Starting a Homestead: 5 Important Questions to Ask

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Are you considering starting a homestead of your own? If so, I am so happy that you landed on this post!

The homesteading lifestyle is one with many rewards, but it also requires a substantial amount of hard work and dedication. Read on to see if you are ready to take the next step in cultivating the homestead of your dreams!

What are the Benefits of Homesteading?

Before we jump in, let’s discuss why you might want to start out on this homesteading journey.

4 Benefits of Starting a Homestead of Your Own

1. Privacy

I need my privacy so this aspect of homesteading is one of my favorites! We intentionally chose a property that had a house located close to a 1/2 mile off of the road. Our house is completely hidden and I love that! Homesteading offers this privacy because you are able to work on your own most days and, typically, homesteaders live a little bit off of the beaten path.

2. Self-Reliance

Homesteading allows you to be as self-reliant as you choose. You can grow, raise, and preserve your own food, make your own clothes, create an income, and more. The feeling of security offered by this lifestyle is invaluable.

3. Stewardship

When you operate a homestead efficiently and consciously, you are able to become a better steward of the resources that have been given to you.

4. Legacy

The homestead that you cultivate can become the legacy that you leave for your children. That is huge! Even if your children decide that homesteading isn’t for them, they will have the resources available to generate money to fund their futures AND they are sure to have pride in what you leave behind.

What Should You Know Before You Start a Homestead?

When I decided to start my homestead, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I just knew that I wanted to grow my own food so I started working to make that happen. Over the years, I have learned an incredible amount and my hope is that some of the knowledge that I have gained can be passed on to other new homesteaders like you.

Today, I want to talk to you about the questions that you should ask yourself BEFORE you move forward in your homesteading journey. These questions will help you to set up a strong foundation to build upon.

5 Questions to Ask BEFORE Starting a Homestead

Question #1: What are your goals?

There are many different reasons that a person might want to start a homestead. What are your reasons?

Think about what you want your life to look like 10 years from now and what you want to get out of this lifestyle change…

Self-Sufficiency: Completely off-grid? Growing your own food? Making your own clothes?
Are you trying to be more environmentally conscious?
Is this a business for you?
Are you simply hoping for a quieter lifestyle?

The Homestead Goal Setting Mini-Course can help you set specific and attainable goals for your homestead!

Question #2: Do you have a support system?

Operating a homestead isn’t always easy and there are some pretty steep learning curves. To get around those curves a little easier, you will want to have a mentor and/or a support group. Having mentors who care about your success are instrumental in starting a homestead.

Seek out local groups of people who have similar goals and values as you. Look up groups specific to your desired specialties (e.g.- Beekeeping Association, Cattlemen’s Association, Goat Breeders, etc.). Facebook is a good place to start looking for these groups.

Question #3: Are you committed to the lifestyle?

Homesteading isn’t “normal” in many places.

Are you willing to give up “normalcy” for this lifestyle?

Can you step away from the pursuit of the Joneses for the pursuit of your dream?

Living on a homestead is often romanticized. Have you fallen in love with the romanticized view of homestead life or are you committed even when things get difficult?

Question #4: What kind of land is available in your area?

The land available to you really determines what type of homesteading you will be able to do.

Consider the topography of the land. Is it mountainous? Hilly? Flat?

Research the soil type. Soil type is a huge factor for gardens AND for pasture-based systems. Find out if you will need heavy amendments for the animals that you want to raise or the produce that you want to grow.

Think about how much land you need to reach your goals. Maybe you need 40+ acres of land, but maybe you only need a backyard.

Question #5: What is your financial situation?

Homesteading isn’t cheap. While there are individual homesteading skills that you can work on almost for free, starting up a homestead from scratch will require a significant investment upfront.

Think about the things that you will need to budget for:

Land + House
Animals
Feed
Facilities
Fencing & Other Supplies
Seeds or Transplants
Soil Amendments
Property Taxes

If you are currently in debt, I HIGHLY recommend aggressively paying off everything that you owe before diving into a homestead. You will be able to grow more quickly and with less stress, if you start out with little to no debt. We used Dave Ramsey’s snowball method to pay off $28,000 in 9 months.

You will also want to keep financial records from the start. You can do this in a notebook, on a digital spreadsheet, or in a finance tracking pack like this one.

Homesteading Resources to Get You Started:

1. Starting a Homestead from Scratch: The First Steps to Cultivating Your Dream Homestead E-Book

This FREE e-book will walk you through the first steps of starting your dream homestead. You will find tips and action steps for several different aspects of your homestead from choosing land to raising livestock to planning the garden.

2. Homestead Goal Setting Mini-Course

The Homestead Goal-Setting Course will walk you through the goal-setting process for 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year homestead plans. When you are finished, you will have detailed and actionable plans for your homestead for the next 5 years.

3. The Homestead Management Planner

The Homestead Management Planner contains record-keeping and planning sheets for your livestock, garden, goals, and finances. You can use the resources within this pack to efficiently manage and organize your homestead.

4. The Homestead Mama Planning Pack

The Homestead Mama Planning Pack is the ultimate planner for homesteading and homemaking women! It contains the entire Homestead Management Binder, The Household Management Notebook, and The Simplified Homeschool Planner.