Homesteading saves you money, right? Well, sometimes it depends. Homesteading has seemed like it has cost us a lot of money at times! Especially when things don’t go as planned.
However, there are quite a few ways that homesteading saves you money when done correctly! We’ll dive into those in just a little bit.
When you think about saving money on the homestead it involves making apples-to-apples comparisons, noticing lifestyle choices, and taking calculated risks. It isn’t a black and white answer as no two people homestead exactly the same.
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Homesteading Is A Different Lifestyle Than Most Others
When you think about how homesteading saves you money, you have to realize it is completely different than how a “normal” American household will look for ways to save money. I love how a Farmish Kinda Life says it here…
“Growing your own and raising your own means that some of your food costs haven’t necessarily disappeared, they’ve just shifted.”
First, we have to compare things accurately. For example, that $2 eggs at the store at much cheaper to buy than raising your own chickens in your backyard; however, the chickens that you raise will have a healthier lifestyle. Instead, you need to compare the cost to $6-8 eggs at the store that are farm-raised, organic, and free-range.
But, even then it might not be accurate. You see, you will likely be providing more for your chickens than even those eggs at the store can. We give our hens kitchen scraps daily plus other nutrient-dense options. And, they get as much sunlight and fresh air as they want. (The free-range label you see on eggs at the store doesn’t mean they are outside all day!)
We also have to consider the different items, like tractors, tools, and mechanics, that are required for our lifestyle. Whereas, the average American public spends their money elsewhere.
A whole lot of problem-solving and making-due-with-what-you-have happens on the homestead so the question of does it save money can be hard to answer! There are just so many factors to consider.
But, instead of trying to wrap our heads around it all day, let’s look at some practical places where you can start to save money on the homestead…
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Buy In Bulk
One way homesteading saves you money is by buying your supplies, like animal feed, in bulk. Buying in bulk saves you a lot of money because items are discounted cheaper.
Homesteaders tend to naturally have a “prepper” mindset. They plan for the future, stock up in case of emergencies, and take advantage of extra space wherever it can be found.
Related Post: 15 Basic Ways To Become More Self-Sufficient In One Year: How We Did It
Our family buys our animal feed, wood pellets, and other food essentials in bulk because of the bulk discounts we get. We then store the items in our barn safely. We’re also not running to town as much as trips to purchase these items are never multiple times a month, saving us in gas money too.
If you are just starting your homesteading journey this is a great place to start. Begin with changing your mindset to think more long-term and start saving money by purchasing items in bulk.
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Use Your Resources
Homesteading saves you money when you use the resources around you wisely. This could be as simple as connecting with your neighbors and benefiting from each other’s different skills and knowledge.
Each homesteader has different resources that can help live a more self-sufficient* life. For us, we have 80 acres with a pond, stream, and some woodland area. It is our responsibility to be stewards of the resources God has given to us and not squander them.
You’ll notice that most homesteaders use the resources they have wisely because they understand the value each of those can provide!
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Be Inventive
We have saved so much on our homestead by just inventing the tool or item we were in need of. Instead of running to the store or purchasing expensive equipment, we’ve found a way to make it work.
There are so many cool ideas and products that homesteaders can benefit from, but the cost of those adds up so quickly. And this leads me to the next point…
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Problem Solve
Take our chicken waterers for example. In the past, we purchased expensive heated waterers so that in the winter the water would not freeze in the chicken coop. However, these always found a way to break or be finicky.
Because we couldn’t afford to just keep buying these expensive waterers, we found a way to invent our own. My husband is an amazing problem-solver and it is one of the best skills to have on the homestead for this very reason.
He instead invented a method where a lightbulb heats the water just enough, so it never freezes. Not only is it efficient and effective, but it is also so much cheaper and easier to fix!
It’s not easy to always come up with solutions like this, but when you do homesteading saves you money and also teaches you new skills along the way.
Related Post: The 5 Best Farming And Homesteading Entrepreneur Books To Succeed
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Preserve Your Food
There’s no denying that growing your own food saves you money. The cost of the seeds to plant in the ground are exceptionally cheaper than buying all your produce at the grocery store year-round.
However, when you consider all the time and energy you spend in your garden to produce the harvest, it doesn’t always feel like it pays off. But it does! The produce you grow in your garden is 1000 times better for you than what is on the store shelves. Not only is it free of any GMO’s, pesticides, and handling, but it is also farm fresh!
Preserving your garden produce in various ways, like freezing, canning, freeze-drying, dehydrating, and fermenting, are all wonderful ways to save money! I love when homesteaders do challenges like no grocery store trips for a month and just eat all their produce or preservations.
Imagine saving money year after year as you improve your gardening skills and become self-sufficient!
Related Post: The Top 10 Most Enlightening Books On How To Homestead
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Evaluate What Makes Sense For You
As homesteaders, we tend to want to do it all – to be 100% self-sufficient on our own – but this just isn’t possible. In fact, we were never made to be self-sufficient completely because we were made to live in a community with one another.
You can only save so much money and do so many things when you homestead. And even though you can’t do it all (and shouldn’t!) you can certainly do your best. Plus, everyone homesteads differently – there’s no one right way to do it!
Some homesteaders really enjoy making things beautiful, like decorating the chicken coop and spending money on treats for their chickens. Others don’t see their livestock as pets and spend money only on necessities.
What does your homesteading look like to you? Where are you willing to spend your money? I would encourage you to follow a budget and avoid the marketing scams of items that seem like a necessity but really are not.
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Make Money On Your Surplus
Lastly, take whatever surplus you are getting from your homestead, whether that is eggs, meat, produce, milk, and even handmade products, and sell them to your neighbors, friends, and family.
You can also consider setting up a booth at the farmer’s market or a farm stand on the corner of your lot like we did!
Get creative in how you can make money! For example, we have a way our rabbits pay for themselves. We attempt to sell one rabbit from each litter that we raise for $40. That covers the food costs of the other rabbits and now our meat is that much cheaper!
One way to save money is by making money on the homestead.
And remember, it’s just a different lifestyle! All of this boils down to a mindset shift. Homesteading saves you money when you continue to work hard and use your resources wisely.
Let me know in the comments below how you have saved money on the homestead!
Kelsey at GoodPointGrandma
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