working outside in my garden.
Divine Design
As I have acquired new homestead skills each year—seed starting, gardening, raising chickens, backyard beekeeping—I am amazed more and more by my Creator.
His divine design is so apparent in the way the bees know how to create their hive and make a new queen if the original one dies. Watching a tiny seed go from seed to sprout to plant to harvest is remarkable.
I don’t know if I’ll end up getting a milk cow or not. Even with a miniature cow, it’s a big commitment and the approval process from our city is extensive. But even in the midst of tiring seasons, when I stop to remember everything that homesteading has taught me, I am inspired to keep going and to continue learning
Ready to Start Homesteading Right Where You Are?
I co-wrote a beginner’s homesteading guide with my friend Jessica of Prairie Creek Homestead.
This handbook will walk you through how to get started with homesteading skills like planning a garden, preserving food six different ways, cooking from scratch, caring for chickens, buying food in bulk, and baking with sourdough!
Overall, the skills taught in this book can be done in a traditional backyard, and we walk you through each skill step-by-step. Get it here and start homesteading today!
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