Since I was a child I always loved the idea of living in a little cabin in the woods. Birds greet you in the morning, you boil water over the fire, smell the moss, maybe you catch a glimpse of what you think could have maybe been a faerie?! But as I grew older I was taught that magic isn’t real, that cabin in the woods isn’t reality and that there isn’t that much green in my world.
I started working the jobs I was given and grinding, trying to climb those ladders. I’ve gone from the “garbage girl” to “manager” and something was always lacking. That’s when I decided to take a journey into the past. I decided to start my own homesteading expedition, in the city. I may not get my cabin in the woods but I am going to ensure I have my little patch of green. Here is what I have found helpful to start out with so far:
It seems overwhelming at first but don’t fret! No investment type purchases necessary yet. Figure out what you want to cut down on financially, transitioning to homesteading is smoothest when you don’t have huge bills to cover. I suggest starting with streaming services, cable, phone bills, internet usage and any other monthly plans.
 While you’re doing your planning, you’ll still need to shop and feed yourself. Start looking for reusable items to replace things you consistently go to the store for. Parchment paper, baking sheets, paper plates etc. Finish using and replace as many single use items as possible. Bonus if they don’t use electricity (ex: hand grinder for coffee, non electric kettle etc). If you have a local market or farm stands nearby, get to know them and their prices. You may be shocked to discover a ton of savings and good info about the growing climate.
This one sounds odd but I feel like it is a big step in moving from a very hands off technology based lifestyle to one that is more self sufficient – take time to reflect “spiritually” (whatever that is for you) and address any addictions or negative traits that revolve around your industrial upbringing. For me the biggest are: overworking myself, mindlessly scrolling the phone, caffeine and refined sugar. This is the hardest part of the entire journey because it involves creating a habit that goes against societal norms/what is exceptionally easy to access and relies on setting boundaries for myself. Addiction isn’t easy that is for sure!
Gather information about the things you are most interested in. For me, that is growing my own veggies and alternative herbal remedies. The city I live in does not allow livestock or chickens, but there are tons of cities in Canada that do! Shelter building, water purification, fire starting and tying knots are always interesting research topics. Pinterest is also fairly handy for this stuff, funny enough! Search “survival tips” and you’ll find quite a bit on there, as well as the “homesteading” tag. The library is a great resource for herbal remedies, medicinal, all sorts of books about psychology etc. Spend some time researching things you believe will help, and stuff that gets you excited, too!
Set some realistic goals and work towards those projects. For example, I had very low funds so I started growing herbs in the window. Chives, green onion, parsley and mint all grow fairly quickly and can be kept through winter if properly maintained. Pick something you use a lot or do a lot – let’s say cleaning; and slowly swap all of your products to home made solutions.
Lastly, because these are just starter tips, find some people with similar interests. If you aren’t able to connect locally (check your cities Reddit board for keywords like garden or the cities website for local greenhouses) there are a number of groups online that promote this kind of lifestyle. I’m sure if you’ve found this post though, you are well aware. But if not there are tons of blogs under “homesteading” or “natural solutions”.
Although I am nowhere close to the “end goal” I imagined and haven’t become completely self sustainable; I can definitely say I am a lot happier, feeling more positive about the future and have no fear as compared to where I started. I think if this journey is all for “nothing”, at least I have some peace.
Do you have any tips? Tricks? Disagree entirely? I’d love to hear from you!
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