Homesteading Qualities, Part 3
Now that we've gotten the obvious out of the
way, let's move on to the more ephemeral traits which most successful
homesteaders share. Frugality is right there at the top of my
list. If you're independently wealthy, you can probably live your
homesteading dream while also living up to the American ideal of
consumption, but most of us will have to scrimp a bit.
I saved for years before coming up with the cash necessary to buy our
farm, and since we've moved here we've realized that the farm is still
a huge drain on our finances. Every season, we have new
infrastructure we want to install --- first the trailer, then a
rototiller, an irrigation system, a mulching lawnmower, and so
forth. Rather than blowing our income on luxury items (eating
out, installing tile floors, etc.), we opt to keep our expenses down
and save up for the things that really matter.
Many folks believe they need a nest egg to move back to the land, and
while that wouldn't hurt, I don't think it's really necessary.
What you need is an ability to distinguish between your wants and
needs, to make a budget, to live debt-free, and to save, save, save!
| This post is part of our Homesteading Qualities lunchtime series.
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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.
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