A modern-day homesteader is someone who strives to live a simple lifestyle in a self-sufficient manner, with minimal impact on the environment. Homesteading is a lifestyle that focuses on living close to nature and self-sufficiency. Modern homesteaders are growing their own food, caring for the land they have, raising their own livestock, and living a simpler and more sustainable life.  - Rhythm and Moos 

I've often wondered if we are "Modern Homesteaders". If we are, we didn't get to be homesteaders overnight or because we said "I want to be a homesteader". I think way back when we first bought our home, I wanted a barn so I could keep my horses.  And we needed a chicken coop because I was going to have my own eggs.  And that was all we were thinking at the time.  So, I guess you could say we've evolved into homesteading.  Over time we added this or that, but not to become homesteaders or self sufficient, but it was something we wanted to try to do because we thought it might be cool.  It'll be cool to have a dairy goat and milk it...which in turn led to soapmaking, cheesemaking and of course babies!  Because without the babies there is no milk, but with all that milk you had to do something with it because there was so much!  Waste not want not.  Let's grow a garden - now what do we do with all these veggies...and so it began. As we researched the different things that we wanted to try, we realized that these were healthier choices too!  Fresh Raw Milk is packed with health benefits.  Homemade goat milk soap is better for our skin, fresh eggs, homegrown and preserved veggies are better without preservatives.  As time  went on, our grocery bill at the grocery store went down.  We started noticing that our "habit" of grocery shopping each payday was just that, a habit.  We started to shop with a list, and only went when we were out of the things that we did not produce here on our farm.  We do still buy stuff we really don't need, but even that is starting to dwindle away.  We've been able to start buying our supplies of things we can't or don't grow in bulk.  And we are enjoying what we are doing.  We love it.  Even my husband says he LIKES to go to his shop and just putter around (he's always been a tv watcher) He is learning to make repairs and build things and it does my heart so good to see him doing these things. 

All this didn't happen overnight, or even in a year.  It's taken us 25 years to get where we are today.  We didn't know what we were doing most of the time. We did have a lot of failures too.  Some things worked and some did not, but those little steps allowed us to learn as we went.  Get used to what we were doing and then add the next thing.  We both had jobs outside of the home and so our farm schedules had to work around our jobs. We made it work because it became important for us to do these things.  And now, seeing all the crap that is in foods we find at the grocery store, I'm so thankful that we started when we did.  God has truly Blessed us in ways we didn't even see coming. 

I would encourage every one of you to do what you can with what you have.  Try SOMETHING new today, learn something new every day and bloom where you are planted!