Homesteading is fast becoming a trend in the world today. A good term to define homesteading is Self-Sufficiency!
If you have ever imagined providing your own food by performing agricultural activities, supplying your own electricity for your home, and even as far as making your own clothes, then you have the mind of a homesteader.
Numerous reasons exist why people choose to homestead, each with their separate reason. However, whether it is for independence or as a result of a technical mind, homesteading can be very beneficial.
Several homesteaders crave all this but are faced with the limitation of living in rented homes. If you fall into this category, we have good news for you.
You do not have to own a hundred acres of land or herd of animals before you start homesteading — you can homestead while renting and do it successfully.
Here are 21 ways to homestead while renting
Bake your own bread
Baking your own breads, cakes and foods is a good idea for a homesteader. Bread is consumed almost daily; by learning to bake one properly, you can save yourself from having to buy from the market.
You can consider baking them in batches if you do not have a lot of free time and store the leftovers in the fridge for future. Learning to bake good bread is not a very difficult task. You can follow instructions either online or from a pastry book.
Rear Animals
If your landlord has a lot of space, and good pasture, rearing cows won’t be a bad idea. They can provide you with milk, manure, and well, keep you company. Do well to talk to your landlord and be sure he is cool with this.
Honeybees can also produce honey for you, and products from the reared animals can provide milk for making soap. There are several useful farm animals that you can rear.
Growing your herb garden
Herbs can be beneficial in the home. Instead of having to purchase some whenever you need them, you can grow a herb garden in your home.
The good thing about herb gardens is that they do not consume a lot of space, so you do not have to be worried about space management. Basil, Cilantro, Rosemary, Thyme, Mint and Parsley are some of the herbs you may need regularly.
You can plant herbs indoors and outdoors, directly to the ground or in mini containers. Growing them close to your kitchen where they will be needed the most is a good idea. A good location would be close to the window seal in your kitchen.
You can simply pick the fresh herbs when ready to use, wash them and use them. If you have excess, you can preserve them by freezing or air drying.
Reduce your waste
By recycling and reusing, you can save a lot of money as a homesteader. Whenever possible, reuse things. You can turn your old clothing into other stuff, recycle glass jars, use actual plates instead of a lot of plastics. You can even go further and try composting.
Learn how to make your own soap
Body care products are some of the reasons why we have to rely on the market. By learning how to make your own body soap, you can save yourself some money, or as a creative means, make yourself some extra cash.
Few materials like lye, oils, fragrance, additives and oils are needed to make your soap. You can decide to use the cold process which involves making your soap from scratch, or the re-batching method where you get to melt already made soap, add your extra fragrance and additives, then remould the bar.
By following instructions online, you can easily get the hang of soap-making. Imagine the satisfaction that must come with being in charge of the additives in your soap.
This process is natural and can be rewarding. What’s more? With a little bit of consistency, you can get your own brand and start selling soaps for some extra money.
Learn how to make cheese
What would we do without cheese? Cheese is extremely useful. Contrary to what you may think, making cheese is not difficult; it just requires the right ingredients and good training.
Once you have mastered the steps for making it, it becomes easy. Having a cow makes it easier because you can get fresh milk.
Planting your fruits and vegetables
The merit of this is that you almost always get fresh fruits and vegetables since you oversaw the harvesting yourself. Fruits and vegetables are easy to plant, and they do not require much space.
Tomatoes, Lettuce, Eggplant, Pole Beans, Avocados, Edible flowers and Lemons are some examples of plants that do not require large planting spaces.
They all have their various methods of planting and care, so you can invest in a gardening class or buy a good gardening book, or watch videos online to know how to get some good fruits and vegetables.
Learn how to make your clothes
Be it knitted clothes, or thread sewn clothes, learning how to make your clothes can be a plus. Learning to knit and crotchet can enable you to make gloves, scarves and sweaters for the cold weather.
Learning to sew with thread can make you feel you’re a fashion designer by providing you with the chance to explore your numerous options. You can always extend your sewing to friends, and family, and maybe make some more money out of that.
Grow your own tubers
If you have a little more space, growing your tubers would not be a bad idea. Tubers like potato and cassava may not require so much space for planting, and you can learn how to plant other tubers in small spaces.
Eating a meal that was planted, cared for, harvested and cooked by you must be fulfilling. If you have no knowledge on planting, you can always learn and start it up.
Learn to mill your own grains
Sometimes we complain about bitter-tasting flours that have lost almost all its nutrients. By grinding your flours, you can be sure of rich, nutrient-packed flour.
The same thing goes for other grains; barley, oats, wheat, rye, millet and rice. By investing in a good grain mill, you can get all you need.
Grow herbal plants
Herbal plants are still very much effective today. You can be your own doctor for light ailments by growing herbal plants. Garlic, Ginger, Echinacea, Rosemary, Lavender and turmeric are only a few of the medicinal plants that can be grown.
Basil is one herb that is multi-purpose. Asides from being a spice , it has numerous health benefits including improving digestion and boosting metabolism.
Learn to make quilts
The cold season will definitely come, and as a homesteader, you have some preparations to do. Quilts are necessities during winter, and you can learn to make one. This can either be hand sewn or machine sewn. Quilts are essential, and if properly done, can be sold for money.
Food Preservation
Without proper preservation, all that fresh harvest will go to waste. Different food products require different preservation methods. Learn the correct preservation for each produce to help store it for a long time.
Learn how to make your electric power
Imagine being independent of the general power, because you have your own source. If you really want to have your own power source, you have to invest a lot of time and money into it.
You can use solar power, or a solar-battery powered wind system. For this, you need skills. You can also employ someone with the expertise to get the job done.
Make your cleaning Supplies
Soaps, hair shampoo and facial cleanser, are some essential supplies that can be handmade. Making your own cleaning supplies gives you a lot of self-confidence, and it can serve as a means of making extra money.
By going through youtube, or reading necessary books, you can learn how to make your cleaning supplies.
Learn How to Cook
Cooking is important, and if you want to save all that money you spend on buying cooked food, you need to learn how to cook.
There are numerous ways to make this happen. You can go to a culinary school, or even learn to cook online. You can also ask someone to teach you. Homemade food is way healthier and cost-efficient.
Engage in the Barter system
As a homesteader, sometimes you may have some things you do not need in excess while lacking others. There are probably some homesteaders like you that need what you have and have what you need.
By meeting with them, and discussing a barter system, you can make things easier, and avoid spoil produce.
Build convenient structures for your homestead
Homesteading requires separate buildings and a lot of restructuring. You might want to add an attachment to the fence or construct poultry or a fish farm if your landlord accepts.
Whatever amendments you need to make to ensure that the land is convenient for your homesteading, you should make them. But ensure you ask the landowner before embarking on this.
Hang dry your clothes
You can allow your clothes to air dry if you have a lot of space. It is also possible to construct permanent wooden racks that will enable you to hang dry your clothes.
Have a good record system
As a homesteader, you will be doing a lot of budgeting and planning. It is vital for you to keep a tangible record of your activities from the initial time you start homesteading.
You need to take note of your growth, manage your account, track barters and possible debts, keep a record of the number of your animals and many other activities that need recording.
Pay off debts
Your self-sufficiency should include debt freedom. If you have any hanging debts, you can get a good plan to start paying them off slowly. As a homesteader, you have a pretty good opportunity to make money from various sources. Do not spend your money on unnecessary stuff; instead, save up and pay all your debts.
These twenty one ways to homestead while paying rent will help you to save money and motivate you to get your own house. Grow your own tubers21 Ways To Homestead While Renting
Instructions
Bake your own bread
Rear Animals
Growing your herb garden
Reduce your waste
Learn how to make your own soap
Learn how to make cheese
Planting your fruits and vegetables
Learn how to make your clothes
Learn to mill your own grains
Grow herbal plants
Learn to make quilts
Food Preservation
Learn how to make your electric power
Make your cleaning Supplies
Learn How to Cook
Engage in the Barter system
Build convenient structures for your homestead
Hang dry your clothes
Have a good record system
Pay off debts
