Many of us can remember reading books like Little House on the Prairie or Swiss Family Robinson and having the revolutionary spirit awaken inside our hearts. The human determination to beat the percentages, the magical provision during times of need, the close family bonds that brought the characters thru troublesome times are all themes that are woven into those books. The 'homesteading mindset' is a little romanticized or stuck in a time warp in these books' settings, but the ground-breaking spirit of the homesteader is still extraordinarily much alive in the population of today. The necessity to develop a pattern of acting and thinking like a homesteader is at the center of getting a family thru troublesome monetary barriers. Homesteading can imply so many different things to folks.
To some, it advises making or growing all of their own food - from milling grains at home to butchering beef they have raised themselves. To others, homesteading means living 'off-grid ' and supplying all of their own electrical and power wishes through alternate sources ( wind, solar, water, static or a combo ).
To people, homesteading is just about a 'hippy ' approach to life of simplicity and communicating with nature and doing away with the typical way of making a living. Some homesteaders have various degrees of each of the different techniques mixed in to their own flavour of a homesteading way of life. Yet, irrespective of the definition of 'homesteading', to most of the population it appears that in the twenty-first century homesteading may appear primitive and outmoded. The reality is the homesteading attitude hasn't been more obligatory than it's currently in our present business time. Developing the mindset of a homesteader does not imply one has to live on forty acres and collect eggs, or have a massive garden. It is something that anybody can do ; whenever and wherever.
It's a straightforward as developing the practice of thinking differently. With one or two tweaks of our current way of thinking, we will be able to develop the 'homesteading mentality' and use it even in the most packed urban environment. Whatever the homesteading style there are a couple of things that aren't unusual in the 'mentality ' that may benefit suburban and town inhabitants alike. To individuals that are used to buying items because they're accustomed to having enough funds, making the shift to the 'homesteader mentality' involves one main little secret habit.
This 'trick' covers the entire attitude of a homesteader. This is the secret habit is to circumvent the sense of decadency by thinking about it as creativeness. Before buying anything ( clothing, food, household item, kit, and so on. ) there are a few questions that run thru the mind of someone that considers themselves a 'homesteader '.
These questions help choose whether she or he should make the purchase. Here are simply a few examples : "am I able to make it myself for a bit less than it costs to buy it?" "have I got something already that works in the place of this item just as well?" "how frequently will I use this new item?" ( Hint : if it is not used continually don't purchase it. ) "am I able to do without this item?" "Do we really NEED it or do we need it?" When selecting to 'do without' or 'make do' or 'make it myself' the homesteader investigates the entire event as a method to be imaginative.
Creativeness is the center of this new mind-set, not only a budget or economizing ; but creatively finding new methods to do things, new methods to make things, new strategies to utilise and reuse and recycle things. It is a challenge and a game to somebody with a homesteading perspective to see just how happily and simply we will be able to live. As the days ahead are stuffed with stretching our greenbacks and becoming good stewards of our time and cash, think about the spirit of those beloved books. We are able to find joy in being creative and change our way of thinking to a homesteader's mind-set, regardless of where we live!
