Recently, I was interviewed by The Rural Economist about our homestead. Most of the questions bounced between homesteading and prepping. I have found our family dangling in the balance between the two. I think that we lean more towards the homesteader name tag than the prepper name tag. This has really got me having an identity crisis thinking about what and where we are, what we are doing, and what our end goal is.
Let me tell you what these two name tags mean in my mind. I know that the definitions vary from person to person and rightly so as we are all unique and have different situations in life. The definitions also will change and morph over time within each person as they grow and learn throughout life.
Homesteading in the simplest terms means this to me: Living a simple life, producing everything you can for yourself, and living as close the earth that God created as possible. Prepping in the simplest terms means this to me: Being prepared for anything; emergency or not. Having enough food and supplies stocked to be able to take care of your family.
Where are we and what are we doing right now?
The quick answer to this, is that we are closer to our goal than we were, but not where we want to be yet. The long answer goes more like this: We have come so far and I am very proud of all that we have and have accomplished and learned. We have been nothing short of blessed to get where we are.
We are raising a lot of our own food: Eggs, chickens for meat, pigs for meat, family milk cow (will eventually produce our own beef via bull calves), and of course our garden. We also have a broad skill set between Farmer Derek and I, we are teaching these skills to the farm kids as well. We are also able to build and make most of the items we need on our homestead. This sums up the where we are at this point in our homesteading journey.
As far as prepping goes, we have canned goods from our garden and chicken in the freezer from our two rounds of meat birds this year. We also buy coconut oil and demerara sugar in bulk. We are running low and will need to order more soon. We do not have a large food store set aside at this point. We do have enough food on hand that we could definitely get by in a situation where we couldn’t get to the grocery store. We do not have a water supply set aside either and that is definitely something we need to work on.
Our family goal in this.
I guess this brings us to our end goal. What is our vision in this homesteading/prepping lifestyle? For us, we are not sitting around waiting on a zombie apocalypse. I’m not saying that I don’t think that a major social breakdown can or will occur, I’m just saying that is not our focus for all of this.
Our number one goal is to raise all of our foods so that we can provide our family with the healthiest, highest quality food as possible. That has been our desire from the start of our journey. We would love to raise our own beef and would like to get bees. Adding those two items would enable us to eliminate any outside source for meat and sugar.
I would love to have enough property to grow our own ancient wheat for us and grains for our animals. I at least would like to grow enough non-gmo, heirloom corn to use as a wheat substitute if we can’t grow wheat. A clean water source on my own property would be ideal. I would also love to have a gravity fed water filtration system set up for our drinking water. Being able to supply and produce 100% of our own food would be the ultimate (and amazing) goal.
As far as within our home and homestead I want to have a wood cook stove to supply heat for my home along with an off-grid cooking source. I would love to have my home set up to be fully functioning in an off-grid situation. Some solar panels would be fantastic.
All in all, our goal would be to have a prepared homestead that wouldn’t feel a hiccough or be thrown off track in any way no matter what we encounter in life. What are your goals? Do you see yourself as a homesteader, a prepper, or both?
Answer to my identity: A Prepared Homestead!
I really like what Patrick from Survival at Home has to say about this too.
Here is a video I did on my thoughts on this issue:
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I love this!! We’re both preppers and homesteaders, since we’re stuck in the suburbs right now I think we fall more in the prepper side. But when we build i have big plan! I adore our property up north, my father in law to be and fiance built it. Solar and wind power, completely off grid. Absolutely dreamy!
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That is so cool! 🙂 It does sound dreamy!
I agree with your definitions of each. I would love to have an small farm where I could do more homesteading. Instead, I am learning what I can with my less than 1/4 acre in town. I was gifted fruit trees from the previous owner, and have already learned so much about their care, and have plenty more to learn.
Working on my pantry – less jams and jellies (until I start to sell them) and more meals ready to eat from my own jars. We are all works in progress. I always remind myself that the zombie apocalypse will most likely be in the form of a huge winter storm versus actual zombies, but I prepare for storms and days when I just don’t want to cook as well. (If I won’t eat it normally, what’s the chance of me eating it in an emergency?)
Great job on what you have done, and keep up the great work!
Thank you! Yes, it is all about doing what you can where you are. Everything you learn in the now just adds value to your journey and future. 🙂
We too lean more towards the homesteader tag. However, lately we have been wanting to learn more about prepping- especially in the state of our economy. You just never know. The most important thing that we need to focus on is finding a source of water too. We have a creek at the end of our property but don’t think it is big enough to use if everyone that lived along it needed it to.
Jen
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We’re in the same category as you, prepared homesteaders. That’s the most comfortable place to be for us. We’ve talked and thought about what we would do and could we realistically survive if there were widespread unemployment and we thing we’re in a position that we can. Part of that is learning skills that are beneficial today and “just in case”, the other part is building a support system that goes beyond just our family. Thankd for sharing with us at Simple Lives Thursday; hope to see you again this week.
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Thank you! It is reassuring knowing that you can make it and will be ok even in the rougher of times. 🙂
From my perspective, every homesteader is a prepper, but not every prepper is a homesteader. It’s kind of like the old saw, “Every Baptist is a Christian, but not every Christian is a Baptist.”
Homesteading is, in of itself, the ultimate form of prepping; you cannot get more ‘prepped’ for whatever may come than by creating a self-sustaining lifestyle for yourself. The purchased goods / stocks are blessings, but it is not the end-all of prepping, therefore if you are a homesteader you are – by nature – a prepper.
A prepper, however can be anyone: an urban dweller stocking their apartment, a lone-wolf survivalist in the woods, a suburban family with a secret bug-out location, or (as is your case) a homesteader living almost entirely by their own means.
It would seem to me that calling oneself a ‘homesteader’ is pretty much saying you are a ‘prepper’ as well, even if one does not identify as such. Those are my thoughts, anyhow; excellent blog entry, by the way – enjoyed it very much.
This is an excellent perspective. I agree with what you are saying. 🙂 Thanks for reading and commenting!
If I had to choose one, I’d say “prepper”. Homesteading isn’t as much of an option in an urban environment. Jealous of your land! I’d love to be able to grow more and raise some livestock.
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Love it, Jenna! I couldn’t agree more!
Thanks, Patrick! 🙂
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Hey Jenna, what a great article! I really like your approach to proactively being prepared while not being paranoid. I feel like the closer we get to mother nature, the richer our lives become. Your post reveals this in such a nice way.
As others have stated, homesteading may not be available to everyone. Which often means they must choose prepping instead.
My recommendation is that everyone at least put together a bug out bag, just in case. The same gear can be used for camping and hiking, and its awfully fun learning about all this stuff.
I put together an extensive guide on how to put together a bug out bag for those preppers among us that are interested: http://www.trekwarrior.com/best-bug-out-bag/
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I know this is a little bit older post. But thought I would throw my $.02.
In my opinion homesteading is what everyone did 100 years ago. They had the skills and the drive to become self-sufficient in a tough environment. Today because of the industrial revolution most people do not know what their grandparents knew about growing food and raising animals.
Today’s homesteaders are people who know or are actively learning these lost skills.
While preppers focus first on stockpiling foods that have a long shelf life and products to assist in the transition to a more homesteading way of life.
I think that both worlds collide in many ways. I think that family’s need friends who know other skills than they do. A community of homesteaders and preppers working together could last forever. Teaching each other and helping each other.
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You really provided great information to us. This is really helpful. Thanks for sharing.
My little son and I are too much into this homestead and prepping things….We’ve built an underground bunker as well just in case of an emergency and it has some good stock inside. TBH i think we are both homesteaders and prepper.
Hi Jenna,
I like the though of being self sufficient, and my dream home is in the woods with a wind turbine, solar panels and a small dam in a creek near by. Im not afraid of of the end of the world I just appreciate the lifestyle of homesteaders. It is so much more rewarding to live off the land. Connecting with nature is good for the soul.
Thanks for this post.
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