Homesteading / Simple living / Downshifting... anyone?

[Want Less]

Anyone here practice homesteading, simple living, downshifting, etc? (So many terms to choose from these days) No matter the level you do, I just wanted to see who all is out there

My husband and I are in our 30s and live on a small farm in Eastern NC. We have horses & chickens that provide us with a nonstop source of great compost. We use the compost in our organic gardens which we rely on heavily for vegetables. We also give compost away to people in the community. We are actively restoring our 200 yr old home and hope to include improvements such as solar panels that will help us move toward a more self-sufficient lifestyle in years to come.

Other things we do include making all of our own bread, pasta, etc. and we recycle/reuse/repurpose everything (we only produce enough "trash" to take our trashcan out to the road maybe once a month).

We are constantly learning and changing and improving on our methods and trying to implement more things that we learn from other people and/or from necessity.

So out of curiosity I thought I'd start a thread and see who else is out there, what you do, where you are (if you want to share), share pics, etc. and maybe we can all share tips & tricks and valuable information sources...

Our home... don't let the snow fool you, this February it snowed for the second time in 6 years and I felt the novelty worth having photographic evidence!

(Edited to add photo)

 

[Mahonri]

Wish I could do what you are doing. Guess we could put up solar panels here.... even in the city.

 

[Want Less]

Quote:
I'm sure there are several things you can do. I've seen several sources of information for "urban homesteading" if you're interesting in some links. (or just google it, lots of info comes up!)

 

[Amanda0609]

Wow, that is a beautiful house! So in what ways do you reuse and repurpose things? We recycle and make alot less garbage but I would like to learn ways to make even less. I am finally getting a clothes line put up this weekend, one of my favorite things to have. Great thread idea!

 

[ChikeeMomma]

We are trying! We have our own chickens for eggs and meat, grow as much of our own "organic" produce as we can (and can and freeze it), recycle, we are trying to become debt free so that we don't owe anybody anything, and we have gotten away from the "want" mentality (it just ends up cluttering our house/lives), cook most everything from scratch, and purchase beef and pork locally. I'd love to raise our own pigs, turkeys, and maybe milk goats some day. Oh, and I think it would be neat to have a windmill, too! We are trying to live more simply -- which can be hard, but very fulfilling work! Glad you started this thread!

 

[MagsC]

Well, not exactly homesteading where I am at but hope to get moved and do more in the future.
Around here I have planted apple trees, grow a garden, working on my flock of birds etc.
That IS a beautiful house!

 

[Want Less]

Nice to meet all of you!

Amanda0609... Thank you! Our house needs a lot of work but it's coming along. As far as recycling/reusing/etc there are a lot of things we do. First off, I keep the mindset that ultimately nothing is "disposable". If you "dispose" of it, it is still going somewhere. So with that, when we need to buy things I first check to make sure we don't already have it (haha... need to work on our organization skills...), then I check to see if it is something we can get used (check w/ family and friends to see if they have one to get rid of, Craigslist, Freecycle, yard sales, etc.). If not, and I end up having to buy it new as a last resort, I try to buy the best quality that will last the longest to avoid having to replace it again. We also recycle containers and try to buy things with less packaging & refill them into the containers we save. We recycle fabrics from clothing to make things like quilts, reusable bags, gifts (I like to sew). We take advantage of free/cheaper options instead of spending money we can save (utilizing the local library, free local entertainment & events). We try to avoid buying and having things we don't need... less clutter, and we have enough already! It's definitely a lifestyle change and we've made it a habit to try to see things from a simpler point of view, and it is so worth it. Clothes lines are GREAT! We have a short one. I might expand on it this summer.

ChikeeMomma... you do a lot! That's great! Being debt free would be wonderful. We scaled down to one credit card between the two of us a few years ago and that has been nice, we try to keep it paid off. Goats would be fun too! We'd love to have a few, and hope to one day when we can afford some goat-proof fencing. They'll help us clear out a few acres of badly overgrown woods we have I've always thought windmills were really neat, do you live in an area you could have one? I don't know what the regulations are on those. We hope to save money for solar panels one day. We have our chickens for eggs (the only meat we eat is fish) and we have enjoyed having adding the "girls" to our farm.

MagsC... Thank you! We're hoping to plant some fruit trees and such this year. That is something we are lacking! What kind of apples do you grow? How long do they take to start producing?

 

[ChikeeMomma]

Thanks -- we are trying on the debt free thing. Really started trying last June and have paid off his truck and my car is a month and a half away from being paid off (two years early). Hubby would like it all to disappear right now. But it took us time to get into it and that's what it takes to get out.

I've taken to shopping at garage sales, especially for the kids clothing. It's cheaper that way and I figure I am one less person buying new -- using less fossil fuels, pesticides, herbicides, electricity, etc. -- all things that go into production of clothing.

Not sure on the windmill regulations -- not sure that there are a ton of regulations for it around here. There's enough wind!

I love your house, too! It's beautiful! It's nice to meet you, too!

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

I started reading about homesteading and "going back to the land" way back in the 60s courtesy of Mother Earth News, and I have been trying to do so ever since, some times more successfully than others. Right now we are on a small farm with horses and chickens, a small orchard, grapes, and this year I am working on raised beds for my garden.

We don't eat much bread but what little we do eat is homemade. Ditto pickles and sugar-free jam. Oh, and I make great sugar-free applesauce, too, and make my own jerky. We don't have credit cards anymore and both our trucks are free and clear.

Baby steps, as Bob would say.

Rusty

 

[sune42]

Great thread, I will be watching with interest. This is a road we are just starting on, and will be a long way from where we want to be, but like Rusty said, baby steps. My current projects are replacing every pre-made food item with homemade. We are starting a garden this year and I am looking into local sources of produce and meat. We are trying to get debt free because we want to purchase a home with some land. Can't wait to see how others are doing it.

-Amanda