When you are tired of the hustle and bustle of city life a laid-back life in the country seems like paradise! The nature, the open spaces, the clean air, it sounds like a dream come true. And then there is the temptation to go a little off the grid to live a more sustainable lifestyle. If these sound like you then homesteading may be the life for you! Here are four tips to help you make the change to the life a homesteader and leave the city behind.
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Pay Attention to the Weather
When living as a homesteader checking the weather will become an important part of your life. Weather is critically important for farmers because you will rely on it to make your living. As you adapt to life as a homesteader, and start to plant and run your homestead, checking the weather will become a habit in your new way of life.
Go Off the Grid
There are a number of reasons for trying to make your new homestead as self-sustaining and green as possible. Out in the country, you will likely not be on any city utilities, so it will be advantageous to create a self-sustaining homestead.
Dig a well for water, get a propane tank for energy, a septic system installed to handle waste, and even a generator to run your electricity. Consider other sources of energy, such as geothermal and solar, so you can be as energy independent as possible. Being a homesteader is a great way to get off the grid and to create your own way of life. Creating a self-sustaining homestead is just another perk of homestead life.
Pay Attention to Markets
While your main goal may be to rely on subsistence living, you also may want or need to sell some of what your farm produces. This is most likely to be true in the beginning. Whether you are planning to grow grains, like those offered by Grainpro Australia Pty Ltd, or raise livestock, it is important to know what prices your products will fetch so you can produce what is in demand and properly plan ahead.
Consider Pets
Pets can be invaluable to a homesteader. They make great companions and are very helpful as working animals on a farm. They can guard your property and livestock as well as rid the farm of pests. If you do choose to get a large breed of dog for the purposes of being a guard dog, it is imperative that the animal is trained properly. If it is not, it may be wantonly aggressive and injure friends, children or passerby. A number of outdoor cats will help keep the local population of mice, rats and other pests under control so they won’t destroy your crops or garden.
Homesteading can be the perfect life for some people, especially if you want to live a more sustainable, off the grid lifestyle. However, it’s important to know what you are getting yourself into before you make the jump. Follow these tips and have a plan, and soon you will be living the rural homestead life.
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