Thinking about starting a homestead but worried about the cost? Don’t let the money stop you! You can start living your dream homestead life with little to no money. From scavenging for free materials to growing your own food from seeds, there are plenty of ways to make it happen. Let’s dive into 12 simple, budget-friendly tips to start homesteading.
But first, let’s get this out there: You CAN homestead anywhere– apartments, suburban homes, urban homes, or on some acreage! The first step is deciding to start now–wherever you are. Don’t wait until you can get land or animals. Whatever you have and wherever you are is the perfect place to begin.
I grew up eating white bread, American cheese, Lunchables, and Rice-A-Roni. Cooking from scratch wasn’t a priority in my house, so, as an adult, I’ve had to teach myself how to do it. Over the years, I’ve learned that cooking from scratch is satisfying, saves money, and lets you control the ingredients. It can be a huge part of homesteading and self-sufficiency.
and the list could go on and on.
It’s cheaper to buy bulk ingredients and make your own bread than it is to buy organic bread from the grocery store. And, bonus, your house will smell so good. Try replacing expensive convenience items and other foods with homemade versions instead. Picking one thing a week to try making on your own would be a great way to build your self-sufficiency arsenal.
Learning to preserve your foods can go a long way in reducing what you need to buy, which helps the grocery budget.
You don’t need expensive equipment to preserve food. Much of it can be done with items you already have. You can freeze foods. You can dehydrate them in your oven or air dry them. You can pickle things and store them in your fridge. You can even can foods inexpensively. We started canning with our largest stockpot and an $8 cake rack at the bottom.
You also do not need to grow everything that you preserve. We have a local farm that sells their extra produce for $5 a bag. I’ve gotten a ton of peppers from them and frozen them to eat all year long. I’ve also gotten seconds, produce with some blemishes from farmers’ markets, to make things like jam or applesauce. They don’t always advertise these so you may have to ask them.
You can also use an app like Flashfoods which lets you know local grocery store deals. They often have foods a little past their peak, which they offer at a deep discount. Learning to preserve foods with foods from local farms, farmer’s markets, or grocery stores makes it easier to get started. Use whatever you can find and don’t wait until you can grow all your own foods.
Fill your freezer with veggies, your pantry with dried herbs, and your fridge with jams and you’ll be glad you did!
Start with containers on your apartment balcony. Or, use raised beds in the backyard of your suburban home, or in the front yard of your urban home–wherever you are! The important part is jus to begin.
I once heard someone say after harvesting potatoes: “Now I have only about 30 more tries to grow them.” It’s true. There is a limited amount of time to grow things and to perfect our growing techniques. The sooner you can start, the better! Don’t wait until you have what you think is the perfect space.
Starting the garden from seeds is much cheaper than buying already-started plants from big box stores or nurseries. Buy a $1, $2, $3 seed packet and see how much you can grow from it! Or, you can find alternative places selling plant starts for cheap. Our local arts center would have plant starts for sale for $1 in the Spring. Many plant and garden groups will also have plant sales.
You can also make friends with a local gardener because they may have extra they would be willing to give away. I am now one of those people who starts way too many plants every season. I can attest that many gardeners will probably have extra they want to share or sell.
Making your own cleaning supplies is super easy and a great way to save money. Plus, it eliminates your exposure to harsh chemicals. You just need a few basics things like vinegar, baking soda, and maybe some essential oils, which you may already have sitting around your house. Make a baking soda scrub for your tub or a vinegar spray for your counters. Add a few drops of anti-bacterial essential oil like lemon and it will smell nice, too. It will be hard to ever go back to name-brand cleaners afterwards.
You can save a ton of money by learning some things that can be treated at home naturally. You will reduce the number of medications you have to buy, doctor visits, and co-pays.
Treat coughs with elderberry syrup
Headaches with peppermint oil
Indigestion with tea
Fire Cider for an immune system boost
Ear aches with garlic / mullein oil
Reduce payments for doctor bills and medications by learning to help your body heal at home. It will also help build your confidence in doing things yourself.
Skin care items can be quite pricey, but they are easy to make your own. With just a few natural ingredients like coconut oil, honey, and essential oils, you can whip up anything from face masks to body scrubs. They are fun to make and, bonus, you will know exactly what’s going on your skin–no weird chemicals or ingredients you can’t pronounce.
and so on
Making your skincare items can drastically cut down your spending. It can also produce a clean, healthy product and reduce your reliance on stores.
Reduce your food waste AND make some amazing amendments for your plants. You don’t need an expensive composter. You can compost by throwing everything in a big pile, an extra garbage can, or some extra fencing.
Once you have compost, you can start your seeds with it. Or you can add it to your established plants to give them extra nutrients or use it to mulch around your plants.
Building things can be a large part of homesteading. You may have to build animal shelters, raised garden beds, fences, and more. To do it on the cheap, try to use free pallets. They are often located behind many businesses. Once you start looking for them, you’ll start seeing them everywhere. The businesses are usually more than happy for you to take them off their hands.
You can use free pallet wood to make many things for your homestead, such as:
If you’d rather not learn how to build by trial and error, there are other ways to learn. You can volunteer with Habitat for Humanity or a local builder. You will get experience and hands-on learning for free.
My husband and I have had friends who have hired people to hang curtains for them. Others have paid plumbers outrageous sums of money to install faucets. You can save SO much money by learning how to fix things yourself. These days, it is possible to learn almost anything from YouTube.
Personally, YouTube has taught us:
And so much more.
Neither of us grew up with parents who taught us home improvement skills. We’ve learned from YouTube and from trial and error. Because we were willing to try, we have saved thousands of dollars by not having to hire someone.
Homesteaders can always use more help. Reach out to some and ask if you can help them with something. Or, you can swap work days with them. Take turns helping each other with projects, processing, or other homestead tasks. You can also share or borrow equipment like chicken pluckers.
I once met someone at a local knitting circle who was a homesteader and was about to process some chickens. I asked her if we could come and help. She said yes and that was how we first learned to process chickens! She was happy to have help and we were happy to learn in a hands-on way.
You can swap tips, share resources, tackle projects faster by working together. Plus, having a supportive community makes the homesteading journey more fun and less overwhelming.
You don’t have to buy fancy chicken coops, expensive freeze-dryers, or pricey tools. You can use what you already have. Repurpose that shed. Build out of pallets. Use the rocks in your yard for the garden,
You can also save a ton of money by getting free items on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or local groups. We made our first chicken coop out of free logs we found on Craigslist and our first raised beds out of scrap wood. Sometimes, free or repurposed materials take more time. But, their low price can make it worth it.
Perhaps, you want to make some investments in some homesteading items. Maybe you’d like a chicken incubator so you can hatch baby chicks. Maybe you want to save up to move onto some acreage. If so, be intentional about where your money goes.
Some ways to save money are
Did you know spending $27.40 a day on unnecessary things will add up to $10,000 per year? $27.40 a day could mean the difference in being able to further you along on your homesteading endeavors.
Homesteading is possible wherever you are and you don’t need a gazillion dollars to do it! You can start wherever you are with whatever you have. Start with one thing on this list. Start by making your own bread. Start with making your own all-purpose cleaner. Start by watching YouTube videos about how to build a gate out of pallet wood. Start with whatever excites you the most. Then move on to the next thing and the next thing. Before you know it, you’ll be one of those crazy (in a good way) self-sufficient homesteader people.
We are real homesteaders on a real budget and we are all about helping you live this lifestyle without breaking the bank.
