Setting up a homestead is a big decision, financially and in terms of your lifestyle. It’s not always clear whether you should continue with your present set of living arrangements or take the plunge and go for it.
Fortunately, this article is here to help. We discuss the pros and cons of homesteading and whether it might be the right choice for you.
Pro: Financial Savings
One of the first benefits of homesteading is the financial savings it offers. After the initial purchase, you are no longer hooked up to the surrounding society and can minimize or eliminate your bills.
Homesteading, for instance, allows you to grow your food. You’re no longer dependent on the grocery stores and marts around you to get your calories.
It also eliminates your water and electricity bills if you have a water borehole and solar panels (or other method of generating power). You can set up systems that take care of these essentials for you.
Con: Weather Challenges
One downside of homesteading is the weather challenges it can bring. Droughts, heavy rain, and cold can impact crops and damage your property, forcing you to seek outside help.
If you’re out in the middle of nowhere, you also have to be wary of pests and predators. While the city is a zoo, the rest of nature isn’t.
Pro: Health Benefits
Homesteading may also bring numerous health benefits. The most obvious change will be the fresh air and the sheer amount of activity you get by doing all the work around the house.
However, you will also experience the benefits of growing your food and the impact that that has on your body. Over time, you will rely less on processed products and more on what you can pull out of the earth.
Cons: High Startup Costs
Unfortunately, homesteading’s startup costs aren’t cheap. Getting set up is incredibly expensive, depending on the systems you want to install.
Furthermore, you need sufficient land to grow food. Having enough room for potatoes, carrots, and runner beans can keep you going for most of the year.
Don’t forget about storage costs in the winter either if you want to keep grain. Maintaining supplies can help you avoid leaving your property for food if you get the ratio right.
Pro: Environmental Benefits
Producing your food and living in a single location can also deliver profound environmental benefits. Trucks no longer need to ship food across the country to you because you are growing it right there.
If you keep animals, you can also avoid the high cost of fertilizer input. It may even be possible to create a circular economy if you rotate them on the fields or transport their manure to your crop-growing zones.
Most homesteaders are surprised by just how much they can grow. The volume of food from a small patch of land can be considerable.
So, there you have it: some of the pros and cons of setting up a homestead. Should you try it?
