The Compulsive Homesteader?

A couple years back, a fellow farmer of mine bought some sheep to add to his already growing livestock collection on his ten acre parcel. I raise sheep myself so I asked him if he and his family loved lamb meat or spinning fiber?  His answer was this, "no, I don't even like lamb and I wouldn't even know what to the with the fiber. But I am buying them, because they are multi purpose and when the shit hits the fan, I want to be able to have access to milk, meat, wool and hides so I can continue to clothe my family."  There was no intelligent or supportive response I could give for this so I didn't say anything. Frankly, I was just too stunned. He already had chickens, turkeys, geese, rabbits, an orchard, a garden bees, goats and pigs. In addition, he was a food hoarder, gun and ammo collector and more. They were also building an underground bunker and hosting WTSHTF meetings at their home (when the shit hits the fan). He and his wife lived in a constant state of chaos. And fear.  I stopped hanging out with him because I would feel my eye twitch nervously when around his family.

When butchering day would arrive, his wife would be so sick of the animals and close to tears. Mainly because they were so disorganized and poorly planned, the end result of raising these animals would be unsuccessful. Often they kept the animals far too long, fed them so little they barely grew yet cost so much in feed to maintain for twice the time. I wasn't surprised when a few months later, they desperately gave away all the sheep once they realized the amount of care they needed (shearing, hay, minerals, supplements, vet care, fencing, ram issues, lambing issues and more). I was heartened to hear that for the sake of the animals but that lasted only briefly when I was told they were now buying a horse to keep on hand for "back up emergency transportation."

Another friend of mine is buried under her homesteading hobbies. When I last visited her home, she had an array of incomplete projects in every room of the house. She was trying to "do it all" based on the premise of "keeping the traditions alive."  She had weaving, spinning and loom projects. She was fermenting every kind of food possible.  Wine and beer making were in another. Cultured cheese, yogurts and more were rotting in her her fridge. Sad looking seed starts littered her kitchen. On another counter, were unfinished projects for making infused oils, balms and candles. Outside she had a wood shop where she was attempting to make several unidentifiable items and she had started a collection of tools she never used but had them in case the power grid shut down and she still needed a way to complete her bird houses.

She even admitted, she was "project addicted" and wished her house wasn't so cluttered.  As soon as she got another idea or saw something neat online or in a magazine, she immediately wanted to do it. Amazon has allowed us to order and buy every possible project out there that we don't really stop to asses or plan it out. I asked her if she felt like she was living out her "dreams" and her answer was, "most definitely not. I thought learning all this stuff was my dream. But my real dreams are on hold."  I asked what her dream was and she said, "to retire early but clearly that's not going to happen.  I'm going to be working til the day I die."

Shocking?  The above scenarios are far too common. I see it all the time in the homesteading and farming community. There's this idea that a homesteader should and can "does it all" when that could be the furthest away from the truth. First, one must explore how pioneers actually lived. This can be explored all the way back to biblical times. One of the easiest ways to explore this are our modern day Amish. First keep in mind that the Amish do not live with the distractions and confines and materialism of our culture. They don't have Amazon, Internet and instant access to items they need. Second, there is no Amish that "does it all."  They live and thrive on a community system of strict rules, gender roles, religious beliefs and more. Each members has jobs they are expected to do to benefit the rest of the community. If one of those members tried to "do it all," he would never get anything done. Third, materialism is not allowed.

As a homesteader myself, I am beginning to see a trend... A building desire to be more self sufficient and able to support oneself and one's own family in case of hardship, disaster or some other potential catastrophe. Is this bad?  No, sometimes and yes. All three answers are correct. So how do we know which one we are falling under?  Where do we draw the line?

Easy, we need to remember our pioneer forefathers were minimalists.

Let me say that again, our pioneer forefathers were minimalists. My father was raised by pioneer parents in a farming community. His family all came from pioneers in Pennsylvania. He still has many of the same traits as he did back then. Here are some examples:

1) He owns one pair of loafers and takes very good care of them.  He also has one pair of heavy work boots.

2) He has one very good Sunday outfit and the rest of his clothes are for work or home.  His closet of clothes is less than a dozen clothing items.

3) He keeps meals simple.  He only uses salt, pepper, butter and and lard to season his food. Nothing more.

4) Coffee is always black. No cream and sugar and most certainly, no Starbucks or dunkin Donuts.

5) He keeps only one set of dishes. This means four cups, four plates and four bowls.

6) He only has two hobbies: fishing and watching TV.  When I was a child, camping was part of that.

7) His pantry has a few bulk of dry basics such as rice and coffee beans.  Everything else he buys fresh each week as he needs it. He never hoards food.

8) He never over commits.  My dad is very stingy with his free time.  When someone invites him to a party or to join them on a project, he waits a couple days before giving an answer.

9) He rarely touches his computer and has no desire to own a smartphone.

10) Every night before bed, he reads whether his bible or a fishing magazine (that a friend gives to him when done).

11) His condo in his retirement community is less than 700 square feet and he feels it is "too big."

12) His other favorite pastimes are talking on the phone with loved ones or visiting their homes on the holidays (he never hosts parties).

13) He shops at the same grocery store, gets his gas at the same gas station, buys the same brand shirts and jeans when he replaces them and so on.

14) He hoards money and abhors frivolously spending and debt.

I think this last one is very key to note about minimalist pioneers. There is nothing more important than stability. Nothing. If you have too much stuff, debt and no savings. You are not free.

So how can we feel "prepared" and enjoy homesteading without falling into the materialistic traps of our culture?

1) Do you love it?  Before you take up a hobby, are you doing this because you really love to and have a passion to do this for a long time or simply just because you "can?"

2) Are you financially stable?  If you have debt or high mortgage, it is better to put off new hobby projects until you are financially free.

3) Make a list of five. Choose five homesteading projects to focus on. An example of this might be: raising goats, maintaining your orchard, building a small barn, training your border collie, and growing herbs. Forsake all other tempting projects.

4) Be choosy about what you hoard. I am very intentional in my food hoards. I only stock up on foods we eat on a regular basis and that are normally expensive. For example, honey. We go through about five gallons of honey every year. So each fall, I buy a five gallon bucket from a local farmer and store the honey in smaller jars in my freezer. I don't stock up on sugar or salt or other common items. It is cheap, readily available year round and easy to access.

5) Does it benefit others?  Do the other members in your family enjoy your hobbies as well?  Are you able to share your excess bounty with others?

6) Have you thought this through?  So many people are so impulsive now and often take on projects and hobbies almost immediately without a clear plan.

7) Buy locally and build community.

The last one is key and how I was able to get out of my compulsive "over homesteading."  I had a realization one day that it is better for me to buy from and rely on other fellow homesteaders. This is a key trait of pioneer homesteaders. My father has shared stories with me multiple times about how his family only ran an orchard. They traded the fruits of their labor for milk, meat, wheat and more from others. They also sold it and used the funds to buy needed items or save it. I don't need to raise bees, I can buy from a local beekeeper or trade. I don't need to grow all my own food. I can support a local CSA. I also don't have to "know how to do it all."  There are others who have fine tuned their skills and will be available to teach me if ever needed.

What are some things I have done as a "minimalist pioneer?"

1) I only own one pair of nice shoes, one pair of sandals and one pair of work boots

2) I own one rain coat, one winter coat and a few vests.

3) My closet is now a "capsule" which means I have less than 30 clothing items: mostly nice jeans, plain shirts, all matching socks, etc. I do have a few nice dressy scarves and pieces of jewelry when I want to "dress up."

4) I only stock up on water, rice, coffee, oats, flour, granola, oil, and sugar in my pantry. In my freezer, I only stock up on chicken breasts, bacon, ground beef, sausage and my lamb meat cuts. I also buy honey, butter and berries in bulk when on sale or in season.

5) I have a list of 33 meals I shop for. Nothing else extra. This has reduced the spices we store and all the hodgepodge extra cans and foods in the pantry.

6) I only have three kinds of teas and one coffee we drink. We stopped "collecting" different kinds of teas.  

7) I only own two sets of sheets for my bed.

8) My daughter has less than 50 toys total.

9) I simplified her wardrobe as well: one pair of jeans, six pairs of leggings, three shirts, six dresses and one coat. She also has one pair of cowgirl boots and one pair of running shoes.

10) I simplified my kitchen appliances. I went through recently and riddled my kitchen of things such the waffle iron we've only used once in ten years. I also narrowed down the utensils to items I use on a regular basis.

11) All of my socks match. I can't believe how much time I spent before trying to find the lost soulmate of sock pairs. Never again!  

12) I simplified the pens and pencils. I threw away all of our pens and pencils and now only the same kind of each.

13) I don't "back up" on items anymore. We once had a dozen flashlights. It was a crazy mess. We got rid of all but our two favorites and instead opted to stock up on the batteries for them.

14) I only have three inside hobbies: crocheting, my house plants and reading.

15) I keep our farming life simple. We raise only sheep, blueberries and apples. Nothing more. I once had six different kind of livestock at one time. It was overwhelming and chaotic.

16) I refuse to impulse buy. And I also rarely bring knick knacks into our house.

17) if I haven't used an item recently, I give it to someone who will appreciate it.

18) I don't feel guilty for not doing projects other moms are doing. If they are scrap booking every moment of their child's life, I can be happy for them because I'm happy doing the things I want to be doing.

19) I am very intentional before starting a new project. I've fallen in love with planning and dreaming.

What is a minimalist pioneer?  Is there a true definition?  No.  

According to the dictionary, a pioneer is a person who is among the first to explore or settle a new country or area. There are several definitions for minimalist, but my favorite is: a person who favors a moderate approach to the achievement of a set of goals or who holds minimal expectations for the success of a program.

So for me a minimalist pioneer: uses a moderate approach. Is first to explore a new area or idea. Holds minimal expectations.