Living the homestead life can be confusing for the uninitiated. The idea that a person can leave the rat race and do something different bewilders some. Why would you need to change the status quo? Why would you want to? The resounding answer to that question is another question. Are you happy?

I recently met with a woman that exuded all the happiness and contentment of a cat caught in a hailstorm with no shelter. She looked at me with disgust and disdain and said, “we all have to work for the things we want.” Such a profound statement. Her statement wasn’t incorrect. It was just at complete odds with how she truly felt. Many are under the assumption that if you leave the nine to five you don’t work at all. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Living the homestead lifestyle is difficult and requires more organization, more effort, and more creativity than any other endeavor I’ve attempted. Now, don’t let me deter you from this idea of doing something self-sufficient. Regardless of the extra work and effort, it is a more satisfying and rewarding lifestyle than any job I have ever had. In the face of that woman’s very obvious woes, the truth of what she said didn’t connect to her. But, it was true for me. We work constantly on improving and moving forward with our homestead because the reality is, it takes a lot of work to leave the rat race behind.

Below are some of the things I do, they aren’t even related to our homestead as a business, just the daily things that we all have to do. Our homestead business is a job in itself. As the homemaker, it is my job to make sure every meal is prepared, no driving to dinner or getting a quick bite. We cook three meals a day. It is my job to make sure the pantry is prepped, clean and full. This involves growing a garden, harvesting, and canning all the produce we get. It means smart grocery shopping when we do go out to the store. Not buying junk that doesn’t last or has no nutritional value. It means I’ve had to learn to make a lot of household cleaners. Not just to save money but to save our skin, literally. The amount of chemicals and additives found in quick easy daily items is astounding. A simple baking soda and vinegar mix can do amazing things. Using some dish soap, water, and vinegar makes a cleaner that will handle all the toughest dirt, on clothes, furniture, kids’ hands, anything! We make our own laundry detergent too using these tips and tricks we’ve learned. In the beginning, it took a while to learn and figure out these things, but the time and money saved in the long-run have allowed us to live a more free life. I may have a day where I just mix, concoct and create for our daily chores, but the actual time and money I save far outweighs the hassle of the megastore shopping day. I buy bulk, cheap ingredients, and I kid you not, haven’t had to buy detergent in two years. I can make a 6 month supply in an hour. Total cost, $4.00. Cue the math nerds… add up task time, money and months. 1 hour, $4.00, 6 months. It used to be 1 hour if not more (going to the store), $11.99, each month. Folks, that’s 6 hours, $71.94, every 6 months. I would rather have time and freedom.

Freedom, that’s a big one. In fact, it is the point. Can you be happy working a job and retiring from the 9 to 5? Yes. Can you also retire and find yourself in a life you don’t recognize or even know what to do with? Yes. A life you didn’t build to be sustainable? Yes. A life where your children, family, and friends are mere acquaintances? Yes. What are we sacrificing for the almighty dollar?

So many people today look at you cross-eyed when you say, we don’t have tv, we don’t let our children have their own cell phones, not until they are ready or it’s necessary. People don’t understand why we don’t eat out or go to the mall when we are bored. Truth is, we aren’t bored. In fact, boring is good, it is rare to have a time when nothing is happening. We don’t let the television or phones or games raise our kids. When you see a three-year-old light up because she is watching a baby chicken hatch out of an egg, you know you’ve given her a lifelong memory. Not one of missing parents and rushed entertainment to keep them busy. And the television, add up how much you spend in one year on television. I’ll wait… It’s bad, isn’t it. Even downgrading to just Netflix or pay as you watch service, you’ll soon find how little you need it.

The woman who made that earlier comment to me wasn’t wrong, but she wasn’t right either. What do you want? Is it things? Is that what it’s about? I know she works hard, very hard and has stress and struggles and time invested into her lifestyle. She was also miserable and trying to sell me on her misery. No. Stop. Think. We have to work for what we want. True, but when you work for yourself and your family, the investment stays home, with you. The time, energy, stress, and life stays with you. I’ve worked for others all my life, they have benefited and I’ve still struggled. At the end of the day, when you are too tired to talk to your family, to stressed to react lovingly and too distant to connect, are you happy?

I’m not saying homesteading is for you, I’m saying think about what is. Maybe you’ve always wanted to paint, maybe you’ve always wanted to build for yourself. Maybe, just maybe you want to have the time to build your life with your family, not just for them. Can you cut out some ‘things’ to make that happen? Can you stop wasting your hard-earned money on stuff and invest it into yourself? Absolutely. Find your passion, find your dream, start building that. Invest in yourself. Learn new skills, teach yourself to be more sustainable. Step back and ask yourself what truly matters. You may find that working for what you want is the most rewarding thing you’ve ever done.

The Truth Shall Set You Free.
Love, from Bluegrass Homestead