Can I do this?

[sinopa27]

Inside of me is this Homesteading queen, self sufficient princess, gardening maniac! I have so many dreams and aspirations. I know deep down inside what I want to do but I am not sure if I can do this.

Can I do this?
Can I make everything from scratch?
Can I just use cloth napkins and dishtowels? (instead of paper)
Can I recycle everything?
Can I make those onion soup mixes, gravy mixes, pancake mixes,etc?
Can I manage how much plastic I am exposed to? (i love glass)
Can I learn to sew?
Can I have a fabulous garden?
Can I can my own food, all my food?
Can I only buy in bulk, from produce stands, farmer's market?
Can I only buy items on sale?
Can I truly reduce, reuse, and do without??
Can I have chickens for fresh eggs?
Can I make my own pizza dough and cookie dough and freeze it?
Can I make my own bread and yeast rolls?
Can I feed my family at least 50% of produce I grew myself?
Can I just use organic or locally owned products?
Can I save money and get out of debt?
Can I have the freedom of simple living?
Can I reduce how many hours/day I have to work?
Can I just simply do without some things?
Can I learn to knit, sew and crochet?

It isn't just a homesteading thing. This is the lifestyle I desire. Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong time period. How can I accomplish all of these things I want so bad???

I want all this and more and I am a RN that works nights in a busy ER. I also am the only one in my home that has these desires. I also am out of shape.
How do I begin???

[ladytoysdream]

Actually you can do everything on your list.
Just pick one and start
And then it just becomes practice makes perfect.

My suggestion would be to group your ideas into areas/ blocks.

Garden = fresh plus extra to put up by freezing / canning.
Start with something you can control. No sense putting in a monster garden
and not being able to keep up with it. I suggest black plastic. Some kind of
fence probably. No sense watching plants coming along nicely and find out
one morning, that Mr Bunny or that cute little deer wiped out your hard work.

Kitchen = scratch cooking
Find a new recipe you like...try it. If your family likes it, you continue with it.

Household = work on being frugal in more areas.

Chickens ..maybe. Check you zoning first. Probably cheaper to buy from
a small setup local to you. We are heading into our 4th year doing chickens
and basically I can say they are paying their grain costs. Grain has gotten
very expensive. I set up at a farmer's market in the summer. But that is only
for 5 months. I do have customers for the other 7 months. That took time
to build up though. I gave away a LOT of eggs the first 2 years. Chickens fit
our retirement plans so we started early with them.

Sewing, knitting, crochet, etc.
I can do a lot of different things. However, I concentrate on knitting. It's a
hobby that I can make a few dollars on. If something needs mending, I do it.
I used to make clothes....do I anymore ? No. But I could if I had to or wanted to.
I used to hook rugs and sell them.....no, I don't currently...but I could again.
Object here is to know how to do things. If they are a need and work for you
and your household, you put them into daily practice. If not needed now, you have
skills for when you do need them.

Retirement
Have a plan and work toward it.
We have 2 acres, the chickens, garden, and are trying to pay off the last 2 bills early.
Then we will only have utilities, insurance, and of course....taxes.
Mortgage was paid off 7 yrs ago. We upgraded our house 6 yrs ago with siding,
shingles,windows,new room, deck with roof. 4 yrs ago, outside wood boiler.
We both will continue to do extra things, to bring in a few dollars here and there.

[pat in east texas]

While you're getting in shape, pick one of your goals, only one, and work on it 'till you've got it down. Then pick another, still working on getting in shape, and go from there.

[Ceashels]

Yes, you can do all of that! I don't recommend trying to do it all at the same time though, as you will set yourself up for frustrations.

You may want to pick just one or two items to learn each month and as they become part of your natural routine you can add another one.

And there may be parts of things you can learn and accomplish easily and then get stuck on others. I make pasta dough for noodles... but I've yet to learn making tube shapes so I still buy elbow macaroni. LOL One of these days.

It is all a big journey and you need to enjoy the journey as much as the destination.

[shelly123]

I have exactly the same aspirations and I also don't know where to begin. I think we will have to start with baby steps and pick one goal at a time.

[NicJean]

My stepmom looks at me with these big, adoring eyes, and I'm thinking she's awestruck - and I shake my head. I got to where I am out of necessity: I was single and broke, I needed alternatives, I knew I needed to DO something.

So I did - small, baby steps. I now cook simple homemade meals(mostly from the pantry/stockpile), rarely using 'processed foods", I make gifts and cards, I coupon and keep price books, I have chickens, I can split wood, I can run the wood furnace, and it's upkeep, I can shoot, take apart, and clean 3 types of guns (did I actually type that?!?), I garden, forage, barter, dehydrate and can, sprout, I've sourced local producers to use, although I am still learning, I do okay, and I know that I can take good care of me and mine.

Start small, when you've "mastered" something, move on. I like the "group like items" method, above.

You CAN do it.

[nuisance26]

~Just a little at a time. You've listed enough stuff to keep you busy learning for 20 years. Don't rush the process and burn out. Have lots of fun along the way!~

[Spirit Deer]

It is all a big journey and you need to enjoy the journey as much as the destination.

You also need to accept that a lot of things can't be mastered the first time you try something. Sometimes it'll be due to lack of experience on your part, sometimes it will be because of things out of your control, like the weather when it comes to gardening. But don't give up if the first time you try something, you don't get the results you'd like.

I don't agree that all people can learn all things. I've known people who tried and tried and never could get the hang of sewing or crocheting. They could make things, but their projects never looked professional. And some people, like me, struggle with gardening. Although I think gardening is more difficult where we live now than anywhere else we've lived. All you can do is try things and see where your talents lie. Some things, you may have to settle for good enough instead of spectacular.

Think back on learning nursing. You didn't know the first day you walked into your first job, the things you know now. In spite of all your training to that point, you still had things to learn that only experience could teach you. Much of what's on your list is the same thing. But you already have two important elements on your quest: You know how to learn new things, and you have the desire to learn them.

I agree, just start with small things and let your knowledge base grow. You never know what you're capable of until you try. And then try again.

[sinopa27]

I have exactly the same aspirations and I also don't know where to begin. I think we will have to start with baby steps and pick one goal at a time.

we should keep in touch and try these things together!!

[sinopa27]

~Just a little at a time. You've listed enough stuff to keep you busy learning for 20 years. Don't rush the process and burn out. Have lots of fun along the way!~

It feels like 20 years of work just by reading my post! LOL!!

[sinopa27]

I am going to do the grouping method suggested above. I have a 3 ring binder with dividers so I can group things. I have one section that is called "like to try". I know how to can some things and not that I have both a water bath canner and a pressure canner, this summer will be different from the previous summers. On my "like to try" list is canning my own strawberry jam/jelly. So this May when it is strawberry season, I will pick strawberries and attempt to learn how to make my own jam/jelly.

[Spirit Deer]

Jams and jellies are easy. That's a good place to start.

[sinopa27]

I read on someone's post that they freeze their strawberries until it is cooler weather and then make jam/jellies. Does it get soggy after defrosting?

[greekislandgirl]

I'll answer these questions (which are great ideas) based on my experience doing this sort of thing since June 2010. So that's only 1.5 years experience, and I had a LOT of hiccups in the beginning and along the way. I'm still a total newbie by the standards of many on here!! But this should give you an idea of where you can be after about a year or so.

Can I make everything from scratch?
Maybe not EVERYTHING, but you can certainly stockpile scratch ingredients, and that will help you get on track with making more and more scratch foods. I now make almost all of our food from scratch by MY definition - but I do buy things like ketchup and pre-milled flour. (I have a flour mill and whole wheat for grinding, but I like having flour on hand too!) And I buy dried pasta because it's cheaper than the cost of the wheat. (I do make fresh pasta but not often.) Over time you'll be able to do more and more.

Can I just use cloth napkins and dishtowels? (instead of paper)
This is super easy. Nothing could be easier. Just get some napkin rings, some cloth napkins, and put them on the table. You don't need to wash them after every meal! I bought a roll of paper towels in July and it's about 1/2 used up - but most of that was from when I was painting with oil-based paint and needed a LOT of paper towels (there was no way around that one). I figure I need about 1 roll of paper towels per year, and I think that's a reasonable goal to strive for.

Can I recycle everything?
I have my recycling bin right next to my trashcan and it is second nature to recycle stuff - it's a good idea to put a mini recycling bin in the bathrooms too, and near your desk as well. These areas generate plastic and cardboard that can be recycled. Before I put anything substantial into the recycling, I always ask myself "can I repurpose this?" I often find that I can. All of my "tupperware" is just containers that food came in, plus I have many other useful items around the house that would normally have gone into the recycling.

Can I make those onion soup mixes, gravy mixes, pancake mixes,etc?I don't make "mixes," I just make the recipe for whatever the food I want at the time I want it. Making pancakes from scratch is incredibly easy. I make onion soup the complicated way (because it tastes way better) and I don't eat gravy, but as a general rule, there's nothing you can buy in the way of dehydrated food product in the grocery store that you can't make yourself cheaper and FAR more delicious. If you have access to the internet, I highly recommend the site Food Blog Search to search for recipes with photo tutorials and descriptions in addition to the recipes themselves.

Can I manage how much plastic I am exposed to? (i love glass)You can make an effort to purchase food in containers that you can reuse. I also love glass. I buy the store brand olives, pickles, capers, and a few other items and I LOVE the glass jars they come in. They all match and I reuse them to store everything. I'm very lucky in that my pretty glass jars are also the cheapest option!!

Can I learn to sew?I don't claim to be a great seamstress but I taught myself to mend clothes and I've made a few from scratch projects. Having a sewing machine is a great thing. I got mine brand new for €35, so there are good deals out there.

Can I have a fabulous garden?This is very location-dependent. Do you live in an apartment in the city? Do you live in the country? I live in an apartment in the city so I am limited by what I can do on my balcony. If you have neighbors who garden, ask them which crops are most successful. Think about what you use the most of, and what are the items that you tend to overpay for. For example, do you use a lot of cucumbers but feel they are also rather expensive? See if you can grow them. Don't grow 500 asparagus plants if no one in your family really LOVES asparagus. (My mom is guilty of this one - she did something like 300 swiss chard and while it's absolutely beautiful in the ground, it's not that popular...)

Can I can my own food, all my food?I haven't started doing this yet although I do have a pressure cooker and could do pressure canning in small quantities in there. So far the only canned goods I use are actually cheaper in cans than fresh and don't grow on my balcony. Make sure you're making choices that work financially.

Can I only buy in bulk, from produce stands, farmer's market?I'm lucky in that I live in a country with a thriving farmer's market system. Our farmer's market is every Saturday morning and they sell everything from fresh fish, meat, dairy, eggs, vegetables, fruits, spices, herbs, kitchen goods (sponges, soaps, buckets), pots/pans/dishes, rugs, curtains, fabric by the yard, tools, clothes of all kinds, shoes/slippers, underwear, coats, toys, etc. One could probably go months shopping ONLY at my farmers' market. Your farmers' market may not be so varied. It's kind of the luck of the draw!

Can I only buy items on sale?In the very beginning, no - but over time, almost everything will eventually go on sale. NOT everything. There will always be those certain special items that just don't ever go on sale. You can try to do without them or you can stock up on them before inflation inevitably makes them more expensive.

Can I truly reduce, reuse, and do without??This is an attitude, actually. If you look at it as you "beating the system" and "being an awesome homemaker" then YES you will be amazed by how resourceful you can be. I am constantly bragging to my husband about how I repurposed x for y, and I'm truly proud and happy about these things. That kind of attitude will drive you to do more. Use the internet - DIY blogs, frugal blogs, FV, etc. are full of ideas.

Can I have chickens for fresh eggs?This one is beyond me (balcony!) but others on FV do this successfully.

Can I make my own pizza dough and cookie dough and freeze it?Unless you're eating pizza and cookies all the time, freezing it may not really be necessary. I always make fresh pizza and cookie dough when I make these foods, but I just make enough for that meal and bake them fresh. My freezer space is limited, so this is an issue for me. But if you have tons of freezer space, go for it (if these are foods you use regularly).

Can I make my own bread and yeast rolls?Sure! I do! I LOVE baking bread - it's a true pleasure and the taste is unparalleled by even the best professional bakery. I make all our bread except for the sandwich bread and that's only because I found it on sale that made it cheaper than the flour (but that's rare).

Can I feed my family at least 50% of produce I grew myself?I can't, but my mom does this - closer to 80% I'd say (although she does have a greenhouse, lucky duck)! It means that you will have seasons of the year where you are relying on canned and frozen produce rather than fresh, and it also means that you have to come to terms with the limitations of your location. Not everyone can grow pineapples and bananas in their back yard

Can I just use organic or locally owned products?Maybe. I tend to be suspicious of organic stuff anymore. The rules appear strict but aren't nearly as strict as my mom's home garden, for example. If it's important to you, you can do it. I don't because I'm focussing on the frugal side of things. As for local - farmer's market!!

Can I save money and get out of debt?If you do the above, yes, probably. You need a budget. Many people do a monthly budget. I use a weekly budget because it gives me the chance to be even more nitpicky. You'll find what works for you.

Can I have the freedom of simple living?Attitude! Let the simple side of life be what makes you happy, proud, and cheerful, and the rest will follow.

Can I reduce how many hours/day I have to work? Outside the home, maybe... inside the home, with your garden and scratch cooking, you may find you need to dedicate a fairly sizable chunk of time to these things. I spend more time on household activities than many of my less frugal and homesteady-type friends.

Can I just simply do without some things?This is pretty easy. We do without things that most people I grew up with didn't even know was possible, and yet I have a hard time thinking of them, because my life doesn't feel like anything is missing. We have one car, hot water only for 30 minutes/day, no clothes dryer, I can't think of anything else but I'm sure the list of things we don't have is quite long. We don't have smart phones and that sort of thing. We eat meat (3 ounces per person) no more than 2x/month. It used to be even less, but I found a great sale on turkey breasts and ground beef back in October.

Can I learn to knit, sew and crochet?None of these are really hard if you have someone to show you! I learned to knit from my mom when I was 6, and a friend taught me to crochet in about 10 minutes last year. Sewing I taught myself. If you want to get GOOD at these things, there are great blogs with video demonstrations online. I am satisfied with being able to fix things, and with making things that are relatively simple (I've made curtains, purses, that sort of thing. I don't make clothes yet but many, many people do this so it just takes practice!) ALWAYS be careful that you are not spending more on the item (material is expensive, add the cost of bindings, thread, buttons, zippers, needles, sewing machine and service, and so on) than buying it - having the skill is very good but you don't want to be throwing money away if your goal is to reduce debt and save money.

Since you are the only one in your household who wants these things, you will probably have to do all the work yourself - convincing someone who's not interested to help in the garden is HARD. (I know, my mom tried for years with me.) But if these are things you want to do, and you approach them as fun and beneficial, and don't try to do everything at once, you'll soon find that they become second nature.

You can do the cloth napkin one today. And the recycling one. And the baking your own bread, pizza dough, and cookies. All those can be done from day 1 with no real effort. If you've never baked bread before, start with a basic French bread recipe (uses only flour, water, yeast, and salt) - there are a million recipes online and you do NOT need a bread machine or electric mixer, I don't have one and I believe hand-kneaded bread tastes much better.

Good luck ... I still have such a LOOOONG way to go to being self-sufficient, but I feel I have come so far in 18 months that I actually feel like it's just a matter of gaining momentum and the rest will follow!

[sinopa27]

wow!!!! thank you so much for the encouraging words greekislandgirl!! You just broke it down to make me think more of what I want. (((hug)))