Cover image of Rachel Roy's book: How to Begin Homesteading: Start Small, Succeed, Expand! with photos of a beautiful lake, handsome German shepherd, fresh eggs and a quart of pickled carrots.

A Year-Round Homestead Tasks Checklist (So You Don’t Have to Do Everything at Once)

One of the fastest ways to feel overwhelmed on the homestead is to believe that everything needs to be done … More

A plate of salad with chunks of fried chicken.

Permission to “Cheat”

  Permission to “Cheat” (or: Why Bagged Salad Is Saving My Sanity Right Now) Let’s just get this out of … More

Bringing Green to the Gloom: Inside Winter Gardening

The days are shorter, the light is weaker, and the weather seems to have decided that gray is the new … More

5 Skills to Start Learning Today for a More Self-Sufficient Life

In a world where convenience often takes center stage, there’s something deeply satisfying about creating and preserving food, growing your … More

Collage of farming picture with words to Join Rachel Roy's ARC team for her homesteading book.

I Want You To Be My ARC Reader!

What is an ARC Reader? ARC stands for Advanced Reader Copy. You get a free book, knowing that it is … More

Happy Easter!

Home sweet home, chicken nuggets

Our trip home

a chicken in a barn being petted

How to start homesteading: 6 simple starting points

Chances are if you ask twenty homesteading families what the parameters are to be termed “homesteading” you get twenty slightly different answers. You need to develop your own answer to this. To me, homesteading is to make your home as self-sustaining as you choose, incorporating your land and your skills to be less reliant on others and stores. This will look different between you and I or myself and my friends. That’s OK. There is no “right” answer although there might be a lot of “wrong” ones. Your “right” answer is what works for you at any given time.

coals and flames in the woodstove

Fall Preparations on the Homestead

End of August The end of August means a few things for us. The county fairs typically happen in the … More