Why Homestead?

I've been at this homesteading, self-reliance, modern survivalist thing now that I see a more people making a conscious decision to do the same.

As I've said before, this self-reliance thing is hard. It's early mornings, late nights, praying for rain, and praying for rain to stop. It's the heartbreak of losing animals, crops, and time invested in both, balanced by the joy of a newborn calf, frying up an egg still warm from recently being laid, and the juice of a tree ripened peach running down your chin.

For my friends that realize, somethings not right, many of them say they can just feel it. It's not that they know the total amount of American debt, or even what a derivative is, but they know somethings coming. I remember the feeling of going down more and more rabbit holes, realizing how precarious our situation was in 2008, but here I am 8 years later as testament to you that anyone can do this. Here's my attempt to help you on your way.

1. Breathe. It's going to be OK. Empires fall, Markets fail. As King Solomon said 3,000 years ago, there is nothing new under the sun.

2. Debt. It's a soul crushing burden. Here's the Dave Ramsey plan in a nutshell. Make a budget. Cut up your credit cards. Sell everything you have of value, Pay off the smallest to the largest of your remaining debt each month. Pay cash, on payday put it into envelopes for rent, gas, etc (or debit cards as cash is harder and harder to use). Get a second job. You aren't owed feeling good, spoiling yourself, pampering, etc. until you're doing it with your money and not the bank's at 24% interest.

3. Skills. Once these two things are handled I see so many men rush into the firearms world and blow a ton of money there.
   a. Learn to grow a garden, there are so many great resources out there to help you. Ask me if you want!
   b. Plant fruit trees, there's not better ROI on the planet than a healthy productive fruit tree. Think about it $25 investment, some vermiculture compost, and for the next 3 to 50 years you'll get hundreds of percent return in fresh fruit.
   c. Learn how to change your own oil. For less than $25 and 30 minutes of my time I keep full synthetic oil and a high mileage filter in my vehicles every 5000 miles. Your car will last longer, run better, and you'll get to know your vehicle.
    d. Preserving food. Learn how to can and dehydrate and your garden and fruit trees will start to save you money.
     e. Learn how to cook. It's a skill, find recipes you like and make them once a week until you understand them. After you're out of debt by a KitchenAid mixer and large high quality food processor. You can feed a family a high quality inexpensive meal and the more products that you produce the more self reliant you're becoming.

It's a marathon, not a sprint. Do all you can do today, sit down on the couch exhausted, love on your family, go to bed and do it again tomorrow. You'll feel like you're swimming in concrete for a while, but eventually you'll look back and realize how far you've come.