10 Myths and Misconceptions about Homesteading
So, you are thinking about homesteading, but haven’t quite taken the plunge yet. You might be stuck worrying about some very common myths and misconceptions that float around. Well, I am here today to debunk them for you and I hope to make you even more inspired to homestead.
Here are the 10 Most Common Myths About Homesteading.
Myth #1 ~ You need a lot of land.
Absolutely not true! First off, I believe homesteading is mostly a mindset.
If you are living in a suburb and have a little garden and some fruit trees and herbs, that’s a homestead. If you live in a city and you grow some veggies in pots on your balcony and shop at a farmers market and make your own food and maybe some soap, you are homesteading. If you live on one acre, have a big garden, make your own food (most of the time) you are a homesteader.
Read: What is a homestead and what does homesteading mean to me?
Myth #2 ~ You can only “truly” homestead with free land.
This one is a matter of opinion. Sure there might be real sticklers out there who will say you aren’t a homesteader unless you do it on free land, but free land is nearly impossible to come by. If you want to be a homesteader but you can’t find free land, or you just want to start where you are in the middle of suburbia, then go for it! As I said, homesteading is a mindset, with no set in stone “rules”.
- Related: Nine Canadian towns just giving away free land!
- 13 Places in the US Where You Can Find Free Land for Your Homestead
Myth #3 ~ You have to be a “prepper” to homestead.
Let me first say this, Not all homesteaders are “preppers” and not all “preppers” are homesteaders.
I mean, I love watching The Walking Dead as much as the next person but do I really think there is an impending zombie apocalypse? Not really.
While I do think being prepared for emergencies is a smart thing for homesteaders (and everyone really) to do, I don’t believe all homesteaders are preparing for some huge unseen disaster, we just naturally like to “nest” and learn new skills and do things for ourselves instead of relying on the current system.
Read: How to be prepared for emergencies around the homestead.
- How to Start Your Emergency Long-Term Food Storage
- Creating an Emergency Survival Kit for your Vehicle
- Putting Together an Emergency Survival Kit for your Home
Myth #4 ~ You have to live off-grid to homestead.
Not necessarily. Again, this is a matter of opinion.
If you don’t feel like you are a homesteader until you are off-grid, then by all means, go for it! But, if it just isn’t in the cards for you right now or if it is just something that doesn’t appeal to you, that doesn’t mean you aren’t a homesteader.
I love this article that Jill from The Prairie Homestead wrote called ” What dishwashers, blenders and washing machines have to do with Homesteading.”
And you know what else? I’d be willing to bet money that Ma Ingalls would have had a dishwasher if she could have fit one into her covered wagon.
Jill~ The Prairie Homestead
We aren’t completely off-grid on our homestead (we have a woodstove to heat our house and we have a well and a septic system, but we are hooked up to the electrical grid, for now) Thankfully our local electricity source is fairly eco-friendly as we run off of a hydro-electric dam, but that is a discussion for another day.
Related Posts: Easy Ways to Make An Eco Friendly Homestead
Myth #5 ~ You need to have skills before you homestead or you need to come from a farming background.
Absolutely not true. Even way back when the original homesteaders were claiming their land here in North America. They weren’t all farmers nor did they all inherently know the skills. They obtained their skills by doing and reading and living and learning!
One of my favorite movies is Far and Away and (Spoiler alert!) my favorite part of the whole movie is when the potential homesteaders are all lined up and ready to race to claim their land. They weren’t all farmers or ranchers. They were bankers and lawyers, rich and poor, riding horses with just the clothes on their backs, riding bicycles, or riding carriages full of belongings ready to settle down. They were all “homesteaders”.
Myth #6 ~ Homesteading is hard and you can’t have a full-time job outside your home.
Let me first say this, homesteading IS hard sometimes. Especially when you are trying to juggle a “modern life” and learn new skills or when you lose an animal. There is such a broad spectrum of what constitutes life as a homesteader. But the reality is, homesteading costs money, whether you are starting from scratch and have no mortgage, or already have some property.
I work full-time in a financial institution and I do this blog as well as volunteer for a couple organizations in our community, I also have three semi-grown kids and we are STILL homesteaders.
Myth #7 ~ Homesteading is easy and doesn’t take much time.
Hahaha! Sorry, I just had to laugh at that one. Homesteading definitely takes time and it certainly isn’t easy all the time. Given that and what I said above, homesteading can be integrated into your life in many different ways. Chores can be done before and after work and school. Food preservation can be done in evenings or on weekends, gardening can be done in the same way. There are many ways you can integrate all the many aspects of homesteading into your life.
You also don’t have to do it all either. You can pick and choose what are the best or what are your favourite homesteading activities you love to do or have the best impact on your household and just do those.
Myth #8 ~ You have to be 100% self-sufficient.
Not at all. Homesteaders certainly have an independent mind-set, but they also have a community mind-set as well. Whether it is sharing knowledge or tools or trading goods or sharing labor I think most homesteaders thrive in a community of like-minded people willing to share and help each other out.
Myth #9 ~ You can’t make a living as a homesteader.
From growing and selling at Farmer’s Markets and craft fairs (vegetables,fruits, eggs, meat, honey, maple syrup, personal care items, soaps, candles, knitting/crocheting etc) to marketing your building or design skills as a tradesperson (carpenter, plumber, permaculture designer, etc), to running a homesteading blog or website or Youtube channel or Podcast (check out my How to Start a Blog for more help on that!) there are many many ways to make a living as a homesteader.
Related Posts: The big List of Awesome Homesteading Blogs
5 Ways to Earn Money from Home to Fuel Your Homestead Dreams
Are you going to be a millionaire from homesteading? Probably not, but if your standard of living is fairly low you can certainly make a living.
Myth #10 ~ You have to be a hippie, homeschooler, vegetarian or whatever label misconception you can come up with.
Again, as I said above, homesteading is for anyone and can be anything you want it to be. Why do we need to put labels on everyone anyways?
Homesteading is simply ” a home, town, village with a bit of land adequate for the maintenance of a family” as defined by the Homestead Act of 1862.
Do you agree with these myths about homesteading? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
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