In my previous post, I explained why, for a few months, I backed away from the label "homesteader." I also wrote that I have re-embraced it.
Why? What is a homesteader, really? Definitions and opinions vary, but I believe most modern homesteaders can agree that a homesteader is a person who endeavors to live as simply as possible, conserving as much of the Earth's resources as possible, and working to turn one's place of abode into as much of an asset as possible.
That said, let me count the ways that my husband and I are homesteaders.
*1. We collect and use rainwater for all of our water needs, both household and garden.
*2. Having a limited amount of water has taught us to be very conservative with this precious resource.
*3. We live in the most energy-efficient type of house available, an earth-sheltered house. Though we're on the energy grid, this choice of dwelling significantly reduces the electricity we need to heat and cool the place.
*4. Concrete houses, especially ones buried underground, require much less maintenance than conventional houses (for example, we'll never need to replace the roof).
*5. The south side of our house is lined with windows, so the sun helps heat the house during the winter.
*6. Our house isn't plumbed, so we are forever forced to get some level of exercise with such chores as doing laundry by hand, lugging jugs of water from the water storage tanks into the house, and burying the waste from our composting toilet.
*7. Most years, sometimes into the winter, I grow a decent portion of the amount of vegetables we eat. I'm still learning how to flow with the challenges the climate brings, and this summer (of 2022) I'm taking a break from my garden. But one day, we might actually break even monetarily with my food-growing endeavors.
Maybe in thirty or forty years. ;)
*8. Back to the house. It's only 576 square feet, which means it saves me a lot of time and energy in keeping it clean. The less housecleaning I have to do, the more relaxed I am, which leads to better health.
*9. We do our best to repurpose items/think outside of the box before going out an buying new materials for any given project.
*10. We use things (from clothing to electronics) until they wear out.
*11. When certain things wear out, I try to think of ways to repurpose them before trashing them. For instance, washcloths which develop holes can be used for cleaning, old cotton clothes can be used as mulch in the garden.
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We are not nearly where I'd hoped we'd be by now when we first set out on our rural homesteading adventure eight years ago. But the desire to garden, to enjoy and conserve nature, and to lighten my footprint on the planet is so ingrained in me that I have to admit to being a homesteader.
Even on days that I desperately miss my old washing machine, and when powdery mildew takes out a cucumber plant prematurely.
Yes, I am a homesteader. And I embrace the fact with joy.
