What would get you closer to your off-grid or self-sufficient dreams?
A good woodstove for both heat and cooking?
A stocked pantry, grains and all, for a year?
Stocking the homestead with chickens, rabbits, etc and at least 6 months of feed needs?
No counting debt-free stuff like bill payments and such. Just money-on-trees kind of stuff. What would make a great deal of difference and move you farther down that road of your goals?
No, I'm not planning anything. I'm just tossing out a question :o)
I can find good rationalizations for each of those above...
We've been looking back and forth between the Kitchen Queen and the Baker's Choice cookstoves. Both provide plenty of cooking space as well as ample heating (approx 2000sq ft). Then you add on a range boiler, you've got house hot water covered as well. Knocking out a great deal of electric bills there, and for us, a water bill lowered too.
Stocking the pantry, that's a no-brainer there. Food is a must no matter what your situation or plans. Grains, honey, yeast, even things like lamp oil (we use kerosene) matches and lamp wicks, etc. That all frees up monthly income.
We spent $800 and stocked the meat end of things a year back. Our butcher buys local, which is a plus. It isn't home-grown, but it's not a bad choice and better than the grocery store. We got ground beef, sausage and stewing chunks which we canned up here.
Stocking the barnyard...we have had good results with basic chickens, such as Buff Orpingtons and Barred Rocks. We can get 100 pullets for $164. Cornish Rock Crosses are around $114 for 100. (I'm looking at Cackle Hatchery...I've ordered from them a few times. Where would you order birds?). Either way, that supplies eggs and meat a'plenty.
What about other stock? 3 or 4 female rabbits and a couple males? Maybe a turkey or 2? No more pigs here. I'm burnt out and mentally challenged with pigs still.
And some feed put up in the barn? Some hay, of course, in the loft for winter feeding. Maybe even some monthly supplies of goat, dog and chicken rations.
All of these things help free up weekly and monthly funds. That savings could be used on any debt reduction you're looking at, or set into savings plans for your next step.
Of course, stocking up aside, you've got school items that need replenished annually...that's always floating around my mind.
Ok...so, back to the question...
What would you do/buy, money-on-trees, to get your homestead farther along the path?
Come on...play along with my rambling thought process...
4 comments:
I am working on a suburban "homestead". I would love to have 6-12 months of groceries stocked up and just buy fresh vegies when needed. We are thinking about some chickens for our eggs. Being in a neighborhood we have to tread carefully and quietly. Probably will never have no electric or gas but thats ok, we can control what we have. Lower thermostats in winter and higher in summer. Turn off lights etc. My bug dream right now is to fence in our front yard (we are on a corner lot) and plant some fruit trees. We've got lots of ideas and need to concentrate on just a couple for right now.
A generator and a rainwater collection system. Food to put by.
We bought a new Kitchen Queen last summer. So far, we LOVE it!
We have a range boiler, too, but I haven't plumbed it in yet. Hopefully soon.
We replaced a Heartland Sweetheart with the Kitchen Queen. We definitely took a step in the right direction.
I don't think full self sufficiency is possible, but if we can at least reach a point where we can live on very little yet have a good quality of life I think it is a good goal.
My goal this year is to only purchase what is absolutely necessary.
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