Sustainable Homestead Living

Everyone has expenses. Most if not all, are our choice. The basics we cannot do without is housing or shelter, food and water and clothing. Other than that, we really don't need much else. I can only speak for myself and what has worked for me. Maybe you can get an idea or two as to how you can have a more affordable lifestyle. I choose not to be homeless. I've been there before and it's not a good way of life for me. I thought I would like to be a minimalist and have very few if any possessions and have no permanent place to call home. But that too was a temporary thing and I had to find a place to have roots.

HOUSING
So I did an inventory on how and where I wanted to live. My likes and dislikes. Here's what I came up with: I like to either live in a big city where I am so surrounded by people that I become unimportant, or I wanted to live in a rural setting but not completely isolated. Before country living-just-outside-the-city became popular, it was affordable, if not downright cheap. I made that my choice for many years. Then it became fashionable and I could not afford the price of housing so I had to move. Before that, I lived in the heart of a big sprawling metropolis. I repeated this cycle in several parts of the country, all to find that it became fashionable every time, and the price skyrocketed. So I had to change my plans and look into other places, not so close to the big cities. I have had a set budget of $500 a month for where I live, since 1980.

Unfortunately, I didn't own where I lived until 2002, so I was at the economies mercy. I struggled with the mortgage on that home in 2002 as it was over three times my comfort budget. I was very fortunate to sell it while property values were skyrocketing and I made a $100,000 profit on the sale of that home. I immediately invested a portion in my next real estate, bought low in price and sat on it until 2005. I then subdivided the 40 acres, and sold twenty acres for $40,000. This was still my primary residence as I still lived on the remaining property. In 2006, I sold another ten acres for $100,000, which was a steal at that time. The real estate market bubble burst and I sold the remaining ten acres for $3,500 this year. So, for a modest $40,000 investment with only $350 in closing costs, I had a place to live, tax advantages and depreciation, and made a profit of $103,500.

Because of the plummeting market and lack of trustworthy lenders, I have always opted for seller or owner financing and also offered it to buyers myself. My current real estate investment is owner financed with low interest. I will always have it no other way. And my mortgage payment is well under my comfort budget. There are many places and ways to own your own property. You simply have to really want it and be flexible with the situation. It'll come.

FOOD & WATER
Thankfully, I love to garden, to frequent local growers and farmers markets and to buy from local livestock producers. I buy sacks of whole, clean corn and grind it myself. I buy other grains in bulk but you must be absolutely certain it hasn't been treated with chemicals and you must read labels before using. Buying a simple grinder or mill to make your flour or cereals. I save seeds from the pick of the garden peppers, tomatoes and other vegetables that can be easily grown from seed, and use it the next year. No reason to keep buying seed packages if you are only growing for your home garden. This again saves money every year. I bake and cook most of what we eat. I can every summer and make preserves and jams. With preserves, you can also make ice creams and sorbets. Make your own granola for healthy snacking. Dry beans from the garden. Use a dehydrator. Freeze the Halloween pumpkin for winter's use. But sweet and regular potatoes in bulk and store on straw in a bin. Shop at grocery surplus warehouses. My average costs for food is about $200 a month for two adults.

I have used well water for many years now and strongly suggest its use. I also capture rainwater, and anyone can do this regardless of where you live. Store rainwater that comes off your roof, into barrels to use either for other than drinking use, or for drinking use once it's been filtered. I always have several hundred gallons of water on hand. While there is an initial investment in capturing rainwater, it saves on your water bill. I also have a back-up generator, just a smaller one that I bought for about $400 at Autozone.

CLOTHING
Make a commitment that you will first frequent second hand, thrift stores or yard sales for all your clothing needs, except of course, shoes, underwear and socks. And in some cases, jeans. You will be surprised at how much you will save over the years. I have bought all my clothing this way since 1977 and it is a lot of fun! Every once in a while I will buy something brand new, but only if it is well made and can stand the test of time. I have some clothes that I have had since 1970. I also can make clothing for myself and have done so.
Most people reading this already know how to save money this way, but do you apply it to your life? That is the big test. We are often unwilling to cut our basic expenses for one reason or another. I was forced to live this lifestyle so it has become comfortable for me. I am able to afford more by saving on these basic costs, but it has been a conscious effort to continue.