The Campfire Trail: November 6 - DIY Homestead - Where And How Do You Start? (Part 1)

November 6, 2022

Day 401 of the Adventure

From my observation, starting a homestead or an off-grid journey is one wrapped in two opposing emotions. One is the almost romantic notion of becoming self-sufficient on a piece of land. Living on the abundance of its resources. The other emotion involves the anxiety of making the leap into that life, along with its uncertainties. That anxiety includes things such as what that life may end up looking like. Will it be necessary to give up some or all modern conveniences? Will there be a need to downsize to ridiculous extremes. Is it even a socially acceptable lifestyle. Perhaps the dominant anxiety is how to afford the initial move in the first place. Combined with all of those questions is one final obstacle, and that is whether the skill set is present to successfully make the move or not. For all of the "Want-To-Be" homesteaders and off-gridders out there, you must believe that you are not the first to wrestle with these emotions.

All of those considerations take a toll on the process of what is truly a life-changing decision. I believe here are a few factors that can help cut through the confusion and stress. Of all the obstacles encountered, most are things that can be overcome through personal decisions involving taking a stand on your personal values, dreams, life goals and passions. Meaning, for example, if you are anxious about the social acceptability of a homestead or off-grid life, simply having a resolve within you that "it doesn't matter" can overcome that issue. Still I know folks that remain kind of hung up on the "What will people think" question. Especially from family and friends. If you believe strongly enough in your dream, that really shouldn't weigh in too heavily on your decision. Another anxiety that you can change is that of your skill sets and abilities. (or maybe, perceived lack of them) I am a firm believer that almost nothing is rocket science, except for rocket science. There is very little that cannot be learned and mastered well enough to apply to your off-grid or homestead life. I've learned over the years that almost anything can be intimidating until done for the first time. A few times, I've declared, "That was harder than I expected". More often than not, I have discovered new skills to be not as bad or difficult as I had expected them to be. So don't be afraid to expand out your knowledge and skill base. It doesn't have to cost a lot. YouTube has placed almost every resource you would ever need for learning new things right at your fingertips. A little research and willingness to try new things can arm you with skills you may never have believed you could possess. The same is true for giving up or not giving up what we consider to be modern conveniences. All of that is nothing more than a personal preference and how far you are willing to travel down the path from convenience to primitive living. There can be a stigma and peer pressure within the homestead and off-grid communities as to what constitutes "pure" homestead and off-grid living. The reality of it is, there is no "Rule" that legitimizes the life. You decide what you want to live with or without. Yes, some things may not define you are purely "Off-Grid", for example, but that's your choice. Be okay with it. All of these "anxieties" are fairly non-tangible when it comes to costs and restrictions to obtain. Anyone can overcome them with some determination and fortitude.

The more tangible anxieties that truly to hit home when considering a move toward your dream lifestyle are those related to all of the hard costs. The first that comes to mind is the cost of land. After that, probably is the cost of building shelter, getting access to water, energy sources, tools and equipment necessary for the transition and so on. These costs can seem never-ending and, in many cases, completely beyond reach. If you find yourself struggling with costs making your move towards homestead or off-grid living, you are not alone. It's the one big challenge that cannot be simply achieved with a decision and a little bit of action. Decades ago, I had the opportunity (almost accidentally) to go through a class that taught goal setting. Of all the good lessons being taught, perhaps the most valuable was that of learning how to break big goals down into smaller and smaller tasks. The ability to compartmentalize small things into a sequence that moved a process towards the completion of a large goal, is invaluable. Looking at the hard costs of securing land, tools, equipment and abilities must, by its very nature, align with a goal oriented process. The same is true for the process of developing income streams to help with the funding and sustainability of your dream life.

Exploring these factors is something I plan to address in the next several installments of this blog. (I hate making these postings so long that one becomes weary of reading them) So........ To Be Continued!

Link to Part 2

And by the Way. We are getting ready to begin an off-grid cabin build shortly. We will be doing a video series on every detail of it you can follow and perhaps learn some valuable skills and techniques. Here's a link to it if you would like to subscribe and follow the process. New Off-Grid Cabin Build.

Carry On

Adventure Quote: “Life always begins with one step outside of your comfort zone." ― Shannon L. Alder

Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Lost in the Fog (Colombia Decaf)

SNEAK PEEK of our Upcoming OFF-GRID project

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Click any of the following Video links to start your own adventure with us on our YouTube Channel:

Mountain Craft

Lye Soap Making

Rug Weaving

Making Wooden Buckets (Cooper Craft)

Pottery

Cornmeal Grinding