You can homestead while you are renters with these 15 ways to start homesteading before you own!
Most people think you have to have a bunch of land in the country, have some animals and a huge vegetable and herb gardens to have a self sufficient and self sustaining homestead.
They think going off grid is just for people with a lot of money and a lot of acreage.
While there probably is some wealthy people who do have a lot of land and like to live off of it, most people don’t.
You don’t have to have a huge bunch of animals. You don’t have to have a huge garden.
And you don’t need to own a house with tons of acres of land.
Matter of fact, you can do a lot of homesteading while renting. This can be a reality.
Ways To Homestead Now
Here are some suggestions on what you can do to homestead now while you are renting.
- Learn To Quilt- Quilts are a great heirloom to pass down from generation to generation, but they are also great for cold nights. Quilts are a necessity on a cold, winter night. This skill is easy to learn and can be done without a sewing machine using hand stitching.
- Mill Your Own Grains- If you learn to grain your own mill to make flour, you won’t have to worry about it going rancid since flour has a shorter shelf life. Get a hand cranked mill and mill those grains yourself.
- Bake Your Own Bread- Learn how to bake your own fresh bread. There’s not too much that compares to eating your own fresh bread. Most people think it is hard to make, but it really isn’t. If you find a good recipe, your bread can rise as you do other household chores and then you just bake it in the oven. If you eat a lot of bread, then have a baking day where you make several loaves and freeze them.
- Make Your Own Cheeses- Ricotta, mozzarella, and quark can all very easily be made at home with just a few ingredients.
- Preserving Your Own Food- Learn how to dehydrate, can and freeze your foods. These are just a few of the ways you can preserve your own harvest.
- Grow Vegetables In Containers- You don’t need a permanent piece of land to have a garden. A popular way is container gardening. Simply plant some vegetable in the container and watch your harvest grow!
- Make A Mini Herb Garden- Plant herbs in tiny containers and place in the kitchen. A lot of people place them in their window seals in their kitchen.
- Make Your Own Candles- When the power goes off and the grid goes down, you’ll be proud to have your very own candles to use for lighting.
- Make Your Own Soaps- If you learn to make your own soap, you can use it as a base to make many other household products like homemade laundry detergent. If you are passionate about it as a hobby, you can get creative with it and use it as a way to make some extra money.
- Learn How To Make Your Own Herbal Remedies- Learn what herbs are good for what ailment. This is a great thing for anyone to learn for a homestead or SHTF situation.
- Learn How To Knit & Crochet- If you learn the art of knitting and crocheting, then you can make your own scarves, gloves, beanie hats, blankets and more!
- Get Out of Debt- By beginning to pay off all your debts, you could be taking the first steps from turning your rental into a permanent homestead by paying off debt a little at a time. One less bill, turns into two less bills, and so on until you no longer have a bunch of bills to pay and can afford a more permanent solution.
- Reduce Clutter- Get rid of stuff you no longer need or use. It’ll keep things more organized.
- Learn To Barter- Trading items you have a bunch of (like soap making or candles for example) for ones you don’t have or grow yourself is a great way to get things you could use or need. Meet with other local homesteaders and trade away!
- Learn Basic Sewing Skills- Sewing can save you money by extending the life of clothes, curtains and basically anything made of fabric.
Final Thoughts
These are just a few ways you can homestead while renting. You don’t necessarily need to do them all, but each one is a step closer to being as self sufficient as you can get.
On – 25 Oct, 2017 By Jim Mcgill
