Self-Sufficiency vs. Homesteading

[FarmerChick]

I was in some homestead forums. They are hard core. It was not the way I waned to live according to their definitions. Homesteaders are not about deprivation, they are about going back to simple basics before the technology invasion etc. Some honesteaders will have the grid when they can, some won't touch it with a 10 ft pole..lol

Rare people build homesteads now. Tony's grandparents have a homestead on the farm. They bought the land, built their own house by their own hands, waited for the grid to come to them...lol..and hooked up when they could, but they sustained their income and food and everything from the farm. There was no outside income to support them.
Sold firewood, produce, animals, etc. and did require little money to survive. And it was a hard life....nothing romantic about it.

Yesterdays homesteaders did for themselves until most could have more, like grid connection. Now homesteaders use the term to go backwards and have less.

So I don't have too much connection with homesteading in the terms of today. I am not a true self sufficent person either.

I like Dacs term of self reliant. I try to rely on myself for my survival where I can apply....but I won't be giving up my electricity or my tv. :/
BUT if I lost power for life, I know I could survive on my farm.
Even without my tv..LOL

I am not striving for a full solar home, I am not wanting to live without my conveniences, I am not wanting to work very hard as I get older, and older, but I guess I fall somewhere in between. To lighten the load on the earth a bit which I do and to keep more of my hard earned cash in my pockets and use that money for my wonderful and fun vacations. I want to enjoy this life anyway I can! There is so much adventure out there!

 

[valmom]

I agree with everything Beekissed wrote. I want to reduce my (and my SO's if possible) footprint on the earth. It is just logical to me that there are too many people for the earth to support right now and it is just getting worse. If as many people reduce their impact as possible it will benefit every thing else that lives here with us.

I also really like doing things for myself, and knowing how to do things from scratch. I love knowing how to go from sheep to clothes. Food- eh, I'm not so good at. Someone else would have to feed me But, I could keep them warm and clean!

I'm not sure how back to basics retro you can be while blogging on the internet, though. I am NOT willing to give up the internet!

 

[chipmunk]

I'm with you, FC. I appreciate my electricity and conveniences, even more so as I get older and creakier. But I do want to be in a position where, if I couldn' t have them, I could still get by.

That is what I'm aiming for in becoming more SS - some semblance of control over my own wellbeing. And besides, stuff like solar energy and making yogurt and homemade poptarts and canning/preserving is SO COOL! I just love the feeling of accomplishment :bun

 

[Farmfresh]

I choose to call myself a homesteader ... even though I am an urbanite.

The definition that I prefer is according to Wikipedia :

"Currently the term homesteading applies to anyone who is a part of the back to the land movement and who chooses to live a sustainable, self-sufficient lifestyle."

I don't think true self sufficiency can be attained by most humans. We are gregarious creatures. We live in herds and depend on on another... and that is a good thing. I too agree with Dac - self reliance is a much more realistic term than self sufficiency.

Land is no longer freely available in most areas of the world, so actually homesteading is more of a way of life. A simple living lifestyle, incorporating small-scale agriculture, sustainable and permaculture gardening, and home food production and storage into daily living - no matter where you live!

Bee said "I like to live on little, leave a smaller footprint on the earth, need less, spend less time working for more and more and spend more time working on the things that enrich my soul~like gardening, raising livestock, putting by foods, fuel and necessities for a rainy day." and BOY do I agree with that.

Just getting back to the simple things. Learning the true pleasures of a days work. Growing delicious healthy food to supply the needs of my family. Being a true part of the natural cycle of life and nature in general - as I believe God intended. Relying on God to supply our needs plus using our brains and hard work - that makes us more self reliant that the average person. The attitude with which we do that makes me a homesteader!

 

[Wifezilla]

Deny myself pleasures???? Have you seen my reaction when the power goes out and the tv doesn't work???? I mean....er....the canner doesn't work? Nor doth thine dehydrator?

As for deprivation, some people LIKE deprivation. Makes them feel all "holier than thou". I don't see the point, but whatever makes em happy!

 

[dacjohns]

Hard core homesteaders with the internet? Right.

 

[Farmfresh]

I agree. I think homesteading or Self Sufficiency (reliance) or what EVER you want to call it should not be about deprivation.

If it is done right we usually eat FAR better, and are FAR happier than the "normal" folks.

You CAN put a price on some aspects of it too.

For example just price the gallons of fresh organic blackberries that my family consumes each year! The free range chicken, eggs and free range turkeys that we eat would cost a fortune at the neighborhood market - if you bought similar quality. Not to mention the money I save by digging and hauling around in my garden instead of joining a fitness club.

We eat the best, play the best, and laugh the most. Why should I be deprived?

 

[Diavolicchio]

It's easy to get caught up in definitions or semantics. I wasn't so much curious about what the official definition or etymology is of the term 'homesteading,' but more the differences between the people who consider themselves homesteaders vs. the people who simply identify with the concepts of self-sufficiency or self-reliance.

The people in this forum just seem happier, more content and not nearly as preoccupied as the typical homesteader with the notion that the world is teetering over an abyss, ready to slide in. Many homesteaders with whom I've communicated in the past seem to have a bit of a fatalist mentality that extends well beyond being prepared for an emergency and instead has them building a doomsday shelter filled with 5,000 cans of kidney beans and enough guns and ammo to protect a small country. How can this not end up leaving you feeling as if you're living life under a bit of a gray cloud?

I just think that when it gets to the point where someone's kids go without basic essentials because the parents are convinced they need to buy more ammo for the bomb shelter that it's gotten a bit out of hand. Yes indeed, there are many people who identify as homesteaders for whom this doesn't apply; I'm simply sharing my general overall impression.

Just my 2.

 

[bibliophile birds]

We eat the best, play the best, and laugh the most. Why should I be deprived?

HEAR HEAR!! that should be our official motto. i keep telling friends that doctors should stop prescribing anti-depressants and start prescribing chickens.... they are my zen.

that's one of the things i love the most about getting back to being self reliant. my job can be very stressful and depressing (but it's ultimately very, very emotionally rewarding), so it's the greatest thing in the world to have something completely separate from all that that is fun and relaxing and challenging, in a good way.

when i'm working, a lot of times food is very basic so i eat A LOT better when i'm at home relying on homegrown (or at least locally grown) goods. i mean, is there anything more relaxing than collecting honey or making cheese? even a massage doesn't get me that relaxed because i'm constantly thinking about how much it's cost me and how this stranger is touching me and how many people have laid on this table... give me honeybees and chickens any day.

 

[Farmfresh]

You are right there are a bunch of Survivalist Homesteaders out there. It is one thing being ready with skills and supplies in case TSHTF and quite another to be a survivalist.

As for me, I am middle aged, allergic to bread, blind as a bat and very arthritic. I figure when TSHTF I will be sitting blind as a bat in some corner unable to move around. I will BE the crazy old cronie that folks go to to learn how to make some soap or clean a bird for supper. No sense in me buying up bullets when my hands will be too swollen to pull a trigger!